Six ways to stay mentally healthy when starting your own business by @RuthSaundersOP

November 30, 2020 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

by Ruth Saunders

Being an entrepreneur can be all-consuming – there are so many sacrifices you have to make along the way, but your mental health shouldn’t be one of them.

We co-wrote ‘Female Entrepreneurs – The Secrets of Their Success’ to help every woman who wants to set up their own entrepreneurial business to enjoy the journey. We spoke to 52 women over two years about how they made it work, found some semblance of balance and just managed to move past the guilt of missing out on time with friends and family… all for the sake of the business.

Here are some of their insights:

Separate yourself from the business

Some of our interviewees fully identified with their businesses, but others separated their identities from their enterprise to help them make better commercial decisions. There’s no right way, just your way; it’s a personal choice, but we spoke to women who made a conscious choice to leave business at the door each day to focus on a more well-rounded life.

The value of a supportive partner

Both Warren Buffett and Sheryl Sandberg agree that the most important career choice you’ll ever make is whether you have a life partner and, if so, who that person is. This was a constant theme in our interviews. A supportive home partner can act as critic and cheerleader, challenging you to think differently and nudging you to make things happen; they can also help to assume the responsibilities of family care.

The value of a supportive network

People who you can bounce things off or will pick you up and encourage you when you need support are vital, whether it’s family – a great source of honesty as they know you better than most and will speak their minds –friends, teammates, or even pets to accompany you on a mind-clearing walk!

Handling guilt over children

Our book is packed with examples of women managing to look after both their family and business with grace, humility, hidden energy reserves and the ability to deflect exhaustion. Many felt guilt at being absent from their young children, but our advice is to not be too hard on yourself: it will get easier as the children grow into teenagers and look to you as a role model, gaining understanding about the need for hard work and determination to achieve success.

Keeping the plates spinning

Many of our female entrepreneurs were running a start-up, raising a family and, in some cases, managing pro bono work or day jobs too. Their secret? Create a schedule and support structure that works, and don’t be afraid to plan, prioritise and ruthlessly focus on what matters most.

Be proud of your achievements

Our culture disincentivises women from expressing confidence and pride in themselves. Reshma Saujani’s book ‘Brave Not Perfect’ talks about how women, unlike men, are brought up to be ‘perfect rather than brave’. She exhorts women to fear less, fail more and live bolder. This attitude is slowly changing, and we encourage women entrepreneurs to be a part of that change by being proud and celebrating their achievements not only with friends and family but with business networks and awards panels.

Ruth Saunders and John Smythe are entrepreneurs and co-authors of ‘Female Entrepreneurs – The Secrets of their Success’ written to inspire and encourage any woman who wants to take the entrepreneurial leap.

Ruth is an entrepreneur, brand consultant and trainer as well as co-author with John Smythe of ‘Female Entrepreneurs – The Secrets of Their Success‘.

4 minimal-effort ways to generate high-quality leads right away

November 25, 2020 by Alma Causey Leave a Comment

by Alma Causey

High-quality leads are the linchpin of every business out there. You can have overwhelming traffic on your portal. But unless prospects are willing to convert, you will have a hard time generating decent cash flow.

And no matter how simple it seems, attracting and converting leads is not a child’s play. With the sheer amount of competition lurking behind the scenes, lead generation is not less than an art. According to Hubspot, 61% of the marketers state generating leads to be their biggest challenge.

What Are the Common Lead Generation Challenges?

All those cool tools, tips, and tricks that marketers use to spark creativity in their work go down the drain if lead generation is insufficient. Here are a few challenges they face while working on leads:

Producing a good volume of qualified leads
Measuring the success of lead generation strategy
Finding the right channels for content distribution
Nurturing leads effectively
Building an effective strategy within the budget

Source

There is no silver bullet or magic wand, which you can use to swipe more leads in your business. It is a result of implementing several qualified tactics.

4 Minimal-effort Ways to Maximize Qualified Leads

We can steer our campaign towards an impressive and mind-blowing direction. Below, we have rounded up 4 ways to do so:

Offer Unique Content

Content Marketing for lead generation is the practice of publishing original content on your portal that attracts qualified business leads. It is the primary interaction potential customers will have with you. This is your chance to portray your knack at your niche, build authority, and spark a relationship that later continues to nurture.

These are the seven types of content that can help you generate leads:

Offer free webinars
Create online courses and boot camps
Send newsletters
Release independent research
Create infographics
Offer downloads and books
Offer free software trials

Dig into your customer support email account. Find what questions pop up most often. Then, integrate responses in your content. The key to successfully use content marketing is to provide the right information at the right time. It is imperative to figure out a plan to leverage content marketing on a budget to make it economical for you.

As per the Content Marketing Institute, 88% of the B2B marketers deploy content marketing as a lead generation tactic. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to market your content or generate leads. Depending on the nature of your venture, one method may be more effective than the others.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Journal reports in one of its posts that 59% of the consumers look for local businesses each month using Google. This makes SEO a potent tool for generating high-quality leads with a 14.6% chance of closing a deal.

