How much of your business is currently online? I think we can all agree that the last few months have been incredibly hard for small businesses. As someone who works with entrepreneurs every day, I’ve seen this firsthand, and I’ve had the great privilege of standing alongside small businesses through this crisis! So, I wanted to share what I’ve seen over the past few months with my current and new clients. After this experience, I have a ton of tips about how your small business can survive, and even thrive, during a crisis by pivoting to online business models. Now…
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Is your small business ready for some financial help? Well, good news! Stimulus help is on its way! COVID-19 has disrupted almost every aspect of American life, and I’m not just talking about stay-at-home guidelines. Individuals, organizations, and businesses have unexpectedly run into the economic equivalent of a brick wall. Financial hard times are tough enough to deal with when everything else is calm. But during a pandemic, pulling yourself out of that hole and protecting your brand can feel impossible. Thankfully at the end of March, the Federal government passed three landmark pieces of legislation to help Americans weather…
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Are you worried about your revenue stream? Right now, small business owners everywhere are wondering how they can increase their revenue (or hold it even) during the coronavirus crisis. We currently don’t know how long this period of social distancing will last or if things will get even worse. What we do know is that most physical locations are closed, meaning that many small businesses have needed to pivot to online only. Thankfully, there are some ways you can create multiple online streams of income. It might require you to go slightly out of your comfort zone, but these strategies…
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Are you working from home for the first time? Back when I was working in the corporate world in my late 20s, I (like many Americans) occasionally dreamed of working from home. I had this romanticized image of slowly getting up in the morning, heading to my home office in my PJs, and taking some time off in the middle of the day to run errands or read a book. Then I started my own small business in my home and, BOY, was I in for a rude shock! It turns out that working from home requires a specific kind…
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What’s inside your small business toolbox? My husband and I are currently in the process of building a vacation house. And if there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that there is a right tool for every job! This adage is true even in the small business world. There is a tool out there perfectly suited to every task. You only need to find it! And when you do, that tool could save you a crazy amount of time at your small business! Lacking time is one of the biggest challenges I face as a small business owner. There are…
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I’ve always been in awe of architects. They are like modern-day magicians. With math and an expert design sense, they design a blueprint that creates rock-solid structures that stand the test of time. And how do they do it? It all starts with a blueprint. After all, you can’t just start building a structure without knowing every single step you need to take. An architect designing a building will go through countless drafts of blueprints until they have a plan that is both functional AND beautiful. And once they finalize everything in the blueprint, they can finally start to get to…
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Happy New Year! Now that the parties, silly hats, and celebratory drinks are in the rearview mirror, it’s time to set your sights on what matters: your goals. I’m NOT talking about New Year’s Resolutions here. Those, for the most part, are more like general wishes for the new year. “I want to lose some weight,” or, “I want to earn more money.” What I’m talking about here are your concrete business goals. The things that you’re going to be focusing on at your small business throughout the next 12 months. It’s time to get your thoughts in order. But…
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When did you last take a look at your business plan? One of the smartest things that a small business owner can do is create your yearly business plan. It’s an invaluable resource that helps them lay out their goals, challenges, and growth for the upcoming year. Whenever you feel like you are going off-course, you can always refer to the “north star” of your business plan! The only problem with creating a business plan is that it takes time. And around the holidays, time is the last thing you have (unless you have a virtual assistant)! You’re running around…
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Want to know the worst feeling in the world when you’re a small business owner creating a sense of emergency? It’s when you feel the first inklings that you’re getting sick. You know the signs. Sleep the night before may not happen. Your energy is running dry, or you get a tickle in the back of your throat. You think, “I’m getting sick. I can’t afford to get sick! I have too much to do this week!!!” As a small business owner, it’s not unusual that everything is on your shoulders. Your customer service, marketing, daily tasks, sales, EVERYTHING goes…
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For some small businesses, getting a new client is “Good news, bad news” time. The good news is that you have a new client! The bad news is that if you don’t have an automated onboarding system, it can be a massive headache. There is the first consultation, the follow-ups, sending/signing the contract, convincing them of the importance of filling out their client information form, invoices, scheduling your kick off call, learning their habits and preferences… It’s a ton of work! Of course, you can make things go much smoother by streamlining your entire client onboarding sequence. And a big…
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