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.
Half Way There!
It’s official Mid-Year and as an Entrepreneur or fellow business owner, we have a few housekeeping things to get in order! I find that now is the best time to take a moment to reflect on your business, projects and progress so far this year and make any necessary adjustments. In life and in business, I think too few of us try to push on and finish what we have started, even when its not working for us, and it takes a lot of courage to really stop and evaluate your progress to make sure you are still on the right track. For this installment of Entrepreneurial, I want to focus on getting your life and business tidy for the second half of the year!
Take time to Refresh and Review your life as well as your business! I recently announced my July free printable task list which is a Mid-Year Refresh and Review with 31 things to do in July to get your life in order and on track now that we are half way through the year. Go through this list and make sure to get yourself reset for the second half of 2016!
My June Highlight Reel!
If you haven’t heard yet, my husband and I are closing on our first home! It’s a very exciting time for us and I am looking forward to all the changes this summer is going to bring to our life.
I recently announced that I am taking a break from YouTube for the next few weeks to prepare for those major life changes that come with home ownership. If you want to hear more about it- watch this video.
I finally signed up for Edgar! If you haven’t heard about this wonderful content promotion tool, definitely check it out because it’s making my job and my assistant’s job, so much easier!
I’ve changed my planner up a bit and am moving away from my spiral planner that I DIY’d last year and back into a fully discbound system. What can I say? I’m digging the discs. I hope to be able to share the new set up upon my return to YouTube.
Okay, well, that is my update for June! If you are feeling blue about my YouTube break, don’t forget to follow me on SnapChat, my handle there is MissTrenchcoat and I try to snap most days sharing bits of my life and behind the scenes. I’d love for you to follow along with me there for my summer adventures!
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.
Time Flies When You’re Productive
As I sit here writing this I honestly can’t believe that May is nearly over. For most of the month, I thought it was still April. This was my own fault because I forgot to change over some calendars in my office and without “seeing” that it was May, my brain kept thinking it was April. Ugh! But May was a really wonderful month for as much of it as I can remember. It’s been something of a blur for me and I think that’s because I have been super productive this month! Like I mentioned last month, I finally have my routines in order and because of that I was able to get myself a week ahead on my work. So although this post is being published on May 31st, it’s being written on the 23rd! Same goes for my YouTube videos which are also filmed and scheduled a full week in advance. Being ahead of your work is a great feeling and I attribute all this productivity and success to my established routines.
What I Didn’t Do!
1. I didn’t work on any new products. Instead I knocked out a few project that have been lingering on my to do list for a while. Things like sales pages and FAQs for my shop. Little odds and ends that didn’t take a long time to complete, but just kept being
2. Skimp on self care. Self care has been a major part of my new routine. Nearly every night I do something for myself and spend quite time reading or listening to podcasts. It feels so luxurious to be able to pamper myself and I’m glad I am putting myself first for the first time in a while!
3. Waste time on social media. Because I have been executing on my new routine consistently, I have found that I end up wasting less time on social media. Before, I might have spent a few hours checking Instagram or YouTube, but recently, I have seriously cut back and its given me more time for myself and my business.
What I Did Do!
1. Got my Twitter under control. This is thanks to my assistant who has been managing my tweets not really me, but getting my twitter under control has been a major task on my to-do list for over a year. It’s great to be able to check that off now that there is a system in place.
2. Planned out some great promotions. This month I ran a special promotion for my email subscribers that I think was a great success. I also spent a good amount of time outlining a major promotion that will be going on in the next few weeks.
3. A few secret things I can’t mention yet. Most of this month was focused on a major project that I can’t wait to announce but can’t really talk about right now. Don’t worry, you will hear about it once its good to go and I’m super excited for all the great content and behind the scenes I will be able to share with you!
What I Learned!
1. Routines really work. Once I got my routines under control in April, I was able to make major progress in May with my work. I love waking up knowing exactly what I am going to do for the day and then finishing my work and tasks in time to relax, enjoy dinner and have
2. Trust the process. This isn’t something I just learned, instead it’s something that I knew and had to remind myself a lot this month. Sometimes I work on a project or a piece of content and don’t see it doing very well, but then I step back and see the overall progress and realize that things are moving in the right direction. It’s so important to trust the process and remember that individual events or results all add up to overall progress.
