Truth:Your visual marketing assets are most of the reason people follow you online and purchase your products. Even if you don’t have a product based business, the images you use and share to represent your brand online are crucial to the success of your service based business and even your brick and mortar locations. For me, putting together a strong photography based marketing strategy was much of the reason my business skyrocketed over a year ago, and it remains one of the main reasons why I am still growing at a quick and steady pace.
Like it or not the photography and graphics we use to represent our brand and business online are some of the most important assets we have, and yet many of us are not familiar with the basic principles that go into not only creating great images, but also using those images properly online! Times are changing and what was the norm a few years ago in the online marketing space has changed drastically in terms of using images online.
If you aren’t aware of these changes and/or don’t have a defined marketing strategy that includes using images and graphics to promote your brand online, you are missing a major opportunity. On top of that, if you are currently using images and graphics online to represent your brand without that strategy, chances are you are putting your brand and business at risk! This includes sharing images on branded Instagram, Twitter or other social media accounts! The content you put out into the world for the public to see matters and if you aren’t aware of the trends and essential marketing strategies for promoting growth online, you aren’t just going to lag behind in followers, but you will also confuse your customers and loose out on sales!
The 6 Business Assets that are More Important than Your Business Plan
One of the most popular questions I get asked whenever I talk about online business building is always about business plans. For one reason or another, the concept of a business plan, what it is, why it’s necessary and how to create your own, always seems to be a primary concern to beginner business owners and/or those who are curious about online business and thinking about starting their own. When you are first getting started creating a business, you have dozens if not hundreds of tasks on your plate all at the same time. If you are lucky, you may have help with your workload, but that still means you have many priorities to balance in order to get your business off the ground. Your business plan is just a document that explains what you are trying to do with our business, which, often times when we are getting started, is a hard concept to define! Until you truly have your business up and running, doesn’t help you with anything, nor does it legitimize your hard work and effort. For that reason, I think there are way more important items and business assets to tackle before you ever even worry about your business plan. Today, I want to talk about six such items that I think you should have in order as a small business owner before you even worry about writing a business plan!
Website
If you are operating a business of any kind, online or off, having a website is a must. When people hear about your business, products or services, the first thing they are going to do is Google you to find out more about you and unless you have throw a stake in the ground with your own website and claimed your distinct area of the internet, you are loosing a very powerful opportunity to engage with potential customers and clients. People will search for you online and make many instant decisions over whether or not they want to purchase from or work with your business based on information they find or do not find online. For this reason, putting the necessary time and effort into your website to ensure it provides an accurate and intriguing face to your business is a must!
Another term that I often find thrown around along with business plan is business model. Your business model is the way in which you plan to make money with your business. Remember, until you earn money from your effort, you don’t actually have a business, just a hobby! Your business model is a defined strategy for how money will flow into your business. Until you have your business model worked out and begin earning a steady income from it, there is no reason to even think about a business plan! Until you truly begin earning income from your business, so many factors are up in the air. Spend your time thinking about ways you can earn income and execute on those actions before you worry about your business plan.
Your products and/or services are definitely the most important part of your business! Like I mentioned earlier, if your business isn’t earning revenue, it’s not a business, so making sure you are creating and offering the right products and services is crucial. Your products and services go hand in hand with your business model. Working to develop not only great products that people are eager for, but also defining the right methods for distribution and production (which are essential elements of your business model) will help you to maximize your revenue and grow your business.
Your business runs on systems. They are the actions or sets of actions you take on a regular basis to perform your business tasks. As a business owner you could have systems for processing payments, systems for paying bills, systems for managing tasks and creating products. Or systems for working with clients! There are a variety of systems that business owners use to manage their day to day workload and keep their business running, and the more deliberate and thought out you can make these systems, the easier your work will be. The most important system that you will want to spend a good deal of time and thought on is your customer service system- those actions you will take to manage customer service inquiries and interact with or troubleshoot issues for your customers and potential customers! Because the success of these systems has a direct impact on your business revenue and growth, this is the first system you should define once you begin making money from your products and services. It will go a long way to helping you develop a customer-centric culture within your organization, and will be your best form of PR!
Perhaps you don’t think of your daily work schedule as an asset for your business, but the truth of the matter is that your time is your ultimate business asset! As a business owner who works solo or even has a team of people working with them, the way you choose to spend your time working on your business is critical to its success. You should first strive to define all the necessary work for your business and then understand which actives and tasks are the highest use of your time and executive function. You will want to do all you can to maximize the time you spend performing duties that actually earn your business revenue and streamline or delegate administrative items that keep the business afloat but don’t earn. If you were to place an hourly rate on your time and an hourly rate on the different activities that need to be accomplished for your business, you want to do higher value work more often!
The online marketplace is saturated with content, there is no doubt about that, but there is a clear trend illustrating that visual content and visual platforms are where businesses get the most bang for their buck! If you have minimal time to produce content, even promotional or marketing content, spend your time wisely and focus on visual mediums and platforms. Places like Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube command the most traffic and attention online, so learning how to optimize your business for these types of platforms will give you a competitive edge. To optimize your business visually, you need to get very clear on your visual branding and start using graphics and styled stock photography to tell your brand story. Sharing visuals of your products or styled images that define your services, help your potential customers connect and engage with your business.
