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Gratitude Makes Us Richer Than Our Q4 Reflects @BESTMOMFILM

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by Meg Weidner 

We live in a world where numbers dictate our success. What is your net profitability? How many followers do you have on social media? How many views did you get on your last post? If we only use numbers to measure our success, we’ll never know our immeasurable potential.

So how do we push past the numbers game and connect with something that fuels us when our numbers fall short? Gratitude.

These 5+ simple ways of expressing gratitude will make you think and feel like the richest woman in the world even if your Q3/Q4 reports say, “You broke.”

  1. First thing in the morning, it is so tempting to check emails, update statuses, or return a text. You will get to all of this and more, but first, write down five people, opportunities, experiences or things (POET) you are grateful are and be very specific as to why you are grateful. For example, I could say I’m grateful for my mom but that feels beige. When I write, I am grateful for my mom because she consistently shows up for me and listens to me I feel empowered. Whew, that’s some stuff right there.
  2. Tell someone in person why you appreciate him or her. It could be anyone from a family member, a colleague, a boss, an employee to the person who makes your coffee exactly how you want it before you even order it. Again, be specific. If I tell my daughter, “You’re really nice,” she does not look up from her mobile. When I touch her hand lightly and say, “Hey, I really appreciate how you choose quality friends instead of quantity,” she smiles. She genuinely feels seen and I feel heard.
  3. Give an UNEXPECTED shout out on social media for someone you admire or appreciate long after his or her fifteen minutes of fame has passed. While I mostly post about day to day life, I mix it up and give a shout out to our producer, Leann Lei, who is my rock and guiding light in all things personal and professional. She lead by example and got our indie film done on a tight budget and with grace. No small task. She is my superhero!
  4. Write a thank you letter to someone who makes you smile, who makes the world a little better just by being in it. Do you remember your first boss who believed in you, your first customer who became a long time repeat customer, your first positive review? It feels so good and it feels so much better to take a moment and thank these people. Break out your pen and paper. There is sincere magic in handwriting. Trust me. It makes the heart and soul feel good.
  5. While lying in bed at night, close your eyes and play a little game of Alphabet Grace. Go through the alphabet starting with the letter “ A,” and with each letter, list people, opportunities, experiences and things (POET), you are grateful for. Just think them, don’t write them, stream of consciousness style, no edits. You’ll fall asleep on a positive note and most likely, before you even reach the letter M.

I’m a failure –based mom and an award-winning filmmaker even though my short list of Imdb credits will make you ask, “Who did what again?” But instead of getting distracted by the numbers, I think of all the people who made my film BEST MOM come to life beyond the words I wrote on a page, I write their names in a journal with very specific reasons as to why I am grateful to each member of the cast and crew. I write down the names of family and friends who supported me on this journey long before the director called action. I share how grateful I am for the opportunity to make a childhood dream come true. I reflect on the experience and honor how I have grown personally and professionally. I thank all the future things in store for Best Mom. Ah-ha, Bonus Gratitude!

 

 

Take a moment and think about that special person, opportunity, experience or thing (POET) in the future that will make you feel joy. Trust this moment will come to you and feel grateful. Think and feel as though it is real right now. This level of gratitude is” a whole ‘nother level” as we say in the south.

Thank you to Melissa Stewart for creating this space for all of us to share our stories and to learn and grow together. Thank you to all of you hustlin’ women for taking the time to read this and making great things happen. We are all more than a bottom line and I’m so grateful to share this journey with you.

 

 

Art imitating life, life imitating art, Meg Weidner is a failure-based mom and the award-winning filmmaker of BEST MOM streaming on Amazon and other platforms. She can write 40 drafts of a screenplay but she can’t create a hyperlink to save her life. Check out www.bestmomfilm.com to view a trailer and all viewing platforms. When not getting lost in her head, Meg loves connecting with friends and traveling. She also does the bare minimum of exercise to justify her love for food.

