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Strategically Branding Our Expertise (and Future!) by @lieshapetrovich

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Strategically Branding Our Expertise (and Future!)

by Liesha Petrovich | Featured Contributor

We can’t open Instagram without stumbling across someone calling themselves a guru. We see dozens of paid sponsorships with someone trying to promote their latest book, course or community. And we can’t watch the news without pundits telling us how we should think.

Who are all these experts anyway? And how can we brand ourselves as skilled, experienced and savvy professionals in our field too?

Very few get labeled as an expert on accident. Sixteen-year-old Greta Thunberg is a world-famous climate activist who absolutely knows her stuff. But surely there are other experts out there that know more about climate. Thunberg accidentally became an expert after staging a strike outside the Swedish parliament demanding that they cut emissions by 15% per year. Now she’s a global phenomenon who was just named Time Person of the Year 2019.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Branding is everything these days so don’t leave this important factor up to chance. Since we’re unlikely to fall into expertise, here are a few ideas that can kick off our own strategic branding plans.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Done well, video offers us the opportunity to promote our thoughts to a huge segment of the population. And I’m not talking about the crazy viral videos that are only meant to get clicks for ad money. I mean the type of content that promotes the star as a leader in their field. And this works in every niche out there.

The power of video cannot be overstated. Here are a few mind-blowing statistics:

  • YouTube has over a billion users, almost one-third of total internet users
  • 45% of people watch more than an hour of Facebook or YouTube videos a week
  • More than 500 million hours of videos are watched on YouTube each day

Here are a few examples of people and businesses that have a strong history of solid content that showcases their specialties and gives value to the viewer:

DIY building: Ana White
Finance: Fisher Investments
Small business/Etsy: Mane Message

It doesn’t matter what type of industry we are in. Photography, martial arts, beauty, and dog training all have expert channels. When we have something important to say, something that will promote our personal brand, saying it on video is a great first step.

Get Personal and Authentic

Think about the brands and people we admire the most. Oprah, one of the richest women in the world, came from extremely humble beginnings. Apple was founded by three guys in a garage. And one of my favorite social media stars, Tiffany Jenkins, is a recovering addict.

We know their stories because they’ve been open about telling us. The story matters because it shows how they got from Point A (an unknown) to Point B (someone we look up too). Tiffany, a social media star with 188K subscribers on Youtube and almost 4 million followers on Facebook, shared her addiction story with the world:

We don’t have to share our deepest secrets to brand ourselves as experts in our fields. The idea is to be authentic. If we came from money and used someone else’s money to start our business – own it. If we stole from Peter to pay Paul to start our business – own it.

Our story is what made us the people we are today. Just remember that our authenticity is what builds our brand’s trust and that’s the foundation everything else is built upon.

Share Something Valuable

This is the moment of truth when it comes to branding our expertise. This isn’t something we can fake or outsource. We actually have to be experts and share something valuable!

One of my favorite podcasts is Lessons from the Universe with Jennifer Hall. In a podcast called Let Them Go, Jennifer explains:

“Obligation is no reason for attachment. If a relationship has run its course, lost its mutual respect, or grown toxic to anyone involved, it is time to let it go. Sometimes, the most loving, compassionate thing we can do for ourselves and others is to simply let them go.”

Jennifer shares her wisdom on her podcasts, website, gallery/quotes and live events. Even if spiritual new agey stuff isn’t our thing, we can certainly appreciate the tiny empire she’s built. And it all rests on us (the consumer) belief that she’s sharing something valuable. She’s branded herself as an expert in her field and worthy of our time.

We have a lot of choices when it comes to how we share our knowledge. Books, eCourses, Facebook groups are all ways we can start to put our knowledge out there. Again, it starts with an authentic desire to help people and that’s what drives our brand’s image to expert levels.

Consciously Create Our Branding Strategy

Very few of us will ever stumble on expert status with a path on accident. Instead, the experts consciously create a strategy that lifts their expertise beyond their peers. This is especially important to think about now if we ever want to:

  • Land our dream job
  • Want to start our own businesses
  • Charge higher prices for our experience

It doesn’t matter what industry we’re in or where we are starting from. And it doesn’t matter if we’re not experts – yet. Mapping out our strategy now is how we get to an expert level later.

What Motivates Entrepreneurs to Start Small Businesses? by @DeborahSweeney

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by  | Featured Contributor

Entrepreneurship isn’t for the faint of heart. Starting a small business means that you get to pursue your passion, but must also make sacrifices, like careful budgeting and working more hours outside the traditional 9-5 schedule, to reach your goals. However, this investment of time and energy does pay off as more and more individuals turn to entrepreneurship every year.