3. My shortcomings. Now that I am on a schedule and executing on my routines I find that I am seeing myself and my flaws much more clearly. I don’t mean this in a negative or demeaning way, instead, I feel like in getting myself on track I am seeing the truth about my shortcomings that I use to explain away or make excuses for. It was easy to ignore a specific problem I was having and chalk it up to being stressed or overworked or too busy, but now that I have my schedule in order I see that I am really the cause of my problem. Obviously this is something I’m going to file under my own personal development and will have to think about and make a plan to correct if I want to see my problems solved but its definitely something worth noting and I hope my insight can help you as well!
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!
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!
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!
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.
Hello dear readers and fellow #BossBabes! As this post goes live, my husband and I are already on our Disney World vacation that I told you I had booked last month! I hope you will follow along with our adventures in Disney World by following me on Snapchat as MissTrenchcoat because I am probably snapping up a storm and this is the method by which I plan to “vlog” our trip. But you aren’t here to listen to me describe my vacation, instead, today we are recapping the month of February in terms of how it affected my life and business.
February was a great month and felt like a vacation itself in comparison to January. Last month I told you about how tired I felt because I didn’t take an official break after the holidays and jumped right into 2016 guns blazing! Well, after the successful launch of my Charmed Life Master Class at the end of January, I promised that I was never going to put myself in a situation like that again, so I immediately made some changes in my routine and work schedule. First off, I took a few days off after the Master Class went live and relaxed. I listened to some books on tape, I watched TV and movies and just let myself turn off for a while. I actually spend the first week of February in calls with clients and getting feedback from my audience on different products which was a productive, yet, leisurely use of my time. Talking to my clients reenergized me and it was a very low pressure project to work on that was still very crucial to my business. I also spent the first week of the month working on getting ahead on my blog posts and writing work. Again, pretty low pressure items that were important but didn’t have an immediate decline that caused me stress. By the time the second week of the month rolled around, I was feeling much more under control of my schedule and could devote my time and attention to the major project of the month, which was my Free Photography Webinar “The 5 Photographic Marketing Assets You NEED to Build a Cohesive Brand Online.” I took my time with this webinar, outlining it and pulling together many of my frequently asked questions from my community, applying my best strategies to make sure the webinar was jam packed with information. I spent two weeks working on the webinar before the live event on the 21st which was a tremendous success, and if you missed that webinar, click here to get yourself access to it. During the middle of the month, I also spent a good amount of time working on personal and home related projects. I know it may sound silly but I really needed to shop for new clothes which I had put off for far too long, so I did some online shopping, and also ran some important errands for just day to day items I had run out of weeks ago but had been too busy to take care of. Just spent some time organizing my personal life and making progress on my ongoing goal of keeping my home and life in order! Finally, at the end of the month, during the last week, I had a lot of loose ends I needed to take care of. Small projects that needed to be completed before I left on vacation like cleaning the house, mending clothes, putting together my March #CharmedGTD Photo Challenge and my monthly freebies, planning out my #CharmedBiz Chat (on the topic of taking great photos for your blog and social media… click here to check it out if you missed it) and recording an audio interview for an upcoming episode of the Boss Girl Creative Podcast! So like I said, loose ends, little projects that needed to get done before I could fully relax and take off on vacation!
Okay, so now lets talk about some victories and failures for the month because there were certainly a few of those along the way! First, let’s talk failures! Although I had developed a really good practice of journaling during January, I found that as I was feeling less stressed and more organized thanks to my new routines, I stopped journaling consistently everyday. Journaling ended up being an every other day or every three days event, which made it harder for me to journal because I kept forgetting what had gone on in a day and made the whole life documentation aspect of the journal difficult. I am someone who does what they commit to, and I did make sure to go and fill in the days when I missed, but the failure here was that I broke the habit. Part of this, like I said, was because I wasn’t feeling stressed so I didn’t feel like I had a need to go to my journal and vent, and part of this was that I was spending some “me” time alone in the evenings and getting into bed early, but I would end up falling asleep before I got to the journaling part of my night time routine. Going forward, my solution for this is going to be to try to journal earlier in the day because generally, I don’t have news for my journal after dinner! Another failure for the month was that I fell off my healthy eating kick. I had been doing really well cooking healthy dinners for me and my husband, but again, laziness set in and we ended up ordering out or going out more than we should have, especially since we knew we were going on vacation at the end of the month! My solution for this is going to be instituting meal planning again once I get back from vacation and even an light exercise plan. I find that I’m more likely to eat healthy if I am also doing physical activity so I will be working on that when I get home.
