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The 5 Ways to Get that Fresh Start Feeling All Year Long!

September is officially here, fall is right around the corner and from my years spent in school this time of year has always come to represent a fresh start for me in my life. As some of you may already know, I had a very busy summer buying, fixing up and moving into my first home with my husband. September is here and I have wiped my slate clean and have decided to approach the last leg of this year with a new game plan and perspective. So, today I want to share with you my 5 strategies for getting a fresh start feeling all year long. No matter what day or month it is, you too can refresh your life and create a new plan to move forward and achieve your goals and these tips are going to help guide you to fresh start success!

1. Choose a fresh start date

People consider many things a fresh start date, new years, birthday, back to school, Mondays… but you can choose any date that you prefer, the date is truly arbitrary. Try to tie this date to something significant for you, like the end of a project or the start of a new season.

2. Refresh your planner

Buy a new planner or reorganize your old one. There is a reason that many planners start up in the summer months and then run 17-18 months. Because people do tend to need a fresh start after summer. If you are looking for a new planner, I would highly suggest checking out my Charmed Life Planner, not just because it is my planner, but because I have heard from many people who have been using the Charmed Life Planner that is has really helped them to get organized. If you are a lister, or someone who likes to lay their plans all out and see everything, this planner really has a lot of awesome features that you won’t want to miss including project master lists and expense pages!

3. Clean up your space

Nothing says fresh start like a clean workspace or home. Once you have a date set for your fresh start, get your space set for a true fresh start feeling by taking some time to clean and organize your life.

4. Find a few new office supplies or accessories

I know that its a bit dangerous for me to tell a bunch of stationery lovers to buy new office supplies, but the truth is that a few new special items can really bring a sense of significance to your arbitrary refresh date. Make sure to pick up items that you actually want to use, and not just items that you want to look at and hoard. These goodies need to be your reward and to make the biggest impact you need to be using and enjoying your new things.

5. Decide on a new project and take 1 step right now

The reason many of us are looking for a fresh start is because we feel like something didn’t go well with the previous one! We weren’t being productive or we weren’t making progress on an important goal or project that was important to us. So pick a special project, it can be for work, school or home and make that the first thing you work on with your fresh start. Nothing gets you off to a good start the way a new project does so pick a project and take one step immediately to getting that project accomplished. This could mean simply writing out a project plan for the project in question, or it could mean finding an accountability buddy to help keep you in check with your progress, or if can mean getting down to work and knocking out related tasks! The important part is that you decide what you are going to do and start doing it- nothing is more motivating than that!

So, now I have some action items for you! Take out something to write on or takes notes with and I am going to ask you a few questions and I want you to write down the first thing that comes to mind. I want a gut reaction here, not a well thought out response because if you really want that refresh you need to be honest with yourself about these questions. You ready?

1. What date in the near future is the soonest you could schedule your refresh? Think about significant events in your life, perhaps obligations that are ending soon that would free up some of your time or new obligations that are starting up that you’d like to be at your best for. Write down that date and get it scheduled into your calendar!

2. What about your current planner system isn’t working? Write down any issues you are facing so you can address those head on!

3. What area of your home or office would you dread having to clean up or organize? That’s the area that you are going to need to clean up first and trust me, once you do a weight is going to lift from your shoulders!

4. What office supply or stationery item have you been coveting but haven’t purchased out of an excersize in self control? If you can afford it, I want you to buy it for yourself as soon as you are done with the mess you need to organize from the previous question!

5. What is the single goal or project you really wanted to have started or completed this year that would make you truly feel like you accomplished something important? That’s the project you need to start on first!

Good news! If you followed along with this post and engaged the way I had suggested, you have not only learned my 5 strategies for getting a fresh start feeling anytime of year, but you also have a plan with 5 action items for you to get started with to get your fresh start underway? See, it works like a charm! Now it’s your turn to tell me how you are going to refresh yourself for the coming fall. Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo,

Personal Development

7 Habits of a Highly Successful #GIRLBOSS

7 Habits of a Highly Successful #GIRLBOSS

Many people ask me how I define #girlboss and although you may think that the term relates to a woman who is running her own business, that’s not my take on the term. When I think of a #girlboss, I think of a woman who is in control of her own life. She’s clear on her purpose, taking responsibility for her actions and working towards her goals. Now, this doesn’t mean she is 100% aware of her plans all of the time, but, it does mean she has a spirit of achievement and determination to make things happen for herself. Of course, although this is easily said, it’s not always easily done! It takes a lot of mental strength and the support of well rounded routines to ensure you stay focused and energized to tackle whatever life throws at you!

You really want to know what it takes to cut it as a #GIRLBOSS? Well, listen up because I’m about to give you the seven essential habits of a highly successful #GIRLBOSS!