A recent report from Guidant Financial and the Small Business Trends Alliance (SBTA) takes a closer look at entrepreneurship in the new decade. Small Business Trends: 2020 surveyed more than 3,000 current and aspiring small business owners to uncover insights into what’s driving today’s small businesses. Data from the survey examines the demographics of entrepreneurs in 2020, including their age range, gender, and education backgrounds. It also takes a closer look at the industries entrepreneurs want to go into, challenges that they currently face, and motivations for opening a business.

Let’s go back to the last part of that sentence. What’s truly motivating individuals to explore entrepreneurship and try it on for size?

Ready to be your own boss

Since 2018, the Small Business Trends report has surveyed entrepreneurs and overall business climates. 2020 marks the year the most individuals surveyed said they were ready to be their own boss, at a whooping 55%. This compares to previous surveyed years 2019 (26%) and 2018 (49%).

How do you know you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? A few traits successful entrepreneurs have in common include passion, resilience, innovation, and organization. Studies from the last few years have also shown individuals possessing emotional intelligence, including personal and social competence, tend to be the top performers.

There’s a popular saying that essentially sums up if you must ask where things are going, you already know the answer. Let’s use the example that you find yourself investing a lot of time and energy into a flourishing side hustle on top of working a less than fulfilling 9 to 5 job. You’re focusing on certain nuts and bolts of the hustle, like drafting a business plan and putting aside funds, that will help it keep growing and succeeding. This hard work may be leading up to making that side gig your full-time career. You’re ready to take the leap forward and be your own boss.

Growing desire to pursue your passion

The surveyed results for this motivator option have fluctuated a bit in the Small Business Trends report. 45% of surveyed individuals agreed in 2018. This number dipped to 23% in 2019 and rose back to 39% in 2020.

Passion, as mentioned earlier, is a major factor in determining whether entrepreneurship is a fit for you. Pursing your passion means going on a transformative journey. You must be willing to do it, ready to invest the time and energy, and stay motivated enough to keep going through the good and bad moments alike.

What happens if you find your interests start to splinter into several fields? Maybe you started a PR consulting company where you provide public relations strategies and initiatives to clients. Business has been going great, and you have another emerging side hobby — baking. You love to bake and have even started a blog featuring your recipes that has a moderate, but growing, readership. Who says you need to stick to one field and never explore other industries? Why not pursue both passions and embrace serial entrepreneurship? Starting one successful business may lead to a domino effect where you take another interesting hobby you’re passionate about and turn that idea into a startup. Let your passion — and original ideas — act as your guide toward entrepreneurship.

Opportunity presented itself

The Small Business Trends report notes that this option tied at 25% with “dissatisfied with corporate USA” in 2020. However, motivator did not tie with another option in the years prior. Opportunities continued to present themselves to aspiring entrepreneurs, with 19% surveyed in 2019 and 36% surveyed in 2018.

However the opportunity presents itself for entrepreneurs, it’s always a good idea to do your due diligence before moving fully forward. Once you know you want to turn your dream into a business, start by creating a business plan to act as the company’s foundation and outline goals to reach. Incorporate or form an LLC for liability protection. Register for any necessary trademarks and copyrights, obtain an EIN number, and file for required business licenses depending on the industry. Getting your ducks in a row puts you on the right path for running a small business successfully.

 

 

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.

3 Limiting Beliefs You Need to Crush Right Now to Start a Successful Business by @thekatiesully_

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by Katie Sullivan

Ah, good ‘ol limiting beliefs. We all know them well, whether we’re aware of it or not, especially as women entrepreneurs. From day one we’re taught that business is for boys, and sadly, too many of us grew up believing that was true.

But there’s one thing all successful business women must do before they reach success: they must reckon with these limiting beliefs. Success in business can only come after you become who you need to be to help others and yourself.

And as an extra-special cool bonus, when you rid yourself of these thoughts that hold you back, not only do you soar in business, but in other areas of your life too!

 

Here’s 3 limiting beliefs you need to crush for success in business, and in life:

 

  1. I don’t have any talents

I used to be an opera singer (yeah, for real). After performances, audience members would always tell me, “You’re soooo talented! I wish I had talent, but I could never do that!” I would always reply, “You absolutely DO have talents! They may not look like mine, but I promise you they’re there.”

Look – singing opera is a SKILL. I did not wake up one day with an innate ability to sing a high C. I practiced and honed the skill over many years. Through this process, I learned the value of education, mentorship and practice to develop other skills that have served me in my business.