Don’t let the idea of needing a business plan hold you back from moving your business forward, especially in infancy stages. You have more important work to do for getting your business off the ground and writing a business plan before you have clear proof of income and concept for your business is a waste of time. With time your most precious commodity, everything you choose to spend it on should be moving your business forward or growing your revenue! So, know I want to hear from you! When starting your business, what did you consider to be the most important activities you spent your time on? If you are thinking about starting a business, what’s currently holding you back or causing you pause? Let me know in the comments below!
Welcome back for another installment of Entrepreneurial, my monthly journal entry chronicling my experience as an entrepreneur, my victories and failures each month, and the lessons learned along the way.
April, Becoming My Best Self
April was a landmark month for me and my personal/business development. I made a lot of big decisions this month and established some new routines that have helped to streamline my life and business. I also attended my first live event as a brand/personality, which was an amazing experience that really taught me a lot about myself. Last month I started a new format for this series where I list out what I did and did not do, as well as what I learned from the month. You seemed to like that change and so did I, so I am going to continue with it for now!
What I Didn’t Do
1. Run a promotion. April was the first month this year that I didn’t run some sort of promotion for my shop. I was really worried that this would mean I wouldn’t make as much in my shop, but actually my revenue for the month held up to other months where I ran big promotions, so I’m glad to see that I don’t need to push myself every month to do something special, just sticking to my everyday marketing plan is enough to keep the needle moving in the right direction.
2. Spend enough time on Instagram. For one reason or another, this month I didn’t Instagram as much as I would have liked. However, out of that I ended up finally defining a regular editorial for my Instagram posts that I was able to implement later on in the month. Having an editorial calendar for Instagram may seem excessive, but like everything in life, a little forward planning can go a long way to simplifying your workload.
3. Stay inside my comfort zone. This month I did something that totally pushed me outside of my comfort zone by attending and speaking at the Southeast PlannerCon in Atlanta! This was something that was planned for months, but it was the first time I made “an appearance” as a brand offline. I was pretty nervous about it going in, but almost immediately my nerves subsided when I started meeting new friends and seeing welcoming faces. It’s amazing how much anxiety you can overcome thanks to the power of human connection!
What I Did Do
1. Stuck to my schedule. Oh yes, I made my schedule and stuck to it, which includes my new block schedule for working on my business day to day. For a long time I wanted to create a schedule where I themed my days by tasks, and I was finally able to accomplish it this month. Not only did I set up a schedule that works, I executed on it the whole month which was a major win for me and it ended up making my life so much easier and actually boosted my work day confidence. I was able to execute on all my essentials during the workday and then relax in the evening thanks to this new schedule.
2. Added value for my customers. So, this month I didn’t launch a new product per se, but I did add a few items to existing products. I was very excited that I added a new iPhone only module to my Digital Styling Lightroom photography course, which was something my customers had expressed much interest in, and I also added a blogging webinar to Empire Building. Focusing on adding value to my existing products instead of creating new ones really felt like a great use of my time because it helps me keep my products fresh and exciting, and establishes a trust between me and my customers. They know I am listening to their concerns and I’m able to better serve them. Win-win!
3. Thought critically about my business. In early April, after the close of March, I performed a quarterly business review. I actually filmed a whole webinar style video on the topic in case you are interested in the process as well, but this review gave me an opportunity to think really critically about my business. I know I’m always thinking about my business in one way or another, but to really sit down and clear out time and space to review all aspects of my business was invaluable to me. Not only did this give me an opportunity to get organized, but it also helped me brainstorm some new content and strategy moving forward into Q2.
What I Learned
1. Networking is a major part of business. As someone who works for themselves from home, I often forget the power of real, face to face networking! It really is all about who you know, and by attending events within your market or niche, you can develop relationships with new people that you wouldn’t have connected with over email. Seriously, I met some amazing women at Southeast Plannercon, some I had even emailed with in the past but it wasn’t until we met face to face that I realized I wanted to work with them. Connecting in person really gives you an opportunity to see a real human side of someone that you may miss in email.
2. Helping others is never a bad idea. Attending PlannerCon was such a different experience for me than my typical day to day work because it really forced me to tap into my best self and step up to help others who truly needed it. I always consider myself a helpful person, but dealing with a live event situation met I had a chance to really use my talents and knowledge to support others who really needed it. Whether it was working out AV issues for a presentation or giving a nervous speaker support and a pep-talk to encourage them, when I help others, I get in touch with my higher self and become the best version of me possible.
