Blog | She Owns It

How Boundaries Make You the CEO of YOU! by @iammypriority_

February 19, 2019 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

by Keiwana Eaton

We all need boundaries, but we all don’t have boundaries. The necessity of boundaries is for the purpose of protecting you, your personal space, and your time, all of which yields good health, positive energy, and peace of mind. More times than not, exhaustion sets in because we haven’t set boundaries for ourselves, for work, or for friends and family. We neglect ourselves to the point of exhaustion, burnout, or emotional breakdown. In the worst case scenario, not having boundaries is detrimental to our physical health. But how does this happen when we are the CEOs of our own lives? I’ll tell you how, and then I’ll give you 3 tips to regain and maintain control of your life.

If you are an empath like me and many others that I know, you naturally want to help people and solve the world’s problems. You are naturally a fixer, whether it’s a fixer of your problems or someone else’s. You might even take on more than your fair share of work and emotional baggage by simply helping others. If you catch my drift here, other people’s emotional and physical baggage with or without yours will literally drain you, and before you know it, you may feel heavy burdened, down and out, depressed and in the slumps. It happens so rapidly…or does it? Fatigue and stress are the number one causes of many health problems and even death. Long before our bodies begin to spiral out of control or go wacky, we neglect every warning sign, such as dark cloud moments when negative people enter your space, manipulative behavior, and restlessness to name a few. These traits and behaviors still our joy, are detrimental to our health, and leave us powerless. But don’t worry, I got your back! Here are three tips that to regain and maintain your position as CEO of YOU:

1. Know the company you keep.
Above I mentioned “dark cloud” moments, and this refers to individuals who are Negative Nancys, Debbie Downers, and Rain on Your Parade Rachels. They are like a sudden dreary and gloomy day when the sun is bright, the air is fresh, and the trees are a vibrant green, with no warning of clouds or a thunderstorm in the sky. As soon as they come in your presence or within your personal space, your energy is immediately turned off. It’s like they instantly suck your happiness dry. I try to stay away from such people, but if you are not black and white like me, then you may be able to handle these type of people in spurts. Either way, you must know the energies that you allow into your personal space.

2. Understand that boundaries are not a form of disrespect.
This is important as empaths are also people pleasers, and we don’t necessarily want to hurt anyone’s feelings. In this case, we are more willing to grant leniency to having no boundaries in place at all. Grave mistake! Boundaries are no disrespectful and are not hurtful to people who understand you and the need for self-care. In fact, people respect you more when you are disciplined enough to establish and impose boundaries that protect you. Doing so, allows you to manage yourself and your relationships. After all, you are the CEO of you!

3. You are your prized possession.
Maybe you should read that again…and again…and again to let it soak in every fiber of your being. Let it ooze through you. Pause a little longer if need be. Say it with me: You. Are. Your. Prized. Possession. Without you, nothing that you do would be getting done in the way that you do it. Aren’t you a badass? Do you see yourself as a badass? If not, well let me be the first to tell you or remind you…YOU ARE YOUR PRIZED POSSESSION BECAUSE YOU ARE A BADASS AND NOTHING GETS DONE IN THE WAY THAT YOU DO IT! If we do not see ourselves in this light, we simply do not value ourselves enough to uphold our standards and boundaries. Your time is valuable. Your energy is valuable. Your space is valuable. You are valuable. If you are a mother, your value extends for generations. If you are a wife, could your spouse be making it without your assistance? Why not take time to care for you, to put you first? Is it that you possibly think putting yourself first is selfish? Well, no it’s not! Or is it just that you can’t possibly see yourself of being more important or just as important as the people you take care of? Let me remind you that you are a badass and nothing would get done in the way that you do it! Sometimes, we need a kick in the butt instead of a gentle reminder that we are our priority too. From this moment forward, recite those words to yourself every day as often as you’d like. Let it become your daily affirmation.

As I wrap this up, it’s important that we regain and maintain control over our lives. Our personal space, positive vibes, and our time is valuable to us on the same authentic scale that we hold ourselves accountable to respecting other people’s time, space, and energy. Regain focus and control by implementing these three very simple tips. Setting boundaries helps you to manage relationships, be assertive, and get your voice back!

