Marketing noise is on the rise. It is harder to be seen and heard than ever before. At least, in some ways. The truth is that your existing customers, fans, and subscribers are still your best source of new business - that is, if your relationship is strong enough. If they're not thinking of you when they're ready to buy, it's time to re-think how you're connecting and building relationships with them. Here are a few tips to prime the pump:
Some of your clients may be very active on social media, while others only connect with you via email. I have one client who prefers texting to anything else. It's important for you to know what your clients like and find the solution that works for you and them. If you have customers who spend their entire lives on social media, why would you waste your efforts in contacting them over the telephone? If you hate social media, however, maybe the solution is to hire help to navigate social or find an audience that hates social as much as you do and work only with them. For years, marketing legend Dan Kennedy only used direct mail marketing to reach his audience. He built his empire sending paper newsletters in the mail. Choose one or two methods of communication, make them as simple as possible, and stay consistent in your outreach.
This is a place where I've fallen down a LOT over the years - and it's something we're working to improve on a company-wide basis. When a new subscriber joins your email list, or a new purchase is made, it's not only a great time to offer an upsell (like so many marketing gurus tell you), but it's also a great time to start connecting on a deeper level. Welcome your new buyers or subscribers with a "nurture sequence" to hep them ease into your world. Let them have an opportunity to look deeper at who you are, what you're about, and the world you're trying to create through your Great Work. This not only helps them get to know you and build that Know, Like, and Trust factor, it also keeps you top of mind because they're seeing you show up in their world on a consistent basis.
Need support to develop a winning nurture sequence? There are loads of resources inside the Rising Tide Learning Library to help you find and attract your right audience.
Ruthless honesty boils down to telling the truth in love - including owning up to your mistakes. Nobody expects you to be perfect anymore. I mean, sure, it would be nice, but more important than perfection is being trustworthy. If your audience doesn't trust what you say, why would they give you their money?
When creative entrepreneurs start a business, they often believe they have something the world needs. But a healthy business is more than having a good product or service. Ultimately, it's about relationships - in SO many ways! Stronger bonds with your customers is only one relationship - and one of the most fundamental necessities of being in business.
Most creative entrepreneurs I know are quite content to make just enough cash to pay the bills and keep a roof over their heads without having to work 50-60 hours a week. As my own business coaching practice has grown, I've discovered that more than 40% of my clients are in a position where they simply can't work a 40-hour week, due to disability, chronic illness, or other demands on their physical capacity.
It's a harsh reality of how our current society is wired that turns many otherwise hard-working, ambitious individuals toward entrepreneurship.
But among those ambitious folks are a select few hell-bent on making the world their oyster, so to speak. A global business removes the limitations that a local market can place on your income. You can extend the life of your offers by reaching new markets, reducing your dependence on local markets. You can use your expertise to benefit the others who might not even know it exists yet, allowing you to create more Raving Fans. It allows you to expand your reach, your impact, and ideally - your income.
A global business is not without its hassles, though. If you're trying to make a money transfer to Bangladesh, or outsourcing to international team members, you can run into currency exchange issues, or rejected payments. You'll also have other competitors to consider - who may have a stronger foothold in those foreign markets. Plus, depending on your market, you may run into regulatory issues that you'll need to navigate.
It pays to do your homework before casting a wider net, but don't let hiccups like these prevent you from finding and serving your Raving Fans.
With this huge amount of potential for international growth for your business, here are three options to consider for taking your creative business to a global audience.
1. Import and Export
Whether you're using foreign companies to create your next physical product, or you're shipping your art overseas, this is one of the oldest forms of international trade.
The biggest obstacles for most creatives are freight and customs. With freight, the larger/heavier your items, the more it's going to cost to ship. That makes sense. But even small items can get held up in customs for months. Make sure that anything you're shipping isn't against the rules of the country you're shipping into and you should be good to go.
2. Franchising
When a business operates under the brand name of a firm company, this is known as franchising. A popular global franchise is a McDonald’s, which when opened overseas benefits from brand recognition instantly.
Don't think that you couldn't franchise your own creative business. There are plenty of art studio franchises in the world. Yours could be next. The biggest benefit to a franchise buyer is systems and brand reputation. People don't buy McDonald's franchises because they want the best burgers in the world. They buy the franchise because the name brand is well known, carries a positive reputation in the marketplace, and has systematized everything so that you can get up and running quickly. While I wouldn't recommend setting up a franchise if you're a Chaotic creative, Linears can often find wider success here.
3. Licensing
Licensing is where there is an agreement made to enable you to use a brand name or idea that another company owns. For example a company making wall art can get a license to create images of certain favorite movie characters for canvases. I am a certified Fix This Next advisor, which means I've passed the certification and paid my annual licensing fee to be a certified advisor. This give me a license to use Mike Michalowicz's Fix This Next intellectual property in my own business - according to the terms of the agreement.
After entering into an agreement a company becomes a licensee. All of the terms and conditions are stipulated within the agreement, including using images and sharing some of the revenue. There are strict rules that you have to stick to if you go into licensing.
We're actively researching the process to certify and license the Creative Freedom coaching method for other business coaches. We're still a few years off, but it's another way for us to grow the reach of the company into new markets.
This is also a great way for Chaotics and Fusions to expand their celebrity. Many famous creatives license their name or likeness for physical products and services - like Melissa McCarthy's line of clothing, or Lady Gaga's oreo cookies. The company pays you a licensing fee in order to use your name or likeness on their products and you've pretty much got a hands-off revenue stream.
If you've got a body of work, intellectual property, or even a well-known face or name, there's a way to reach a larger, global audience. It's just a matter of doing the research, making sure you've covered your bases with regulators, and developed iron-clad contracts to protect yourself as your company grows.
We all have our own business dreams. Maybe you're struggling to pull the trigger or have no idea how to start a business without compromising your ideals. I've been there! But, setting up your side hustle and working on it in the off hours, could be the springboard to something that’s worth going full time on.
At least, that sounds good in theory.
A side hustle isn't without consequences and opportunity costs. But, if you know what is going to cost you and how to keep that in mind as you work, you’ll be in a much better position for eventually launching your side hustle into a full-time income.
You're going to sacrifice your "off time" from your job and plow it into your side hustle. Is it worth it? Who will you not get to see? Who will you not get to spend time with because you're working your side gig? How long are you willing to let that go on? Is it worth it (to them as well as you)? This is time you will not get back. If there are other things you'd rather be doing, DO THEM. Regret is one of the biggest thief in anyone's life. Don't let it rob you of yours.
A side hustle can also cost you time and money by simply not valuing your time appropriately. Working dollars for hours is a hard row to hoe if you're not being well paid. Do the math: are the hours your investing in your side hustle paying off in ways that are equal or greater to the hourly rate you're currently earning at your job? If not, why not? What will you do differently?
Side hustles also imply an energy cost. You have to dedicate not only your time and money, but also your psychic/mental/physical/emotional energy. Let's be frank: you only have so many spoons to go around!
If you’re a seasoned side hustler, you’ll know that doing two jobs at the same time is a challenge. You spend all day toiling in your day job and then have to spend yet more energy in the evenings and weekends trying to get your side hustle going. Dividing your time in this manner can take a toll on you!
Fortunately, there are ways you can save your energy for the tasks that really matter. Hiring a Squarespace website designer (or my wordpress site designer) for instance, is one idea. Allowing an accountant to manage the financial side of your business is another. Remember, the more tasks that you can pass over to other people, the more spoons you save for the truly important things in your business that only you can do. You can delegate or automate to free you up to serve your customers and clients in ways that only you can.
Whether you're paying for blog hosting, data storage or protection, licensing, certifications, or things like training and coaching, there are investments you need to make in your business even if it's just a side hustle. Those costs can make it a challenge to dive in - especially if they begin to outpace your current income.
A side hustle can start in seemingly small ways and quickly balloon into full-time projects that aren't making full-time income. Especially if you're still in a day job, you need to set and honor boundaries around your side hustle. That includes time boundaries as well as financial and energetic ones.
That may mean turning down or firing clients, or having "work hours" for your side hustle. It can also mean delegating or outsourcing if you've been trying to do it all yourself. Companies that offer hosting, storage, and managed IT services are all over the place (DreamHost and Dropbox for example). Automation tools (IFTTT and Zapier come to mind) make it easy to have those services all "talk' to each other and work together to save you even more time and energy. Sometimes it's worth a couple extra bucks to have everything integrated. Sometimes, it's not. Part of your job as the business owner is to know the difference and make the decision that best supports your company.