If you look hard enough, I am positive you have gifts of your own. Maybe it’s your magnetic personality and networking capabilities. Perhaps it’s your impeccable eye for sleek, modern, unique design. Or maybe you’re a totally badass sales person and incredible leader!

All of those things are skills that you’ve learned and honed over time to get really good at them. Those count! Start giving yourself credit and recognizing your gifts for what they are.

 

  1. It’s not worth the risk

People always say it’s not worth the risk to start your own business. Better to get a stable job with a steady paycheck. Who wants all that headache anyway?

Why do we believe them? Fear. We’re afraid of failing – of ruining our lives to an irrecoverable extent.

But here’s the part people don’t consider: what am I risking by not starting my business? A comfortable, but barely tolerable existence where I’ll always know I could’ve done so much more? Now that is a special kind of torture.

The best way to crush this limiting belief is to counter it by asking, “what’s the worst that could happen?” Maybe you have to get a side job to cover the bills. Or maybe you have to move in with your parents while things get started.

If that’s all it is, what’s really at stake is your pride. If your pride is more important than your dreams, then by all means, carry on! But if you’re willing to take a bet on yourself, the results will absolutely be worth it.

 

  1. It’ll never happen for me

Here I come again with my rebuttal: Why won’t it happen for you? Are you not willing to do the work? Do you just suck that bad that the universe doesn’t care if you sink or swim?

Most people can’t answer those questions, because they know that the original thought never had any clout to begin with.

Legendary business figure Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you are correct.” If you think you’re not talented, or lucky, or smart enough to start a successful business, you will (unknowingly) find ways to prove yourself correct.

But if you take that bet on yourself that maybe, just maybe it can happen for you, your entire life can change.

 

Katie Sullivan is a mindset & creativity coach who helps entrepreneurial-minded creatives turn their passions into a lifestyle. If you’re ready to get inspired, sign up to grab her free Burnout Breakthrough guide, and check out her podcast, Rise Through Strife.

 

The Courage to Listen to Your Own Voice by @LouisaActually

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by Louisa Liska

When I first started the journey of entrepreneurship, I really didn’t know what to expect. I had been working in business for many years so felt confident with a lot of my skills and business knowledge. But as soon as the Google gods recognized I was looking at starting my own blog, a tidal wave of information rushed over me. There was course after course, product after product, best practices and more that all promised the secret to being successful in business. When you don’t know exactly what you are doing, everything seems equally viable and the pressure to “do it all” can be exhausting and debilitating.

About a month in I was feeling extremely overwhelmed. I had listened to a new training and was feeling anxious and paralyzed about what steps to take. Should I follow the advice of the person giving the training? Did I need to incorporate one more thing into my strategy? I was talking over how I was feeling with a friend and they asked me the following question:

“Fast-forward two years and imagine that you have a successful business. How would you feel about the training at that point?”

To which my answer was, “I would probably listen to it, take the information as one piece of input, and then make a decision about what would work best for me”.

That simple shift from “I have to do this or else I am going to fail” to recognizing advice as simply one path to consider completely released the anxiety I had been feeling. With this pressure released, I was able to refocus all my scattered energy onto actions that actually supported the work I was trying to create.

Trainings and education can have an essential role in learning to build a business. But to create something unique and meaningful, access to your own internal wisdom will always be your most strategic asset. When you are trying to do something new, it can be easy to ignore that internal voice in place of outside experts. But the problem with this is that it can often be debilitating and keep you from taking action. And without action, you are not going to get anywhere any time fast.

If you find yourself overwhelmed and hesitant to take action, I encourage you to ask yourself the same question my friend asked me:

“Fast-forward two years and imagine that you have a successful business. How would you feel about [insert whatever is stressing you out] at that point?”

The current version of you doesn’t have all the answers. But future you does. So when you’re not sure what to do, asking your future self can help you see things more clearly and tap into your own internal wisdom. This helps you stay focused on your own path and not get distracted by all of the noise. When you are focused you can direct your energy towards the most important activities for your business. You might not get it right 100% of the time, but by taking action you can keep learning and adapting and ultimately create something that you are proud of.

I hear so many people get trapped in indecision and information overload, and I feel tons of empathy because I have been there myself many times. If you are feeling that way, I encourage you to try this exercise and see how it can help you become unstuck and focused on moving forward.

 

Louisa is a productivity coach who believes that your value is based on more than just your productivity. Visit her at theactually.com for her free guide to creating an organization system that supports a balanced life in order to avoid burnout and feel more calm and joy. Louisa is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and the General Manager of a major regional theater.