Now for some wins for the month! Obviously, the whole living with less stress was a major win! Being intentional with the amount of work I put on my plate and only doing the activities I see as essential gave me more space in my day to just relax and do the things that make me feel peaceful. Being stingy with my time also meant that I had to be very selective about how I spent my time, which really makes you focus on your priorities. A second win I had for the month was that I started using Snapchat again and have been really enjoying it! I think I may have found my solution for daily vlogging because there is segment of my following that likes seeing what I am up to, but the idea of vlogging myself day over day for a produced YouTube video is daunting and not the way I want to spend my time. It’s a lot of fun and I hope you will follow me on Snapchat — MissTrenchcoat — if you want to see my daily life and adventures!
Overall, February was a great month, I have no complaints and I feel like even my failures for the month are teaching me how I need to be more intentional with my time so that I can build a sustainable life and business that works for me! I’d love to know how your month went, so please make sure to comment below and let me know your wins and “opportunities” for improvement- I think we can all learn from hearing each others experiences so please share!
This is the first installment of my new feature, Entrepreneurial; a monthly journal entry chronicling my experience as an entrepreneur, my victories and failures each month, and the lessons learned along the way.
Hello my lovely readers! Welcome to my first installment of Entrepreneurial, my monthly business journal. When I first suggested the concept of this blog feature, many of you were incredibly supportive so I hope you enjoy these posts and that you learn a thing or two about the realities of being an online business owner. It’s not an easy job, but it is fun to be able to wake up and have complete control over what you will be doing. I like it. And most of all, I really want to remember it. I think I may have some sort of long term memory problem, because unless I write things down, I forget them, and I often can’t recall the things that happened the day before. Actually, one day last week, I completely forgot what I had done all day and what day it was. My husband was only moderately concerned. Now, I don’t think their is anything medical wrong with me, I just think I have too much information in storage already, so new items just get kicked back out of my system. I’m not very happy about this, and I wanted to do something to change it, find some way to chronicle my journey as a business owner, but most importantly, have a record of what I was doing so that I could keep my eye on the big picture. So, this year I started journaling. You may have seen my disc bound day per page planner/notebook/journal combo in a recent video, I’ve been faithfully writing in it almost everyday and if I do forget, I go back the next day and fill in what I was working on to the best of my recollection so I don’t forget about it. I’m the type of person who gets really excited about a project, starts it, gets it nearly done and then forgets about it. It’s funny because for all the content and products I create and launch, I probably have about twice as much nearly completed that just lost steam or I decided to change direction on. The journal has honestly been very helpful at forcing me to remember what I was doing and why I was spending time on a certain project. I actually started catching myself before I would start a random project that was off topic because I recognized I was about to distract myself from what I really needed to work on. So, I’d say that the journal is working, it’s like my accountability buddy and sometimes it’s like a therapist for me too. If I’ve had a bad day or made a mistake, I vent to my journal and make a plan for how I will course correct and learn from my mistake. I’ve been doing this with some new routines for the year which have actually started to take root. If you want me to do a video or another blog post where I go into the way I use my journal, let me know and I will!