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Keiwana Eaton is an authentic Life Strategist and Founder of I AM My Priority, Inc. She teaches her best pro strategizing tips with bulls-eye laser focus from her 10 years+ in technical training, recruiting, and inside the walls of TOP corporate public and private offices, as well as over 2 years coaching and strategizing with entry level to senior level driven, passionate, go getters just like you!

She helps her clients uncover their authentic selves through life talks which includes accepting the past them, coming to terms with the present them, to shape the future them. Learn more and get her free Goal Smashing Made Easy Workbook by visiting www.iammypriority.org.

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Entrepreneur Women in Development Countries by @AtellierOrganic

February 18, 2019 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

by Jovanna Nathalie Cervantes Guzman

The research carried out in emerging countries by the National Foundation for Women Business Owners (NFWBO) found that women who own business have common characteristics regardless of the business turn, their establishment, administration, operation, and goals differs from that of the male gender. As they are oriented to own small businesses, make decisions based on different criteria, higher priority to quality of life rather than increase business income, and mainly seek to reconcile the different aspects of their life. In contrast to its counterpart that focuses on financial and economic aspects oriented to profitability.

In countries where there is a greater number of entrepreneur women there is a higher economic growth, in contrast to the countries where there is a stagnant economy, there is also an impact on the social environment (UNIDO, 2011). In spite of this, there is currently twice as much male entrepreneurship as female (Reynolds, et al, 2002).

The contribution of women in the economy of Latin America and the Caribbean had an increase of 35% in 1980 to 53% in 2007 promoting economic growth, financial security in the family, increase in the capacity of consumption and reduction in the poverty of the region. (Pages & Piras, 2010)

Despite the increase of the labor participation of the female gender, this one continues to have diverse problems, estimated according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) according to the report on the gender gap at global level 2016 that the equality of gender in the economic and labor activity will be possible in 170 years. (Hernández, 2016)
The gender gap in the business sector increases in developing countries, with the majority of countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region, where only 22% of women work independently (Hellen, 2010).

Entrepreneurship can become a means of economic inclusion for the female gender, especially those in developing countries that are victims of exclusion in different fields.

¡We need to promote women entrepreneurs who struggle every day for the development of their families and society¡

Heller, L. (2010). Mujeres emprendedoras en América Latina y el Caribe: realidades, obstáculos y desafíos. Santiago de Chile: United Nations.

Hernández, L. (October 25, 2016). Igualdad de género sería posible en unos 170 años, según el WEF. El financiero. Obtained from http://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/economia/igualdad-de-genero-economica-y-laboral-una-realidad-en-170-anos-wef.html

Pagés, S; & Piras, C. (2010). El dividendo de género: como capitalizar el trabajo de las mujeres. BID. Washigton, D.C.

United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). (2001). Women Entrepreneurship Development in Selected African Countries. Working Paper No. 7, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, Vienna.

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Atellier Organic. Joyas de Autor is a 100% Mexican brand, that started in 2011. Which manufactures and sells unique and unrepeatable handmade pieces of jewelry and goldsmith of natural semi-precious stones, with handcrafted techniques and ecological process.

Its founder by the fashion designer Patricia Guzmán graduated from the schools of high couture “Centro de Diseño de Modas” and goldsmith and jewelry “A Dos Manos”. As Co-Founder, her daughter, Nathalie Cervantes, who has a master´s degree in Marketing Management, and is the commercial manager.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalie-cervantes-guzman103/

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Working Through Your Struggle and Taking Care of Yourself

February 15, 2019 by Susan Fiorentino 1 Comment

by Susan Fiorentino

This picture is from Summer 2016, after I finished my first summer fitness challenge at Kettlebella Fitness and truly felt strong and confident.

This Valentine’s Day, I celebrated my five-year anniversary of starting my fitness journey at Kettlebella Fitness. Most people probably do not celebrate an anniversary for the first time they took a fitness class, but that day truly changed not only how I handle the stresses of life, but how I feel about myself. It seems almost fitting that this journey for me started in February, a month which is strongly focused on love and women’s health. Self-love and body acceptance is something I struggle with but this group of women have helped me handle obstacles that come my way from my eating disorder. As most young women trying to make their mark, I have a very full schedule. Sometimes, I forget that if I do not take care of myself first, then I will never be able to give my other commitments the attention that each deserve. Today I wanted to share ways that help me remember to be kind to myself, so that I can my “best self” and not a “perfect self”.