1. A #GIRLBOSS is WELL-RESTED

When we evaluate the success secrets of #girlbosses, we always see one significant habit rising to the top and that is sleep. Getting enough sleep is always touted as the number one productivity AND happiness tip according to most who study how daily routines effect success. If you want to show up for your life and make things happen for yourself, it’s crucial that you prioritize rest and get your full 7-9 hours uninterrupted. In order to do this, you most likely will need to go to bed earlier and get yourself into a regular night time routine that limits screen time and snacks before bed, and I would personally recommend picking up an aromatherapy diffuser and a relaxation oil blend to diffuse by your bed. This is the diffuser and oil I use and recommend.

2. A #GIRLBOSS is BALANCED

I’m not talking the ability to stand on one foot balanced, I mean mentally and emotionally balanced. Serious mental health issues aside, for most of us our minds get worn down and cluttered from the weight of emotion and information we carry around with us everyday. For this reason, I think its important to regularly rebalance ourselves through some sort of meditative practice. Yes, I said meditation, but don’t interpret that as me telling you to meditate everyday because I think many of us have our own ways of meditating that we need to find that’s less traditional and more personal. Your meditative time could be prayer, exercise, reading, knitting or cooking. Whatever activity it is that you feel relaxation in doing and can execute on in an autopilot like mode where your mind is able to turn off a bit- this is your meditative zen activity! Figure yours out and do it more often so that you can find a sense of peace and balance in your mind.

3. A #GIRLBOSS is HYDRATED

This one may sound simple but common knowledge is not always common practice. Hydration is super important to your mental and physical well being and its probably the easiest thing we can do for ourselves health wise. I always think I’m drinking enough water as long as I’m not thirsty but the truth is when I’m measuring it out, I’m not getting enough water for my body. So, how much water is enough for you? Take your body weight in pounds, for every pound you weigh, you need 1/2 to 1 ounce of water. So if you weigh 140lbs you need 70-140 ounces of water each day. Yes, I realize this sounds like a lot, but that’s just because you have been used to dehydrating your body for such a long time. Yes, drinking this much water can be difficult in terms of finding the time and remembering, which is why I like to keep a large water bottle and make sure I am filling it up and drinking it at regular intervals. Try to get in the habit of waking up and drinking a quart of water immediately to get it out of the way and pace yourself the rest of the day. You will see a difference in your energy levels, and perhaps even your skin!

4. A #GIRLBOSS is ORGANIZED

Of course, she would need to be organized to keep on top of all her important projects and plans! I really do believe that organization is in the eye of the beholder, meaning that there is no one way to be organized and everyone needs to find the systems that work for them. It is very important, however, to find those systems and stick to them in terms of planning, home/life management, and goals. If you are currently in a state of disorganization, you could start getting your life under control with a book like the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, or build a project plan to help you achieve specific goals!

5. A #GIRLBOSS is PRODUCTIVE

Many people confuse working very hard with productivity, but it’s really not the same thing. Yes, if you work very hard and for long hours you will get a lot done (if you don’t, you may really have a productivity issue!) but a true #GIRLBOSS knows that it’s not about working 24/7 to get it all done, it’s about working smarter, not harder! Click here if you need to up your productivity game to read about my best strategies and advice on the subject or head on over to my shop and search for your next favorite productivity tool. I’ve got lots of courses, books, and printables to help you organize your life and get more done!

6. A #GIRLBOSS is A SELF-CARE PRO

That’s right! She can work hard but she can play hard too! With everything she is juggling, a true #GIRLBOSS knows that she NEEDS to be on top of her game and ready to perform every single day in order to make things happen for herself. And how does she do that? Self-care, of course! You need a fair amount of downtime as a #GIRLBOSS if you expect to execute at a consistently high level everyday. Sleep and balance are part of that equation, but also having a plan for regularly pampering yourself is important to. I have my arsenal of go-to relaxing activities and I try to fit one in every evening if I can. Anything from listening to a book on tape, laying down with a face mask on or even just taking a quiet nap with my aromatherapy diffuser, everyday I prioritize some “me” time, even if it’s just 30 minutes!

7. A #GIRLBOSS is GRATEFUL

This one may be listed last but it’s certainly not the least of the essential habits of a successful #GIRLBOSS! Gratitude is an incredibly powerful way to transform your mindset and open your mind to the bigger picture. That is why a die hard #GIRLBOSS will always strive to keep a regular practice of gratitude in her life. She may add a grateful thought or mantra to her daily meditation, keep a gratitude journal where she lists out all she is thankful for, or simply take time out of her day to say thank you, and mean it, to someone who helps her! If you would like to integrate a gratitude practice into your life, here is an insert I designed to help beginners get started with the concept and develop the regular habit!

I hope you enjoyed this post and that you learned some tips for helping you to become the #GIRLBOSS you always wanted to be! Personal development is something near and dear to my heart so I would love to hear any other tips or suggestions you have for personal success. Please leave yours in the comments below!

xoxo,

DIY Filofax

DIY Bow Clips for your Planner & More!