File This Paperwork to Prep Small Businesses for 2020 by @DeborahSweeney

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by  | Featured Contributor

Entrepreneurs are on the cusp of more than a new year. We’re approaching a whole new decade! How exciting is that? As small business owners say goodbye to 2019, it’s crucial that they enter the next decade in compliance. Forgetting to file or update outstanding documents could result in their business falling into bad standing with the state. Bad standing may result in penalty fees or worse, involuntary dissolution of the business.

However, bad standing doesn’t impact businesses that routinely keep up with corporate maintenance. File these three legal documents to stay in compliance and fully prepare your business to enter a fresh, new decade.

1. Update corporate minutes and bylaws.

Is your business incorporated as a corporation? If so, you may be familiar with corporate minutes and bylaws.

Minutes are notes that are taken during corporate meetings. Taking minutes ensures that the meeting’s purpose has been recorded and details important information. Should anyone need to go back and review their minutes, they’ll be able to easily find and reference these written records. Bylaws, on the other hand, are the written rules and regulations for a corporation. A corporation’s bylaws outline rules for adding and removing directors, the rights and responsibilities of owners, and guidelines for conducting and organizing meetings.

Updating corporate minutes and bylaws is a must before the year ends. Doing this does more than help keep your corporation in compliance. Staying on top of these details contributes to the overall success of the business. Thanks to well-documented minutes, team members have a thorough understanding of what they need to work on next. Both documents also work as tools to avoid conflict. If anyone has a question, they may refer to the corporate minutes and bylaws for clarity. Ultimately, updating corporate minutes and bylaws may lead to an increase in productivity. This added boost aids to your bottom line, especially if you’re starting 2020 with several New Year’s business resolutions!

2. File annual reports.

This is applicable to businesses that have filed as a corporation or LLC. Annual reports are filed yearly with your local Secretary of State office. An annual report documents changes and keeps the state updated on your activities. Some changes may include the names and addresses of members in the business, the business address, name and/or address of your registered agent, and changes in business activities.

Filing an annual report is a fairly straightforward process. You may already be used to doing it, if you have been in business for some time. Before you file, check in with your local Secretary of State for the official filing deadline. These vary on a state to state basis. Some vary depending on your entity formation. File the annual report by its respective deadline and pay the filing fee to avoid delinquent penalties. Remember to also note the changes in your bylaws or operating agreement for your respective corporation or LLC, too!

3. Complete a delayed filing application.

Do you want to start a business this year? Consider completing a delayed filing application. A delayed filing allows you to delay the company’s effective date of incorporation.

Why would you want a delayed filing? Don’t you feel ready to incorporate now? There are a few benefits associated with delayed filings. If you incorporate in the final two months of the year, you will need to pay any additional fees associated with the business. You are also required to report and pay taxes with the IRS since the business has technically been in business for the 2019 calendar year. A delayed filing allows you to not just save money. Filing this paperwork in advance creates a more predictable start date for the business. While the state works on its processing and turnaround times, you may use this time to better prepare your business for its grand opening in the new year — and decade!

 

Deborah Sweeney is the CEO of MyCorporation.com which provides online legal filing services for entrepreneurs and businesses, startup bundles that include corporation and LLC formation, registered agent services, DBAs, and trademark and copyright filing services. You can find MyCorporation on Twitter at @MyCorporation.

Benefits of Writing: 11 Scientific Facts (Inforgraphic)

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Have you ever wondered why you feel so good inside whenever you write your heart out in your journal? That’s because the benefits of writing go far beyond building up your vocabulary. Writing not only eases the symptoms of mental illness but also improves your mood and manage stress levels.

And there is actual scientific evidence that supports the various psychological and wellness benefits of writing and journaling which we are to share with you in this infographic below.

The best part of writing is that you don’t need to be a creative genius or a passionate writer to benefit from writing, though I can assure you that you will join the ranks of some of the most visionary people. Albert Einstein, Mark Twain, and Leonardo da Vinci all kept journals, writing down their thoughts, ideas, sketches, musings, and jokes.

So the next time you feel stressed and overwhelmed and wish to fix your complex problems, think of writing in your journal.

In the infographic below, we present 11 science-backed benefits of writing.

Check it out before you embark on your writing journey. Even if the world fails to recognize your talent, you will ensure better memory, mental well-being, and cognitive skills.

scientific benefits of writing
This infographic about the benefits of writing was originally created by and published at https://www.syedirfanajmal.com.