20 Ways to Stay Motivated in 2020 by @DrRKayGreen

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by Dr. R. Kay Green | Featured Contributor

January has hardly begun, but already people are forgetting or giving up on their resolutions and goals. This is a process that happens every year, and it happens because once the “shine” is off the new year, it can be incredibly hard to stay motivated.

However, “hard” does not mean impossible, and with a bit of effort you can stay excited and engaged with your goals all year long. Here are 20 ways to keep your motivation up in 2020.

  1. Break your goals into chunks. If you try to tackle a large goal, you might wind up discouraged by just how much work there is to do. But splitting your goals into smaller parts will help sustain a feeling of accomplishment across a span of weeks or months.
  2. Set an intention for each day. This intention can be big, like starting on a project that you have been putting off, or small, like waking up five minutes earlier. But having at least one “win” every day can keep you feeling motivated and excited!
  3. Practice positive thinking. Optimism is learned. And people who think positively often have more positive experiences in life. How you approach things will often attract the sort of results you want to see, so try your best to catch your self in negative self-talk and replace that with more positive thoughts.
  4. Stay grateful. Practicing gratitude is an important part of motivation. At the end of the day, go over the things that happened that you are grateful for. This will help you to start the next day with motivation and excitement!
  5. Make sure each goal has a “why.” Nothing kills motivation faster than not having a clear reason for your goal. After all, if you do not know why you are doing something, what is the point of doing it? Put your “why” somewhere you can see.
  6. Get friends to hold you accountable. It is a lot harder to “slack off” on goals when you know that someone else is counting on you to do them. Make it reciprocal, too — help your friends stay on track with their goals, and you can get motivated by their success as much as your own.
  7. Reread your goals regularly. As we get into the day-to-day grind of life, it can be easy to lose sight of our larger goals. So take some time to read your goals weekly, or even daily. Keeping them top of mind will help you stay motivated to achieve them.
  8. Start slowly. When we set our goals, it can be tempted to jump into them all at once. But this can often lead to burnout and a lack of motivation. Instead, find a place to start small with your goals, and build your way up from there.
  9. Track your progress. If we cannot see the strides we are making, we run the risk of giving up entirely because it feels like it is not making a difference. Finding a way to track your progress can help motivation. Daily trackers are a great way to do this, because it encourages you not to “break the chain.”
  10. Schedule in time to work on your goals. It is easy to say that you will work on a goal “when you have the time.” But if you follow that train of thought, it will be easy to find excuses to never start. Set yourself clear deadlines and then schedule in time to work before your deadlines, too.
  11. Schedule days off, too. As important as it is to work on your goals, constant work is not sustainable. Make sure that you are taking regular breaks in order to keep your mind and your motivation sharp. You will find yourself returning to your goals with renewed excitement.
  12. Be sure to “unplug.” We live in a world with more distractions than ever before. It makes keeping up with goals very difficult, and motivation is hard to keep when it feels like there are a thousand more interesting things we could be doing. Schedule time to eliminate distractions like phone and internet.
  13. Identify your procrastination triggers. Some people procrastinate when they are stressed, others procrastinate when things feel like they will take too long or go too slow. Realize what your procrastination triggers are and come up with a plan to combat them, to keep motivation.
  14. Have a five and ten year plan. Where do you want to be in five and ten years? Identify that, and then take the time to consider how this year’s goals will help you reach the person you want to be in the future. This will make it much easier to stay motivated.
  15. Mix professional goals with fun goals. Having “fun” goals is a great way to stay motivated. Make it a goal to take a trip somewhere you have always wanted to go, or to try something new that you have always wanted to try. Working on these goals will make it easier to work on your more professional goals.
  16. Do nightly reviews. Take some time at the end of your day to review what you did to work on your goals, how it made you feel, and what you want to do next. Keeping track this way will help you stay motivated to take next steps.
  17. Reward yourself for completing goals. Rewards and incentives are powerful motivators. Do not be afraid to give yourself some when you finish a goal! This will help you stay motivated for the next ones, as you will be excited for the next reward!
  18. Help others set goals and intentions. Helping other people set their goals can be incredibly motivating. Seeing other people succeed gives you the drive and excitement that you need to succeed, as well!
  19. Celebrate your successes. Celebrating and simply giving yourself a “pat on the back” feels good. So while it can be tempting to simply check off one goal on your list and move onto the next one, take some time to recognize that you did well.
  20. Learn new things. Learning is a powerful motivator. When we educate ourselves, it empowers us and makes us want to take that new knowledge into the world. Employees are more motivated by custom classes, which is why more businesses are investing in them.