Ever since I showed you guys those cute little bow paper clips I made for my Filofaxes, you have been asking me to do a DIY tutorial on how to make them! Well, ask and you shall receive, right? I Actually put together a video with not one, not two, but three DIYs for making paper clip accessories for your planner so that everyone is able to create exactly what they want for their planner.

DIY Bow Making Pattern — This is a low res image, download the full file via the link below!

To go along with this DIY video, I created a special Bow Maker Pattern Printable to act as a template for creating your own bows. I show you how to use this template in the video, but the file itself also has directions as well. Feel free to download this file and make yourself bows to your heart’s content! But remember, this printable is free for personal use only. Commercial use of this file is prohibited, and please, if you want to share the file with friends and family, link them to this post or my YouTube video instead of directly sharing the file!

Three DIYs, you read that right! So, other than the bows, I also show you how to make page clips with chipboard elements as well as how to make clips from printables and any other images or icons you may find! If you can print it or if it’s made from paper, you can turn it into a decorative page clip for your planner!

In the video I use my new 2014 Favorite Things Sticker Set as a template for some clips I made by printing the PDF on heavy printer paper instead of on sticker paper! I love this new Sticker Set of course because it’s filled with some one my favorite images and icons from the year! Think pink peonies, coffee cups, perfume bottles and of course, stripes! You can purchase this set from my shop and use it as stickers or to make your own page clips as well!

So here is the video linked above! This is definitely one of those tutorials that is better explained visually, so if you would like to see the three methods I used to make some lovely embellished paper clips for my planner, check it out! Of course, if this video helped you in any way or gave you some new planner inspiration, please make sure to share it in your social media and tag me @MissTrenchcoat! It would mean the world to me!

xoxo,

This article was first published on Strange & Charmed on December 18th, 2014 and is being reposted as part of my Holiday Prep Hiatus! For the months of November & December I will be recycling some vintage S&C content that you may have missed in order to give myself some extra time to finalize projects and spend time with my family during the holiday season. All reposted content will be marked as such. I hope you enjoy this blast from the past blog post!

Filofax

10 Ways to Personalize Your Planner for the Holidays!

I enjoy a beautiful planner just as much as the next girl, but decorating my planner day in and day out just isn’t something that normally excites me. Now that it’s December, however, it’s a completely different story! This season really is the most wonderful time of the year to me, so I was actually excited to go all out decorating my planner. In case you are wondering, I am still using a disc bound planner system. I’m using 1″ black arc discs, and the half letter sized inserts from my shop (A5 equivalent in the U.S.), with a custom front and back cover made from laminated card stock. This has been my setup since August and I’ve never been happier… although in 2016 I plan to get even happier with my system as I’m converting my existing set up into a DIY Spiral Planner (video tutorial here).

Since December is my final hurrah with this planner before I go full spiral, I thought it would be fun to deck out my planner with 10 inexpensive personalizations. Most of the DIYs and items cost no more than $1 from places like the Target Dollar Spot and Dollar Tree, which is fabulous, because this sort of decor is definitely disposable to me and I don’t like spending too much money on temporary planner decor. Don’t get me wrong, I will drop a pretty penny on planner supplies, but only those that are relevant all year long!

So, I made a video showing you the 10 personalizations, here they are listed for you if you’re curious, but I highly suggest checking out the video for more details and some great visuals.

Novelty holiday pen
Seasonal Inserts (freebies from my shop)
Holiday themed stickers (My complete printable set)
Christmas page marker
Christmas card dashboard
Holiday themed sticky notes
Seasonal embellished paper clips
Custom planner cover (get yours here)
Jingle Bell planner charm
Sparkly planner band

Make sure to check out the full video to see the decorations in action!

I hope you enjoyed the video and the inspiration! Feel free to let me know which personalizations you enjoyed the most and of course, the video description has even more links for DIYs and tutorials to help you recreate these decorations for your own planner! HAPPY HOLIDAYS PLANNER FRIENDS!

xoxo,

Productivity

5 Tips for How to be as Productive as Possible

5 Tips for How to be as Productive as Possible

If you haven’t noticed, productivity is a very important topic to me. Why? Because I don’t like to spend all of my time working. I, like most people I would assume, would prefer to spend my time relaxing, hanging out with friends and family or pursuing my favorite hobbies. We all have to work to live, that’s an essential fact of life, but working doesn’t have to take up all of your time. Through the study of productivity I have learned ways to get more done in less time, how to streamline my tasks and work smarter, not harder. If this is a concept that you can relate to and want to learn more about, I have a few of my favorite productivity tips to share with you, plus a great online resource that you can use to continue learning about the subject!

My top 5 productivity tips

1. Set your top 3 for the day

With multiple tasks on your to do list, you may find it hard to choose which items you need to start with. In order to simplify this process for myself, I identify the top 3 tasks on my list to be my priorities. These are items that are either time sensitive and must be done today, or items that need to get done before other items can be accomplished. When working on my task list, I try to get my top 3 done as soon as possible so I know I have made important progress for the day.