3. It’s better to go deeper than wider. When it comes to developing new products in business, I find that once you have your product line defined, there are two ways you can add more to your business. Either by going deeper or going wider. By going deeper, I mean adding more to an existing product, and by going wider I mean adding more products to your line. As I already explained earlier, this month I didn’t launch any new products, instead I added new elements to existing products for additional value. This was the first time I have created something new that took me deeper instead of wider in my product line and it was a great learning experience. For me, I tend to always want to create “new” in my business. Usually that means a new product which is great because I’m adding to my product line, but can sometimes be overwhelming if I feel like I’m adding too many new products to my shop. By going deeper into existing products I can add value and expand on topics I’ve already touched on without cluttering my product line.
I hope you enjoyed this installment of Entrepreneurial and perhaps picked up some new insight or a strategy you didn’t think of before. I’d love to hear how your month went, so please let me know what you learned by leaving me a comment down below!
5 Mistake Brands Make when Working with Online Influencers
Last week I posted some great PR tips for bloggers, YouTubers and small businesses that were looking to put their best foot forward online in order to attract sponsors or customers, but this week, I want to turn the tables a bit and discuss some best practices for brands or businesses who are looking to solicit online influencers to help promote their products. As a blogger who has worked with sponsors in the past and is often approached by brands for partnerships, you’d be surprised at the mistakes brands and small businesses are making when approaching an influencer. So, I wanted to share with my fellow small business owners the common mistakes I see being made and give some tips for reaching out to bloggers or influencers in a way that will get you a more positive response and better results from the influencer if and when you proceed with a partnership opportunity.
Mistake #1: You don’t do your homework on the influencer!
As a business owner, I understand that when you want to spread awareness of your brand or products you may approach multiple influencers with the mindset that having more options is better than fewer options. However, it’s very important that you really do your homework before you solicit a blogger or influencer and really understand who they are, what they do online and who their audience is. As an influencer, I get dozens of emails a week from small brands that want me to share about their products, however, it’s clear to me when when I read the first paragraph of their emails that the vast majority don’t know who I am and have sent a blanket email to a countless number of bloggers hoping to get a response. These offers are impersonal and often out of line with the context of my blog and I delete them immediately. However, when I receive an email from a brand that clearly knows me and my audience I consider their offer much more seriously and take the time to respond and interact with them. If you are a small business owner, I challenge you to do your homework and make an effort to understand the blogger you are contacting before making them an offer. I promise you will have a much more positive result and in doing your research you may be able to pitch your offer in a personalized way that will impress and flatter them into a partnership!
Mistake #2: You waste time by giving too much or too little information.
After you have done your research on an influencer and decide to reach out, make sure you respect your own time as well as the time of the influencer by keeping your email direct and informative without turning it into a short story. Give the influencer all the information they would need to make a decision on whether they will want to work with you, and make a simple pitch that clearly states your offer and objectives, as well as the benefits you are willing to offer them for their service. Don’t hold back important information or be misleading in order to “hook” a potential partner. When you are upfront with all the information, not only can the influencer make a better decision, but it will help expedite the process if you begin working together.
Mistake #3: You forget that you get what you pay for!
The number 1 mistake a brand or small business can make when working with a blogger or online influencer is that they think they can get something for nothing! I think the practice of soliciting an influencer and offering them free products or social interactions for their work is atrocious. You get what you pay for! If you expect someone to review your products or use their influence to further your brand, you must be willing to pay. Value is an exchange, they do the work and you pay them for it. If you’re not willing to exchange a fair value or their effort, it will end up costing you dearly with your reputation!
Mistake #4: You fail to negotiate.
I understand that for many small businesses, the idea of striking a deal is daunting. It may be our first instinct to approach an influencer with an offer and then if they do not accept the offer, to turn away and pitch the same offer to a new influencer. It’s easier to turn away than it is to open a dialog of negotiation, but if you have spent time doing your homework to identify the influencer you want to work with, negotiating is essential. If your offer is well received, find out what objections the influencer has and edit your offer to overcome them. You don’t have to give it all away, but even just showing that you are willing to discuss the terms of an offer can go a long way to getting someone to agree to those terms.
Mistake #5: You fail to lay out clear expectations.
The final mistake I see small businesses and brands making when working with influencers is that they fail to lay out clear terms on who is doing what and when. A mistake like this could lead to communication issues where the influencer under-performs their responsibilities or the business fails to fulfill their end of the deal, which can lead to disaster if an influencer is left feeling cheated! Make sure to lay out a clear plan that details what each party is responsible for and when delivery of those details are expected. Don’t be afraid to double check details and over communicate in an effort to keep both parties responsible for upholding their end of the partnership!
Now that you understand the 5 most common mistakes I see businesses making when working with influencers online, I hope you can take this information and make better choices when it comes to working with those who can grow your brand. I think bloggers, YouTubers and social media content creators are great resources for the small business community online, and they can be more effective for small business growth than standard advertising or marketing. Just make sure to follow these best practices when working with them for positive results and brand building!
As I am now coming up on the second annual tax season for my business, I thought it would be a good time to share some of my financial planning tips for other entrepreneurs or small business owners. Financial planning has been a topic that I’ve prioritized for a number of years, but once I became a full time business owner, the responsibility for my finances transitioned from being a task that my employer took care of, to a task that I needed to take over! Tasks like paying taxes, putting money away for retirement, and of course, making sure my business is turning a profit! So today, I want to share some tips and topics that you will want to think about implementing in your own life for business and personal financial success.