Essentially, SEO is the process of adjusting and editing various aspects of your website, so it easily pops up on the search grid. It works together with lead generation because the more you show up at the top of a grid, the higher are the chances that potential customers will find you.

Backlinko shares a vital insight in this regard – Google uses over 200 factors to rank websites!

Users are typically searching with two intentions:

Inform – When they are looking to learn about a topic
Purchase – When they are shopping for something through keywords

Every page of your website deserves attention. Each contributes to increasing your SEO ratings. Confetti maps, overlay maps, or scroll maps can help you understand the users’ behavior. For example, you can scrutinize what elements draw the most attention? What is the factor that repels prospective customers?

Everything ranging from images to taglines to the body content, must lead them towards calls-to-action (CTAs). This requires designing a multi-layered content plan to carry leads from their first interaction to the next.

Email Marketing

Once you have grabbed the customers’ attention by compelling them to provide emails, it is now the time to take your relationship one step ahead. Usually, this happens in the form of email marketing.

It is a practice that gives you a chance to show up where your audience hangs out. You can share your value with them, strike the right chords, and make sure they take some action. The strategy of email marketing stands out because it allows you to put yourself in front of potential buyers. It brings you a chance to remind them about your existence and the fact that you will resolve all their miseries.

This is a quick step-by-step guide you can follow as a lead generation tool:

Sign up with an email marketing agency – this brings you a tool to send out an automated email sequence
Craft a lead magnet – the visitors download this in return for their email address
Send nurturing emails – to educate, entertain, and provide value to the subscribers
Nudge them towards a sale – soft promotional emails and reminders about your product/service is all your customers need sometimes

Email Marketing helps to keep potential buyers in a loop. Even when they are not opening your emails regularly, the fact that your name pops in their inbox makes it worthy. They know you exist, and they might turn towards your brand when they need your product/services.

Although the hype around content marketing and social media is escalating every day, email marketing continues to be one of the most effective lead generation channels. Strategic recently reported that 42% of companies consider email one of their most crucial lead generation channels.

Social Media

For marketers who are ready to move beyond brand awareness, learning how to obtain more social media leads is crucial. You can do both types of marketing on social media, including organic and paid. It brings you an option to promote your content in groups/communities or via sponsored ads.

Note that lead generated through any medium is usually cold. This is why most marketers nurture social media leads by taking them through the sales funnel. Another factor to bear in mind before initiating your social media lead generation strategy is finding the best portal. An ideal platform to flaunt your content is the one where you have a huge segment of customers.

According to Arun Kumar Biswal, the Business Development Manager at PMSL Technology PVT LTD, the first thing is to figure out which social media platforms to use. Create a target audience to do this. Next, set specific goals you want to meet with your social media marketing. Also, devise a financial plan that lays out the strategy.

Source

Despite the stats revealing that more than 2.45 billion people use Facebook every month – using it may not necessarily bring favorable results. As per the Wpromote State of B2B Marketing Report, 89% of B2B marketers turn towards LinkedIn for lead generation. So, to up your game in this arena, you can seek services from professionals like Linked Lead Ninja. They will help you gain a clear perspective on how to enhance leads through LinkedIn.

Many businesses begin their social media marketing without a defined goal. If you aim to convert the right social media leads, you must be clear on your sales procedure.

Parting Thoughts

Lead generation is a fundamental marketing concept that requires an intricately designed strategy. Once you learn the sales funnel concept, you will gradually understand how to push your prospects from one stage to another.

We hope our blog helped you gain some insight into the subject. Let’s hope you will soar atop the search grid soon. Good Luck! J

Stand Out From the Competition With These About Page Tips by @IamMBGriffin

November 24, 2020 by Michelle Griffin Leave a Comment

by Michelle Griffin

If you’ve ever struggled with writing your about page, you’re not alone.

Knowing what to write to attract the attention of your ideal audiences can be a challenge for many women entrepreneurs and personal brands.

Why is this?

For most of us, it’s not easy to talk about ourselves. Often we’re too close to our business and have too many ideas running through our heads.

Writing your about page shouldn’t be a struggle. Here are a few tips to craft one that’s both personable and persuasive.

Don’t Skip Your About Page

About pages rank highly because people want to know who’s behind the brand. They help make that first connection with your reader and encourage them to the next step to do business with you.

That’s because visitors feel at ease when introduced to the face behind a brand. No matter how big or small your business or industry, we’re all H2H (human to human), people want to do business with people.

ACTION TIP: Add a one or two-minute welcome video on your about page. A video is a fast-track way to start that connection and relationship with you.

It’s All About Them, Not About You (at Least at First)

Yes, maybe you’ve heard this line way too many times, it’s almost cliche, but it’s worth repeating.

Have you been to a networking event or party and met that one person (or maybe you know someone like this) who always talks about themselves?

Doing the same in your about page tells the reader they aren’t that important. A balance between their problem and your personal story will help them realize they’re in the right place.

Your reader wants to know how you fit into their world. Position yourself as the guide and make them the hero of the story your telling. We’re drawn to leaders who can relate to us and then lead us to our desired outcome.