No, not SKUNK costs (although, they can stink!), but SUNK costs - an investment you've already made that you can't recover... like that annual non-refundable subscription that you barely ever use, or the time you've already invested in building up a social media presence on a particular platform only to have them make changes that make it harder to build your audience (Yeah, Facebook, I'm giving you the skunk eye!).
You get out of a side hustle what you put in, and if you’re not committed to being consistent with it, it will always feel like an uphill slog. Notice, though, I said consistent, not frequent. You don't have to work your side hustle every day. Find a frequency that works for you and be consistent with it. Face your fear of failure here; if the reason you don’t want to face your side hustle is due to the perfectionist that you are, let go a little, and make a plan.
While a side hustle can appear to be the corporate escape hatch you've been looking for, it comes with its own set of issues. Stay true to why you developed the business in the first place. If you can't stay in alignment with both your values and your budget, it might be time to do things differently - or quit before you start.
I'm not trying to be a pessimist here. The reality is that ANY business requires an investment of resources. If you're not ready to make that investment for the long term, it's a cost you can avoid by not starting in the first place. On the other hand, if you're ready to make the commitment for the long haul, and want support to see you through to a full-time income doing what you love, consider joining us in the Creative Freedom Incuabtor. Doors are open for a limited time. We'd love to welcome you in!
Running a business requires a lot of juggling. Work piles up, and if your support team isn't on point, you have to sort it out yourself. As a creative entrepreneur, that's one less thing you want to deal with - amirite?
I've talked in previous posts about the importance of delegation. At some point, you just can’t do it all yourself. Yes, Fusions, I'm talking to you. But I'm also talking to Chaotics who still have that Vulcan death grip of control over everything, and anyone else who is the bottleneck in your business.
In order to have a successful business, you must know how to delegate efficiently. Bad delegation can lead to poor results. Here are a few things that help make delegation easier:
When delegating work, make your expectations clear. Tell people what you want and how you want it. Without a clear endpoint in mind, your team can’t know what to aim for. They aren't mind readers! Make sure everyone is on the same page so that everyone knows what success looks like before they begin.
No helicopter supervising here! It can feel tempting to jump in and check on your delegated work every five minutes, but micromanagement often leads to poorer quality work being produced.
Instead, set a deadline to review the work. If this is the first time you've delegated this task, you may need to set a deadline for the first review and one for a final review later. You don't just want to throw your team to the wolves on the first assignment. Empowered your team to check in with questions, then trust them to do the work.
Once they've demonstrated proficiency, turn over the outcome to them completely. Unless something weird comes up, they shouldn't need you to manage the task once they've shown they are capable.
If, when the delegated work is returned to you, it doesn’t meet your expectations, say so. Don't try to fix it yourself. Your team needs to learn how to correct the work. If you do slip up and make the fixes yourself (sometimes it feels faster in the moment than trying to explain yourself), be sure to circle back to your team to let them know. Sometimes it really is easier to just fix it in the moment (especially for us Fusion creatives!), but that doesn't help your team learn what you want or how to fix it themselves.
Delegation is pointless if you end up with unsatisfactory results, which is why it's important to give your team extra time for new task assignments. It is important to voice concerns and give feedback, so work can be brought up to the level you want it to be. Remember: you are the boss. Your vision is important and should be enacted. Successful delegation is delegation that produces work of equal or better standard than you would.
When your workflow hits critical mass, delegation is not optional. But it's also important to delegate the right things. You don’t want to delegate highly specialized work that's in your zone of genius. On the other hand, there's probably more work you can delegate than you might realize.
This could include:
Be intentional and discerning in what you delegate to free up your resources for higher value activities.
Knowing whether work should be delegated internally or externally is key to successful delegation.
External delegation (also known as outsourcing) is something to consider if the work is a specialty that can't be covered effectively by your current team. For example, if your skill at content creation isn't producing the results you need, turning to a content writing service to provide it for you can save both money and time.
Remember, for me, it's not just about the return on investment, but the return on all your resources (ROR). Time, energy, money, effort, and attention are all valuable resources in growing your business.
If your current team can handle it, internal delegation is your best bet. You'll save money and can have a greater hand in shaping the work. Plus, if you're running on a tight timeline, you're more likely to hit your turnaround goals without paying a rush fee.
Delegation can be a real help to a creative enterprise when you think through your delegation options first. Know what you're aiming for, communicate it clearly, and give feedback on the finished result. If you're not getting the results you want, it may be time to outsource in order to crate more ease and efficiency in your business.
If you've been following my most recent posts, you'll notice a theme: delegation. Sometimes, delegation takes the form of outsourcing. Most creatives I've met have a laundry list of things they'd love to pass off to someone else, but don't really know where to begin.
That's what we're going to tackle today.
Outsourcing offers a wide range of potential benefits to your business; there’s no doubt about that. If you’re going to achieve your dreams, it’s sometimes necessary to ask for help, which sometimes means outsourcing. But which things should your business be most interested in outsourcing? That’s the question we’re going to answer today, so read on to find out.
It’s often a good idea to outsource financial tasks, especially if you or someone on your team doesn't already have the expertise. Whether it's basic bookkeeping and accounting or more complicated financial issues like payroll, taxes, and benefits, this is one of the first places I see most creative entrepreneurs get help in their business.
Outsourcing payroll (and the tax statements that go with it) is increasingly common. It makes more sense to outsource it than to take care of it in-house in many instances. Companies like Paychex have been doing it for years. Mistakes in bookkeeping can be very costly, s0 put this work in the hands of people who know what they’re doing - and give yourself some peace of mind in the process.
Marketing is something that should never be overlooked. Good marketing tactics can be the difference between success and failure in the world of business, so demanding the best is necessary. A failure to market your products or services effectively only results in squandered potential, and no entrepreneur wants that.
With that in mind, outsourcing certainly makes a lot of sense as it allows you to hire a team of dedicated marketers to focus their full attention on marketing your business effectively to the right audiences.
When you've got employees, you'll need HR when you're dealing with more than the bookkeeping part of the employee equation. Things like benefits, inclusion & diversity initiatives, government paperwork, employee conflict resolution. I had ONE part-time employee and it was stressful managing just the government mandated paperwork. Imagine having more than one employee to content with!
Outsourcing your HR team means someone else can take the lead on those issues - including hiring and firing, if needed.
Outsourcing this need to a companies like Paychex, Bambee, or XMI Growth can make HR easy. If an in-house approach isn’t producing the results, consider this option instead.
And if you're looking to hire remote contractors on a short or long-term basis, a service like iworker can pre-screen their candidates to your job description. You'll get a list of qualified people to interview and select from without having to start from scratch. You pay the placement company, not the worker, so you have a lot more peace of mind if you need to replace someone.
One of my Incubator clients had hundreds of images that needed to be converted to a different file format because she was switching to a new publisher for her book. Instead of sitting down and doing all these file conversions manually, she passed that task off to our team, where we found a simple automated way to convert them. What would have taken her hours, if not days, of manual labor, we were able to complete in about an hour.
Things like data entry, scheduling blog posts or social media content, for example, are very necessary to the health of the business. But, they’re basic tasks that can be done by anybody, and that’s why they’re often best outsourced. It rarely makes sense to invest your time and energy taking care of these things when you can pass them to someone else - or even outsource them.
If you're at the point where you have more tasks than time or energy, it might be time to start outsourcing. One place to look is the Creative Freedom Incubator. We provide hands-on business support to all our Level Three clients. If you're ready to let go and trust a team of professionals to get your business operations humming along, join us! Enrollment is now open.
Starting your own business can be a mammoth task, no matter what your background. It is also an incredibly exciting time when you’re full of ideas and goals that you want to see through to fruition. New offers! New clients! New possibilities! Everything feels so fresh, new, and full of possibilities.
Unfortunately, for many new business owners, the sharp realities of running a successful company may find you in a pickle: compromising your values and ideals in order to grow more quickly. Turning a blind eye here; using a questionable marketing tactic there; compromising priorities, ethics, or values for a short-term win. Those grey areas can turn murky fast and leave you wondering who you've become and what kind of monster your business has turned you into.
It doesn't have to be that way. There are ways to start a business without compromising on yourself. Here are a few ideas to help:
In Dreamblazing (which is free in the member area!), we begin by defining what success looks like for you. That includes your values and beliefs. You can't feel successful if you're compromising your integrity - no matter how many goals you hit or boxes you check.
Define your core goals and ideals clearly. Know what you're playing for and what really matters to you beyond your creative business. When you start a business, you will have many ideas about how you want to run things, and some of these will inevitably change as you go.
It's also helpful to know your non-negotiables - the things you simply refuse to compromise on. It will allow you to be more flexible elsewhere whilst sticking to your guns when you have those difficult meetings and conversations. Defining your ideals is a first, vital step towards protecting them, and writing them down in a clear, concise manner will remind you and help you communicate to others exactly where you stand on the things that matter most to you.