Set Financial Goals for Your Business & Personal Savings
To get started on your financial planning journey as an entrepreneur, you first need to set financial goals. For me, I like to set a goal for my yearly income and revenue. On one hand, I set a number for how much income I want to generate and then another number for the amount of money I get to keep after expenses are paid. To me, although I really want to make sure that annual income is high, it’s more important to me that my revenue be high. What I mean by this is that I would rather hit $60,000 in income in a year and get to keep $40,000 of it because I had $20,000 in expenses, as opposed to making $75,000 a year but only keeping $35,000 after $40,000 in expenses. Remember, it takes money to make money, so when you set your financial goals, you need to be realistic in the amount of money you will be spending as well as the money you will bring in. Now, when it comes to your personal savings, luckily this is a little more straight forward because you can determine the amount of money you want to save on an annual basis or you can decide on a percentage of income that you will put away into savings.
Sign up for business checking, savings and credit card accounts
Another financial planning tip I have for you as an entrepreneur is to sign up for business checking, savings and credit card accounts so that you keep your personal money separate from your business money. This is such a time saver when it comes to tracking your income and expenses on a monthly basis. It also makes it easier for you to pay bills and taxes because you can set aside money into savings for big expenses and use a business credit card or check card to autopay your monthly reoccurring expenses.
Track your Income & Expenses on a monthly basis
I think it’s a best practice to make sure you keep on top of your income and expenses on a monthly basis! For me this means I calculate my total income from all my income streams, and then I go through my business accounts and statements and calculate my total expenses. I also like to go through my business expenses and distribute or categorize each expense on a quarterly basis. You can see more of my Quarterly Business Review Process in this YouTube video!
Set up weekly or monthly auto-deductions to your personal 401K, IRA or Savings Account
In order to establish a good savings pattern for your personal finances, I think it’s a good idea to set up regular auto deductions to your personal savings accounts. Now, I’m no financial advisor so the amount of money you want to save and the types of accounts you will put that money into will vary. I’d suggest speaking to a certified financial planner to make those sorts of decisions, but no matter what you decide, you should consider setting up those contributions as auto-deductions so you don’t need to think about it or have to rely on your own time and energy to get that important money to where it belongs!
Set aside money for quarterly estimated taxes or yearly taxes
It’s a plain fact that if your business is making money, you will need to pay taxes! So, to prevent any unfortunate money situations, make sure you are setting aside money to pay those taxes, either by calculating and making quarterly estimated tax payments OR by keeping track of your tax burden throughout the year and putting money aside to pay at tax time. Again, I’m not a professional financial planner or business financial expert, however, I find that paying my quarterly estimated taxes on time helps me to ensure I don’t owe money at the end of the year! This process will certainly vary from country to country, so check your own local tax laws or talk to your state to learn more.
I hope these tips have given you some insight into financial planning as an entrepreneur. I know financial planning can be a scary concept to some, but with some good insight and the guidance of a certified financial planner, you should be armed with enough knowledge to take your personal and business finances into your own hands and start hitting your financial goals! If you have any additional tips or resources you would like to share, please do so in the comments!
This weekend I’ll be traveling to Atlanta for the Southeastern Planner Convention as one of the speakers for the event! I’m very excited and thankful for the opportunity and I can’t wait to meet some of my long-time planner friends in person. Since this is the first time I’ll be traveling exclusively for business, I thought I would share some of my travel essentials with you that I plan to pack in my carry on. Since this is going to be an overnight trip, I’ll be packing one large tote bag as my carry on and I’ll also bring my small rolling luggage with my clothing and toiletries. For a quick trip like this, I’ll end up packing very light, but my carry on must include my airline essentials because whenever I fly, I like to be comfortable.
#BossBabe Biz Travel Essentials
Comfortable, easy-off, shoes: Since I’ll be flying to the event, the first essential for me is a comfortable pair of shoes that is easy to take on and off! I’ll most likely wear a pair of slip ons or mules so I’m easy on my feet while traveling but can deal with security quickly.
#BossBabe Travel Tip: Never wear heels or lace-ups when traveling, they are just too cumbersome!
Large executive style tote bag: For my carry on, I’m planning to use my Gigi New York Gates Satchel because it’s large enough for all my essentials, but also structured enough to carry with me as my purse for dinner and events. I don’t want to bring an extra bag with me so my carry on needs to do double duty.
#BossBabe Travel Tip: Choose a structured bag to act as carry-on, briefcase, and purse while traveling for business!
iPhone + Headphones: I always keep my smartphone and a pair of earbuds with me whenever I leave home, but they are especially important when I travel because I usually pop in my earbuds and listen to a book on tape when I travel. It’s a great way to pass the time and as someone with a lot of books on their TBR (to be read) list, I find travel downtime to be the best time to jump into a good motivational or business book!