Stressed and Sick? Embracing a New Way to Work by @lieshapetrovich

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Photo courtesy of Canva

by Liesha Petrovich | Featured Contributor

I remember the date my body started shutting down.

I was supposed to work and volunteer for the 4th or 5th weekend in a row. I hadn’t had a true day off in months. I wasn’t sleeping and my head was spinning with the news of another possible recession.

I woke up with excruciating pain and a complete sense of hopelessness. And all I could think about was how I was too busy to get sick right now. I have always prided myself on my strength. I’m a black belt and teach karate. I’m tough both emotionally and physically. I am not someone who backs down from a fight.

Until I was forced to accept that I’m only human. Sounds easy, but it was one of the toughest things I’ve ever done.

I had to accept that surviving isn’t the same as thriving. Living means more than being able to overcome adversity. It also means peace, grace and even selfishness. When we’re tired of being sick and tired, the only way forward is to create a new way to live.

And that starts with chucking our working our fingers to the bone mentality.

Everything’s Connected

I’m very, very good at compartmentalizing my life. Business is business and my personal life is entirely separate. Yet, only a fool believes that one does not influence the other.

Because, of course, they do! It’s all connected!

Photo courtesy of Canva

One of the best measures of a person’s overall health is their sexuality. A healthy libido is a strong indication of an overall healthy individual. A reduction in sex drive can come from a number of factors including stress and not enough exercise/sleep. But it’s not just a lack of interest that’s troubling. In fact, 32% of women report lower self-esteem from a decrease in their sex drive!

How can we be successful when our self-esteem is lower and we’re stressed out?

This is just one example of how our personal health impacts our professional life. Our new way of working begins with understanding that our overall success begins with our personal health, including stress and anxiety and not pretending that we’re robots that have the ability to turn off our emotions at will.

Redefine Success

I used to define success with the amount of money in my bank account.

While that’s obviously important, it’s not the only measure of my success. Now I measure success in a hundred different ways:

  • Am I contributing lasting value to my clients?
  • Does my work live up to my personal values?
  • Have I made a positive impact on someone today?

We are overwhelmed with inspirational quotes like:

“If you don’t sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes a sacrifice”

No wonder I had a skewed sense of success. I was brainwashed into believing I wasn’t effective unless I was sacrificing something – mostly my health. Yes, hard work and commitment are essential and that’s not debatable. But it’s not the only thing that should define our success. Instead, let’s start redefining our success with the wise words of Dr. Wayne Dyer:

“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.”

Instead of defining our lives with a narrow definition of success, we need to broaden that to include our wellbeing and overall sense of peace. Celebrate the small victories and moments that just make us smile:

Photo courtesy of Canva

Self-Care Is Our #1 Priority

Like many other working moms out there, I put other’s care above mine for many, many years. I tried and failed, to do it all. It wasn’t until I literally worked until my body couldn’t function that I realized I had done it all wrong.

Photo courtesy of Canva

Because there’s one simple truth when it comes to living a balanced, healthy life: We cannot be successful when we put our needs last. We can’t take care of anyone when we’re not healthy and we can’t run a successful business when our stress levels prohibit us from being our authentic, creative and enthusiastic selves.

In Lost Your Spark? Jumpstart Your Creative Juices, I shared the following:

“The world is chaotic and stressful. Sometimes it’s hard to tune it out and find a semblance of peace. And it’s almost impossible to be creative when your thoughts are a jumbled, spinning mess.”

We cannot be the leaders we’re meant to be when we can’t think straight. We need to stop with the lame excuses and start creating a plan to put our health first. Because if we don’t, stress will stop us dead in our tracks.

And then we won’t be working to save our business, but our lives too.