Delegation, outsourcing and partnerships are often woefully underutilized by new business owners. You may think that you need to wait until you're a larger or more established business. Not true! Even if you've got a small company you can find help. Part time VA's and other remote workers abound. Or check out ‘Basics of Starting a New Business: How a PEO Can Help’ to learn how a Professional Employee Organization can assist you in hiring necessary staff without the added costs and effort of setting up your own payroll structure.
The planning phase of starting a business is one that many people skip over or rush. I get it. You want to get things going NOW and you want to be successful yesterday (especially if you're a Fusion Creative like me!). This planning time is vital, though, and you should make the most of it by taking it slowly.
Allow yourself thinking space to consider all the possibilities ahead, and all the potential roadblocks in your way. By conducting your planning thoroughly, you’ll be protecting yourself and your integrity for the future. You’re far less likely to have to compromise on one of your ideals after an unforeseen problem if you have already considered the possibility and developed a solution that fits your values. This kind of planning is not always possible in a crisis, so taking your time in the first place is a hugely valuable thing to do.
Planning for your goals and dreams - as well as potential crises - is what separates successful business owners from those who pack it in a year or two after they begin.
This isn't an exhaustive list, just a starting point. I'd also recommend gathering trusted advisors as you build, plan, and grow your business. Friends you trust to tell you the truth, a coach to help you see potential stumbling blocks and plan ahead, and a community of colleagues who have your back. If you're still looking for that fit, join us in the Creative Freedom Incubator. There's a tier that's right for where you're at in business and we'd love to welcome you to our family!
I've said before that I'm an Internet Marketing dinosaur. With over 25 years in the online world, I know the value that digital marketing can bring to any business. I had a website for years before blogs were a thing. After a little while on Myspace (remember that?), I decided to dip my toe into blogging. And am I ever-so-glad I did! My first foray into blogging (on blogspot, no less!) expanded my audience and my income. It helped me build the Noble Empire that would eventually become Direct Sales 101 and later the entire Creative Freedom brand.
There are different ways to achieve the level of success that you hope for. If you've got the cash, investing in PR, media, and publicity is a fast track to wide recognition. But digital marketing, including blogging, SEO, and sharing quality content and affiliate advertising usually cost less and have a longer-lasting and farther reaching impact for your business. My appearance on Disney+ last year saw a short-lived spike in my website traffic and book sales. A few people are just now discovering the show and reaching out on social media, but for the most part, the hubbub is over. But all the other marketing I do (including my show and my blog
Getting your business link shared on someone else’s blog is a positive way to go, but there is the additional possibility of running a blog around your business, which may attract enough interest to be a very useful part of your marketing. However, it is important to bear in mind that “a blog” in and of itself won’t make that much of an impact. It needs to be a blog that people are prepared to read - and that’s a trickier process.
"Consistently" doesn't always mean "frequently". I mean, if you can manage to crank out content like Gary Vee, then have at it. But most folks I know can't do that and keep their sanity.
So what makes sense for where you're at in your business. I know a six-figure independent author who writes a new blog post once a month. Then, he spends the entire month promoting that one blog post. WordPress makes it easy to schedule posts for a later date so that there are updates even when you’re otherwise occupied. Many times I'll film two or three episodes of the show at one time, but they're scheduled to only go out on a weekly basis during the show season.
You have a level of expertise that other people don’t, and you can gain regular satisfied blog readers by focusing on your expertise. Create how-to content, or demonstrate your art. People want to know how things work or go behind the scenes in your creative work. Humans have this vicarious nature where we want to see how other people operate. That's the entire basis of the reality show genre!
You may consider hiring a digital marketing company or other team members to help strengthen your blog, but remember that it's your expertise and talent that people are coming for. This season, I hired a copywriter to help develop a longer season for the show. It's still me in front of the camera and writing the content, but Jackie's brilliance in researching topic ideas and developing show outlines has saved me countless hours and helped me focus in on the parts I do best!
"Short" and "sharable" are relative terms. Content only needs to be as long as it needs to be in order to get the point across and make your desired impact. You don’t have to write anything particularly long. 500 words is plenty, and it doesn’t even need to be that much. Seth Godin regularly cranks out blog posts that look like haiku.
Conversely, if you feel like even 2000 words wouldn’t cover the topic you want to write about, you can serialize it. Five posts covering an entire week (or month) can create a lot of buzz... if you have something to say.
Make it easy for folks to share your content. There are plenty of plugins that help your blog readers make sharing easy. But they won't share if your content isn't engaging. Give them reasons to WANT to share your EPIC content!
Running a business blog can fast become your best traffic generation tool and solid source of (almost) free advertising. Focus on your expertise, create engaging content, and post consistently for best results.
Creating a successful business requires several different critical attributes from you, the business leader. Success doesn’t appear the second a lightbulb flashes and inspiration hits. Instead, it takes time, effort, and hard work.
But what are the traits that you need for success in business?
In this article, we’ll explore some of the traits that you need to be successful.
As someone with sort of a learning addiction, it makes sense I would say this, but I'm not advocating that you are ALWAYS reading and consuming information. No. Some of my best learning has come without cracking open a single book.
Some business leaders make the mistake of thinking that because they are in charge that they have some kind of superior knowledge to the rest of their team. Nobody can know everything, It's important to admit when you make a mistake or when you don't have a clue. it. By doing this, you open yourself up to learn a better way.
If you want to learn more about pallet shipping, the flammability of Victorian fashion, or other weird and wonderful subjects, you do some research. You might even consult someone you know who is already an expert on the subject. Seriously, though, women were going up in flames in those dresses. The things we do for fashion!
Learning doesn't stop because you've "arrived" at some level of leadership. In fact, it's even more important for you to stay abreast of things that impact the folks you lead. As a creative entrepreneur, that means staying knowledgeable about your industry and keeping your skills sharp, but also about what's impacting the lives of your fans. There's nothing worse than an out-of-touch rock star trying to be the voice of their fans.
Never stop learning - and stay humble in the process. There's always more that you don’t know.
As a business leader, you will need to be able to communicate with a range of different people. This will include suppliers, other business leaders, customers, fans, and maybe even investors. It's not a "nice to have". Solid communication skills are essential.
Be honest, fair, and direct. Beating around the bush is a recipe for disaster in almost every case - except maybe Christmas time, when keeping a secret means you don't spoil the surprise. Know your message, share it freely, and make it clear, so that people can understand what you're talking about.
I'm not talking about Glengarry Glen Ross here. Too much ambition can lead you to do some pretty unethical and deceptive things in order to get your way. Measured ambition keeps one eye on your goals and the other on your ethics so that you aren't trampling people on your way to the top of whatever heap you're aspiring to.
Business is cyclical. Income goes up and down - sometimes on a daily basis! During these challenging times it's the leader who has to keep morale high. Your ambition and enthusiasm for your vision will go a long way toward keeping your team focused on their goals.
No one can do it all - if for no other reason than you can't possibly know it all (see that point above)! Fusion Creatives, I know you'll have a hard time hearing me on this, because I've been there. At some point, you need to be able to ask for and accept help from others.
It's not just about delegating the things you don't enjoy doing. It's about making sure that the tasks you're assigning are generating the outcomes you desire.
There's a difference between having someone draft your email welcome sequence and having someone increase subscriber retention by 10% or more. One is a task, the other is the desired outcome. When you empower your team to handle the outcome, it's truly off your plate so that you can focus on other aspects of your business.
Empower your team to show you what they can do. Give them ownership of an outcome, responsibility for the task and you'll be delegating in an effective way.
To rephrase an old saw, no leader is an island. In order to be effective, there has to be someone to lead, a vision to follow, and as your organization grows in complexity, you need the support of others to keep it healthy. These 5 traits go a long way to making that happen.
Feeling stuck? Need some support to wade through all the information you already have? Want to make clearer, more confident decisions as the leader of your company? The Creative Freedom Incubator is now open for enrollment. Join a collective of creatives who are defining and achieving success on their own terms. We'd love to have you!
In the age of social media, it's become even more apparent that your customers want - maybe even need - a deeper connection with you. While it's been true for a while that most customers are looking for more than a purely transactional relationship, today it's even more apparent that your clients want to buy from companies and brands that they know, like, and trust. In an age where reviews carry more weight than ever, you must learn the importance of building trust and establishing strong relationships. Here are a few fundamental ways to deepen client relationships.
This may seem obvious, but it's a mistake where I see even multi-millionaire creatives fall short.