Universal Back Up Battery Pack: Whenever you travel with gadgets in tow, I highly recommend bringing a universal back up battery source. That way you can plug in any USB charger for any device and you can manage multiple devices at one time!
#BossBabe Travel Tip: Don’t let yourself get stranded with a drained battery!
Macbook Air: Since I’ll be giving a speech with a slideshow presentation, I will be bringing my Macbook Air with me on the flight. That way I can review my information and make any last minute tweaks! Depending on the nature of a business trip, I will normally bring my Macbook Air, but for longer trips I may also pack my iPad, which I will not need on this trip.
#BossBabe Travel Tip: Don’t leave home without your important digital business materials!
Air travel essentials pouch: Whenever I fly, I keep a pouch with special essentials for airline travel. Inside the pouch I keep medication (allergy, pain, nausea, etc), an Evian spray mist, Caudalie hand cream, Dior creme de rose lip balm, Caudal facial moisturizer, wet-wipes, and an eye mask. Air travel really dehydrates the skin and I already have very dry skin, so I need to make sure I add some extra moisture during the trip. Before I board I will apply moisturizer and if I take a bathroom break after the drink service, I will also reapply and freshen up. For longer flights I also suggest doing a quick re-fresh with 30 minutes of landing. If I can’t get to the bathroom to do my routine in private, I will do so at my seat. Either way, I love to do my pamper routine on the plane because it’s a great way to treat yourself and relax during a period of down time that we normally don’t have during the day.
#BossBabe Travel Tip: Use travel time to relax, pamper yourself, and take care of yourself so when you look and feel great on arrival!
Those were my #BossBabe essentials for when I travel for my business! I hope you enjoyed this post and I’d love to hear what your essentials are when you are traveling for work, so please tweet me or leave me a comment below!
Welcome back for another installment of Entrepreneurial, my monthly journal entry chronicling my experience as an entrepreneur, my victories and failures each month, and the lessons learned along the way.
March, a Month in Repose
I started off this month on vacation, and I’m ending the month in what can only be described as a state of repose. This month I challenged myself to work a little differently, to hustle less and focus on just the essential business activities that I thought would move the needle so I could make more room for my life and the things I want to do more of. It was an interesting experiment. I ended up working far less than I normally do, to the extent that I actually got a little scared I wasn’t doing enough of the basics to get by. However, I think I discovered some great insights that will help me to be more strategic with where I put my time and energy in the future. Let’s run down what I did and didn’t do this month and what I’ve learned from this little test!
What I Didn’t Do
1. I didn’t create heaps of new content! I only really wrote a few new blog posts for this month and then reposted or updated old content. I also didn’t stress about YouTube videos, only posting three videos that are public on my channel, although I did also host a live webinar which was by reservation only. I’m beginning to think that perhaps I’ve been putting out much to much content and that it’s really not moving the needle for me anymore than some basic updates might.
2. I didn’t create any new products. This marks month number two without new products. Now, part of this is because I’ve not been feeling the creativity juices flowing, and part of this is because I know I have been creating new products month over month for over a year and it’s time for a rest! This month I focused more on promoting my existing products, which is an essential activity I tend to forget about.
3. I didn’t allow distractions. Okay, so this doesn’t mean I was able to avoid all distraction, but I did a good job distancing myself from the things that distract me regularly. This month I turned off certain notifications that always seem to sideline me, I ignored emails until I was ready to deal with them, and I stopped letting certain things steal my time. When I worked, it was in short bursts with just a few things to do, and when I rested, I turned my brain off from work. There was actually a few instances where I went a period of days without my mind turning to business while I was “out of office”. I think that’s a win!
What I Did Do
1. I thought about where I want to focus my effort and for me, that’s marketing. Like I said earlier, I have been creating products for a while and haven’t been spending enough time promoting them. So this month I created a valuable new marketing asset for myself, which is my new 5 Pillars Webinar that outlines my personal business strategy of Empire Building.
2. I took time off. Again, this month started on vacation, and is ending on a period of rest. I think I realistically only worked two weeks this month, and then spent the rest of the time “in repose” as I like to call it. I also got sick this month, but luckily it only ended up eating into my plans for rest and personal time, so it wasn’t a major inconvenience. I also spent a good amount of time this month cooking delicious dinners for my husband and myself. Cooking is one of the things I enjoy doing but I haven’t seem to have the time to do recently. So, in cutting back on my work, I am opening my time to do more things I love, like cooking!
3. I interacted and shared with my community. This month, I have been on SnapChat A LOT! Although I haven’t been creating new content to share on my site or channel, I have been doing a lot of impromptu content creation and sharing with my community which I think has really supplemented my normal content creation. I’ve always been of the mind that time spent talking to my audience and helping them is better than time spent on a blog post because I really value that human connection, and SnapChat has really opened me up to my followers in a way that allows them to see more of me and my life, and have easy access to me.
What I learned
1. Content is great, but once you have built up a massive library of posts, videos, etc, you don’t need to continue to produce lots of new content every week. Reworking old content or taking one content idea and breaking it into smaller pieces to share can keep you from overloading your audience with new ideas.