So, let’s talk more about my results for the month. If I had to suggest an overarching theme for January, it would be Introspection. I spent a lot of quiet time this month alone thinking. Not planning, not strategizing, mostly thinking. I thought I had done all the necessary thinking about my business back in December, but apparently, there were more thoughts stuck inside of me that really wanted to break free. I finished a number of books this month, most of them were fiction reads I listened to during the day to keep myself entertained, but for the most part this month felt very quiet. It was a good quiet though, because I never ended up taking an official break from my business at the new year and I quickly realized that not taking a vacation was a grave mistake. By the end of the month before my Charmed Life Master Class launch, my sanity was hanging on by a thread! In fact, within an hour of completing all the work for the master class, my husband and I booked a vacation that we will be going to in just a few short weeks! It will be the first week off I have had since Aruba in June, and technically that was just five days off and I did a good amount of work while I was there, so not a true vacation really. So it was this stress of being worn out from 2015 added to the pressure of a major creative endeavor that left me wiped to the point that I was unable to focus on blog posts, and even creating my videos for the month was like pulling teeth. It was like I only had a certain amount of creative energy to use, and if I put it towards the master class, there was nothing left for other areas. Ultimately, I decided that it was fine, I just had to go with the flow and not get too wrapped up in what I wasn’t doing because I had something important on my plate. If you’ve ever wondered how it is that I get it all done, I think you now have your answer; I don’t always get it all done. If I can’t make it all happen, I have to identify what my priority is and focus on that, and then take it one day at a time!
So, now that we know what went wrong this month, let’s talk about some victories. Like I mentioned earlier, this month I launched my Charmed Life Master Class, a personal development course that teaches you my strategies for creating the life of your dreams. Other than the launch of the new master class which was a major victory for the month, and the success with my daily journaling, I also was able to slowly build up some positive routines. I had been very lax in November and December in terms of my daily schedule and so it was hard to get into a groove in January. I was extremely tired from being mentally tapped out and it took me a few weeks to get my regular schedule back. Thanks mostly to my journal, I was able to retrain myself to wake up early in the morning, and then I started to build up a morning routine that kept me awake all day without needing to take a nap in the afternoon. This was a major success, because I was really worried that I might never be able to wake up before 9am again! Now, I’m waking up between 6:30-7:30 with my husband and getting straight to my morning tasks. Another positive routine I have built this month is my meal planning. I have gotten back into the habit of cooking myself fresh meals instead of eating packaged food that’s filled with junk! I’m back to eating plenty of fruits and veggies, healthy snacks and I’ve been making the most drool worthy Pinterest dinners! Finally, I’ve also built up a self-care routine that involves a simple but consistent skin care regime and weekly lush baths. Overall, I am very happy with what I have accomplished this month. Although many of these items were not directly related to my business, trust me, building up these good habits and routines is going to make a world of difference in my business!
February, with its romantic ambiance and Valentine’s Day festivities, provides a unique opportunity for businesses to engage and connect with their audience. Crafting content that resonates with the season can not only boost engagement but also foster a deeper connection with your customers. Here are some popular content ideas tailored to help you make the most of February and the Valentine’s Day season.
1. Share the Love: Customer Appreciation
Content Idea: Express gratitude to your customers with a heartfelt thank-you post. Consider featuring customer testimonials, success stories, or creating a customer appreciation video.
Caption: “Our business is sweetened by your support! Thank you for being the heart of our success. 💕 #CustomerAppreciation #Gratitude”
2. Valentine’s Day Specials and Promotions
Content Idea: Highlight special offers, discounts, or exclusive products/services for Valentine’s Day. Create eye-catching visuals and share the details across your social media platforms.
Caption: “Love is in the air, and so are our Valentine’s Day specials! Treat yourself or your loved ones to something special. ❤️ #ValentinesDayDeals #SpreadTheLove”
3. Behind-the-Scenes Romance
Content Idea: Give your audience a peek behind the scenes of your business, showcasing the people and processes that make everything possible. Share stories that resonate with the theme of love and dedication.
Caption: “Our team is the heart of our operation! Here’s a glimpse behind the scenes of the love and hard work that goes into making your favorite products/services. 💖 #TeamLove #BTS”
4. DIY Valentine’s Day Ideas
Content Idea: Offer your audience do-it-yourself ideas related to your products or services. Whether it’s crafting, cooking, or decorating, provide easy-to-follow guides that align with the Valentine’s Day theme.
Caption: “Get creative this Valentine’s Day with our simple DIY ideas! Share your creations with us using #DIYLove. 💝 #ValentinesCrafts #DIYInspiration”
5. Love-Infused Product/Service Spotlights
Content Idea: Showcase specific products or services that align with the Valentine’s Day theme. Highlight their features, benefits, and how they can add value to your customers’ celebrations.