The 5-Step Process for Your 2020 Planning by @JThiefels

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The 5-Step Process for Your 2020 Planning

by Jessica Thiefels | Featured Contributor

I’m starting to hear the 2020 planning talk, but I’m not a big New Year goal setter. In fact, it stresses me out as January 1st gets closer and it’s all anyone can talk about. I’m more a year-round goal-setting kind of girl. This allows me to ebb and flow with changes while staying excited and on track—rather than putting undue pressure on one time of the year, which inevitably leads to giving it all up… but that’s a topic for another day.⁠

Even still, I go into each year knowing what I want to accomplish and I realized recently that I hadn’t painted a clear picture of what 2020 looks like for me. Someone asked: “So, what do you hope to accomplish speaking-wise next year?” I was like, “Ummm, to do it?” Not a great answer.⁠ I’m traveling the world, running a business and writing a book—planning for next year hadn’t quite crossed my mind with all of that going on.⁠

A few days later, I was talking with my coach and he said, “What’s possible if you start planning 2020?” My first thought was, “Well I’ll have a roadmap. Just like I talk about in my book. If you don’t know where you’re going, how can you get there?”⁠⁠

As I kept thinking about that question though, I realized: With a plan, I can do the work, visualize the outcome, and manifest my way there—and baby, I’m manifesting some seriously big things!⁠ 

If you’re ready to kick ass in 2020, now is a great time to start thinking about what you want to accomplish and manifest into reality. You don’t need to have specific, quantifiable goals. Simply outlining what you want to do is an important step toward committing to create the life you want to live. 

To start this new decade off on the right foot, use my 5-step planning process. I do this myself and love the flow and exploration of the planning experience when done this way.

Step 1: The Dream Dump

2020 planning

My 2020 Dream Dump

Start with a brainstorm, or what I lovingly like to call, a Dream Dump. Separate your plans into the various areas of focus for planning. For me, these are:

  • Book
  • Business
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Personal

List out all the things you want to accomplish within those areas. Then, let it sit for a few days so you can come back and add to your lists as more ideas come up. Remember: this is a list of the WHAT, not the HOW. So don’t hold back. If you want to accomplish something in 2020, it belongs on this list.

Step 2: The Action Steps

Once your list is complete, it’s time to look at the HOW. Start on a fresh page and break each area of focus into lists of action items. Some of the items on my book’s action list are:

  • Improve speaking (I.E. should I hire a coach?)
  • Create website
  • Outreach to podcasts

Your lists will likely be long, but this is your chance to get it all down on paper. Big or small, add the task to your list. We’ll come back and refine later.

Step 3: The Resource List

This tip is from my upcoming book and it’s crucial if you want to be successful: create a Resource List. This is a list of all the people and things that you can leverage to start moving toward those goals and checking off those action steps.

Think about people you know that can help along with things like a Udemy credit that hasn’t been used yet. My Resource List includes: 

  • Previous speaking connections at local college
  • Editorial relationships
  • Someone I met on an airplane (yes, I’m serious)
  • Client connections
  • Networking groups that I find beneficial

You may need to create a list for every area of focus—for me, many of them overlapped. You’ll figure it out as you start brainstorming. 

Step 4: The Refining

Now that your general action steps are written down, and you have a big ol’ list of potential people, places and things that you can leverage, it’s time to refine your action list and prioritize. This way, when January rolls around, you’re ready to hit the ground running. 

Start with the refining. Take the big action steps and break them down into smaller ones. Don’t forget to add action steps based on your resource List. I.E. Reach out to old boss or Buy tickets for conference.

Now, you need to prioritize. A prioritized list ensures that you know what needs to happen first. If you’re like me and have a lot of action steps, this will help reduce that overwhelm. Much of my initial 2020 work will revolve around my business and lining up experts to tap into when my book gets published. Then, when my book is out (and on the bestseller list!), I plan to move into the next area of focus: speaking, workshops, and general book promotion.

Consider how your action steps can be refined and prioritized in this way to head into 2020 with a plan you can rely on.

Step 5: The Manifesting

You know what you want. You know what you have to do to get there. Now it’s time to manifest your goals into reality. To do so effectively, follow a simple equation:

Visualize + do the work = manifest

I’m giving you this “equation” because I want to make something clear: visualizing alone, won’t allow you to manifest what you want. Not to mention, doing the work without a vision doesn’t get you far either. To manifest the big-amazing-holy-shit things, you have to do both! And you can start right now.