I was recently part of an online community that promised to be an intimate group, limited to 300 people at it's opening. Not only did this entrepreneur over-enroll their membership, but instead of closing the doors as promised, the following month the enrolled upwards of 1500 people! Now, don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled they created an offer that was in such demand and had their first million-dollar month, but at what cost?
It may sound like this is a good problem to have, there were enough of those original members (myself included), who felt like they'd gotten the old "bait and switch" - promise them one thing, but deliver something else. NOT a good problem to have. Yes, you could probably burn a few thousand bridges in the online world without really jeopardizing your business, but when people come to you expecting one thing and you do something different, you're just not keeping your promises.
As a customer, there are few things more frustrating. You want to trust the companies you work with and know that you're going to get what you're paying for. Make promises only when you know you can deliver. Address problems as soon as possible, if there are issues that are beyond your control. Even when things are on schedule, keeping your clients in the loop goes a long way toward building trust and creating repeat buyers.
Up-to-date cybersecurity. Legal contracts. Producing safe, quality offers. Mitigating risk with product guarantees. These are all ways you help protect your customers - even if you don't realize it. Buyers want total confidence in you when they visit your website, subscribe, or buy.
Most of your security issues are invisible to your clients - and if you're using third party providers to process payments, manage your email lists, and whatnot, you may not need a bunch of IT support to manage it all. Making sure you've got the right supports in place not only protects your customers from a data breach, it protects you as well.
All that protection, however, should be in the pursuit of building relationships, not building walls. Social media and email allow you to showcase the human side of your brand. There's a reason my Instagram followers like the photos of my breakfast or my bad hair days more than the photos of my latest podcast episode - because it shows I'm human!
Using online marketing (social networks, web pages and emails), you can introduce customers to your team, provide information about the company culture and ethos, and let people see how you work.
Engage with your followers, let them get to know you, and take advantage of the chance to get to know them, too. Forging stronger relationships with your clients can help you improve customer retention rates, but it can also provide an insight into changes you can make to optimize performance and make your brand more appealing to prospective customers. It’s a great idea to use multimedia content from time to time (video clips, images and live stories and broadcasts) to put names to faces and share news and updates.
In a culture that is growing more dependent on the online connections we make, creating strong relationships with customers is the heart of a healthy creative business. Most of your fans and followers are interested in YOU, so building relationships with your best clients can make a huge difference in the health and well being of your business.
Need support? The doors are open to the Creative Freedom Incubator. Let us help you grow your audience, make a bigger impact, and have the freedom to enjoy the income you're making along the way.
Working with a remote team (whether contract or employees) has benefits and challenges. When location isn't an issue for the position, you can find the best person for your job requirements. Still, even the best remote team can experience hiccups no matter how good a system you have in place.
If you're looking for ways to boost morale with your team - especially with holidays approaching (and a CRAZY 2020 in the books!) here are a few ideas to keep your team working well and motivated despite not seeing them face to face.
Everyone responds well to positive enforcement. Working from home or remote location can be lonely and a little boring day in day out. Some people love this feeling of independence, but others may struggle with the sense of isolation that remote working can bring.
Be generous with your compliments. Remember that, even though they are working or pay, every person on your team deserves your thanks (or they shouldn't be on your team in the first place!). They are making your life easier, they are helping you grow your dream, and that is worthy of praise.
As you check in with your team, reinforce how well things are going and how much you appreciate your support. Reward actions, such as hitting or exceeding sales targets. Celebrate milestones with gifts for employees or team members. Whether it's to say thanks, a holiday gift, or a reward for hitting targets, nothing is stopping you from sending your team physical gifts to show your appreciation. Just be sure to check mailing requirements if your team is out of the country.
As skilled and talented as your team may be, that doesn't mean you should leave them to fend for themselves. If people can't see the good they are doing, at some point they will lose sight of why they are doing what they do. Regular check-ins to discuss work, issues, new ideas, and upcoming project milestones can help keep your team on track and focused on the mission of the company. Plus, it's a convenient time to say thanks and show your appreciation as appropriate.
I check in with my team at least once a week to make sure things aren't slipping through the cracks and that everyone has what they need to be successful.
In most cases, remote workers thrive off the flexibility of not having to come into an office, and are willing to go above and beyond for you to get the job done because of that flexibility. Trust that your team knows what they are doing and don't need to be spoon-fed to get their work done. If you've done your due diligence in the hiring process, your team is skilled and capable. Trusting them, instead of micro-managing them, will help you reap big rewards over time.
If someone it consistently underperforming, check your systems and instructions before assuming anything negative about them. Then, see if they have any issues stopping them from doing their best. 2020 has created all kinds of stressors in the home that aren't typical in a remote work environment. One of my VA's had to relocate twice during the wildfires in California. Another had two children at home under six and a husband who was re-assigned to a job where he travelled half the month. Things that used to be easy suddenly were challenging. Talking through it helped right-size everyone's expectations, keep our team on track, and keep our clients happy during a very difficult time.
If you've got a healthy dose of competition in your organization, appeal to their inner competitive streak! Consider a visual scoreboard or chart to show company progress toward a goal, or to help your team see how they are personally doing as part of a team project. Keep things updated regularly so they have a visual representation of their work.
This list isn't exhaustive. There are plenty of ways to show appreciation or recognition to your team that don't cost a fortune. Ultimately, it comes down to being genuine and grateful about the people helping to make you a success.
If you're not quite ready yet to hire help, save this for future reference and get thee into the Creative Freedom Incubator so that you can stop doing #allthethings and have the help you need to succeed. Registration is now open and space is limited!
Consumer trust in brands is important, and yet the research suggests that buyers believe that a company can't be both ethical and competent. Yikes! As a creative business owner, you need your buyers to trust you. That's where repeat business comes from!
I've talked previously about ways to build your credibility in the marketplace, but folks have also asked me about those so-called "obvious" credibility builders that I joked about in my episode. Here are a few of them and , all jokes aside, they really DO matter to your credibility. Especially when you're starting out, these are a few simple things that make a big difference when people are sizing you up to do business.
Unless you are Berkshire Hathaway, you need an online space that lets people get to know you. And even Warren Buffett and company have a site that's on-brand (no fluff, just the facts - typical Linear Creative!). A reliable online presence can make the difference regarding how you are perceived, and how people will curate their first impression of your brand.
Because I'm on the search for a new VA, I was given referrals to three different virtual assistants. Two of them included their websites; one of them did not. Only one of them allowed me to book a call from their website... but it didn't tell me what time zone it was booking my appointment in!
Needless to say, I had a bunch of extra work to do just to find out if any of these folks were a fit for me. #frustration
If your website is defunct, using old widgets, and badly laid out, you make it harder for people to buy from you. Keep your branding cohesive, and make sure that you offer pertinent, immediately available information. Your website should also serve as the hub for your marketing. I've said it before: you need a platform that you control. Sites like Facebook and Youtube can change the rules of the game whenever they feel like it (and often do). Having a reliable online presence helps build trust with your audience.
The U.S. CAN-SPAM legislation requires that you include a mailing address in all your commercial emails (yes, even the one-off ones that you send manually). I understand that there are potential security issues with using your home address for your emails, but many virtual home businesses use physical address services to give your clients something more tangible than a P.O. box - which still gives some buyers a feeling like you're not a legit business. You can even get an address in a highly desirable location - like Nashville, L.A., or Manhattan and have mail forwarded to your actual location. If you're in a business where you need a "local" presence, a mailing service like this can be a big boost for your credibility.
This isn't about pretending to be bigger than you are, but more about showing the world that you don't work in a vacuum. If you have people working for or with you, it can be helpful to show who comprises your team and what their specialties are. This can be simple - like the ‘meet our team!’ page on our website. It shows, that you're not a one-man band or a faceless organization. And yes, your office mascot/pet is part of the team, too. Let us see those adorable animals that help you keep your business running at full speed!
If you're the face of your business, then it's even more important to let people see you as well - even if your team is ONLY you right now. Last year, I had branded t-shirts designed for me to wear during the show or on my livestreams. It's not a "uniform" per se, but it does help people recognize my brand as well as me.
A branded tee or lanyard can create a sense of team identity and help your clients buy into it. Plus it's merch you can sell. Whether they're static images or video content, letting people see your face - or better yet, seeing you in action, doing your work - increases that trust factor that leads people to buy. It also helps people connect with you on a more personal level - even if you're not sharing anything personal in the process.
But then also, you’re going to want to recognize that it’s a great idea to have professional measures in place. That physical address is a good start, but as an established business, you’ll also want the right insurance too. Sourcing the right business insurance and also finding the right public adjuster should you need them is important. That way, you’re going to look the part in front of any new clients you have.