———————————————————————-

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

Video Marketing Strategies for 2020 by @DONNAAMOS

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video marketing 2020

by Donna Amos | Featured Contributor 

The video revolution has completely transformed how we consume content. Now, information is delivered in a visual, entertaining, and even interactive manner that engages users better than any other medium. Video is also a natural storytelling medium, making it both compelling and persuasive. These combined elements are why video advertising is so successful.

Let’s look at some facts:

  • According to a Hubspot study, 96% of consumers between the ages of 18-34 watch videos several times throughout the week, and 75% of millennials watch at least one daily video.
  • 64% of consumers claim that marketing videos have had an impact on their purchasing decision.
  • 45% of people watch more than an hour of video on Facebook and YouTube each week.
  • 90% of video viewers say that product videos are helpful in the decision-making process.
  • Videos are shared on social media 1200% more than images and text combined.
  • 85% of Facebook users watch videos with the sound turned off.
  • Videos in Instagram get twice the engagement of videos on other social platforms.

Statistics are from this link.

Using Video Marketing for Your Company

Of course, to be successful using video marketing, you will need to perform some preliminary work. Just creating and posting random videos will not bring leads pouring in. Use the following steps and linked resources to craft an overall approach to video marketing for your company.

  1. Research your target audience. Who is your target audience? What type of video content to they prefer? What social platform do they use most to consume video content? When are they most likely to be watching online video? What are the most effective types of video for reaching this demographic?

Resources:

  1. Outline a Plan for Sharing Video. What types of video will you use? What social platforms will you use to share your company videos? Will you need to craft specific videos for each platform? When is the best time to share video on these platforms? How often should you share video content? How often should you repeat the same video content? How much budget is available for paid video ads and promotion?
  2. Determine Who Will Create Your Videos. Do you need a professional media company? What types of video can your marketing team produce in-house? What do they need to produce quality videos? How much budget is available for creating custom videos? What is the best balance of video types for your company?

Popular Video Strategies for the Coming Year

As you formulate a plan for using video content in your company marketing, consider these types of video and how they fit into your overall plan. We give just a brief overview of each type.

Live Streaming

Live streaming on social platforms is a free, no-frills, personal method of promoting your company messages. Facebook Live, Instagram Live, and YouTube Live all help users feel like they are being spoken to directly. This feeling of intimacy encourages engagement since they know that their questions or comments can be answered in real time.

You can use live videos to promote practically anything, including:

  • New products
  • Announcements
  • Product demos
  • Webinars
  • Question and answer sessions, FAQs and SAQs (Should-Ask Questions)
  • Interviews
  • Events
  • Tips
  • Testimonials

These are a great way to start because they require no editing, special studios, or preproduction efforts or costs. Just go live with your phone and create great content.

Video Podcasts

A video podcast, or videocast, is simply just an audio podcast that you record on video. As popular as podcasts are today, an occasional videocast will allow viewers to see who they regularly hear, and observe the behind-the-scenes goings on while the podcast is being recorded. It’s a great way to make users feel more connected with your company spokespeople or podcast host.

Video Tutorials

Tutorials and explanatory videos are highly sought-after content (remember the stats from above). Many consumers search for how-to videos for DIY projects or using certain products. You should have a video tutorial for each of your products. Even if you only provide serves, some video tutorials explaining how you provide those services, especially in certain situations or for particular needs, can be great tools for users. These can be professionally produced, created in your own setting, or done over Live Streaming video.

IGTV and Vertical Videos

Users spend more time consuming video on smartphones than over tablets or desktop computers. This has led to the rise of vertically formatted videos and IGTV, Instagram’s TV-like channel for users and brands. Now, vertical videos can be viewed on Facebook and YouTube. Vertical videos are easier to watch on mobile devices, meaning that your video is more likely to be watched and remembered.

Shoppable Videos

Shoppable videos allow consumers a direct way to make purchases and be redirected to product pages. On shoppable videos, users click on a hyperlink and go directly to the online shopping process. Every social media video should contain a shoppable link.

Testimonials

Testimonial videos are one of the strongest types of videos. They show past or current satisfied customers talking about their positive experience using your product or service. Honest personal feedback from a customer is stronger than anything you could say about your own company. Customer testimonials are usually between 30 seconds and two minutes long and can focus on one happy customer or several.

What kinds of video do you use in your company marketing? What level of success have you enjoyed through video marketing? Share your thoughts and insights with our readers in the comments below.

Why The First Trip You Plan for 2020 Should Be A Vacation by Silke Wolf of @local_insiders

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by Silke Wolf

Do you need to go on a vacation? No. Nearly 50% of Americans got by without taking one last year. But if you’re a hard-working entrepreneur juggling everything from funnels to freelance employees, you should go on vacation this year. And I’m not just saying that because, as a vacation concierge, it’s my business to send people on spectacular, bespoke trips. I’m saying it because as a business-owner, I’ve seen the immense value of taking time off: everything from increased productivity to breakthrough creativity and more.