ACTION TIP: Keep your page relatively short with lots of white space, headers and subheaders. Attention spans are short and most of us scan web pages. If you must expand on your page, use a “read more” and link to another page.

A Captivating and Compelling Headline Draws Them In

This might be the most important area to focus your about page. Add an aspirational headline or benefit statement that speaks directly to your ideal audience.

Remember, readers, are on your site to solve a pressing problem, desire and need for inspiration or education. A compelling headline gets their attention to the problem you solve for them.

Once you have their interest and have them nodding their head in agreement, it’s time to move to your personal story and how it connects to them. Your brand story should detail who you are, whom you serve, and what makes you different/unique.

ACTION TIP: Write your headline after you write your about page. Much like a sales page or home page, write at least 25 headlines before deciding on which one works best. It’s okay to test/update it as you get more clarity and direction on your customer’s needs.

How You Talk is How You Should Write

If you were meeting a potential new client or customer in person, think of how you’d present yourself. What would you say and how would you say it?

This is your brand voice and will vary depending on your audience demographic and niche but it should sound helpful and relatable. Be human, personable and conversational like you’re talking to a friend.

Apps like Hemingway and Grammarly will gauge your writing style, readability level and help you avoid cliches, industry-speak or jargon.

Action TIP: Use a talk-to-text app or hit the audio icon in Google Docs to record yourself talking about your customer, how you help them and what makes you different. You’ll find this conversational language will work well on your about page. With minor edits, you’ll authentically capture your brand voice.

Stories Attract Them, Social Proof Sells Them

We all want to know we’re in good hands. This is where your expertise and authority can reassure your readers you’re the one to help them.

The best about pages show and don’t just tell. Let the endorsement of others validate your expertise.

While this doesn’t have to be a resume, it’s important to highlight in a few sentences what makes you qualified to help and the results you can achieve for them.

ACTION TIP: Use a few of these examples of credibility and social proof:

First-hand experience and transformation of the client’s problem
Education
Number of subscribers/followers
Years of experience
Past specific jobs
Testimonials
Media logos or mentions
Awards
Certifications

Don’t Keep Them Guessing Who’s Behind the Screen

First impressions matter and how you present yourself on your about page is as important as you would in person.

This is especially true if you’re a personal brand. This is where you demonstrate you’re real and trustworthy as the face of the business.

Add at least one personable and current photo of yourself, either a headshot or featured images of you working with clients or in your field.

When just starting out, you don’t need to invest in a photographer or expensive branding photos. Have someone take headshots and action pictures on your cell phone and use a photo app to edit and filter them. Most editing apps are free or low cost and rival the quality of Photoshop.

ACTION TIP: Do you have a great picture but the background is ruining it? Use these apps to remove the background and color in the background: pfpmaker.com and remove.bg. And you can’t go wrong with canva.com.

Give Them a Reason to Stick Around

You’ve just written words that make them nod in agreement knowing you get them. They identify with your story and are impressed with your credentials.

Now it’s time to gently guide them to work with you with a call to action (CTA), a non-salesy or pushy way to keep the spark going.

CTAs can include signing up for your email list, contacting you for a free consultation, downloading a resource guide, following you on social media or linking to your best blog posts or podcast episodes.

ACTION TIP: Email is the best way to stay connected. Encourage them to subscribe to your list so you can continue providing value and build strong relationships. Also, use Google Analytics or a tool like Hotjar to track the conversions from your about page.

Your Readers Want to Hear From You

Your about page is your welcome mat and first impression of your business and brand. While there’s not a hard-fast rule or formula (but useful tips), it should always focus on your personal message and how it relates to your ideal audience.

As you get more clarity on your business and learn more about your client, you’ll find yourself tweaking to better read their minds and speak their language.

Remember, people want to know more about you. An about page will help introduce them and instantly build the likeability and credibility of your personal brand or business.

How to juggle motherhood and freelancing? by Ksenia Larina of @lemoneyeo

November 23, 2020 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

by Ksenia Larina

Being a mother is an important part of a woman’s life. But what to do if you want more than just switching diapers and cleaning toys the whole day? Some moms find themselves in new hobbies. Others prefer to conquer the world with a baby in arms by switching to freelancing.

First, don’t think that freelancing means sleepless nights, neverending migraines, and uncontrollable coffee consumption. If you manage your time correctly, you might be surprised how much you can do in only 24 hours.

Freelancing has become a lifeline for mothers who want to see their kids growing from day to day but are not ready to give up their careers. If you are one of them, here are a few tips from a mother of two little boys & a full-stack freelance dev who balances these two spheres of life for years.

Photo credit: Lemon.io

Create a comfortable workspace

Significant changes start with little things. Therefore, don’t underestimate the power of a sturdy work desk and a comfortable chair with good back support. Working in bed or the kitchen is admittedly possible, but your back won’t thank you.

Another thing to do is to move your kid’s play area within your peripheral vision so that you can keep an eye on them. Put your child’s favorite toys in easily accessible places, so they could choose which one to play with without distracting you from work.