Start Your 2020 Planning

Now’s the time to start thinking about 2020—before the holidays hit, along with the stress, chaos and distractions that come with them. Use this 5-step process to get your big plans out of your head and onto paper. With a crystal clear picture of what you want to accomplish, and even better, how to make it happen, 2020 will undoubtedly be a year to remember.

How does a paper planner help you grow your business? by Danielle Hayden of @KickstartAcct

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by Danielle Hayden | Featured Contributor

Do you download every new app and tool hoping that it will help you get organized and finally set you up to grow your business?

I know, me too! I get so excited and I try really hard to use the new fancy app but I always go back to my tried and true methods. I noticed I wasn’t alone in this. This year, we took all of our clients’ questions and the tools that we have implemented in our businesses and created a 12-week profitability planner.

Finally, a planner that you can use as an accountability partner to spend time every day working on your business as the CEO, setting goals, priorities and taking the daily action task to find the profits in your business all in a high-quality notebook that you bring with you everywhere.

 Why does a hardcover planner work so well as your accountability partner?

  • Have a regular planning session that does not include screen time. Yep, you heard me, walk away from your email and spend time working on your business. Having a separate place that I use to schedule my day away from my computer has given me the opportunity to focus on what’s important.
  • Weekly planning- When you schedule your week schedule time each week to have a planning session. I recommend using a financial dashboard to guide your session. If you can determine your financial position (cash, who owes you money and who you owe money to) you can determine what activities you need to focus on next week. For instance, I have a client who really struggles to collect money from her clients so the weekly dashboard is a reminder to her that if her cash is low and her accounts receivable is high than she needs to spend her time collecting on her client invoices. I also have a client who has been increasing her revenue month over month but she still has credit card and loan debt from when she started her business so this client is using this time to determine if she should be using her surplus of cash to decrease her debt or increase her marketing efforts to continue to increase her revenue.
  • Easy setup and easy to use- even when we are so technologically savvy there can be such a learning curve to every app, they never have all the features I need and they can be difficult to use, can I get an amen?
  • Writing is proven to help you remember. Studies have shown that writing down things by hand actually allows you to think and process better and as a result, you are more likely to follow through and really focus on your goals and tasks to complete those goals.

It’s time to get to know your numbers so you can use that information to grow your business. Review your accounting, pull the reports and get ready to get down to the details.

How to Remain Focused as A Woman Entrepreneur by @Surbhi_Bhatia

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Photo by Dominika Roseclay from Pexels

by Surbhi Bhatia

Let’s face it, it’s difficult enough to be an entrepreneur, and for women it can be even more challenging. Self-doubt, societal pressures, anxiety can all make us a hot mess from time to time. And if you are a mom, or have more responsibilities, it can be a tough ride. Juggling between sending that important email to rushing to the daycare, to picking up grocery on the way and then attending that important meeting on a phone call as you struggle to stop your baby from jumping on your laptop, it can get really perplexing.

So how do you keep your sanity while ensuring that your focus on being an entrepreneur is unwavering and drive your business with persistent focus? Can we have the best of all the worlds?

The truth is it’s possible. With a little bit of advanced planning, with some smart moves, with some discipline and compartmentalizing your life, you can keep that entrepreneurial spirit and forge ahead.

 

Let’s make it simpler.

 

1. Make a Checklist

You would have heard or read this a thousand times, but the truth doesn’t change. It is your holy grail. If you get in the habit of making a checklist everyday before you set out to work, it will make you so much more productive as you get through each and every item in your to-do-list. You will be able to focus on important tasks and see them to completion. One of the challenges of being an entrepreneur is that you are your own boss, and there is nobody to review your work. You need to discipline yourself to ensure you are working at your most optimal level. Once you start doing this, you can go a step further, and allocate time to each item and also a priority.

2. Discretionary Use of Social Media

Social Media today is both a boon and a bane. It is a double edged sword. As an entrepreneur, it is indispensable, but as an individual, it can be highly distracting. Make sure the time spent on social media is purely for the business. You can understand customer perspectives, you can look at how your competitive do ads, you can read helpful blogs, but don’t get sucked into your phone for random scrolling, reading irrelevant tabloid and doing online shopping.

