Do you remember buying your very first car? There is a real sense of pride that comes from making such a “grown-up” purchase. It’s shiny, new, and YOURS. It feels the same way when you purchase your first house. It’s your home, with all of the responsibilities, maintenance, and benefits that come with it. For many small business owners, there is a similar feeling when you get your first professionally-designed website. It looks incredible, acting as your own little corner of the internet. Your branding is impeccable, the content is compelling, and your graphics simply “pop.” But here is the…
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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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Do you feel like you’re getting a little less “bang for your buck” from your marketing strategy plan lately? Digital marketing is one of the fastest moving targets on the internet. Things are constantly shifting and changing. New services appear and old ones disappear constantly. Google+, for example, was a “must” just a few years ago. Today? Uh, what’s Google+? This rapidly changing digital landscape means that you need to update your marketing plan every year (if not more often). If you’re basically doing the same thing you did in 2017, your digital marketing strategy is beyond ancient. But that’s…
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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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A lot of small business owners get stuck in the idea that all businesses should run the exact same way! No way! Here’s the thing about small business owners: we are all different! Our reasons for becoming entrepreneurs vary from always wanting to run our own business to wanting to spend more time at home with our families (or both). But when it comes to things like business planning, most coaches and programs treat every small business owner the same. And if you don’t fit into that narrow preconception, you’re going to be out of luck. I’ll give you a…
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Do you already have exciting plans in place for your small business in 2020? One of the smartest things you can do as a small business owner is to always think about the future. You should constantly have something on the horizon. Whether it’s planning a webinar, starting a podcast, developing a new product or service, or building a spectacular website. It also can make for the perfect time to completely revamp your brand. And as we’ve almost reached the end of 2019, I’ve started to put some real thought into the services that I’m going to be offering you…
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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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Here is the funny thing about technology. It works until it doesn’t. There are few things more frustrating than going on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube, only to discover that you can’t reach the website. You wonder if the problem is with your internet connection or their servers. So, you unplug your router, trying to reset everything, and it inevitably doesn’t work. So, you’re left annoyed. And that’s all it is: annoying. But what if the thing that was down was an essential part of your business? When your website goes down, not only does it appear to send a terrible…
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