Try to follow the same daily routine

This point is easier said than done. However, both you and your kid will be happier if you know when it’s time to wake up, watch cartoons, and have a walk outside.

This way your child will be more organized and easier to manage, and you will have more than ten minutes to work. From experience, the best ‘time blocks’ to work are:

With the rise of the sun (if you are an early bird);
During your kid’s daytime sleep (the golden hour for freelancing moms!);
After the nighty fairytale (at 10 p.m. the freelance watch begins);
A couple of hours (in total!) during the day while the kid is distracted with toys and cartoons (if you are lucky).

Have one-on-one time with your child

Probably, you chose to freelance because you wanted to be around your kid more often. So, don’t neglect the importance of your time together – no phones or other distractions for an hour. Just you and your kid.

Talk with your child. Show what you are doing at work. For example, as a freelance developer, you can change colors on the website or switch the website’s logo to Piggy Peppa. You will see how surprised and proud your kid will be! This way you develop an interest in your profession and make your child understand what mommy is doing all day long next to her laptop.

The more kids – the better

Yes, you understood me correctly. It’s much easier to deal with two children at the same time than with one. Kids play with each other, create new activities, and occasionally argue about who plays with a blue car and who gets the green one.

Arrange babysitting with other working mothers once in a while. Make sure to return the favor. Your kids will be happier among their peers, and you’ll save each other’s careers.

Besides that, in the spotlight of the global pandemic events, all parents who usually work from offices know how it feels to work surrounded by children.

Transform your work into a play

Does your child require your full attention all the time, even when your deadlines are pressing? If yes, there is a way not to lose the project.

Apart from the parent’s attention, kids also love games. Anything can become a toy, anyone can become a player. Propose to play the game ‘freelancing mom’. Prepare a working area for your child next to your working space and give him or her a ‘serious job’: to make a house from lego cubs, to pour cereals from one bowl to another with a teaspoon – use your imagination.

Don’t hesitate to ask for help if necessary

When nothing seems to be working, you turn to plan B – ask grandparents to help or find a nanny for a couple of hours per day. There is nothing wrong with asking for extra help. Yes, you are a super mom and a super freelancer, but you are also a human and need breaks.

If you work on a freelance platform, it is important to be open about your work schedule with your clients. This will help to regulate force majeure situations that might occur.

Last advice for freelance beginners

Whatever you do in life, always listen to yourself and your desires. If you can’t multitask, do meetings with the kids’ noise in the background, or work outside the office, maybe freelancing is not for you.

However, if you are ready to sacrifice working in comfort for the sake of your child’s happiness, give freelancing a shot. Start from small things – search for a freelance platform to collaborate and register there. Working through a platform saves a lot of time as they deal with the client’s search, sales, matching procedure while you simply do your work.

Overall, there are no magic recipes for the mother-freelancer balance. All you need is patience with children’s whims, support from your family, and much love for your freelance job.

Ksenia is Lemon.io Content & Brand Owner by title and a devoted writer by nature – it has been Ksenia’s passion for her entire life.

6+ years deep in digital marketing, Ksenia loves being a part of the team that’s building something from scratch. This is why her job is to basically start early-stage companies up.

The Art of Being Scrappy: How To Get What You Want by @KelleeMarlow

November 20, 2020 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

by Kellee Marlow

Do you ever remember complaining when you were in school about how hard things were, only to have an adult tell you to appreciate your childhood because being an adult is so much harder?

Navigating life is scary and challenging. There’s no free pass, no get out of jail free card, and there’s certainly no way around putting in the work to get what you want. While there are many fortunate people in the world who don’t, for most to call life easy would be a misnomer.

If you’re reading this article, it’s likely because you want something more than what you have right now. You’re looking to succeed—do more, have more, and be more.

Luckily, you’re in the right place, because the way to get what you want out of life is by learning the art of being scrappy.

Solutions over suffering

There’s a famous English proverb that says, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” What it means is that if there’s a need great enough, you will find a way to solve it because the pain of the problem becomes more intense than the pain of implementing a solution.

One of the traps that people find themselves in is over-examining the problem they’re facing. There’s a difference between looking at all angles of the challenge so that you can find the right solution and running through the situation repeatedly in your mind, deepening the pain of the problem.

Your mind can get trapped in negative thinking loops, so it’s important to consciously choose to seek solutions—not positive thinking. While thinking positively may help you, sometimes it can be something that makes the challenge more frustrating. So instead of just trying to think positively, focus on finding real solutions to ease any emotional distress or discomfort that’s present.

When you focus with clarity on solutions, you will find them. It may take time as you determine what is possible and therefore you need to be patient. As you build on each step, it gives you momentum to move forward, which then creates more possibilities. Once you make it a habit to focus on solutions instead of emotional distress, you’ll move more quickly in identifying what is or not working in your search. You are building your solution-finding muscle. It will challenge your creativity and over-time, you will become more agile in piecing together what is possible.

Resources and resilience

Once you can identify solutions for the problems you’re facing, then it’s time to identify what resources you have. In the art of getting scrappy, when you don’t have resources, you learn to become resourceful so you can figure out how or where you can get the resources you need.