Caption: “Introducing our Valentine’s Day Collection! From romantic essentials to thoughtful gifts, find the perfect way to express your love. 💘 #ValentinesSpecials #ProductSpotlight”
6. Valentine’s Day Giveaways
Content Idea: Run a Valentine’s Day-themed giveaway or contest. Encourage audience participation by asking them to share love stories, photos, or tag someone special for a chance to win.
Caption: “Spread love and win! Participate in our Valentine’s Day giveaway for a chance to win [prize]. Share your love story below or tag someone special to enter! 🎁💕 #ValentinesGiveaway #SpreadTheLove”
29 Social Media Prompts to Spark Love for Your Brand in February
February is not just about chocolates and roses; it’s a fantastic opportunity for businesses to infuse love into their social media presence. To help you engage with your audience and spread the love for your brand, here are 29 creative prompts for your social media posts throughout the Valentine’s season.
1. #SelfLoveSunday
Share a self-care tip or highlight how your product/service promotes self-love.
2. Throwback Love
Share a memorable moment from the past that holds a special place in your business journey.
3. Valentine’s Day Countdown
Start a countdown to Valentine’s Day with daily posts featuring different aspects of your brand.
4. Meet the Team Monday
Introduce your team members and share what they love most about working for your business.
5. Love-Infused Product Showcase
Spotlight products or services that make the perfect Valentine’s Day gift.
6. Customer Love Stories
Feature customer testimonials or stories that showcase their love for your brand.
7. Valentine’s Day Wishlist
Share a curated list of your favorite products/services for the season.
8. Behind-the-Scenes Love
Give followers a sneak peek behind the scenes, showing the love and effort that goes into your business.
9. #TransformationTuesday
Share a business transformation or success story that inspires love and growth.
10. Love Quotes Inspiration
Share uplifting and love-themed quotes related to your business values.
11. Valentine’s Day Poll
Engage your audience with a poll asking about their Valentine’s Day plans or preferences.
12. Showcase Love for Local Businesses
Collaborate with local businesses and share posts that promote mutual support.
13. Valentine’s Day DIY Tips
Provide DIY tips related to your products or services that followers can try for Valentine’s Day.
14. Spread the Love Giveaway
Host a giveaway and encourage followers to share what they love most about your brand.
15. Fan Feature Friday
Feature user-generated content, showcasing how your products are loved by your audience.
16. Share the Love Playlist
Create a Valentine’s Day playlist that aligns with your brand and share it with your followers.
17. Valentine’s Day Memories
Share a memorable moment from a past Valentine’s Day celebration at your business.
18. Love Your Community
Highlight community involvement or charitable efforts your business supports.
19. Valentine’s Day Discounts
Announce exclusive discounts or promotions for the Valentine’s season.
20. Ask for Recommendations
Seek recommendations for favorite love-themed books, movies, or activities from your audience.
21. Love-Inspired Blog Post
Share a blog post or article that aligns with the Valentine’s season.
22. Valentine’s Day Trivia
Engage your audience with fun Valentine’s Day trivia related to your business.
23. Love Language Quiz
Encourage followers to discover their love language and how your brand caters to it.
24. Valentine’s Day Decorations
Showcase how your business is decorated or themed for the season.
25. Valentine’s Day Recipe
Share a love-themed recipe that your audience can try.
26. Love for Your Industry
Share your passion for your industry and why you love being a part of it.
27. Valentine’s Day Challenges
Create challenges related to your products or services and encourage followers to participate.
28. Heartfelt Thank You
Express gratitude to your followers for their continuous support.
29. Future of Love
Share exciting plans and developments for your brand in the upcoming months.
Remember to tailor these content ideas to your brand’s personality and values. Personalization and authenticity are key to creating meaningful connections with your audience during the romantic vibes of February.
Elevate Your Business with the Charmed Life Master Mind!
Ready to take your content, marketing, and business strategy to new heights this season? Join the Charmed Life Master Mind—a community of ambitious women and female entrepreneurs committed to growth and success.