 

In this story, I’ll share five surprising reasons why you should start planning your 2020 vacation right now. They’ll include giving yourself the chance to:

  • Connect with neglected loved ones. While you’re out there hustling, it can be very easy for your friends and family to feel completely ignored. On a digital-free vacation you can show them they’re a priority.
  • Shower yourself in self-care. Going to a live concert at a dream destination is far different than listening to streaming music at home.
  • Shift your perspective. It helps to get a different look at things while we’re away from home. To travel is to see the world through new eyes.
  • Meet potential business partners. Yes, you can mix business with pleasure–briefly. Grab a business card or connect with them on LinkedIn and email them when you get home.
  • Recharge your batteries. Your body will reward you with creativity when you get rest. You’re most creative when you least expect it. Just let your mind wander. There’s science that proves that you’re most creative when you don’t try to force yourself into being creative
  • Just take time to unwind for no other reason than to just be and to enjoy. You only live once. So often we hustle when we should just stop, listen, quiet our minds and just enjoy being in the moment for once. Being away from home makes it easier to do so.

 

 

Silke Wolf is an international vacation concierge and founder of Local Insiders, a bespoke travel service that makes you feel like a local even when you are thousands of miles from home. Her customized travel experiences perfectly pair visitors with locals who are passionate about art, food, fashion, beauty, music and more. Silke has been an avid traveler for decades and has visited over a hundred cities across the globe from Honolulu to Havana to Paris to Shanghai. She has connected with experts around the globe to create a network of more than 100 insiders to match with her clients. Silke’s travel advice has been featured in Thrive Global, Travel Awaits and Business Travel Life. While she lives in Switzerland, Silke travels almost every weekend to find the unique sights, sounds, and tastes of regions that you won’t read about in a guidebook. Her mission is to help vacationers experience their dream vacation, discover the undiscovered, escape the crowds, and add a little magic to their time away.

How to Create A Visually Compelling Personal Brand (Even if You are Not a Designer) by @Zolotareva_N

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by Natasha Zolotareva

If you’re to stand out from the rest, distinct personal branding is crucial in this heavy statured market. Providing PR services to authors and thought leaders I know if your website looks like it was made in the 90s and your social accounts are “raw and authentic” but have no visual unity to them, the media is more likely to hesitate to feature you as an expert.

I was lucky enough to catch up with the Creative Director of SimplyBe. Agency, Aleksa Narbutaitis, and get her thoughts on the visual aspect of personal branding and its importance for both individuals and businesses.

For Aleksa, creativity is in her blood. Encouraged to embrace it throughout childhood, she played a major role in starting a successful business from the ground up. Then, joined forces with SimplyBe. founder Jessica Zweig, she’s helped shape the agency into the successful company it is today.

First get clarity on your story, only then on visuals.

Aleksa emphasizes the importance of regarding visual branding as one piece of a bigger whole and not a stand-alone process. This means when she starts working with an individual, her goal is to narrow down their preferences, tastes, characteristics, and experience, and clarify cohesive output that would be consistent though visuals,

If you are going though the same process, creating your own brand, here are some questions you can ask yourself:

  • What key pieces of your story do you want to tell?
  • What do you want to be known for?
  • What kind of people should this brand attract?

As humans, we’re all visual creatures. So, brands need to be tailored to specific people and their preferences to be most effective when targeting a specific audience.

Get intentional about your brand.

Though it can be hard to measure the success of visual branding as such, Aleksa believes it’s possible to look to tangible examples here. This means the areas that really matter.

This includes everything from your website and Instagram page to the business card you carry, and even what you wear during presentations! Visual branding infiltrates all of this and much more.

Clarity and intent are crucial in attracting opportunity and audience. So, once you get your intended message right, you can begin to grow, with people catching on to what you’re doing.

Now let’s get visual (even if you are not a designer).

Developing a visual brand is quite a fun process. It’s pretty much like digging into the core of your being to bring out the essence. Here are few questions that can help:

  • What are your tastes and preferences? Don’t stop at the first thing that comes to mind, dig deeper.
  • What are some things you like and don’t like. Aspects of culture, foods, music, etc.
  • Who are the thought leaders that you’re inspired by and want to take a page from?

This information is then transferred to a mood board exploration, put together as collages of fonts, textures, colors, and feelings. This allows you to figure out which one of these venues you want to follow.

 

 

These boards create the rest of the visual brand, so it’s an important exercise.