To become resourceful, you have to remember that you’re not alone. There are people who will want to help you. Many have experienced what you are going through and now, they are looking to lift others out of the same challenge or barriers they faced as well as non-profit organizations and governmental services. For example, most cities have small business support centers that help entrepreneurs who are starting out with advising, financial, and other support services. You can even find such support online. If you are diligent in doing your research and outreach, you will be surprised at the resources that may be available.

There’s a myth that if you plan your life and follow the plan, you’ll reach your destination. While that’s not a bad idea, it’s not always the way it works for everyone. Sometimes, you end up taking detours or other priorities come up like taking care of a sick parent. You will hit barriers and challenges along the way. The key is to see it as a timing issue rather than giving up when you hit the roadblock. If you focus on taking small steps until you can give your full attention to your goal, keeping your burner on slower progress than no progress will help you get there at a quicker pace later than starting over.

What if you don’t know what the next step looks like? It is ok to take a break and give it space, rather than sit in frustration. Then the key is to ask the right questions and get feedback that will help you determine what your next step looks like. People love giving free advice. You need to find those who have the experience to lead you in the right direction.

To find the right people and resources, you need to be creative. Give people reasons to talk to you. You need to show your commitment, your enthusiasm, and how you can be of service. This means that what you are doing will make a difference for others. When you can speak to this with authenticity, people will respond to you and want to help you make that difference. Remember, we are better together. Life goes in a full circle.

Kellee Marlow is an Impact Entrepreneur, Empowerment Accelerator, and Motivational Speaker. She built her career by embracing disruption and identifying innovative concepts and technologies that challenged companies and people to think differently. After 20+ years of business experience in different roles and industries, Kellee has created a catalyst mindset that is science-proven, focused on empowerment, innovation, and inspiration that guides people to successfully realize their entrepreneurial or personal goals.

She is the founder and host of Spark, on KXSF.FM and 8+ online platforms that stream world-wide. Kellee created the Spark platform to inform, inspire, and ignite her audience by pinpointing the underlying value of the expertise from change-makers in psychology, wellness, business, and innovation. She tackles topics including the future impact of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency; career reinvention and self-empowerment tools like empathy, gratitude, and social fluency. Spark has connected thousands of people with the narrative to move forward in their pivot with guidance and support.

Kellee’s expertise and advice have been published in media outlets including MSN.com, Yahoo Lifestyle, Redbook, Thrive Global, and Authority Magazine.

Have a Minute to Spare? How Managers Can Make a Huge Impact in Just 60 Seconds by @ceotwit

November 19, 2020 by Allison De Meulder Leave a Comment

by Allison De Meulder

It only takes 60 seconds to brush your teeth, eat a donut, or put up a pot of coffee. These are pretty simple and important tasks. But what if you could use 60 seconds to make a difference in someone’s life. Did you know, you could contribute to your employee’s self esteem in just one minute? This brief interaction could turn confidence into motivation. Well that is what the 60 second praise is all about. The 60 second praise is about you as a leader taking notice of one of your staff doing something outstanding or simply noteworthy. If you see something or hear something of this nature, don’t hold onto this nugget of information or slice of managerial bliss, share it as soon as you can. At work, we can be like goldfish forgetting from one task to the next. Don’t let a moment pass you by, seize the opportunity for praising an employee. Address what your staff member has done right away, so it is fresh in everyone’s minds.

Employees needing confidence, is as simple as why you may need a cup of coffee in the morning

We need motivation and a dose of energy, even on our best days. Some companies only conduct formal reviews/performance evaluations once or twice a year, if even. Not performing reviews/performance evaluations, well that’s another problem for another day. So let’s assume a company is performing reviews/performance evaluations twice a year. What happens between these six months, is it radio silent with no feedback at all? How can you find other opportunities as a manager to offer praise? Well, it’s right in front of you. Just keep your eyes and ears open. Managers and business owners are keen to know what their staff is working on and producing, so all of the amazing opportunities for praise are right in front of you. The amazing manager that you are, has allowed you to hire the best talent, so you surely have praise-worthy staff. And if you don’t, well then reevaluate, and we need to talk about your hiring strategies. Furthermore, part of the joy of being a leader is building people up. Positive reinforcement will help staff know what they are doing is headed in the right direction to achieve goals and productivity. Praise provides guidance, reinforcement and joy. Just like coffee, we need the fuel to keep our day going and reinforcement can brew motivation.

The 60 second praise does not have to be performed as a sonnet or haiku

Like many things in business, keep it simple. You don’t have to set up a meeting for this 60 seconds of praise. For example, say it as you get off of the elevator together, pass by their desk, ask them to stay a minute later after a meeting, make it informal but purposeful. Be specific in what you noticed and let them know why this action is praise-worthy, impactful and outstanding. Your message is sure to stick with them longer than 60 seconds.

Make someone’s day as often as you can, as it only takes 60 seconds.