I work with children, especially a lot of young girls, and as I have gotten to know them over the years, I am aware that I am some kind of role model in their life. I encourage them to be healthy and active, always try their best, never say “ I can’t” or doubt themselves. Why am I not able to send the same message to myself? If I ever heard someone talk to my students the way I speak to myself, I would be upset. These girls are growing up in a different time than I did, and I see the negative self-talk from girls as young as six or seven years old. I encourage them by reinforcing how well they are doing and building up their confidence and let them know they are capable of great things. Being around children so often also reminds me that if I am not taking care of myself, I will not have the energy to coach cheerleading or tutor them and am not living true to the talks I give to them.

When I am feeling especially down and find myself in a negative mind set, there is a high chance that social media is to blame. Social media is a trigger for me, specifically an overload of extremely edited and unrealistic health and fitness accounts so I take a break from it whenever I need it. I would constantly find myself scrolling through my feed and being upset that I was not able to meet these “standards”. Now, I only follow a handful of legitimate health and fitness social media accounts and unfollow accounts as soon as I feel they are triggering for me. Social media should be a platform for good and when it becomes toxic, it is okay to walk away for some time.

I am not into fashion at all but I do make an effort to support brands that use realistic body images in their products. Everyone wants to feel confident and rock that outfit that makes them feel like a ten, but some companies make that difficult to feel. Aerie is one of my favorite brands and I love how real and inclusive they are in advertisements. In my experience, their clothing has been true to size.. and I know my size with their clothes. There is no guessing game and I am never in the dressing room near tears because I know I am size BLANK and the BLANK is not fitting correctly. Aerie is also a huge supporter of NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) and that organization has also helped me in my recovery.

My outlook and feelings about myself have improved when I actively remember these three things. There is no perfect body and your worth is not based on a number. I still have fitness and health goals for myself but they are definitely more realistic and attainable in a healthy way. Everyone will have a different “why” on why they are a path of healing and their different coping skills but our goal will ultimately have a similar focus – to be happy and healthy and in a positive life.

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Top 5 myths about the speaking submission process by @KerryHeaps

February 14, 2019 by Kerry Heaps Leave a Comment

by Kerry Heaps | Featured Contributor

Its complicated. Many people feel that the submission process is complicated, however nothing could be further from the truth. The submission process if anything can be tedious. You are basically submitting the same information to multiple events. Once you start the process, you will find after a few submissions that you pick up the pace of the process. If you have all your information in one location where you can just copy and paste, the process moves fairly quickly and easily.

If nothing is listed about payment, they don’t pay Speakers. If you are on an event website call for speaker’s page, and you don’t see anything about payment or compensation, don’t assume they won’t pay you anything. You should still apply, it is typical that most events will want to find out what your fees are and negotiate from there, so there is no need to post about fees. You will miss out on a lot of opportunities if you don’t apply to these events. Typically, events that don’t pay anything will list on the site that they are unable to compensate or cover expenses.

You only submit once; the event staff will save your information. This is false, each year they will post an open call for speakers on most event sites. This is for you to apply for the current year only. If you apply and you are accepted to speak for the current year, and they asked you to come back a second year, you will still be required to submit your information again. Most event websites receive several hundred/thousand entries for calls for speakers. They are unable to retain that information and use it for the following year. Every year the needs of the conference will change, so therefore the open tracks for the call for speakers will change as well.

Email is a better way to send in your information. This is also false. If an event has taken the time to set up a call for speaker’s page and submission site, then you should respect their wishes and submit the information as they have requested. By sending an email and ignoring their process, you are sending a negative signal that you won’t follow direction. Which will raise a red flag for the meeting planning staff. Some speakers feel this will make them stand out and it will, but in a negative light. They have the process set up for a reason, follow it.

They rejected you once, so don’t reapply next year. Just because your topic was rejected this year, don’t take it personally. It could be they had a similar topic in the past year or two, or it could be that they have a certain agenda that they want to fill, and they just didn’t feel your topic would be a good fit. When you receive a rejection letter, it’s just part of the process. You will always receive more no’s than yes’s is in this industry. Should you decide to reapply the following year, take a closer look at the open tracks, go ahead and resubmit your proposed topic. You never know what will happen, and you can always submit more than one topic. Events do not retain your submissions on a year-to-year basis as their needs change from year to year.