2. Progress comes from taking action. Of course this seems logical, but for myself, and perhaps for some of you, I know that I keep thinking things will change on their own. I tell myself “Once I get to this point, I’ll be able to take time off,” or “If I finish this project, I’ll have time for that.” The problem is, unless you take action to change your routine, once you get to whatever point you expected would be the tipping point, things just don’t change on their own. That includes things like wishing for a creative streak to hit. I spent a good amount of time this month waiting for a creative streak to hit me and it never did. That wasn’t because I’m out of creativity, but it’s because I needed to take action and stimulate my creativity in order to see the result. Sitting around watching TV isn’t going to inspire you to do your best creative work, but taking action and making progress will!
3. It’s really important to trust in the process. The idea of trusting the process is almost like a canned business concept that I have memorized and on repeat but goes in one ear and out the other. Obviously, with taking a good amount of time off this month, I was worried that I wasn’t doing enough to ensure my business would survive the month, but it did, and that’s because I did the right things instead of doing all the things. Once you know what the right things are, you can execute and then just trust in the process that they will work. Spoiler, if they don’t work, you either having given them enough time to work or they weren’t the right things. This can be hard to distinguish so I advise patience! Everything in business is trial and error, and I’ve spent enough years ‘doing and failing’, and ‘doing and progressing’ to know when I’m doing the right things for my business.
I hope you have enjoyed this months edition of Entrepreneurial. I changed the format around a bit with this post, so let me know if you like this better or if you prefer the old journal entry style better! I’d also love to hear from you and what you learned this month in your business, so please feel free to share in the comments below!
Last Wednesday I hosted a solo episode of the #GLAMPIRECHAT where I discussed my process, systems and tools for executing business plans. Getting things done for my business happens to be one of my strong suits and in this hour and a half long live chat, I explained my methods and answered your questions live. If you weren’t able to make the chat, you are in luck because not only do I have the replay up on my YouTube channel, but I have also put together a recap of the chat that I am sharing with you today!
Who is this information for?
Anyone who has a hard time executing on projects and plans for their business, whether that’s a full time or #sidehustle situation. Also, hopefully this information will jumpstart you and inspire you into action. My hope is that this post and the coordinating video become a resource for you, that you save it, bookmark it, and come back to it anytime you need inspiration to act and start or complete a project!
What will you learn from this information?
How I get things done and execute consistently. My process, systems and tools for getting things done for my business. If you have a business project sitting on the back burner, or want to accomplish a major project for your business but aren’t sure how to go about starting, this information will provide a blueprint of sorts for you to follow through on your tasks!
1. You need to have plans to execute on & an organization method to keep track of them.
Brainstorm your plans and projects: Start with a question you would like to answer or a problem you would like to solve and brainstorm possible solutions that you can turn into a plan for a project! RESOURCE: Watch my Project & Goal Planning Video for a How-To!
Keep a designated notebook or section in your planner where you can keep track of your ideas and plans: Keep track of all your ideas and project plans in this dedicated spot. RESOURCE: Need a project planning kit?
Frequently refer back to this information: Keep this list up to date and relevant. You want to ensure you are executing on your best ideas!
2. Choose from your best ideas so you know what projects to execute first.
Define your values: What values do you want your project to embody? Are you concerned with cost, environmental impact, timeliness, or accessibility? Are collaboration, joy, or simplicity things you want expressed by this project? RESOURCE: Understanding how to establish focus through values.
Rate your ideas: Grade your ideas A, B, C, D & F based on which ideas embody your values and feel like the best ideas for you.
Make your A list: Don’t discard any of your B-F ideas, but make a new list with just the A ideas. These are the ideas you will want to start with.
Extrapolate action steps for each of your A ideas: For each A idea make a list of all the steps you would need to take to execute the idea and any plans or ideas you may also have that go along with it.
Ask yourself, which idea feels most complete: After making the lists for each, decide which idea feels most complete and you are most excited about getting started with. If your project doesn’t ignite a passion within you, it’s probably not worth the time to execute it!
3. Make a project plan.
Set a time frame for your project: Err on the side of caution and be a little more liberal with your time frame, but also keep in mind Parkinson’s Law which states “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”
Define what it is that you are trying to accomplish: You want to be very clear as to the purpose or mission of this project so that you don’t get derailed or wrapped up in items that may not be as important for its completion.
Keep track of the resources you need: Make a list of the resources, people, places, books, or tools that you may need to have on hand. If you can assemble these resources ahead of time, even better!
Define your reward:Any incentive you give yourself to complete your project is a good idea. Choose something that will motivate you but is also reasonable to the task at hand.
4. Schedule it + Do it!
Schedule blocks of time to work on your project: I find that 2-4 hour blocks are best. Stealing an hour here or there may work for small tasks, but overall, give yourself a scheduled block(s) of time to work on your tasks.
Track your work & successes: When you do complete blocks of work, make sure to track it and keep track of the items you completed. This will help you in two ways. First, it will help you to stay motivated as you complete your project because it will be harder for you to forget all the progress you have made. Second, it will help you to understand the time it takes you to complete certain tasks. Having this information will make it easier for you to understand your time frame for completion and make adjustments as necessary.