5 Tips for Turning Your Passion Into a Business by @XLConsultingGro

November 18, 2020 by Elaine Slatter Leave a Comment

by Elaine Slatter

Having a passion for something like animals, eco friendly products, lifestyle products, or a wellness community can be the start of something amazing in the entrepreneurial world.

Our Tips for Turning Your Passion Into a Business

Turn Your Passion into Developing the Skills You Need

Developing your Talents into Skills for your Business – for example if your passions are dogs and cooking, you could develop a whole line of wholesome dog food snacks. So what skills do you need to develop? Experimenting with recipes for dog food snacks that any dog, small or large would enjoy. Learning how to package them for shelf life, how to research the market for competitors and the nutritional labelling required to sell this type of snack. Down the road you will also need to learn how to mass produce the dog snacks for wider distribution than your local area.
People and Communication Skills – these are required for every person in business. If you haven’t had much customer experience, practice your people skills in online communities and on social networking platforms such as facebook, Instagram and Linkedin.
Social Selling Skills – one of the best ways to learn this skill is to monitor those in your entrepreneurial space, yes, your competitors. You can learn a lot from those businesses that are more established than your own. But the main reason to look at your competitors is to see how your products differ from theirs. The differences are what will make you stand out and make your brand unique.
Communication of your brand value – this is showing the world why you are unique and different. This will help you stand out in the crowd. A great way to do this is to make a list of the differences that make you unique from your competition and use stories to communicate your brand value and your purpose. Your passion is what gives you purpose. Turning your passion into a business is easier if you can use stories to illustrate why you want to change the world with your products. What solutions are you offering to help with your customer problems?
If you can develop a special niche, then you will find new markets where there is much less competition.

If you would like to learn more, tune into this podcast with Dr. Preston-Ortiz. Dina Preston not only has her doctorate in business and is a community college professor, she is also the lead singer in her own country/rock band.

She has combined her passion for music into a whole entertainment business with multiple layers. But in order to do this, Dina took the wise advice from someone in the industry to strengthen her singing skills to the performance level required to front a band. She also learned how important it is to develop the passion and skills of her band mates and let them shine in their areas of expertise. Together it has been a win/win.

Turning your passion into a business starts with your “why”. If you aren’t sure how to find your “why” then Simon Sinek has authored a great book and work book which you can find on Amazon.

Good luck turning your passion into a business. We hope our tips can help you out.

Checkmate: 4 Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Learn Watching The Queen’s Gambit by @deborahsweeney

November 17, 2020 by Deborah Sweeney Leave a Comment

by Deborah Sweeney | Featured Contributor

What can you learn from watching, and playing, a game of chess?

The Netflix original miniseries The Queen’s Gambit revolves around the game of chess. Set in the 1950s, the miniseries tells the story of a young girl named Beth Harmon. Beth, an orphan after a tragic car accident, discovers she has a penchant for playing chess after being taught by the janitor in a girls’ orphanage. She quickly rises in the ranks across the nation, tapping into her talent in her journey to become the world’s greatest chess player. It’s not a journey that is without its setbacks. Over the years, Beth faces several struggles in and out of playing the game. However, she is determined to be victorious and to achieve the impossible.

In many ways, Beth’s journey has many similarities to individuals becoming entrepreneurs. Loose lessons in entrepreneurship can be found throughout the miniseries if you know where to find them. Here are a few of my favorite lessons from The Queen’s Gambit.

Be strategic with your next move.

Every move in the game of chess is built on strategy. Throughout the miniseries, Beth is able to visualize a chessboard on the ceilings of the rooms she’s in and plan her next move by playing the game in her head.

While an entrepreneur cannot make the exact visualization — although that would be nice if we could! — the takeaway is that we can be similarly strategic. Take a moment to return to your business plan, especially throughout this year. Review the areas where you set goals to reach with your business. Were you able to reach these goals? If the answer is yes, make note of when you met the goal and how you were able to do it.

Don’t get discouraged if the answer is no. Much like the game of chess, entrepreneurship takes a great deal of time, energy, and effort to succeed. Revisit existing goals. Consider if you still need to reach these objectives with your business or if you need to strategically plan to pivot in another direction. See where there is an opportunity to expand timelines. You may even break existing goals up into bite-size pieces to reach your projected goals a bit faster and ensure that you are successful in these endeavors, too.

Kick distractions to the curb.

The reputation Beth Harmon has as a chess protégée is nearly destroyed by her burgeoning habits for drinking and abusing prescription medication. I won’t spoil too much of the miniseries or its ending, but Beth, with the help of close friends, is able to curb her dependency on these addictions and continue advancing as a chess player.

Nearly all entrepreneurs face some sort of distraction. These distractions don’t even need to be destructive in nature. It can be as simple as reorganizing your email inbox again, taking multiple breaks from work to text friends, or procrastinating calling back to a voicemail.

The best thing to do in these situations is to take distractions, big and small, and kick as many to the curb as possible. Create to-do lists that will allow you to prioritize your work. Focus on making daily, steady accomplishments. Find ways to minimize anything that can be a distraction to you. Close down the number of tabs you have on your desktop, sit in an organized space where you only have the essentials on hand, and let friends and family know when you’re working so they may give you the space necessary to succeed.