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3 ways to improve your productivity as a mompreneur by @mominbusiness_

February 13, 2019 by Vanessa Cast Leave a Comment

Learn how to improve your productivity as a Work-At-Home Mom

When I decided to walk away from my job in a multinational corporation to spend more time with my soon to be born son, I was sure that I’d need a side project.

I had a voice in my head that wouldn’t stop until I start something exciting.

On one hand, I wanted to continue contributing to my family economy somehow and on the other hand, I always wanted to work in a project that helps others moms to reach their goals.

That’s why I started www.vanessacast.com

But, with great power comes great responsibility and starting a business is tough.

Being said that, with a newborn, it was hard to stay consistent and with the right amount of energy to get up and work.

That’s why I want to share with you 3 tips that helped me raise my game and get the job done.

3 ways to improve your productivity as a mompreneur

1. The top priority for the day

For me, it’s important to keep the ball rolling. I know that I can’t fill my calendar with many tasks, so I just go with 3 tasks per day.

One of those tasks is the top priority, it doesn’t matter if I can’t complete the other two, but that one should be completed, no matter how.

That way you don’t add to much pressure and you can stay consistent.

For example,

Write a blog post (top priority)
Find affiliates
Reply to social media comments

In this example, writing a blog post is the top priority, the other two are also important, but if life gets in the way, writing the blog post is something I’m not going to postpone.

I like the concept of SMART goals. Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.

Always define your goals having the SMART concept in mind.

Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage, but simply because they have never organised their energies around a goal. – Elbert Hubbard

2. Go Outside

Being a Work-At-Home Mom doesn’t mean stay at home all day long.

When you stay at home it’s very common to get distracted with things like doing the laundry, washing the dishes, etc.

You can also suffer some creative and mental blocks, or get trapped by your own thinking.

To unlock your potential, you can do something really simple like going outside and work from your favorite coffee shop.

By doing this, you’ll eliminate those blocks and put your mind into productivity mode.

3. Find a community

I changed a crowded office for a quiet home, well not so quite with my baby, but you know what I mean.

I felt rather lonely sometimes.

Finding a community was a game changer for me.

In my case, I found a couple of Facebook groups that helped me a lot.

Hearing the stories from other moms who have experienced the same feelings I was experiencing at that moment, was liberating.

Moms are very supportive (you already know that) don’t be shy and talk to them.

You can also find local groups so you can meet each other face to face. Or create your own one.

Starting a business while cradling a newborn or taking care of a toddler is not easy. But you can find a lot of support out there, you’re not alone.

If you want to know more ways to improve your productivity as a Work-At-Home Mom, just click here and visit this blog post!

I wish you happiness, love and the courage to live your life according to your priorities ♥

Vanessa Cast

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The Power of You in Business by @SaabyConsulting

February 12, 2019 by Karen Jensen Leave a Comment

Photo by mentatdgt from Pexels

by Karen Jensen | Featured Contributor

I’ve spoken to so many women over the last several years – across all industries, revenue models and business types.

In all but rare cases, there are still some old patterns of behaviors and expectations that we really need to be committed to get rid of PERMANENTLY.

Do you fit into any of these? I know I did…

Lacking confidence – I don’t know why, but especially in business ownership, women are less likely to approach situations with confidence. It may be cultural, gender related or any number of other things, but it’s got to stop!

Remedy?

You got this!! We are moms, sisters, friends, household managers, partners, business executives et al. And we are doing most of those things at the same time! If you aren’t born with confidence, that’s ok – it can be learned. You ARE good at things – think about all those things, write them down, shout them from the rooftops. People are naturally drawn to someone who is confident. In a world of competition, you need every advantage you can get.

Not all women LEAN IN – I can’t say I know the why of this one either – but I’ve seen it too many times to know that not all women lean in. Some of our business sisters haven’t gotten the message yet, or they got it and disregarded it.

Remedy?

You be the business sister that LEANS IN.

When I first started out, I approached a woman that I thought might be a good mentor, or just someone that I thought would have a good perspective. I told her I was having troubling connecting with potential clients. She asked me to make my pitch to her – right there on the spot. Well, see Item #1 above lol. I stumbled a bit and told her I started my business after being laid off/outsourced. She stopped me right there and said, “You sound like a loser”. Needless to say, that wasn’t what I was looking for, BUT I did learn something from that. She was right in a way. I wasn’t owning my story with confidence and I wasn’t prepared.