Summarized, it’s a process of exploration, content, and refinement – all until you arrive at your ideal visual brand message.

Aleksa’s Practical Advice

  • Decide what you do (and don’t) like
  • Train your brain to notice your surroundings. Take inspiration from what you see. Take actual notes and photographs if needed.
  • Become more aware of what you see on your way to work or on your night out, the photos you see when flicking through a magazine, the adverts on TV and any other means of visual branding.
  • Don’t glance, pay attention to visuals in outdoor advertising, online ads and ask yourself why you think they chose it
  • Always start by drafting your vision on paper. If lacking drawing and pinging skills opt for a collage. Only then transfer it online
  • Select the right platform for your specific needs. Instagram doesn’t make sense for every industry – play to your strengths and go where your audience consumes content.
  • Keep your website updated – it’s an essential online business card. As your brand evolves so should its visual representation.
  • Link all your online channels together – encourage those on one to follow the other, make sure there is a visual cohesion between all.

 

 

About the author Natasha Zolotareva: I’m a digital marketer, artist, and journalist and salsa enthusiast. For me all these career paths of mine boil down to one core interest: I love to meet people, discover stories that are worth sharing and help those people to be heard. I’ve helped many authors and entrepreneurs to score that Amazon bestseller title. Currently, I’m focused on building a PR agency for wellness thought leaders while dragging a slightly overweight suitcase around the globe.

Finding Comfort in Your Next Chapter by Jennifer Wolfsberg of @Centerpoint_Now

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by Jennifer Wolfsberg

There comes a time in life when a shift of professional interest seems to occur. It is not an abrupt or obvious feeling, and for some it is a gradual redirection of career focus or personal interest. The self-awareness that it takes to recognize that you are in this phase is not easy nor is it comfortable for most. There is no obvious answer, no light bulb that goes off, but it quietly grows over time; a feeling of malaise that seems to creep into your life. This feeling is a sense that an adjustment is needed yet cannot be defined.

I recently listened to a podcast of “The Tim Ferris Show” when he hosted the self-help motivational speaker, Tony Robbins. I found this interview so captivating and relevant to our daily practice as it eloquently outlined some of the personal challenges we see individuals face in defining achievement versus fulfillment as they enter different periods in their lives. A career change can poses financial risks that can generally be calculated. But emotionally, how do you calculate the cost of continuing on a path that no longer brings enjoyment, or worse – makes you miserable?

Many women have climbed the corporate ladder or built a successful business, purchased their dream home, raised a beautiful family, and have achieved the financial independence they so fiercely desired. The original drive that helped them achieve this success in a specific industry or role, however, no longer seems to function as their daily fuel for spending long nights at the office. While some can articulate this feeling, many are struggling to identify a void that they cannot describe. Their longtime profession is becoming less desirable, and they find their attention being drawn to other areas of interest. Their original plan of working the same hours, in the same structure, under the same terms, for 40+ years no longer provides the same level of satisfaction and contentment as it once had.

Our life experiences shape who we become both personally and professionally, yet the more experience we have, the more our perspectives can change. Financial success, while providing an amazing platform of lifestyle choices, may not always provide the level of fulfillment we are looking for. As humans we crave involvement, contribution, community, and progress, but these take on varying definitions along the journey of our lives. Reaching fulfillment may require changing industries, careers, and roles, starting a new business, or delving into nonprofit and volunteer work. There is no right or wrong answer, just planning and acceptance to change. This in no way means that financial success is not important, but only that success may take a different form for you as you enter different stages of your life.

While many clients and families openly communicate these thoughts and allow us to guide them in the financial planning process when needed, many avoid the discussion until they are at a critical point or immediate action is required. In our experience, the danger in not addressing the innate need for fulfillment can have negative emotional effects and irreversible financial consequences.

We find ourselves in the midst of a new era of consulting and advisory services, and perhaps one of the most difficult for many clients and advisors. Unfortunately the term “Wealth Management” can serve as an industry catchall rather than a clear encapsulation of our breadth of services. We cannot capture or illustrate the countless hours of financial coaching and active listening we so passionately enjoy as we guide clients and their families through these many phases. It may not seem like the obvious solution in your planning, but entrusting your personal fulfillment goals with your financial advisor, and being authentic and vulnerable in that process, will help these professionals lead you comfortably into your next chapter when you are suddenly ready.