While a fancy Manhattan address might be a little pricey, clear photos and a simple website can cost you next to nothing and go a LONG way toward enhancing your credibility with your potential clients. Whip out your smart phone, set the timer, and get some new shots of you up on your website. Like I tell my clients, it can be easy.
If you're ready for support to grow your creative business, registration is now open for the Creative Freedom Incubator. Join a community of creative entrepreneurs who are defining and achieving success on their own terms!
To help your business reach it’s true potential, a clear marketing strategy is crucial. As Beth Comstock once said, ‘Marketing’s job is never done. It’s about perpetual motion. We must continue to innovate every day.’
On one hand, that sounds incredibly exhausting. Reasearch by Fractl and Buzzstream found that 21% of social media users surveyed unfollowed brands for posting repetitive or boring content. Don't get me started on how fast they expected a response on social media! That can feel like living on the hamster wheel of hustle - which I certainly don't advocate! But done right, marketing can evolve naturally because you've got automation and feedback loops built in. If you're looking for tools to improve your marketing strategies, these digital tools might be a good solution for you delegate without growing your team:
1 . Landing pages
Instead of dragging your heels on launching your opt-in or selling your offer, a landing page acts like a one-page website to help you grow your audience and sell your offers more easily. Landing pages have become afast and easy way to increase conversions and generate traffic without a full-blown website. Hubspot and SamCart have simple interfaces and drag-and-drop functionality to help you quickly create landing pages that help you grow your list or sell your stuff without having to know a lick of code.
2. Email automation
Primarily an email service provider, ConvertKit also has built-in ways for you to sell your offers directly in email, collecting payments, and even landing pages that all work together seamlessly. You can also tag and segment your subscribers based on actions they take in your email, products they buy, or other behaviors that you define. MailChimp is also a tool I've used and recommend. Customizing email makes it feel more personal to the reader, which generally increases engagement that leads to more sales.
3. Ad automation
If you're running lots of ads regularly, Google Ads automation scripts for your marketing can help you automate any type of Google Ads workflow. There's also automation tools for facebook ads, for those of you playing in that arena. These are really meant for people running lots of ads, to streamline the editing process, but when the time is right, this can be a big time saver for you.
4. Online 'listening station'
It's not just enough to watch for retweets or comments when you've been tagged. As your business starts to serve more people, it's important to know what's going on when people are talking about you, and you're NOT expressly tagged online. With your best clients, it's even more important to be proactively listening to what's going on with them in order to be responsive to their needs. Developing your listening station goes a long way towards doing that.
Tools like AgoraPulse can help you consolidate messages from different accounts, and include analytics to increase your engagement, share your brand story, and increase your sales. You can also build your own dashboard on a spreadsheet with tools like Google Alerts and zapier.
5. Graphic templates
Whether it's your social media, your marketing materials, or other promo graphics, a few on-brand templates can go a long way toward making your visual content easier to create. While sites like Canva offer a slew of templates and customizable options, it was worth the investment for me to hire a designer to create custom templates for my social media and my webinars/presentations. Having something that is on-brand, looks unique, but is also easy to modify means we can crank out our visual content faster and more easily. It literally saved me thousands of dollars in time and effort!
These are just a few of the tools that can enhance your online marketing without costing you more time and energy. Some are free, and some require some investment, but the overall savings of time and energy often make it worth it.
Many creative businesses, studios, and freelancers spend a good chunk of their time, energy, and money trying to find and qualify new leads. After all, a company can't grow if nobody knows about it. I've talked before about how "If you build it, they will come" isn't even an accurate quote, let alone a great model for business. However, there's more to it than trying to get anyone with a pulse through your front door.
You are not for everyone! It's key to be attracting the right kind of people - qualified leads. Not everyone makes the perfect client, and it's frustrating to waste time on free discovery calls or creating proposals to only discover that someone isn't a good fit for you - or worse, not even serious about hiring you in the first place!
By following these three steps, you will not only spend less time writing pitches for leads that don't close, but you will also grow your business, increase your conversation rates and gain a higher return on your investments.
An online portfolio is a must in the freelance world. People will ask where they can learn more about you or see samples of your work. If you don't want to be working for FREE all the time, you need an online outpost to exhibit your work. That includes testimonials from previous clients, if you have them, and making sure your messaging is clear. Who do you serve? Why do you do this work? Why does the world need YOU to be doing it? Answering those questions (at a minimum) will go a long way toward helping people self-select and weed themselves out before you ever sit down to have a chat about how you can work together.
Even if you aren't the best with technology, there are plenty of websites that make it easy to put a portfolio together to showcase your work. With sites like Behance, you have a chance to show your skills without needing to do much in the way of building a website. Heck, even your social media outposts can be a place to at least get started with sharing your work.
At some point, though, you're going to need your own online hub - a website and email list that YOU control. If you're not a techie, you can use any number of pre-fabbed templates or invest in managed hosting with your website provider. You can also hire techand IT specialists on sites like Upwork, Fiverr, and myIT.com Computer Support to ensure that your business and services operate without any glitches.
Attend or present at any meetup, event, or conference related to your field, not only to meet potential leads but also to display your credibility as an authority in your industry. Right now, a LOT of companies are taking their events into the virtual world, making it easier than ever to get your name out there and have the undivided attention of an audience that's relevant to you and your business needs.
Even if you're not speaking or presenting, events like this can help you build your network quickly - especially if you take the time to connect with the folks who are presenting at the event. Find them on social or send them an email letting them know how much you're looking forward to their talk, or how much you enjoyed their presentation. That's how I ended up speaking on Jeff Brown's Read To Lead podcast. We met at a local podcaster's meetup where he was the speaker. I emailed him afterwards and we struck up a conversation. He invited me to be a guest on his show and later a presenter at his virtual event. Several of my current clients, and a number of new subscribers came from that one connection!
The next time you see an event advertised or are invited to attend or speak, say yes. Put yourself out there. It goes a long way to qualifying new leads.
Creating a marketing strategy that includes a good mix of both inbound and outbound marketing can give you more success in generating qualified leads and help you grow your business. While most creatives focus on inbound marketing (content marketing, etc.) because it's more cost-effective, there are times when targeted outbound marketing (ads, for example) can help you reach more people faster.
Create content that draws your target audience in, keeps them coming back, and makes them want to stay in touch. These, alongside well-researched SEO strategies from sites like indexsy.com, are excellent conversion tools and one of the best ways to ensure that you are found by your dream clients. Remember, it's not magic, it's marketing.
If you need help pulling all your marketing tactics into a cohesive strategy, you'll want to join us inside the Creative Freedom Incubator, where getting your marketing right is a big part of how we help. With a marketing plan intensive each year and regular coaching support to help you hone your message, finding and attracting your best clients becomes a lot easier with our team on your side!
If you’re a creative entrepreneur struggling to generate sales, it may be a matter of driving quality traffic to your offers. If you take the Fix This Next assessment and find that "prospect attraction" is your key need to fix, it might be time to look at paid traffic methods.
While I don't recommend you start your business using ads (it takes time to find your nice and build an audience of Raving Fans to support an advertising budget), online advertising like Spotify Advertising can be one of the most effective ways to get your brand seen and attract buyers. As your business grows, marketing (including advertising of SOME kind) needs to be part of your business budget. Most folks can't rely solely on organic traffic forever. If you’re looking to reach out to a wider client base, here are five types of online ads that might work for you.
Sing it now: "Ya down with OTT? Yeah you know me!"
Have you ever clicked to watch a Youtube video and had a 4-second ad roll in front of it? That's OTT. Its cousin, CTV, is usually found on subscription platforms like Hulu. Whether you choose OTT ("over the top") or CTV (Connected TV), these ads are one of the biggest trends shaping advertising right now. They are essentially targeted video campaigns that reach your audience on whatever device or platform they are using: TV, web, or mobile. These ads seek out your people and you're only paying when people are watching.
Beyond brand awareness, you can sell your offers by creating engaging content that targets your best audience. Internet marketers have been steadily increasing their use of YouTube videos to promote their offers to new audiences. As a creative entrepreneur, OTT ads can boost your online visibility, increase sales, and help grow your list. To find out more about OTT ads, click here or click here to learn more about the differences between OTT & CTV to determine which might be better for you.
Ever click a sponsored link on a Google search, or a Facebook or Instagram ad? That's either a pay-per-click (PPC) or pay-per-thousand (PPM) ad. There are other actions, too, like pay per download, per like/share/interaction, etc. Pay-per-action ads are a way to ensure your ads show up on search engine results. These will appear either when potential clients search for certain keywords, or in the case of Facebook, based on a set of search criteria you create during the campaign setup.