I do things a lot differently to LEAN IN when I’m approached by an entrepreneur. I know how hard it is when you are first starting out to approach someone you don’t know and figure out a way to talk to them. When they stumble a little bit or start to apologize, I stop them….and tell them what they are doing, why they shouldn’t do that and how great they are for being on this journey! Some of them have cried because no one has really treated them with any respect in their business journey.

It’s bad business to treat people disrespectfully and kindness is NOT weakness. The business world is VERY connected. Reputation is everything for a small business. I’m not taking anyone’s crap, but I’m also mindful of my behavior and how it is a reflection on my business.

Failure to delegate and accept that you can’t do it all. We want to be everything to everybody all the time under every circumstance. Sound familiar?

Remedy?

You are a leader, and leaders cultivate people who can do all kinds of different things. It doesn’t make sense for you to get up at four o’clock in the morning and drive yourself tirelessly through the day until midnight, then do it again the next day. I hate to break it to you, but on that schedule, you aren’t doing the best you can. You might be doing the most you can, but not the best. Get a good night’s sleep! You want to be around to see all the results of your hard work. Set realistic goals for yourself every morning but incorporate flexibility into your design. Things happen! The people who survive are the people who can best adapt to change. Try a virtual assistant – just to dip your toe in the waters of delegation. If you can let go of a few things (that someone else can do better than you can), you have more time to work on new business and solidifying core business. You are also helping to strengthen the workforce supply chain.

You are the business! Take care of yourself! Believe in yourself! Just think of the example you will be setting for those that come after you!

All the best.

Follow me on Social Media

Saaby Consulting website

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Facebook

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Nature or Nurture? What it takes to be an entrepreneur By @DrRKayGreen

February 11, 2019 by Kay Green 2 Comments

by Dr. R. Kay Green | Featured Contributor

Are entrepreneurs born, or made? Ask twenty professionals, and you are highly likely to get twenty different answers.

Some believe that anyone can become an entrepreneur, if you just take the right classes and learn the right skills. Others believe that the ability to be a entrepreneur is something innate, and if you do not have that, you are better off not even trying. And still others believe that a lot of the traits of a good entrepreneur are something that you are born with, but that does not mean that you are going to succeed right away, and you should always be trying to grow and learn skills.

There is something to be said for learning. I would like to argue that there are a lot of things that can be learned that people assume are innate. You can learn how to be comfortable talking in front of a crowd even if that is something that you are generally afraid of. You can learn how to network even if you are not naturally extroverted. You can learn to be organized even if you are more cluttered by nature.

However, some things simply cannot be learned. And the biggest thing that marks the difference between a successful entrepreneur and an unsuccessful one is motivation.

This is not to say that you cannot become a more motivated person, if you find yourself procrastinating and putting things now. But ask yourself this: why do you want to become more motivated? You cannot do it because your boss thinks that you should, or your friends, or your family. Instead, motivation begins with you, because you want to grow, change, and succeed.

And it is not something you can learn in a class. While you can learn tactics to decrease procrastination and learn how to manage time more effectively, at the end of the day those lessons will not do you much good if you do not have the motivation to put them into practice.

Phrasing it like that makes it sound easy, but anyone who has gone down that path knows that it is anything but. Growing a business and becoming a better professional is difficult, and requires sacrifice. You might not have as much time to watch TV, or you might have to turn down last-minute invitations from friends. You are responsible for your own schedule, and for setting your own goals.

This is simply not possible for people who do not want to do it. If you do not have the drive to succeed, you will find excuses to put it off.

But if you are driven and motivated, anything is possible. You can become the best version of yourself through hard work and careful planning. You can maximize your strengths, and keep your weaknesses from taking over and becoming a problem.

Every entrepreneur is different. Some are more people-oriented, while some are results-oriented. Some are introverts, and some are extroverts. Some thrive when they are the center of attention, in front of a large crowd, and others work better behind the scenes. And some are a mix of these traits, or somewhere in the middle of these traits.

But all of them have the drive and the passion to succeed. And that is something that cannot be taught.

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Dr. R. Kay Green – Marketing Expert from RKG Marketing Solutions Inc. from Atlanta, GA.