2. Create routines for everyday processes

I’ve read a few different books that discuss the importance of controlling your daily habits and from them I have learned the importance of creating routines for your day. When you create a routine and build it into a daily habit, you are able to auto-pilot your choices which leads to greater self control at a lower cost. People only have a certain amount of self control to make positive choices, so when you can relieve your mind from this burden my instating routines, you are able to use your will power on more important tasks!

3. Say no to the non-essential

One of the major killers of productivity as I see it is the wasting of time by taking on non-essential tasks. So many of us struggle to get the big, important things done in a day, and that’s likely because we have a lot of little, non-important tasks to weed through. The best way to stop wasting your own time with non-essential tasks is to learn to say no to anything that isn’t the best use of your time. This is easier said than done, especially if you are a people pleaser, but I can’t tell you how many people I talk to who are unable to spend their time on things that matter to them because they are overwhelmed with tasks that just don’t matter, but they feel obligated to perform.

4. Batch and delegate work

Now, if you have been a student of productivity as I have for some time, you may feel like this tip is the equivalent of beating a dead horse. It’s the one productivity tip people refer to over and over again, but for good reason; it works! If you think you are batching a delegating your work as much as possible and yet you still feel overwhelmed with your tasks, you are doing something wrong. There is some place you are missing an opportunity to save yourself time by either batching like tasks together and finishing them at one time, or you aren’t delegating enough to others. You need to constantly evaluate your systems in this case, so I suggest checking out this post on how to stop over scheduling your day if you need additional tips to overcome this common issue!

5. Build white space into your day

When I say white space, I am referring to free time. The concept of adding in free time into your busy day may seem counterproductive to productivity efforts, but I promise you, when faithfully implemented, white space can actually lead you to greater productivity. Not only does white space give you time for self care and to calm your mind by spending time not working, but it’s actually been proven that by working free time into your day, you actually perform at a higher level. White space fosters time for your brain to process new information, and to think creatively because it’s not being forced to work. Give it a try and build some white space into your day as soon as possible.

If these 5 productivity tips have you curious about the different strategies you can use to work smarter, not harder, or if you want to learn more about implementing these tips, I am very pleased to announce that I have reopening my Productivity & Planning Master Class. If you aren’t already aware, back in August, I held a live Master Class webinar event where I shared my best productivity tips and strategies. The class was a massive success, but ever since I held it, I have been asked by numerous people to open access to the replay for the event to the public so that more people can access the information and the exclusive printables and resources I provided to attendees. So, that is exactly what I am doing now! If you missed out on my Master Class live, you can still access the replay as well as all the class materials. Just head on over to my shop and purchase your ticket to the Master Class replay and get started learning even more great tips and strategies for being more organized and productive!

xoxo,

Productivity

The Charmed Life Planner & Vertical Planning Supplies!

Hey dolls! How is your July going? In case you didn’t know, I just moved this past weekend to a new apartment and I am slowly but surely trying to get my life unpacked and reorganized from the mess of boxes I am currently living out of. Thank goodness I have my new Charmed Life Planner inserts to keep me organized through this process! In case you didn’t hear, last week I launched a totally new set of inserts in my shop that I have dubbed “The Charmed Life Planner.” The planner is a printable PDF like all my other productivity inserts, however, this is my first continuous planner, meaning that you get one file with a rolling Month on 2 pages, week on 2 pages, master monthly task lists and monthly expense sheets dated from August 2015-December 2016! That is a whole 17-Months of planner inserts in one printable! The fun new thing about this planner insert is that I’ve designed a whole new vertical layout.

Vertical layouts have been all over the planner world lately and I have been personally obsessed with them. It’s a completely new way for me to visualize and plan my week, and one that I am enjoying immensely! Because this planner is a half letter or A5 equivalent size, you can use these inserts in a variety of planners. Mine is pictured inside my Martha Stewart A5 disc bound planner, however, these inserts will also work with A5 Filofax, large Kikki K, Franklin Covey Classic, and standard 3-Ring A5 binders! How cool is that? And of course, because this is a printable planner insert, you can print and reprint the pages of this planner as much as you need. Have more than one planner? Great, buy the file once and you can use it in as many planners as you’d like! Mess up a week in your schedule and no amount of white out will fix it? No problem, reprint the pages you need and you’re back in business! Or worse, make a mistake with your decorating and want to fix it? My printable planner inserts have you covered at every turn!

One of the best parts of this new planner is that I have a whole collection of new vertical planning supplies that I have also launched along side it that integrate perfectly with the planner to help you maximize and personalize your planning experience! I have a total of five new printable sticker sets that you can use in this, or any other planner. The stickers are what I like to call “vertical squares” and are 1.5″ wide, by 1.9″ tall. Yes, they will fit in the Erin Condren Life Planner, if that’s the planner of your choice, but you can also use them in a variety of different vertical or horizontal planner layouts or just decorate your favorite notebook or scrapbook with them. Included in this collection are the following sticker sets!