With Pay-per-action ads, you are paying for visibility. That's the reason you're hearing a lot about "tiny offers" right now. There's a concept called Self-Liquidating Offers (SLO), where you sell something low-priced in order to cover your advertising costs and build your list of buyers. I just taught a class on Tiny Offers inside the Incubator last month. Done well, it can be a great way to attract buyers into your audience, but done poorly, it can be a great way to drain your bank account. It’s a good idea to combine this strategy with a way to generate organic leads, such as optimizing your SEO. Here is the ultimate guide to paid ads.
If you’re really looking to draw attention to your content, create matching banner ads. These can be a bit controversial in the digital marketing world, due to the theory that people can develop pop-up blindness. But in the right place on the right website, they still work, which is why people still use them for their marketing. It's not a per-action type ad, though, which means you're paying for "impressions". That means the number of times the page loads with your ad on it. So, if one person reloads that page 1000 times, that's 1000 impressions, generally speaking. The upside is that this type of advertising tends to be less expensive, again, depending on where you're advertising. The only targeting you can do (in most cases) is based on the audience that the site attracts. So if your brand is in great alignment with the site you're advertising on, you'll have much better success with your ads than if your banner isn't a good fit for the audience of that site.
Having said that, the inexpensive nature of banner ads makes it attractive for building top-of-mind awareness. During B-School season, there are lots of banner ads running on the Facebook expanded marketing network, which don't generally get me to click, but they were obviously memorable. I saw ads for Marie Forleo's program on shopping sites for clothes and jewelry - places I wouldn't expect to see an online marketer's face. If you can create brand consistency in this way, then potential clients will remember your image. You can also target specific audiences (and the websites they are likely to use) and show up in unexpected places where your competition might not exist.
As a creative entrepreneur, you probably already have a strong presence on social media. This is often the best way to network and spread word of mouth through loyal customers. It might be time, however, to optimise your social media campaign to include more than pay-per-action type ads.
Influencer advertising is a great option if your business falls into the cracks that Facebook doesn't like to promote. One of my clients, for example, is a sex therapist and sex-related advertising tends to get rejected on facebook. But paying an influencer to share you on their own social media feed for a day can do a LOT do drum up traffic and new business that's HIGHLY targeted for you. Here's Hootsuite's social media advertising 101 post to help you get the most bang for your social media ad bucks.
Native ads are paid content such as articles, infographics and videos. The content is purposely created to align with the particular site where it’s displayed. It’s a good idea to work with an online advertising or digital marketing agency to help you create native ads. I've used native ads in my own content from time to time. A company sends me an article idea and if I like it, I'll run with it. There's usually a compensation exchange - either money, a link to their content, or both. The key is that you've got the ability to control the nature of the content so that it feels organic to your audience. You don't want to be sharing spammy crap with your people! That hurts you, your reputation, and your potential ROI for future partnerships. Here are some effective (and not-so-effective) examples of native advertising to give you an idea.
If you’re looking to improve your online ad campaigns, you might also try outsourcing this to an agency. There are plenty of folks who are social media savvy, so expertise in digital marketing (especially paid placements) can be invaluable to you when you're ready for it. The right agency already has connections with bloggers, outlets, and other influencers, as well as a deep understanding of paid networks and can help you maximize your ad budget without having to do it all yourself.
As I said before, advertising isn't for everyone - at least, not when you're just getting started. But when you've nailed your niche, have a clear, compelling message or offer you want to share, and have a budget to put to work for you, online ads can make a big difference in your traffic, lead generation, and sales.
Want help figuring out your next steps? Join us in the Creative Freedom Incubator and get the help you need for whatever level of business you are at!
If you feel as if things never stop moving and pushing forward, you're not alone. There's a pervasive mantra of "hustle and grind" that oozes all over the entrepreneurial world. Trying to "keep up" is a serious challenge - and a potential de-motivator. In all my years as a creative entrepreneur, nothing is more frustrating than comparisonitis - comparing your progress to someone else when you don't know what they did to get there (wherever "there" is). It's easy to look at someone else's progress and feel jealous, anxious, or even frustrated that they seem to be going faster or doing better than you. It's hard to accept that maybe, just maybe, they're not as successful as they appear - of that they did something to achieve that level of success that's just not possible for you.
Rather than push yourself to the brink of collapse, focus on being effective and maximizing your workday so that you can work when it's time to work, and play when it's time to play. Here are a few ideas to set you on your path:
A lot of business owners know how important it is to have a space for them and their employees to work, but far too often they tend to ignore the ways in which the office can either help or hinder their ability to work as effectively as possible. Create an environment that encourages you, stimulates your motivation, and if you're working with others, stimulates collaboration as well.,
Some of the best office hacks to improve a work space aren't about the chairs, desks, or computers you use, but rather the photos, colors, and music. Yes, go for ergonomics when it makes sense, but also think about what inspires you. For me, that's posting my vision board on my office door, having headphones that allow me to listen to music while I work as well as block out the noise of others in my home, and a plant in a sunny window to provide oxygen and LIFE in my workspace.
What inspires you to work at your best? Create an environment that supports that.
In the opening of my book, The Secret Watch, I mention that work-life balance isn't always perfectly even like the scales of justice. Instead, it's more like a contortionist on a high wire or spinning plates. It's still balance, but it's much more dramatic at times.
One of the hardest things for solopreneurs to navigate is finding a balance so that their career doesn't completely consume them. And sure, you might be the kind of person who’s willing to give everything you can to your Great Work but, you still need time away so you don't end up feeling exhausted or burned out.
Schedule down time and take it, so that you're fresh and ready to work during your designated work times. Recognize too that your efficiency cycle maybe different than other people. If you're a night owl, then don't schedule morning appointments if you can avoid it. If you do your best work in right after lunch, then schedule that time for the most important work you have to do. Go WITH your natural rhythms, rather than fight against them.
In the same way that your business should always be adapting, growing, and moving forward, you need to be sure that you are doing the same. New challenges come at entrepreneurs all the time and you need to be able to deal with them as effectively as possible. In a world where things are almost always subject to change, adaptability is a critical skill. By focusing on your personal and professional growth you’re investing in your future.
Those investments can be simple (like reading this blog post), and don't have to cost a fortune. That said, it's important to be willing to invest in your growth because not everything is free, and you shouldn't expect it to be. If you want to get the most out of yourself, you’ve got to be willing to invest in yourself. One of the most dangerous things that you can ever say as a professional in the modern world is that you “know enough.” There is always more to learn and new ways to develop.
That said, be careful to avoid becoming a course junkie. Take it from someone with a learning addiction - growth work needs to be selective, otherwise it's not really growth work. Where are the problem areas in your life/work? Where do you need more training in order to be a better version of you? Seek to understand yourself and your world better through the growth work that you're doing.
One of the things to remember when it comes to running any kind of business is that you’re likely to end up working with a lot of other people. Working with colleagues, co-workers, clients, and employees is often a surprisingly delicate balance that a lot of business owners don’t fully understand. If you have employees that are working for you, I believe that whatever standard you hold your employees to is one that you should be willing to meet yourself. If you can’t do that then you’re just going to end up creating an environment of resentment and mistrust among your workforce. Be a model of the culture and behavior you want to see in your company.
Here's the added bonus: even if you have no employees, your clients, colleagues, and contemporaries will see that you walk your talk. That kind of integrity is priceless in today's world.
Remember: you can’t do everything yourself. Know where your limits (and honor them). And stop comparing yourself to anyone else but you. That's the best way to set yourself up for success.
Need support? Level one of the Creative Freedom Incubator is open for enrollment. Get the support you need to grow a profitable, sustainable business doing what you love - without having to sell your soul to do it.
If you're like most creative entrepreneurs I know, you've probably developed a habit of multitasking, trying to force way too much into a few hours of work. Your crammed schedule probably means that sometimes you miss out on important or meaningful activities because you're too focused on putting out fires or dealing with the urgent instead of the important.
Been there. Done that.
What I've learned, though, is that poorly-managed schedules contribute to stress and puts you frequently on edge. Like I tell my clients, if it's not scheduled, it's stressful. But packing your calendar too full is just as painful! In fact, overloaded schedules have contributed to an increase in anxiety among the working population. Here are a few ways to delegate tasks and loosen up your tight schedule.
Yeah. you've probably heard this one before. It's not enough to just set goals, you have to make them a priority for your resources. At some point in the year, you'll get busy with several activities that compete for your attention and resources. taking time to regularly prioritize your goals helps them keep from slipping off the radar when urgent items crop up.
Narrow down your annual goals to quarterly and then monthly milestones. When you do this, your build your own blueprint for your daily and weekly activities. When you know what you're aiming for, it becomes easier to break through your plateau and continue toward your dreams.