In the Charmed Life Master Mind, you’ll unlock exclusive insights, strategies, and a supportive network to help you flourish in your entrepreneurial journey. Elevate your brand, enhance your content, and conquer your business goals with the collective wisdom of like-minded women.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to transform your business into a thriving, charmed venture.
11 Questions to Ask Yourself before You Create a Business Plan for 2024
Hey there, ambitious and empowered women! Are you ready to conquer 2024 with your entrepreneurial spirit? Before you dive headfirst into the year, let’s take a moment to reflect and plan. Creating a business plan is the cornerstone of success, providing direction and purpose for your journey. In this blog post, we’ll explore 11 crucial questions that will guide you in shaping a strategic roadmap for your business. So, grab your favorite notebook and let’s embark on this empowering journey together!
1. What is your business name and tagline?
Your business name and tagline are the first impressions you make on the world. They should encapsulate the essence of your brand and resonate with your target audience. Take a moment to evaluate if your business name and tagline effectively convey your vision and values.
2. What are your business values?
Values are the compass that guides your decisions and actions. Clearly defined values help you build a strong and authentic brand. Reflect on the values that matter most to you and how they align with your business. Integrating your values into your business practices creates a genuine connection with your audience.
3. What is your business Manifesto
Crafting a manifesto allows you to articulate your mission and purpose. It’s a powerful tool that communicates your brand’s identity and motivates both you and your customers. Share your passion and vision through a compelling manifesto that inspires others to join your journey.
4. What does your business offer or sell?
Define your product or service and understand its unique value proposition. How does it solve a problem for your customers? Knowing what sets your offerings apart will help you stand out in the crowded market and attract the right audience.
5. Who are your customers?
Understanding your target audience is crucial. Identify the demographic, psychographic, and behavioral aspects of your ideal customers. This knowledge will enable you to tailor your marketing strategies to effectively reach and resonate with your audience.
6. What outcomes do you produce for your customers?
Shift your focus from features to outcomes. What transformations or solutions do your products or services provide? Clearly defining the benefits your customers receive will enhance your marketing messages and foster customer loyalty.
7. How do you market to your customers?
Explore various marketing channels that align with your audience’s preferences. Social media, content marketing, and influencer collaborations are just a few options. Tailor your marketing approach to your ideal customers, ensuring your messages resonate and create meaningful connections.
8. Where do you see your business in the next year?
Paint a vivid picture of where you want your business to be in the short term. Set realistic and measurable goals that align with your broader vision. This will help you stay focused and motivated throughout the year.
9. Where do you see your business in the next three years?
Look beyond the immediate horizon and envision the growth and evolution of your business. What milestones do you aim to achieve in the next three years? This forward-thinking approach will guide your long-term strategy.
10. Where do you see your business in the next 5 years?
Dream big! Consider the major milestones and achievements you want to reach in the next five years. This perspective will shape your strategic decisions and provide a roadmap for sustained success.
11. Where do you see your business in the next 10 years?
As you look a decade ahead, envision the legacy you want to leave with your business. What impact do you hope to have on your community or industry? This long-term perspective will fuel your determination and passion.
Congratulations! You’ve just laid the foundation for an incredible year and beyond. Now, to make this planning process even smoother, we’re excited to introduce the CEO Strategy Planner—your ultimate business planning companion on your entrepreneurial journey.
Our planner includes over 60 elegantly designed inserts to help you map, plan, and organize every aspect of your business. Whether you prefer a print-at-home version or a digital interactive PDF, the CEO Strategy Planner is tailored to fit your planning style.
Don’t let overwhelm hold you back—take charge of your dreams with the CEO Strategy Planner. Your journey to success starts here!
Here’s to a year of growth, empowerment, and achieving the extraordinary! 🌟
xoxo,
Alexis Giostra @MissTrenchcoat, Founder of Strange & Charmed
P.S. If you’d like my help in answering these questions and creating your 2024 business plans, join me inside the Charmed Life Master Mind. Each month inside the Master Mind we meet for a CEO Power Hour with the other business owners in our group to make our plans for the month ahead and I can help you clarify your business plans live in class or one on one through our private messaging platform!But you have to be a Master Mind member to unlock this level of bonus coaching with me!