Vertical Square Planner Lists: a 2 page PDF with 6 unique planner list designs to help you organize your vertical planner.

#BLOGBOSS Set: 5 unique designs created by a #blogboss for a #blogboss. Get your blog and social media organized in your planner with this awesome set of printable stickers!

Everyday Hustle Set: Inspired by my Girl of All Trades journaling cards, this set of 5 designs will help keep you inspired, no matter which planner system you use.

Empire Building Inspiration Set: For all my online business babes, this set of designs inspired by my Empire Building program will help keep you motivated and inspired to build your business and hustle like an entrepreneur!

Charmed Words of Wisdom Set: This freebie set of 5 unique quote designs is inspired by my popular blog post 5 Things I Learned in my First Year in Business. Keep these words of wisdom close so you can persevere in all that you do in life!

Now, if you are feeling curious about all my new printable planner goodies, I have one more surprise in store for you! To give you all a taste of what my new vertical weekly layout feels like, I have created a one page sample week for you to download, print and test in your own planner! This free insert is dated for this week only so make sure to download yours now, take the layout for a test drive and of course, visit my shop before the week is out to download the full Charmed Life 17 Month Planner to keep your plans rolling through into August and beyond!

I hope you all enjoy these new planner supplies I have created for you! I’d love to hear what you think about them and, of course, see your pictures of how you are using these great productivity supplies in your own system! Make sure to tag me @MissTrenchcoat and use the hashtag #strangeandcharmed for any images on Twitter or Instagram!

xoxo,

Business

My Small Business Starter Tool Kit

As a small business owner, one of the single most frequent questions I am asked relates to the tools a small business owner needs to get started. Truthfully, the tools or items you need to run your small business vary from person to person and business to business. It depends on what core functions your business performs, so it’s not a one size fits all scenario. Last month I shared the software tools that keep my small business running, so this month I will share the hardware part of the equation. Keep in mind that these are the tools that I choose to use, they are by no means the best or only options, although I do highly recommend them. My small business starter tool kit includes:

1. Macbook Air 11”: Since December 2013, I have been working exclusively from my Macbook Air. I am often asked if it can handle processor intense software like Adobe Creative Suite and Final Cut Pro, or if it’s sluggish. The answer should be obvious. Yes, the Macbook Air can handle a variety of software- if it couldn’t, I wouldn’t be able to run my business! I run professional grade design and creative software like Photoshop, Indesign, Illustrator and Final Cut all day long as part of my business and often times, I am running multiple programs at the same time without issue. The Macbook Air is small, super slim and portable, which I love! It did take me a short adjustment period to get used to the 11” screen moving down from a 13”, but I don’t even notice the small size anymore. I really do love this machine and it was certainly an excellent investment for my business!

2. iPhone 6 Plus: You may think that as a small business owner, your main contact with your customers or clients will be via your computer, however, I do far more interaction with mine through my iPhone. Earlier this year I upgraded to the iPhone 6 Plus from the iPhone 5, a big transition for me, size-wise that took me quite some time to get used too. However, I do love my iPhone 6 Plus and because of it’s larger size, I am able to conduct business in a whole new way. I do a majority of my email, photo editing and social media directly from my phone. It lives in my hand and while some would say that isn’t good for your health and wellness, I have never felt more free! I don’t see my iPhone as a burden, but as a tool that gives me ultimate flexibility with my work. Perhaps that’s because I’m the boss and don’t fear the tether to my work the way some with more traditional jobs do, but I love my iPhone because of the increasing role that social media plays in next to all segments of business, I couldn’t recommend it more!

3. Canon EOS Rebel T5i (700D): I’ve waxed poetic time and time again about my love for my T5i. My DSLR plays a key role in my business as I use it each and every day. Photography and videography make up a significant portion of my business, from a creative standpoint and a marketing standpoint. When it comes to online business, visual media plays a crucial role, so it was important to me to have a DSLR with some great lenses. For my day to day shooting needs, I use the 50mm 1.8 lens, and for my videography, I use the 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 lens, both from Canon. If you are looking for more information on how I shoot, watch this video, and if you would like some of my best photography tips, try these!