3. Believe in Yourself

Women easily get the Imposter Syndrome, they feel they are not good enough, they doubt their ideas and actions, they doubt their leadership and their capabilities. Never doubt yourself. Whenever you get such a doubt, always use this test- ‘Think of one person who would do this job better than you’. Chances are you will never be able to think of anyone who can drive what you do with as much passion as you do. If you do think of a person who may, think of how differently they would do the job, and try to work on that.

4. There is a solution to every problem

Entrepreneurship is more about fielding challenges than anything else. Every single day, you will be faced with a new challenge- Sales, Supply chain, Sourcing, Employee Churn, Expenses etc etc. but remember, every problem has a solution. Do not get worked up or lose your cool, quickly find the solution or next best thing to do if your plan A doesn’t work

5. Compartmentalize your Life

A lot of women make the mistake of doing everything together since they are such great multitaskers. They will be on the phone closing a deal while changing the baby’s diaper. They will be out grocery shopping, while mailing the deck to an investor. Don’t get into this habit. Not only will this be highly exhausting, it will also prevent you from giving your full focus to anything you do. Instead compartmentalize- take time out for your work out, for your family, for your work and for your reading/pursuing an interest. The mind space that you get away from work, will eventually help you put in far more focus, energy and interest when you get back to work.

I started out my entrepreneurial journey with The Mom Store a year ago, and abiding by these choices has helped me scale my business faster without losing too much sleep. I hope these help you too!

 

Keeping the Success Coming in Q4 by @DrRKayGreen

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by Dr. R. Kay Green | Featured Contributor

There is always a lot of focus on goals, success and productivity at the beginning of the year. But before you look to 2020, there are still two months left of 2019. And while it can be tempting to let yourself fall into a routine or get caught up in the day-to-day operations of your business, there is still room for growth and improvement this year.

Finishing 2019 strong will not only benefit you in the short-term, but the long-term. Instead of going into 2020 with the hope of doing better, you can go in with a sense of accomplishment, building on the work that you did in 2019.

Here are three ways to ensure that these final months of 2019 are your most productive yet.

Check In on Goals

You probably created goals, or “resolutions,” at the beginning of the year. But as work and life get busy, it can be harder to keep up with them, and maybe you have not even looked at them for a number of months. If this sounds like you, now is the time to look at those goals again.

Maybe there will be things that you cannot accomplish in two months. But instead of focusing on those, focus on the goals that you can still accomplish. Also, take a moment to notice the goals that you already accomplished. While in a growth mindset, it can be difficult to remember to celebrate your wins. But noting how you have improved this year will encourage you to continue.

Keep Track of your Successes

In addition to noticing where you have already succeeded, make it a point to focus on where you will succeed. Whenever you have a “success” in the next few months, take the time to celebrate it. You might even want to write it down. Build a more positive mindset by really noticing everything that you are doing right.

When we are working, it can get too easy to focus on the mistakes, things that need to be corrected, and to-dos that still need to be checked off of our list. Making a mindful effort to celebrate the things that we do accomplish, every day, is good not only for our productivity but also for our overall mental health.

Join a New Networking Group

Whether you are part of some networking groups in your area or not, new faces are always energizing. Meeting new contacts can open up avenues that you had not previously considered. It also keeps you in the habit of introducing your business, which you do not always get the chance to do in networking groups that you have been a part of for a long time.

And, of course, networking always brings with it the potential for more business. Gaining a new client or project as the year ends is a great way to build a more productive mindset, in addition to the obvious benefit of income. And that is a mindset that you will be able to bring into 2020 and beyond.

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

Dr. KayDr. 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

How to make time for your side business (and take it full-time)

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by Camilla Hallstrom

When I first started building my business, there was one big thing that kept me back: Time. It felt like I never had the time to grow my business so that I could take it from a side business to a full-time venture. In hindsight, I know I could have done a few things more effectively and achieved my goal faster. Here they are:

1. Build the right business

To be able to quit your job as fast as possible, you need to focus on the right type of business. What do I mean? Compare an ecommerce store and a service-based business. With an ecommerce store, you need to make more money to make it profitable because you need to pay for inventory and shipping. A service-based business (like a freelance business) doesn’t come with these costs.