Monitor a typical day in your work life. Time surveys aren't the most FUN thing in the world, but they can really open your eyes to where the minutes go during your day. Plus, if you survey multiple days (or even a week), you can start to spot trends and patterns in your behavior. I typically crash after lunch and need a mind break. I'm also pretty dang productive between 6 and 9am - but I need that time to get my own head straight BEFORE I start on client-facing work. So I don't typically see clients before 10am during the week. In your time survey, you may identify tasks that are not IPA, and could be delayed, delegated, or deleted.
You might remember your mother reminding you to get your school books, bag, and uniform ready for the next school day. That reminder is still useful today. My husband puts things by the front door so that he'll remember to take them when he leaves for work in the morning. No morning scramble to gather his things, he just wakes up, collects the pile by the door and is on his way.
You can do this with your calendar, too. Take a look at what you've planned for tomorrow and see what you can prep tonight so that you're ready to hit the ground running tomorrow.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Saying no is sexy and you can do it without being a jerk about it. This one can be tricky if you are a recovering people pleaser. There are plenty of ways to say no with class and authenticity. Imagine a typically busy day that requires your utmost attention and dedication. Just then, a colleague, a friend, or even family, decides to call on you to help out with a task. You know you have to say no due to your tight schedule. Resist the temptation to overbook yourself and create more stress.
Be honest. If you don't want to do it, tell them you have other plans and can't help this time. Even if those plans include sitting in a chair watching Netflix after a long day, it's nobody's business but your own how you're using your time. If you'd normally help, but you're booked solid, say so. "I'd love to help, but I'm booked this time."
Avoid commitments that do not align with your priorities. Just because it's an emergency for them doesn't mean it's a priority for you. Will some people get upset? Maybe, but that's about them, not you.
Whether you choose theme days, or chunk tasks into different time blocks each day, there is no "right" way to block your time. Time blocking helps you right-size your expectations around what you can reasonably accomplish in a given time period. It also helps you stay focused. IF you've got a block of time in your day for marketing tasks, use THAT time for marketing tasks.
A caveat: when you are first starting to use time blocking, there will be some trial and error. I recommend padding your time blocks so that you have two spaces in your calendar for each task type. That way, if life happens and you can't stick to your time block on a given day, you've got a plan b time that you can get back to that task. Be compassionate with yourself until you find a groove that fits your style.
Sometimes there is nothing else you can do to free up your schedule than to offload tasks. Phew! What a relief! Begin with deleting the things that distract you from your goals. Next, try automating repetitive or bulky tasks and creating process docs to systematize recurring tasks that your support team can take over.
You don't always have to hire an employee, but if you do choose to hire team members, check with a professional about employment laws in your area. They can accurately calculate salary and other benefits - like insurance, retirement, and pto accrual. What is pto accrual? Paid time off accrual involves calculating and scheduling your employees’ banked hours for vacations or sickness leave. Don't create more work for yourself when you hire help. Outsource that to an HR or payroll professional.
When it comes to recovery and downtime, doing nothing IS doing something. Healing, rest, and recovery are important parts of being human. Resting does not mean you are being lazy. Without enough rest, your body starts shutting down. Catch a nap, read a book, optimize CBD products from the cbd Black Friday deals, or just close your eyes. Take a purposeful period to recover your energy and mind.
When you relax, your brain tends to remember things you may have forgotten due to work pressure. Stepping away from your work helps you come back to it with fresh eyes. A monthly "mental health day" can be a great way to shake off the stress and act like a re-set button.
Sticking to a schedule is not all about you. One of the things I tell my clients is that you train people how to treat you. Your family, your support system, and the team you work with can't honor your schedule if they don't know what it is. Sharing your schedule with the people who matter most helps reduce distractions. It helps them know when you are available so they can make plans with you and keeps you on track. An easy way to do this is to record your schedule on a shared online calendar.
There are plenty of online tools you can use to reduce the number of meetings you hold. Slack channels, email, even text messaging can get the questions and conversations you need to have handled without having to pull an hour (or more) of your day into the time suck of a meeting.
If a meeting is a must, make sure it's meaningful. Understand the goals of the meeting going into it, and come prepared to work. If you're leading the meeting, make sure attendees are clear on what's expected of them so that you can make the most of the time you're together.
Plan, do, evaluate. Are the plans you've made working? Great! Keep it up. If not, it's time to course correct. What needs to change? Make it happen, monitor the results, and keep course correcting as you go.
Remember: you always have a choice. The power to set (and honor) healthier boundaries, create an environment that supports your success, and free up your tight schedule is in your hands.
Need help reclaiming your time? Level One of the Creative Freedom Incubator is now open for enrollment. Get the support you need to achieve your dreams!
As a creative entrepreneur, you're already wearing too many hats. If you're a Fusion creative, you're probably still trying to wear them all because you can, and guilt might keep you from delegating things that you are good at. If your'e a Chaotic, you may want to delegate, but have difficulty finding (or trusting) someone to deliver at the same level of excellence that you do. Linears typically struggle with delegation when it doesn't align with the budget. If it costs less to do it yourself, you'll probably try.
But the research is clear: doing less and doing it well actually helps you be more successful. The sooner you right-size our expectations about what's really possible in a given day (and stop trying to do all the things), the sooner you can actually FEEL successful as well.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Success is a destination and you are already there. Success is a feeling or sensation as much as it is about checking the boxes and getting things done. In my years of working with clients, I've seen people check box after box and still say they don't feel successful.
That means that success doesn't come from doing more stuff and checking more boxes. It comes from doing the right things, doing them well, and celebrating the sense of accomplishment that comes from doing it.
It doesn't even mean doing easy things. It's about doing the meaningful things and entrusting the other details to someone else.
If you want to build true wealth in your business, you need to be able to trust other people to help build your vision, spread your message, and grow your results. Otherwise, once you hit your capacity, you'll always stay stuck.
It's important to make the most of all your resources, including your time, energy, and effort. Here are a few ways to do less and achieve more.
The reason I developed the Creative Entrepreneur Type Quiz was because I saw far too many entrepreneurs working too hard on things outside their zone of genius. Just because you're good at something doesn't mean you should be doing it. It just means you've had a lot of practice at it. Believe me, I know my ABC's well, and I'm a damn good filer. I was an administrative assistant for years! And I HATE filing. It's boring, tedious, and drains my energy. UGH. So I trust someone else to handle it for me.
I have a colleague who hired someone to do meal prep because she has 4 kids and HATES cooking and being in the kitchen. She'd much rather use that time to be with her kids doing something she enjoys. Now, she just re-heats and they eat healthy meals that she didn't have to slave over. Easy peasy!
Chaotics tend to thrive when they're focused on the experience of their work (making it achieve a certain level of excellence). Linears love the results of schedules, systems, and processes. Fusions need a balanced mix of both. There are things that you really enjoy - even if they are challenging. Lean into them and trust the other parts of your business to someone else!
Another mantra of mine is "Plan. Do. Evaluate." Eisenhower said plans are useless, but planning is everything. That's why so much of what I teach is predicated on creating a plan for yourself and your business. Not because you'll end up following it to the letter, but because it acts like a map to your dreams. A well-made plan of action helps you figure out the next steps and gives you a benchmark as you take them, so you can see if you're on track, and course correct as needed, so that your business can improve as you go.
One of the best ways to boost and improve efficiency is making a plan as a business owner - so long as you follow through appropriately. You need to plan your steps and be clear about what it takes to make the most of them - even if it means hiring help instead of trying to do it all yourself.
As a business owner, you are ultimately responsible for the direction the business takes, as well as the changes you can make to boost efficiency. Focus your efforts on leading as much as possible, but also take steps to become a better manager when needed. Leadership is empowering them to take ownership of their results, where management is coordinating their results for them. Improve the way you communicate expectations with your support team and employees so that they are able to do their jobs better and need your input (and you) less.
From calendars and automated scheduling to time tracking software, bookkeeping apps, and email marketing solutions, if you want to do something these days, there's probably an app for it somewhere. Make a list of anything you could replicate or automate and look at ways you can incorporate those tools to help boost business efficiency and streamline costs. Tools like Honeybook have a built in time tracker, scheduler, and bookkeeping, as well as payment systems. You can also develop automated workflows for marketing to potential clients, if that's your thing. Whenever it makes sense to consolidate tasks into one application, do it. Some tools can get a bit overblown or are more than you need if you're just getting started. I've seen folks jump into costly all-in-one marketing tools way before they're ready and way before their business can really support the expense. Be mindful but don't obsess.