4. Toshiba Flash Air: Normally, I would never include my SD card in a list like this, but the SD card I use isn’t your standard issue. The Toshiba Flash Air is a major tool in my business process because it’s actually wifi enabled! Essentially, my little SD card pops into my camera, stores my pictures and video as per the usual SD card functions, but it also includes special software that pairs with my iPhone so I can wirelessly transfer the media from my SD card to my iPhone for instant use without needing a computer! If you use a camera that already has wireless capabilities, this SD card won’t sound that amazing to you, but if your camera doesn’t have wifi built in, you can use this card to get instant access to photos and video on the fly, move them to your iPhone and then edit and upload direct from your phone. Think about being out and about shooting and capturing a great shot that you’d love to post on Instagram, but you don’t have your laptop with you, so you need to wait until you get home to download the photos. The Flash Air bypasses this step, and even though I do most of my photography at home, I can’t tell you how much of a time saver it is to use an wireless SD card to quickly move photos for upload online!

5. WD My Passport External Hard Drive: I’ve trusted my computer backup and external storage needs to Western Digital for years and they have never let me down. As a small business owner, especially one that works with photography, video and custom designs on the daily, backing up my files is a non-negotiable. Now, you could use a cloud based service for your backup, which works extremely well, however, I prefer external hard drives because they are inexpensive compared to equivalent storage sizes in cloud service, and it feels like a more secure experience since I see and hold my backup in my hands as opposed to the invisible cloud. If you don’t have a hard drive for back up, check mine out because I love it and it could save your business!

6. HP Office Jet Printer: Now printers are a topic I am often asked about due to the fact that I exclusively sell printable inserts and designs in my shop! I use an HP OfficeJet Pro 8600 series all-in-one printer that I happen to love. It’s a great daily business printer with capabilities for faxing, scanning and copying and I think it does a solid job of printing my inserts, stickers and wall art designs! Is it the best printer for artwork? Definitely not, but it works for me and my needs, which is all that matters. Having access to a printer like this does help when running a business with all the contracts, bills, invoices and other paperwork that can cross your desk, so I would recommend some sort of all-in-one printer for a small business even if you don’t deal with graphics and design as I do.

7. Wacom Bamboo Capture Tablet: The final tool I use for my business is a Wacom tablet. If you have never seen one of these before, this is a pen tablet that essentially replaces the mouse of my computer while I work on designs in Illustrator or Photoshop so that I have more accuracy and control while using creative software. The Bamboo Capture isn’t a drawing tablet, although Wacom does make those, but it’s just another tool I use to help me work quickly and efficiently. Some designers love these tablets and rely on them, others do not. It’s a personal preference that does come with a learning curve, but if you spend a lot of time designing in Adobe Creative Suite or art programs like Corel and you get the chance to give one of these a try, I’d suggest it!

Those are the tools I used to start my small, creative online business. I hope this gave you some insight and good information to help you find the tools that are right for your business! If you would like some additional resources, I’ve recently written about some Free Design Tools for Bloggers & Business Owners, and Apps for the Creative Business Owner that may also help you get your business going! Let me know what other business issues or questions you may have so that I can create some more dedicated content to help!

xoxo,

Business

The Software Tools That Keep My Small Business Running

As a small, creative online business owner, I am often asked about the tools I use to run my business. Since I am a company of one, it’s crucial that I use the most powerful and reliable tools to ensure my products are well designed and that my business runs smoothly on the back end so I can spend more of my time creating and less of it managing administrative or technical matters. Today I am sharing with you the software tools specifically that I use to design, promote and manage my small business.

Adobe Creative Suite

As a creative business owner, I choose to use the industry standard for digital content creation, which is why I use Adobe Creative Suite 6. Within the suite, I use three main applications primarily. InDesign to create my shop printables, Photoshop to edit my images, and Illustrator to create unique design elements and vectors that are used across my business.

WordPress

For my website, including my shop, I rely on WordPress as my content management system. WordPress offers a wide variety of functionality and customization for my site, and since I designed and built it on my own, it was important that these features be easy to use and open source so that I retained complete control over the look and feel of my site.

WooCommerce

When it came time for me to develop and integrate my shop into my website, I was relieved to learn about WooCommerce, a free plugin that integrates seamlessly into WordPress to deliver enterprise-level eCommerce functionality. WooCommerce manages the back end of my shop automatically with very little input or time from me. Since I sell predominantly digital products, the automated system managed by WooCommerce makes the income I generate from my shop completely passive!

MailChimp

Although I don’t rely on an email list as a primary means of communication between my business and customers, I recently began dabbling with MailChimp to create some one-off mailing lists and so far, it’s working very well. I like that I can create individual lists for products or services I am working on and use it to capture information for the members of my community that want more information. That way, once my new item is ready, I can send a quick email to my list sharing the news and hopefully capture some quick sales!

Paypal

For me, so much of what I love about running a small online business is convenience, so when it comes to collecting payments for my products and services, I rely on Paypal. I know it may not be perfect, but it’s a great solution for a solopreneur who needs a low cost, automated method for collecting payments. Paypal integrates seamlessly into my WooCommerce enabled WordPress shop and keeps my income flowing in without my time or attention! I literally make money, even while I’m sleeping and there is no greater feeling than that!