Dr. R. Kay Green is the CEO/President of RKG Marketing Solutions Inc. With over 190,000+ Twitter followers, 35,000+ Facebook Likes, and the Top 1% LinkedIn profile designation, Dr. Kay, a self-motivated trailblazer, is the Quintessential “New-Age” Professional Woman, and PhD Marketing Pro. She earned a Doctorate of Business Administration in Marketing, and has completed PhD coursework in Leadership and Organization Change. She also holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Management, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, and an Associate of Arts in Marketing Management.

She is affiliated with several prestigious universities and has instructed over 350 courses online. A popular speaker on Marketing and Business topics, Dr. Green is currently featured on Huffington Post, Black Enterprise, Black News, The Network Journal, Business Review USA, Digital Journal, College View, Business New Hampshire Magazine, Bay State Banner, Reader’s Circle, North Dallas Gazette, Harlem News, Top News Today, One News Page, NE Informer, Women in Business PR News, Consumer News Today, Women PR News, San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, Chicago Daily Herald, The Miami Herald, and Book News Articles.

Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn

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How automation and batching your work will save your business by @CasiYost

February 8, 2019 by Casi Yost 1 Comment

by Casi Yost | Featured Contributor

You started your business because you had a cool idea, were creative, or wanted to spend more time working on doing what you love, right? Then the good old business hammer hit you hard and you had less and less time to be creative and actually do what you wanted to in the first place.

This is where you need to automate. I’m not saying that you have to outsource everything you do, but you need to think about the tasks that you do over and over again and find a way to make them happen automatically. Sometimes there aren’t ways to automate tasks that take a human touch, things like DM’s, client phone calls, reaching out to other businesses, and the way I manage those are to batch like work together.

Thankfully there are innovative businesses who have created tools to automate daily tasks. I’m going to chat with you about how to identify those tasks and which businesses I love to use. I’ll also talk about my process for work batching.

Which tasks do you have to do over and over for each new customer or client? For me it included:

Sending a welcome email with information about my business and what I offered.
Sending a proposal, invoice, questionnaire and timeline all in separate emails using different programs like paypal, docusign, google docs, google sheets. All are great but waste time because they’re in different locations.
Depositing client retainer fees into my checking account.
Putting clients wedding dates on my calendar.
Setting up thank you emails and gifts.
Periodic check in emails.
One year anniversary email.
Editing and delivery of photos.
Gathering email addresses from photographers and sending out email marketing campaigns.

2) Which resources would allow me to automate many of these tasks? I found that I wasn’t the only one who wanted this solution. There are many CRM services, or Customer Relationship Management programs.

Honeybook allows me to keep my communication, contracts, proposals, invoices, questionnaires, and timelines all in one location.
It also allows me to fill up my calendar automatically so I don’t forget to write down a clients date.
Client payments are automatically collected and deposited into my account and reminders for payment are sent to clients at specific intervals.
Check-in emails are sent to clients periodically.
For editing and delivery of photos, on especially large weddings, I can outsource my editing to companies like Photographers’s Edit, or Freedom Edits and they can edit things like reception photos, candids, or other shots that only need a light touch. This saves hours of time.
For gathering email addresses, I use a plugin from MailChimp on my website and it gathers emails and compiles them into a list for me. I create campaigns to be sent to my mailing list at specific dates through the year.
Finally I use Tailwind to plan my Instagram and Pinterest feed to auto post for me.

What are the activities that you could do all at one time that you can’t automate? These are things that involve the human aspect of your business.

For me, I like to respond to all of my Facebook and Instagram comments once in the morning and once in the evening. I have a unique way of doing it though. I go onto my business Facebook page and then I can respond to comments on Facebook as well as Instagram. It is the coolest feature! I bet you didn’t know you could do that! Let’s be honest, if you try to respond to all social media comments throughout the day, you can get super distracted and waste so much time scrolling. I try to eliminate that and only engage with others and respond to comments and DM’s.
I batch work tasks that are the creative parts of my business. Each day of the week has something different.
- Sundays are for scheduling out my social media posts and plugging them into Instagram and Pinterest. I also review my calendar for the week so I know what I should be doing each day.
- Mondays are for writing blog posts.
- Tuesdays are for updating my website with any necessary information, additions to my galleries or blog posts.
- Wednesdays are my day off. Usually I need to meal prep for the rest of the week and catch up on household things. You know, normal life stuff.
- Thursdays are for shooting content for my blog. If I talk about my gear, I need to take photos of it for example to go along with the post. If I have a few blog posts coming up, I like to batch all the photos that will go into those posts and get them ready for posting to my site.
- Fridays are creative days. I get to dream big and strategize. This is probably the most important day. Your business will not thrive and grow if you’re not trying new things and finding new ways to expand.
- Saturdays are open mainly because I usually have to go grocery shopping, go shoot an engagement or other projects that take me from the house when its not wedding season.