Pay tribute to mentors.

Beth’s entire life changes when she stumbles upon a janitor named Mr. Shaibel playing chess in the basement of the girls’ orphanage. Mr. Shaibel teaches Beth how to play chess. He instructs her on the terminology and trains her on moves associated with the game. He later introduces her to a chess club teacher at the local high school, who allows Beth to play at the school, and mails her money to enter her first chess tournament. As the years pass and Beth becomes famous as a chess player, she is quick to remind members of the press that she didn’t get there entirely on her own. It was William Shaibel who acted as her teacher and mentor.

The mentor, or mentors, that an entrepreneur has play a pivotal role in their success. It’s critical that mentees focus on how they may keep the mentee-mentor relationship thriving together. Whenever a mentee has the opportunity to shine the spotlight on their mentor, do it! Share the lessons they taught you that allowed you to succeed and give them a shout out by full name as often as possible.

Believe in your passion.

In The Queen’s Gambit, Beth Harmon is often a solitary figure. She’s alone at home between games, alone in her hotel room as she concentrates on game practice, and alone as one of the few women to play chess against men. Beth loves to play chess. During an interview, she even muses that it’s not necessary a competitive game to play as much as it’s a beautiful game.

More often than not, the common complaint of an entrepreneur is feeling alone or that you are going it alone. The truth is you’re not actually alone. An entire world comes alive you love what you do — and so do you.

Believe in what you’re doing and acknowledge the beauty in it. It’ll take you far.

(Part Two) Lessons Learned While Leading During the Covid-19 Pandemic – We Are Still Here. Now What? by @LeadToInspireC1

November 16, 2020 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

by Crystal Smith

If you told me when I closed my office door roughly eight months ago that

this journey would take almost an entire year, I would have thought you were being extreme. Yet, here we are in the same space and it appears we are going backwards after making progress.

What have these eight months taught me? What did I learn about myself and my team? What will I take with me when we open the doors again? What are the true nuggets that will allow me to be my best self as a leader moving forward?

When I wrote my first article, “Leading teams effectively in this new COVID-19 world”, I spoke a great deal about tools and platforms I utilized to help the team stay connected in this new environment. I am thankful I had those tools because they allowed us to engage efficiently as a team. Seven months later I can tell you that instead of using those applications to connect, I am now doing things that are less focused on technology, and more on things that allow us to just “talk”.

As with most organizations, we were building the plane and flying it at the same time at the beginning of this pandemic. We were trying to address budget issues, pivot in the midst of staff and organizational changes, be present and available to others and make major decisions about returning to buildings with new business practices.

After about four or five months, my teams began to ask fewer questions. I stopped receiving the 9-1-1 text messages. Software we depended on began to be used less. I woke up one Friday and what hit me was simply, “check on your folks”. I realized I was so connected to gadgets that I had not simply done the old school version of “checking in” with my staff. I spent that Friday composing an email message to each person. For some I asked about their children, for others their parents or updates on progress towards a degree. Then there were those I knew who were struggling with remote work, so I gave them a call and simply said “how are you”. I took the entire Friday to do this for about forty-five people and I ended at 8:00 pm.

What I learned from this “project” was that technology is awesome, but people still needed a very basic thing called CONNECTION. It was from this that “Coffee with Crystal” was born and I sent everyone a Zoom invitation to join me for coffee on Thursday mornings at 8:00 am. This invitation was not required – it was a choice. Not everyone wants to get up a half an hour before the workday begins. Others simply have no desire to “chit chat” with colleagues. Wherever people landed was completely okay. I can honestly say that I was super nervous the first day. Afterall, suppose no one wanted to join the “zoom room”? I poured my coffee, sat outside on the deck and logged into the room. All of a sudden a message popped up notifying me that people were in the waiting room. Over time some stayed, some left, but what evolved was a consistent group of people who joined me every Thursday morning to simply laugh really hard. Out of everything that I implemented during this COVID-19 lockdown, it is the “Coffee with Crystal” that I am most proud of simply because it allowed us to have a sense of normalcy.

One thing still remains true from my first article. People are the same people in this remote world that they were in brick and mortar. Email messaging turned into what was often done in person. This means that instead of walking down the hall to communicate a concern or challenge, I had to schedule more virtual meetings or send email messages that communicated my preferred approach to a variety of business practices. I spent time during our weekly staff meetings asking team members to be patient, give grace and to ask questions. The delete button became a gift. It allowed me to not fight a battle that wasn’t worth my time and energy.

When we return to buildings and attempt to create our new normal, what will I bring with me from this remote world?

“Coffee with Crystal” will continue in some way. Maybe it will still be virtual, but I will offer people an opportunity to just chat for thirty minutes with NO AGENDA.
The delete button will still be a gift. Keeping peace is so much more important.
Lunchtime walks will continue to be a part of my daily activities. Not only did I give myself time to decompress, I had mindful moments that became amazing projects.
I attended so many virtual conferences for women in leadership. I will continue to attend these and add more tools to my leadership toolbox.
The applications and software programs that I implemented will continue to be utilized because they allowed us to work more efficiently.
I will continue to take time to check on my folks with an email, a phone call or an invitation to the zoom room. Either way, that very simple choice allows all of us to have a very human experience.