5. Get out of your own way!
Perfectionism has no place in business: Try not to let any perfectionist tendencies get in your way. Things can always be done better and improved upon later. Don’t dwell on this and just make steady progress to completing your project.
Pull down roadblocks & excuses:Many people find it hard to get projects completed because they are putting up a number of blocks to their own path and make excuses for why they can’t do this or that task necessary for their project. If you find that you are making excuses or listing reasons for you to avoid doing your work, you need to acknowledge this and move past it. RESOURCE: 3 Ways to Overcome Resistance.
Believe in yourself, your abilities and your business:In order to be successful in any endeavor, one must have a sense of confidence. If you don’t believe in yourself and your abilities, you won’t get far in completing the tasks necessary for executing your plans. I firmly believe that if you have confidence in yourself and give a committed try to your tasks, you will find success in all that you do!
Have fun: If you aren’t having fun with your work, there is a problem. Starting and running a business isn’t for everyone and it’s important to know yourself and to understand when hesitation is occurring out of fear of failure vs out of lack of interest in your project. Get real with yourself because going down a road you weren’t meant for or don’t enjoy won’t make you happy. Their are much easier ways to make money than starting and running your own business venture.
Now, if you found this information to be helpful, you may also be interested in watching the full episode of the #GLAMPIRECHAT here! In the video I cover this information, as well as a number of excellent questions from my community, which you may find helpful!
If executing your business plans is a priority to you, I also want to let you know about my upcoming Free Webinar on my 5 Pillar System for Building a Successful Online Business! I’ll be reviewing the 5 Pillars of my Empire Building Program and giving you strategies and insights you can use immediately to start building your brand online, PLUS I’ll be sharing a special limited time offer for the 1 Year Birthday of the program that you won’t want to miss if you are interested in signing up!
1. Become financially stable: Thankfully, my husband and I have been prioritizing our financial situation since the first day we started living together. I don’t think I could have gone full time for my own business without knowing that our finances were in order, and I would never advise anyone to leave the security of a full time job to work for themselves until their debt to income ratio was balanced. As a business owner, the amount of money you tend to make reflects the amount of time and effort you are putting into your business and knowing where you stand financially and how much money you need to bring it each month to live comfortably is crucial.
2. Have a savings cushion:When I went full time, my husband and I made sure we had enough money in the bank so that we could live comfortably in the event that my business failed and he lost his job. Now this may seem like an extreme scenario, but in today’s economy, nothing is guaranteed, and we needed to make sure we would be okay in the event of a catastrophic emergency. Obviously, the amount of money you need in the bank and what I need may be different, which is why you need to make sure you are financially stable and have a strong understanding of your finances before making the leap to a full time business owner yourself.
3. Establish income proof:As I discussed in my personal story, I set a goal for myself to hit with the income I was generating from my business. I wanted to make X amount of money a month in order to prove to myself that my business would work and that I could succeed. So many people think they should concept a business, leave their job and then get to work on their idea, however, I think it’s important to start your business while you have the security of a full time or part time job so that you can prove that your idea works and that you have a sense that you can indeed make money from your business.
4. Have a financial plan: I would like to go deeper into this idea of financial planning as a small business owner at a later time, but I do believe that having a financial plan in place for how you intend to save for retirement and even cover the cost of health insurance for yourself or your family is very important. Since my husband does work full time, his job did cover our health insurance so I knew that wasn’t going to be a problem for me when I made the transition, but you need to evaluate your own situation and understand what financial strain your transition could have and make a plan to combat it!
5. Find a support system: Whenever you are trying something new in life its great to have a support system in place to make sure you continue to stay inspired and feel like you and your work matter. You have two ways to approach this. If you are lucky enough, you may find real life support, this could be a spouse, partner, family or friends, but for many of us, our friends and family don’t always understand or relate to our entrepreneurial goals. If this is the case for you, you can always look to finding support online through business coaching programs and groups where like minded entrepreneurs can gather together to support each other. My online business program, Empire Building, has really been that support for me and the dozens of members of the program as well who are committed to building their business and community online by supporting each other! If you are looking for a supportive entrepreneurial community, I invite you to take a look at Empire Building to see if it fits your needs and learning style, but whatever you choose, I do suggest having that system in place to keep you mentally strong for the long and hard journey of small business ownership that you have in front of you!
If Empire Building sounds interesting to you, I want to let you know about my upcoming Free Webinar on my 5 Pillar System for Building a Successful Online Business! I’ll be reviewing the 5 Pillars of the Empire Building Program and giving you strategies and insights you can use immediately to start building your brand online, PLUS I’ll be sharing a special limited time offer for the 1 Year Birthday of the program that you won’t want to miss if you are interested in signing up!