‘Tis the season to celebrate the female entrepreneurs who inspire us with their passion and dedication. Show your appreciation with these thoughtful and practical gifts:
1. Canvas Laptop Bag: A stylish and functional bag for her on-the-go workdays.
Make her holiday season brighter with these carefully curated gifts tailored to her entrepreneurial spirit.
Happy gifting!
Founder, Strange & Charmed 🌟
P.S. If you’re looking for more support in living your best, most organized and successful life, consider joining my inner circle private group coaching community called The Charmed Life Master Mind. Each month we meet for live classes, Q+As and monthly planning sessions, plus you have access to an on-demand resource library with dozens of classes, workbooks, planner inserts and other tools to help you craft the life you want to live. Click here to learn more and enroll today for instant access to all my best content and tools!
In the dynamic world of business, effective planning is the backbone of success. However, even the most driven entrepreneurs can stumble due to common pitfalls. Today, let’s shed light on five planning mistakes that, unfortunately, many female entrepreneurs make, which can significantly impact their sales. By recognizing and avoiding these errors, you can pave the way for a thriving business.
1. Neglecting a Strategic Business Plan
One of the biggest mistakes is diving into the entrepreneurial journey without a clear, comprehensive business plan. Your plan should outline your goals, target audience, marketing strategies, financial projections, and contingency plans. Failing to have this roadmap can lead to aimless efforts and missed opportunities for sales growth.
2. Overlooking Market Research
Understanding your market is fundamental. Female entrepreneurs sometimes overlook in-depth market research, missing out on crucial insights. Research helps you identify customer needs, preferences, and trends. Without this knowledge, you might create products or services that don’t resonate, hindering your sales potential.
3. Ignoring Consistent Branding
Your brand is your identity. Inconsistent branding across platforms, from your website to social media, confuses potential customers. Female entrepreneurs may underestimate the impact of cohesive branding. Consistent visual elements, messaging, and values create trust, attracting customers and boosting sales.
4. Underestimating the Power of Online Presence
In our digital age, having a strong online presence is paramount. Many female entrepreneurs underestimate the impact of a well-designed website, engaging social media, and regular content creation. An outdated website or inconsistent social media activity can deter potential customers. Investing in professional online presence significantly influences sales.
5. Avoiding Data-Driven Decisions
Data is invaluable in business. Some entrepreneurs, including women in business, avoid analyzing their sales data thoroughly. Data-driven decisions help you understand what works and what doesn’t. By tracking sales patterns, customer behavior, and marketing effectiveness, you can refine your strategies, leading to increased sales.
Empower Your Business with Strategic Planning
Now that you’re aware of these planning pitfalls, empower your business with strategic, informed decisions. Take the time to craft a detailed business plan, invest in market research, maintain consistent branding, enhance your online presence, and embrace data-driven insights. By avoiding these common mistakes, you’ll create a solid foundation for your business to thrive, attracting more customers and increasing sales.
Get a Strategic Business Planner
Running a small business is a lot! It requires a cohesive strategy for time, task and business management if you want to be successful at it. Which is why tackling and managing all this work with a simple to do list or basic planner just doesn’t cut it.
If you have a hard time deciding what to work on for your business, feel like you’re always behind on tasks and projects, constantly dealing with emergencies and have no clue if what you are spending time on is actually growing your business… You need a better business planning system.
And I don’t just mean your business plan itself.
Sure that’s wonderful to have, but your business plan is the overall structure for the direction of your business- it’s not the strategic plan for you to follow everyday to reach your business goals.
Imagine getting to work each day with a clear plan of action, prioritized tasks, ideas organized at your finger tips, and feeling confident that the work you complete is positively impacting your business growth.
If you are ready to trade overwhelm for clarity, disorganization for structure, and hustle for strategy, I have precisely the tool you need to successfully manage and grow your business!
The CEO Strategy Planner is the Ultimate Business Planning Tool to Help You Organize, Plan and Execute on Your Business Vision. Get your ideas out of your head, onto paper, and get down to business with the CEO Strategy Planner!Click here to purchase your copy now!
Remember, every setback is an opportunity to learn and grow. With a mindful approach to planning, your entrepreneurial journey can be not only successful but also incredibly fulfilling.