Crystal Smith is a lifelong educator who currently serves as an administrator at a community college on the east coast. Crystal is a graduate of both Hampton University and The College of William and Mary, where she received her bachelors and master’s degree in Sociology. Her area of expertise is in the fields of family and gender studies and research and development.

Crystal started her career in human resources and worked with several Fortune 500 companies, including Lockheed Martin and Arthur Anderson Consulting. This work led her to consider education and teaching as a possible career goal. After an amazing career teaching in the K-12 system for five years, she decided to pursue a career in higher education. Crystal has been a higher education professional for over 17 years and this work led her to start her own consulting firm that specializes in leadership development, strategic planning and branding development.

Are You Running Out of Steam? Here’s How to Meet All of Your Brilliant 2020 Goals by @Colleen_Batch

November 13, 2020 by Dr. Colleen Batchelder Leave a Comment

by Dr. Colleen Batchelder

Have you run out of steam and feel like you’re at a dead-end?

You’re not alone. Many of us are there alongside you. Margarita Monday has now become a week-long event. We’re raging in our sweatpants with Wine Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday, and it’s five o’clock somewhere Friday.

Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not suggesting that you sleep with your champagne flutes. But, 2020 has not been easy, especially for women trying to balance it all without losing it all.

We all thought this pandemic would be an excellent excuse to work from home in our PJs for a few weeks. However, we never expected to be watching Sesame Street with our kids for the umpteenth time while working from home.

It hasn’t been easy to catch your breath; nevermind accomplishing your goals. But, here are a few tools to help you focus and meet your objectives:

Give Yourself a Time-Out

Remove all distractions. I mean it. Don’t just switch your electronics to silent for a few hours and pat yourself on the back. If you want to reach your goals this year, you need to understand your hangups––this means hanging up and switching off your phone.

Now, it’s nice to have this goal. But, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Removing your phone is like giving up your lifeline. You won’t realize how many pet videos you watch on YouTube until you experience the withdrawal symptoms of having to self-soothe without blue light.

If you want to live without distraction, then you need to recruit some accountability. Ask your spouse or a close friend to hide your gadgets and throw away the key. You might hate their guts for the first few hours, but when you start seeing your productivity skyrocket, you’ll offer to donate them your kidney.

Your Words with Friends game will always be there. But you only have a couple more months before it’s 2021. Take a time-out from technology and figure out what you want to accomplish before the noisemakers and confetti ring in the new year.

Write a List and Remove Half of Your Goals

I get it. It’s 2020, and you have a mask. But that doesn’t mean that you’re a superhero.

If you want to reach your goals this year, then you have to rate them by importance. So, how do you figure out what to keep and what to remove? Think of your list in three parts and ask yourself these three questions:

Does this goal matter to more people than me?
How will this goal increase my business?
Will this goal lead me to a bigger purpose in 2021?

If your goals check all the boxes, then put them at the top of your list. Then, ask yourself one more question: When I meet these goals, how will I feel?

Add Yourself to Your 2020 Goals

As business leaders, we like to see our dreams go from point A to point B. Something is thrilling about seeing our thoughts come to life. But, if we’re not willing to count the cost, then we’ll be at the top of our game and the bottom of our health.

Arianna Huffington made headlines in 2007 when she decided to pack her bags and leave her office after she had collapsed from sleep deprivation. Like many other business leaders, she realized there are no trade-offs between living a well-rounded life and having a successful career.

Crossing off a task list can feel euphoric. But if it costs us our health, it’s not worth it. If you want to reach your 2020 goals, choose goals that also leave room for sleep, exercise, a social life, and healthy living.

Lean Into the Pivot to Find Your Purpose

I know what you’re thinking. Aren’t we all supposed to push against change? Isn’t that the only way to sustain the storm? I thought this too––but I soon realized that the only way to wrestle with the ocean is to dive through the waves.

After all, business is a lot like basketball––the pivot is a fundamental move. If you want to check off your task list this year, you need to understand what is going on around you and weave back-and-forth towards a slamdunk.

Always remember, your ultimate purpose is to make the world a better place––not sticking to the same daily plan. Embrace the pivot and take time to respond. The storm might take you away from the edge of the shore, but don’t struggle against the current. Take this moment to see the beach from a different view.

You only have 52 days until it’s January 1st, 2021. Figure out what needs to pivot. Maybe you need to move across the country, move employees around, or even quit your job and start from scratch. Your purpose stays the same when it’s centered on serving people. But, you can’t serve others if you’re afraid of pivoting.

You still have some time to meet your brilliant 2020 goals. And you have the tools to get there without facing burnout. But remember, before try to meet your objectives, take a time-out from technology, slenderize your task list, consider your health, and lean into the pivot.

Get an early start on your New Year’s resolution. If you embrace this moment right now, you’ll be more than ready for 2021.