 

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With over 20 years of wealth management experience, Jennifer serves as Managing Principal of Centerpoint Advisors and leads the team’s communications with clients and their families. She manages the overall client and family planning needs and thrives on the synergistic coordination and collaboration of her team with her client’s other advisors and professionals, including but not limited to their CPAs, estate, divorce and corporate attorneys, and insurance professionals. Her macro view for big picture needs solidifies the complete vision that keeps high net worth families on track to achieve their goals. Jennifer is co-founder of Centerpoint Advisors and is Managing Principal of the firm alongside her partner, and brother, Managing Principal John Wolfsberg.

 

How to own your product pricing and avoid outsourcing your confidence

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by Michelle Heinsimer

After months of hard work, literal sweat and only a handful of tears, I clicked submit, held my breath and hoped for the best.

It was the start of my latest product launch and if this one didn’t work, it was probably going to be my last. Over the prior year, I’d launched 3 different product lines, each one better (and more profitable), but I was still struggling to find the “right” thing. The product that would make my heart sing, bring joy to my customers and finally turn my part-time hobby into a full-blown side hustle. I didn’t know it at the time but this launch would not only blow all of my previous launches out of the water, but it would also 10x my revenue and profits and to think, it almost didn’t happen at all.

Only a few weeks before I’d been fine-tuning my designs and reviewing final samples. Excitement coursing through me. I was sure this was it. This was “the one.”

In my excitement, I thought it would be fun to share samples with some of my girlfriends and while they ohh’d and ahh’d at the sweet designs and silky soft fabric, I made a nearly fatal error. I asked what they’d be willing to pay for the product.

I already had a price in mind and I wasn’t looking to sell to my girlfriends, I was just interested in their opinion (and, ok, maybe a little validation that my price was the “right” price.) I was expecting something in the ballpark of my planned price but instead, one of my friends spit out a price that was barely $2 higher than what it cost to make it.

Shoot.

My stomach dropped.

My heart raced.

For a brief moment I thought it was all over. There was no way I could sell them at that price. Not if I wanted more than a part-time hobby.

I took a breath, smiled, and promptly changed the subject.

I got home that night and reviewed my work. Had I done the math correctly? Yes. Did I feel confident about my production and material choices? I sure did. Did I still feel excited about the designs themselves? You bet.

I could have let my friend’s opinion derail my plans. I could have canceled the launch, lowered the price or tried to add more to an already excellent product to justify the price tag. I didn’t do any of that – I knew I’d done the hard work upfront to validate my launch strategy, the product itself and the price. I was ready. One opinion wasn’t going to stand in the way.

I launched my line a few weeks later at a price that was 50% higher than what my friend said she’d be willing to pay. Within 3 weeks it was my best selling (and most profitable) product. Over the next year I 10x my total shop revenue and I now have customers who come back regularly to purchase gifts for friends. There is truly no bigger compliment. Or better validation that there’s nothing wrong with my price.

As entrepreneurs, it’s natural to want feedback from the people around us. Our work is exciting but often it’s also very isolating and asking for opinions is a fun way to involve people we love and respect.

But when we ask people how much they want to pay for something, especially out of context, we risk ending up with unhelpful opinions that are just that, opinions. Not based on data or fact. Based instead on each person’s unique biases about how much they think they’d be willing to spend on something.

People tend to respond to money questions conservatively – “I’d rather not pay more than $30” or “I’d probably we willing to spend $20.”

But the reality is our willingness to spend money is dependent on so many factors – how much money we have in our wallet that day, whether we’re searching on Amazon or Anthropologie, how lux the packaging is, whether or not the lifestyle presented in the product photos is the kind of life we really, really want to have, etc.

Ultimately, our willingness to spend (unless it’s something like toilet paper and even then we’d probably shell out extra for the right feature), has less to do with how much we’re willing to pay, and a lot more to do with how much we value the experience we believe a product will give us. And that value is hard for people to put a number on, particularly when they’re not in the market to buy what we’re selling or when they’re asked out of context.

So the next time you’re tempted to do what I did and casually ask a friend or even a fellow entrepreneur what they’d be willing to pay for something, take a step back and ask yourself:

* If their opinion isn’t in line with what you’re planning to charge, is it going to cause unnecessary drama and derail your plans?

* Are you asking because you need help? If yes, is this person equipped to help you?

* Are you asking because you’re feeling nervous and unwittingly outsourcing your confidence, hoping they’ll tell you the “right” answer?

Ultimately you’re the only one who knows the true value of what you’re offering and only you can decide if a price is the “right” one.

 

 

Michelle Heinsimer is a product pricing coach based in sunny St. Pete, Florida. A former retail consultant for one of the top consulting firms in the US, she helps product-based business owners ditch the drama and use the data to confidently set product prices. You can grab a free copy of her roadmap to profitable product pricing at www.mandkcollective.com