Google Analytics

Since my shop acts as the primary source of income for my business, I like to keep a close eye on my site’s analytics. Although I try not to get caught up in numbers, I do believe that knowing about your site traffic can really help you as a business owner to understand the direction of your business and how to grow. Google Analytics supplies all the key information I need to know about my site traffic and shop conversions, and I highly recommend it.

Final Cut Pro

As a small business owner, I am always looking for new ways to improve the level of quality in my products and promotional content. Since I rely on YouTube as a primary form of communication between my business and my customers, I recently decided to make the jump from iMovie to Final Cut Pro for my video editing software. Although I firmly believe that iMovie provides a number of powerful video editing tools, I had previously always hit a wall when editing in iMovie that I was never able to break through until I upgraded to Final Cut Pro. Now, I can create all the stunning video effects that I need to help add polish to my brand and the experience I create through my YouTube channel. The change may be slight, but I believe the long term effects are going to be very positive for my business.

Scrivener

Finally, it should come as no surprise that since I create a great deal of content for my platforms on a regular basis, I would need a very powerful word processing tool to manage my thoughts, scripts and blog posts. For that large task, I rely on Scrivener. In a week I have three blog posts to write, two YouTube videos to concept and outline, and numerous other messages that my business sends out on social media. Scrivener manages and organizes all my written content and backs up to the cloud so I never have to worry about loosing my work. If you would like to read more about how I use Scrivener to organize my writing, click here.

So those are the top software tools that I use to run my small, creative online business. I hope you gained some insight from this information and perhaps discovered a new tool that you can use for your own business. If you have other software favorites that you use for your business, or just to keep your digital life organized and efficient, I’d love to hear about them, so please leave me a comment below!

xoxo,

Business

5 Mistakes I Made In My First Year of Business & The Lessons I Learned From Them

This week I celebrated my first official year in business! One year ago, I left the safety and security of my Fortune 50 sales and marketing job to go full time for myself creating a business and income via social media! I had no clue at the time that one year later I would have completely replaced my income and grown my community online to over 50k regular viewers, subscribers and followers. If you had asked me last year what my business would look like in a year, I most certainly couldn’t have predicted that my online shop where I sell digital products and services would become my dominate area of income, that I would eventually take on a select number of consulting clients and that I would be shifting my focus to develop educational programs aimed at helping small businesses replicate my success. But despite all the success I have found in the last year, I know that I also made plenty of mistakes. No business or person is perfect and I think I feel into some very common traps my first year that brought me a great amount of insight into the way I run my business and the direction I want to take it in the future. So, for your edification and perhaps amusement, here are the 5 mistakes I made in my first year of business and the lessons I learned from each of them!

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Mistake #1: Work Extremely Hard

I think there is a major misconception that if you work really hard you can make a business a success, as though sheer force of will and effort will make it so, but unfortunately that’s not the case. When I left my job to go full time for myself, I took on a major amount of work, committing to producing five videos a week for my YouTube channel, thinking that this great effort would bring me success. Although I wouldn’t say this was a futile effort, it certainly wasn’t as effective because I was doing a lot of work but it was all over the place. The main problem was that I didn’t have a plan. I just thought I would make a bunch of videos and that would bring me a greater audience. Once I stopped this nonsense and made a plan for what I wanted my YouTube channel to become, I suddenly found that I was able to make fewer videos a week, but because they were focused against my plans for my channel, a cohesive vision quickly came together and my subscriber count grew astronomically!

Lesson Learned: Hard work is useless until you have a clear plan

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Mistake #2: Make sure your products and services are perfect before launching them

When I started my business last May, one of my major goals was to get a shop up and running where I could sell my printable inserts. I had been asked by numerous members of my community to sell the printable inserts that I had created for my own planner and I thought that the printables would be a nice (albeit small) passive income. I did a lot of research figuring out how to set up a shop on my existing website, and spent way too much time anguishing over whether or not my inserts to high quality enough to sell. It took me until October to finally launch my shop, and once I did, my inserts were met with overwhelming praise and support. I immediately regretted taking so long to get the shop up and running. That small income I had originally expected surpassed my expectations the first month of my launch and then that small income became larger and larger as months progressed and more products were added to my shop. What started off as an idea for a small side income turned into the majority of my monthly income which eventually lead me to replace my former salary in just a few months!

Lesson Learned: Done is better than perfect

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Mistake #3: Try to help everyone

Within the last year, I have experienced an extraordinary amount of growth. I know for some, my numbers may seem small, but I have been able to exceed every goal I have set for myself in terms of my community growth. When I first started off with my business, I told myself that it was of the utmost importance that I gave each and every member of my community my time if they reached out for my help, and in the beginning, this was not a problem for me. As months progressed, however, and I began to get more and more questions and emails from members of my community asking me for help, I began to realize that I wouldn’t be able to personally help everyone. There was just not enough time in the day for me to respond to each lengthy email from a subscriber with an equally lengthy email. I can’t reply to every comment, and I can’t answer every question, I’m just one person trying to do my best for my business. This was probably the most difficult lesson for me to learn, but over time, I began to train myself to give short and succinct answers to emails, to use links to my videos and blog posts to help me save time answering questions and to rely on the help of my more informed community members to pick up the slack with frequently asked questions. Although I’d love to have long email chats with my community members, I know that my time is precious and that I can help more people in less time with my new strategy, which means I can give more of myself in other areas.