2. Use a skill you already have

When you’re building your business, focus on a skill you already have so that you don’t have to waste time on learning new skills. I first got started with a translation business and later a freelance writing business because those were skills I already had. This way, I could focus on getting clients (rather than acquiring new skills) from day 1.

3. Focus on the right things

One of the biggest mistakes side business owners make is to focus on the wrong things: Building a website, setting up social media accounts, blogging, and podcasting. I made this same mistake and it set me back many months. You see, when you’re first starting out, the ONE thing you should focus on is getting clients and the easiest and fastest ways to get clients. This includes tapping into your network and directly pitching clients to work with you.

4. Cut down on your time-wasters

You might be thinking: “But it’s so hard to find the time to work on my side business!” I hear you. I used to think that way, too. But then I realized just how much time I was wasting on things that weren’t really that important to me, like hanging out on social media. In fact, you can easily waste hours on these activities every day. Track your time for a few days to find those things you waste time on.

5. Get recurring clients

To build a business, you need to get clients. Unfortunately, all the time you spend on marketing and sales is unpaid. A great solution? Get as many recurring clients as you can, so clients who hire you every month, by focusing on projects that clients need help with on an ongoing basis. In my business, I focus on blog posts rather than one-off projects because this is a service clients need every month.

In the end, building your side business does take time and work. But being able to hand in your notice is well worth the effort. After all, you’re building a business for life.

 

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Camilla Hallstrom is a freelance writer who helps others start their own writing businesses and work from anywhere. Get your free PDF “The 3-Step Plan to Earning $1000 on the Side in the Next 30 Days as a Freelance Writer (Even if You Have Zero Writing Experience)”: https://www.writefromanywhere.com/.

Social Selling: Why You Should Care by Veronika Vaghina of @x_cart

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by Veronika Vaghina

Let’s see the definition of social selling, to begin with. Social selling is when entrepreneurs use social media to contact their potential customers directly (and to finally stop those evil cold callings). It’s also a way to actually find your prospects and customers and to build long term relationships with them via social networks.

An integral part of social selling is social listening. It means you should monitor how and what your prospects are saying. This way you’ll be able to influence the sale process and to benefit from it.

So why care about social selling?

  1. Teach your sales and marketing teams to use the information people give. Let’s be honest: today people share a lot on their social media (sometimes they even overshare). From a sales perspective, it’s a good thing as your prospects are giving you all the information about their needs — you just shouldn’t ignore it.
  2. No more cold calling. One more point: social selling can replace cold calling. And in terms of building relationships, cold calling doesn’t do any good. Some statistics to prove it: 9/10 of decision-makers don’t answer to cold calls.
  3. The funnel becomes more effective. If social selling is a part of your marketing funnel, it’ll make lead generation easier and more productive for you.
  4. Your potential customers always remember about you. Well, they do in case you remind them about yourself on a regular basis: they can be following your updates, participating in some of your social media activities, they can see your sponsored content or a friend’s mention of your company. Either way, if you are online you can be found.
  5. It’s your opportunity to build a reputation. You decide who you want to be: your tone of voice, your offers, your style. And please, no bots: it’ll influence your professional and personal brand. You should show your sales prospects that there are real people behind your brand.
  6. Your competitors are already there. What are you waiting for? For most salespeople, social selling tools are critical for sales performance. No wonder: I can hardly imagine a company not present on social media.

There are some basic steps to get started with social selling. Let’s check them out:

  • Create content & make people trust you
  • Widen your network
  • Communicate with existing customers
  • Find new customers in social media groups
  • Check out what your competitors are doing; change your strategy if needed
  • Engage with other companies

Your social selling success depends on the relationships you build with your audience. And one of the best ways to do it is to follow the tips below. This way you can be there for your prospects with relevant offers.

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Veronika is a Marketing Manager at X-Cart. The company provides X-Cart, an open-source eCommerce platform, along with the full range of services for online business. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and reading.