There are so many things you can do to save time. It really depends on the kind of business you are in, but utilizing work batching and automation will allow you to free up time and be efficient so that you can focus on what you got into the business for in the first place – to have freedom and create. Take the time to set up these systems to run for you and you will see that you can regain control over that work/life balance.

Let me know if this helps you out! Drop a line or message me over on my social accounts!

All the best,

Casi

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Four Steps to Launching a Successful E-commerce Site by Jackie Burke of #tiniluxjewelry

February 7, 2019 by Jackie Burke Leave a Comment

Photo by bruce mars from Pexels

by Jackie Burke

So you’re thinking about launching an e-commerce site? That’s great! Now, where to start?

There is so much information available for launching a business. The excess information makes it so difficult to know what to pay attention to. It also makes it hard to focus your energy on individual tasks. It can feel like you have to do a hundred different things to be successful. The truth is, you really should be focusing all of your energy on just a couple things when launching your site.

I launched my site, Tini Lux, in late 2017. Tini Lux is an DTC brand specializing in hypoallergenic earrings. My background is in systems engineering, so launching an e-commerce jewelry site was not in my wheel house. I had to learn a lot in a short amount of time. I was overwhelmed by information and gave myself a to-do list of about 50 different things. It was really difficult to gain traction on my site when I was spreading myself so thin and not properly prioritizing my efforts.

My business really started to grow about 8 months in when I started to focus my efforts on just a few things. Here is my simple formula for launching a successful e-commerce site. It is really important to follow these steps in order. If you already have an e-commerce site and things aren’t going well, start at the beginning of this list! Nail each step before moving onto the next one.

These are my four steps and focus areas for launching a successful e-commerce site:

Optimize your website. Your website needs to be ready to convert. It needs to be easy to use, nice to look at, have a clear message and branding, and have all of the information available that someone might be asking themselves as they shop. I have broken this down into four subtasks:
1. Message/Story: Your story is the most important part of your business. This is what will draw people in and convince them to buy from you instead of someone else. Your customer needs to see themselves in your story. You will do much better if you tell them how your business or product will benefit them rather than what the features of your business are. Your story needs to be easy to see or find on your website. The mission of your business should also be clear and should be featured prominently on your site.
2. Branding: Your website should be clearly branded. You need consistent colors and fonts, a nice logo, and a consistent voice in all of your content and wording.
3. Images: This one is especially important if you a product based company. People need to see what they are purchasing. It is worth it (I would even say absolutely necessary) to spend the money for professional product shots. Your customers also want to see the items in use and imagine themselves with your product, so lifestyle photos are very important. Your photos need to be high resolution, high quality, and have a consistent look or aesthetic.
4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): I suggest doing so more research into SEO when you get to this step because there is really good information out there. I will sum it up to say that you should optimize all the portions of your website that you can. Include your relevant keywords where ever possible, in your messaging, copy, alt tags, meta data etc. Some parts of your website need to be optimized for humans to read and some for algorithms to read. Know the difference and tailor them accordingly.
5. Call to Action (CTA): It should be obvious that you want people to make purchases. CTAs like “buy now” or “add to cart” should be clear. Make sure your CTA is visible and the checkout process is simple and painless.
Emails: Make sure your website is set up to capture emails or ask visitors to subscribe. Your email list is one of the most valuable parts of your business. If someone is signing up to receive emails from you then they have already shown interest in your product. Set up an automatically generated welcome email, or series of emails, to give your subscribers more information about your brand. Send regular emails to your subscriber list to keep your brand in their mind.
Content: Producing content for your website is very time consuming and is an ongoing effort. Before you launch you should be sure to have some content available on your site to educate your visitors and keep them interested. Your content is where you can continue your SEO efforts by adding keywords that are relevant to your brand.
Ads: Finally, you can start running ads. Ads can be very expensive, especially if your website is not up to par. That is why you need to go through all the other steps before your start spending money on advertising. At this point your website is ready to convert and you are set up to capture emails and keep your visitors interested. Now you can start running ads and driving traffic to your site.