Lesson Learned: It’s not personal, it’s business

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Mistake #4: Make sure you look busy!

I don’t know if this mistake was something I inherited from my years in the corporate world at a Fortune 50 company, but early on in my business, I became keenly aware that I needed to make sure my community thought I was very busy because busy equals working hard! As a blogger and YouTuber I knew that I was something of an (extremely) minor public figure and that people would begin to notice and comment on how I spent my time. If I didn’t look like I had a lot of work to do I thought no one would respect me. The problem is, I have always been the type of person who likes to get their work done quickly so I have more time to do what I want instead of what I have to do! I have an arsenal of systems and hacks in place that I utilize everyday to make sure I’m getting my work done in less time and that’s the way I like it. To me, it’s not about keeping up the appearance of busy. Busy is bullshit! Way too many people like to consider themselves busy as though it’s some sort of measure of self-importance. Everyone has things to do, some people have more than others, but everyone makes choices for how they fill the 24 hours that they get in a day, so don’t let the concept of being busy create some sort of excuse for you not to achieve certain goals, and don’t let the busy peer pressure make you feel inadequate if you happen to have a simpler life. Personally, I love the fact that I have a good amount of free time during my day because it gives me the opportunity to be creative in a way I could never be if I was always busy!

Lesson Learned: Busy is bullshit! Strive for productivity & efficiency

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Mistake #5: You need to discover the secret to success in order to achieve it.

I’m the kind of person who likes to research things ad nauseam! When I first started my business, I was sure that the secret to success was hidden out there somewhere and that it was my job to read and research and learn as much as I could about business until I discovered the secret for myself. Problem is, there is no secret. Literally, there is no secret to success in business. There is no reason why you can’t start a successful business from scratch right now with little to no business knowledge. I didn’t go to school for business, and for some time, I thought this put me at a disadvantage, but the truth is the unique knowledge and skills that I do have, the ones I was busy building while I wasn’t attending business school, are just a marketable and important to the success of my business as any business degree. Don’t let the fear that you are lacking some nonexistent business secret sauce keep you from starting your business and kicking butt at it! You can seriously make your own rules, create your own secrets, and build yourself an empire!

Lesson Learned: You can do this!

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Yes, you can do this! The truth is that when you start a business, you will make mistakes, you will learn and you will grow, but the most important part of the process is to continue to move forward and learn from your mistakes until you find the success you are looking for. I wasn’t the first person to make the mistakes that I made, and I certainly won’t be the last, but you don’t have to be one of them! That’s the wonderful part of having the online business community and all the resources available to small business owners today. So many people, including myself, are more than willing to share their mistakes and lessons they have learned in so many facets of their businesses. It’s so important for you to find a community of like minded small business owners who are doing the things you want to do and achieving the success you want to achieve because there is so much power in information and community. If you would like to work with me personally, I’d love to chat with you so feel free to check out my Empire Building program and shoot me an email if you have any questions! I look forward to talking with you!

xoxo,

Productivity

New Inspiration for Your Planner & Office!

I wanted to share with you today just a few updates for new products that have recently hit the Strange & Charmed Shop! I know I don’t always do the best job of keeping you informed of my new designs, and I’m hoping to do a better job of that in the future. Okay, so the first items I want to show you are a new set of printable journaling cards inspired by my Empire Building Program. This set of four designs are my new favorite inspiration cards for my planner and I actually use some of them as page markers/dividers as you can see in my latest YouTube video all about my business binder set up! Whether you are a member of my Empire Building Program, reading through the individual workbooks or just an aspiring #GIRLBOSS who has been following along with the Glampire Chat, I hope this set of inspirational cards brings a little motivation to your business and day!

Now, if you would also like some full size inspirational art to add some motivation to your office space or home, my new Wall Art Designs that coordinate with my Empire Building Journaling Cards are going to be perfect for you! These 8″x10″ graphics are also printable and sold individually so you can choose the art that fits your style. Whether you are a #blogboss or an Empire Builder, these unique designs are sure to add a punch of style and inspiration to your workspace.

I hope you have all enjoyed this little update with the newest products to hit the shop! I am actually currently working on a new collection of art and journaling cards for this summer that I really think you are going to like as well! Think, the perfect summer getaway! So, let me know in the comments how you like these designs and feel free to leave me some suggestions for new designs or products you are interested in seeing in the Strange & Charmed Shop! As always, thank you so much for your support, I love creating inspirational printables for you all!