When it comes to using social media as a business owner to gain customers, amass a following and ultimately grow your business, there is a lot of conflicting information on the right and wrong strategies to use. Things change so quickly online and you may very well be using a strategy that is not just outdated and ineffective, but actually damaging to your business. As an online business consultant, many clients come to me when they are at a loss for how to proceed with their online presence after weeks, months or even years of effort have left them feeling desperate, uninspired, and with little to no following. Over and over again I hear many of the same common mistakes being made with social media strategy, and today I want to highlight five of the most common mistakes I hear about that can really ruin your business reputation and leave your business behind the times in terms of social media. If any of these examples sound like you, don’t worry! There is a light at the end of the tunnel and I also want to share with you 1 resource that can help you reverse any damage you may have unintentionally caused to your business and get your numbers growing in a positive direction!
1. Paying for follows or likes
Paying for followers is an antiquated practice that is unfortunately still touted as online business cannon by a few misguided online marketers. Not only is paying for follows a useless way to build a following online, on many platforms it is actually against the rules! When you pay for your followers, you aren’t actually getting a customer base of people who are there to interact with you and buy from your business, you are simply getting names on a screen that essentially do nothing but cost you money. When it comes down to it, you may think it makes your business look better to have a solid number of followers, but people aren’t blind. When they see the large follower count and little to no interaction, they are going to realize something is up. Don’t make this mistake, save your money and apply it to real investments for your business like the resource shared at the end of this post if you are truly concerned about looking good on social platforms!
2. Posting inconsistently
One of the hardest parts of running a business is developing a sense of trust with your customers. It can take a lifetime to earn and seconds to destroy, especially in the fast paced world of online marketing. When businesses use social media platforms inconsistently, they aren’t just creating a scenario that makes it hard for them to attract new followers and potential customers, but they are also putting a big fat label on their business that says “we are inconsistent and you can’t trust us!” Unfortunately, when it comes to using social media for your business, the idea of doing something rather than nothing doesn’t actually apply. In this case it is better for you to stay silent than to open your mouth only to put your foot in it! So, if you are using social media inconsistently, you need to quickly reevaluate your platforms and decide if you need to take a step back and take on less in order to provide consistency and quality on the platforms on which you do choose to engage!
3. Ignoring your comments
As a business, ignoring the comments and messages of your followers is akin to walking away from a customer in mid sentence. If you are lucky enough to be receiving engagement from your audience, it means you are doing something right and have a high chance of making a sale. Don’t just walk away from the followers that are engaging with you. Make sure to carve out time in your schedule to reply to messages and comments from your fans, and of course to share and like an content they post about you!
4. Playing in your own yard
You may think that the purpose of a business developing different social media platforms is so they can use them to communicate with their community. However, when all you ever do is use your own platforms to converse with your customers and followers, you miss opportunities to engaged and attract new customers and followers from everywhere else online! Now, I’m not saying that you have to interact with people all over the web, but the best strategy for building your following involves leaving your own space. It’s so important for businesses to interact with each other and make an appearance on other people’s platforms. This could be through a guest post, a collaboration or even just interacting in the comments of another community with the same ideal customer base, but you need to put your business out there!
5. Not optimizing across platforms
The final very common mistake that businesses make when using social media is that they treat every platform the same when they should be using each to their own strengths! Your website and blog should be treated differently than your Instagram account, just as Twitter does not operate under the same conditions as Facebook. If you are going to use multiple platforms for your business, it’s important to learn the differences of each and how to optimize the content you post to each so that you are maximizing the effort you’re spending in each area!
Now, like I mentioned earlier, if you believe you are making one or more of these extremely common social media mistakes in promoting your business online, the good news is that things can be done to repair the damage and restore the reputation of your business online. So now I’d like to tell you about one resource that is the equivolent of the “easy button” when it comes to learning about and understanding how to use social media effectively for your online business, and that resource is Empire Building!
Empire Building is my flagship online business program that teaches you the ins and outs of using social media to build a business online using tried and true strategies and techniques. You don’t need to spend time you don’t have researching social media platforms and learning how to use each efficiently, within Empire Building, I give you all the information you need to know to get started using these platforms the right way so that you are moving the needle in your business!
If you haven’t heard, all 5 of my Empire Building Blueprints (workbooks that include information and worksheets that teach you everything you need to know about building your online business) are published and now is the perfect time to join the program if you want to jumpstart success with your social platforms! The 5 Blueprints include:
Branding
Communication
Community Building
Advertising
and Income
When you sign up for Empire Building, not only do you get access to my 5 Empire Building Blueprints, my dedicated Facebook community for group coaching and unlimited Q&A access to me, but now you also get 4 additional Upgrade Blueprints as a special bonus! The bonus upgrades include:
Creating Click-Worthy Headlines
Pricing Strategies that Sell
Creating Your Business Plan
and Email List Building Basics
If Empire Building sounds interesting to you, I want to let you know about my upcoming Free Webinar on my 5 Pillar System for Building a Successful Online Business! I’ll be reviewing the 5 Pillars of the Empire Building Program and giving you strategies and insights you can use immediately to start building your brand online, PLUS I’ll be sharing a special limited time offer for the 1 Year Birthday of the program that you won’t want to miss if you are interested in signing up!