There is no magic formula or shortcut to having a successful business. All of these steps will take time, effort, and money. It is really important to go through them in order and be patient. Good luck!

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Social Media Trends to Watch For in 2019 by @donnaamos

February 6, 2019 by Donna Amos Leave a Comment

by Donna Amos | Featured Contributor

Social media is here to stay in a big way. One of the best ways for businesses to connect with a target audience is to maintain an active presence on social media channels. The era of, “My business is open, come and see me” is long over. Now, savvy business owners know they must go where consumers are and establish a relationship. Social media is THE place to do that, easily and relatively cheaply.

Therefore, as you embark on planning your social media marketing strategy for 2019, get on board with these important trends. They either gained popularity or became firmly established during 2018, and will play a vital role in how you connect with your audience in the coming year.

A “Pay to Play” Strategy

In the early days, companies could fully expect that 16% of their followerswould see their Facebook updates. By the end of 2018, that reach had plummeted to about 6% or less. Other social media platforms have followed suit. The day or organic reach has ended. Social media platforms will not give away what they can reap a huge benefit from – your followers. Now, you must pay to play.

Now, in order to reach your target audience on any social media channel, you must invest in sponsored posts, boosted posts, and social media ads. Fortunately, social media advertising is one of the most affordable means of marketing available. If you handle your own keyword research and audience targeting, Social media marketing is much more affordable than pay-per-click advertising.

Video is the Preferred Media of Most Users

Now is the time to get on board with video marketing, if you haven’t already. According to research by Wyzowl, “97% of marketers say that video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service, and 76% indicated that it has helped increase web traffic and sales.”

That is easy to accept when we also realize that 95% of Internet users have watched explainer videos to learn more about a product or service, and 81% have bought a product or service as a result of watching a company’s advertising video. No other form of media can boast these high use and conversion percentages.

Video is the absolute best way for a company to put a face to their business. It enables prospects and customers to get to know who leads and works in a business. Video gives businesses an opportunity to show not only what they do but also “who” they are. In our current climate where users seek a personal connection, this is a critical factor.

The Rise of ‘Live’ Video

Live-streaming will continue to emerge as a powerful way to engage people on social media. According to statistics compiled by Go-Globe, two-thirds of all internet traffic in 2017 was streaming video. By 2020, 82% of internet traffic is expected to be video content. And most of that will be live streaming. The interactivity of live video makes it a powerful tool for marketers to engage with their audience and strengthen the relationship between a brand and its followers.

The authenticity of ‘going live’ is a key factor that audiences want, as it helps build trust and loyalty with your company. Even if problems arise when you are ‘live,’ followers are likely to understand that and it may even further strengthen their trust in your company, as only authentic content leaves room for genuine mistakes.

Quality Long-Form Content

Word count isn’t everything when it comes to ranking high on search engines like Google, but SEO experts agree that long-form content can give you an edge. Users and search engines alike want to see high-quality content of more than 1,000 words, and we see that such content consistently outranks articles with 500 words.

Therefore, more publishers are requiring writers to submit articles over 1,000 or 1,200 words, and more company blogs are beginning to embrace similar long-form content. These comprehensive articles that are rich with information and insight, will go far to both attract readers and give Google and other search engines a reason to rank them more favorably.

Building Community

Building a community in social can help you to build trust with your followers. Groups on LinkedIn and Facebook are being encouraged on both platforms. And once you begin building that following you have to immerse yourself and be engaged.

Using hashtags in Twitter and Instagram can help you to find conversations that your community are having and allow you to join in.

Communities can also help to segment your audiences and customize your messaging. By the way, building community is the perfect way to build your personal brand and can be the beginning of influencer marketing!

Personal Branding

Particularly for small businesses, putting a real, human face to a brand name helps to build loyalty. A brand that’s more relatable, and has the human element, naturally garners more trust, and trust is essential for building relationships. Many companies have used the tactic of promoting their brand by promoting the business owner.

His or her face essentially becomes the brand, closely associated with the company logo. He or she personifies all that the company is about, or at least what they wish to portray. By enabling your audiences to get to know the character and expertise of company leadership, your business can strengthen its brand reputation.

What other important social media trends do you see emerging for 2019? Share your thoughts and insights with our readers in the comments below.

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