Have you ever had a vacation planned and a zillion things to do before you can get out the door? Parkinson's Law states that work expands to fill the time available for completion. Give yourself less time and focus on the truly important and watch what happens. Having set work hours or making a commitment to stop work at a specific time each day makes a difference in how you prioritize your workload.
It might take some experimenting or some trial and error, so be kind to yourself as you figure out your own groove. The goal here is to create more peace of mind and ease in your business. If you only clear your plate so you can put more on it, you've missed the point. Doing less actually forces you to make the most of what you're doing. In The Secret Watch, I say "work when you're working and play when you're playing." Creating more efficiency doesn't mean creating more space to do more, it means streamlining what you're already up to so that you have the freedom to choose what to do with the resources you've freed up.
As a solopreneur and small business owner, it often falls on your shoulders to do #AllTheThings - not only to sell your products or services, but also to handle every aspect of building your customer relationships. People need to know you, like you, and trust you enough to want to to business with you - and that doesn't end after the sale. Here are five things that can help you and your business to make a great impression before, during, and after the sale.
In the last five years, live chat applications have really taken off. Live chat allows customers to speak directly to businesses while browsing their websites. As a solopreneur, you can either manage your live-chat yourself, answering customer questions when they arise, or alternatively, you may want to invest in an AI solution. AI live chats learn how to answer common questions and can be programmed to reach out to you if there’s a query that they cannot solve.
Since I started my coaching practice years ago, I've had interactive training as part of my body of work. Teleclasses, Webinars, and online courses aren't right for everyone, but you might be surprised at how a simple tutorial or how-to guide can help your buyers deepen their relationship with you.
Providing training to your buyers helps build the know, like, and trust factor. It reinforces in your client's mind that you know your stuff and that you're there to help them succeed. Plus, adding video to your client onboarding material, fillable PDFs, or other interactive resources tend to make a better impression than PDFs they have to fill out to use or outdated Word documents (not everyone has Word, yo!).
Creating interactive training resources for your business needn’t be as complicated as you might think. I started with simple YouTube videos, then built a wordpress membership site, and this year, we're adding LearnDash to our course building tools. You can also compare Adobe Connect to your current Adobe package, and you’ll find that with some simple upgrades, you have all of the tools you need to produce high-quality interactive training materials.
It goes without saying that as your business begins to grow, you will find that you need to start automating some of your communications, but it is essential not to lose your personal touch. A good email service provider can help with that.
Rather than sending out blanket emails that just ‘hi there’, or ‘dear customer’, instead use merge tags to personalize each email with the customers’ name. You can also use tags to help segment your email lists into specific interest groups so that people are getting only the content they really want from you. Little personal touches can go a long way and will help to make your clients feel special.
Everyone loves bonuses and freebies! Consider incorporating some form of rewards scheme into your business to reward your loyal customers. You can also use gamification apps or plugins in your website to encourage repeat visitors and increase engagement with your content.
A loyalty scheme is also a great form of marketing. Make sure that people know about it if you want to use it to grow your loyal customer base. When I was in direct sales, I had consistency rewards for my team members. They didn't have to be tops in sales or recruiting, they just had to be consistently working their business. This made it possible for everyone to earn rewards, which kept more of my team active. I also have loyalty rewards built into Accountability Club. You earn free private coaching sessions each quarter that you are a member.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask your existing clients for feedback. Asking for feedback not only helps you to refine your customer relations strategy, but it also makes your customers feel heard, which in itself, often improves how they perceive your business. Some of the ways that you can ask for feedback are by including a link to a survey in the footer of your email, handing out survey cards, or by simply putting up a suggestion box in your office if you have a physical location. Surveys can be hit or miss when you're just starting out, so take the time to ask your best clients and customers personally to get the best results.
So there you have it - five simple things that can help you to improve your customer relations. Remember, as a creative entrepreneur, you are looking for progress and not perfection, so do not expect to have a pristine customer relations strategy right off the bat. Listen to your customers, give them what they want (in a way that works for you), and focus on providing exceptional service. The rest will start to come naturally.
One of the most difficult and frustrating things, when you're trying to grow your business, is simply to get noticed. I've been online for more than 25 years, and you wouldn't believe some of the things I've seen people do to attempt to stand out in their niche.
For those of us not willing to bare our skin or commit a crime, there's still hope. I know it can seem like there's a lot of competition out there - especially if you're new to business, or still trying to get things off the ground. But, there are still plenty of eyeballs to go around when it comes to getting your work seen.
If you're a creative entrepreneur that's been following the hot trends in marketing, it can feel like you're on a never-ending hamster wheel. "Should I do facebook ads, or start a podcast? What about Youtube or TikTok?"
It can be hard to cut through the noise and come up with the right ways to market your services. If you've been trying to promote your business, but you haven't had much attention, you probably need to do some experimenting, or change the way you've been doing things.
In all my years online, one thing has remained true: the most successful people are those who stayed true to themselves. Take a look at the suggestions below and see what you may need to change to gain more visibility.
Return on Resources - that means ALL the things you're investing: time, energy, money, effort, attention. Spreading yourself too thin is a sure fire way to be wasting your resources.
Choosing the right method(s) to promote yourself is vital if you want to get anywhere. When you only have a small budget, you have to be especially careful about which platforms you're using to market your business. You should think about your audience and your budget when you're deciding which platforms to use. Just because a platform is free, doesn't mean there's no cost to use it. Is the best use of your limited resources really to use social media marketing, or should you focus on SEO for your website?
You may not have that answer right away. It's okay to experiment, but make sure you're tracking your results. Then, armed with the data, make a decision about where to invest and where to cut your losses.
Remember: You can always come back later and try again if things change. Don't summarily exclude a platform that hasn't worked in the past. When I first got on facebook (10+ years ago), it was worthless, so I jumped to twitter full time. Now, I am hardly ever on Twitter, while Facebook gets a dedicated amount of my time each week. And that could change next year.
It's understandable that you might feel like you have to do everything yourself if your marketing budget is thin. At some point, however, you have to let go of doing #allthethings. Fusions, hear me on this. Yes, it might be faster right now to do everything yourself, but that still leaves you doing everything yourself! Get in the habit of delegating what isn't your IPA so you can focus on the things that only you can do for your business. Start small, sure, but for the love of all things holy, please start!
You have other things that need your attention. If you're not getting noticed, you may need professional help to reach your goals. Look for marketing support, social media management services, or SEO services that will take care of things for you. Work with them to create a strategy that works for you. Instead of trying to do it alone, visit https://victoriousseo.com/markets/white-label-seo/ and get the help that you need.
Earlier I said that in my early days on social I put all my attention on Twitter. That first full year on the platform generated $30k in revenue I could point directly to my time there. No other platform was giving me those kind of results, but I also didn't have time to put my attention anywhere else!
Social media marketing can definitely be a great way to get noticed, especially for creative professionals. Chaotics often have a social butterfly energy that allows them to flit between platforms with relative ease. But that doesn't mean all that flitting is getting results!
If you're not getting noticed on social media, one reason could be that you're not using the right platform. It's important to remember each social platform is useful for different purposes and audiences. For example, LinkedIn may not be much use to you if your target market is largely consumers and not businesses. YouTube is becoming increasingly more popular as a how-to learning channel for Gen Z. Take some time to understand the different social networks and their users, as well as how you can use them to promote your business.
Don't be afraid to NOT have a presence on a platform that you're not ready to be consistently. TikTok may be all the rage right now, but it's not something I'm considering for my business at this time. Amy I missing out? Maybe, but I also know I still have plenty of room to develop my audience on the platforms I'm already on.
Consistency is key when you're trying to get noticed. Without a consistent approach to your marketing, you will find it difficult to build any kind of recognition. Randomly posting on your social media accounts at odd intervals or dropping by to publish a monthly blog post won't get you far. I mean, it's better than nothing, and it will help boost your profile over time, but we're talking a LOOONG time! Finding a regular rhythm also helps your audience right-size their expectations about what to expect from you. It helps them build that much-needed know, like, and trust factor with you.
As well as being consistent in your activity, you also need to present a consistent brand message and image. You need to have a brand that is recognizable and helps you to build your business profile. Consistency is boring, not very sexy, and still, it's the number one best thing you can do for your visibility.
It's hard for your business to stand out when it looks, feels, and sounds just like everyone else. Your onlyness, your uniqueness is what makes you interesting to your audience. They need to know why they should pick you over your competition. You don't necessarily have to offer a very different service or product, but the way that you present yourself can make a huge difference.
There are lots of business coaches in the world. There are lots of coaches for creative entrepreneurs now, too. And in that pie, there's a slice of folks who have been successful as musicians, authors, or performing artists.
But there are VERY few who have done all of that, that are mixed-race women of color with two kids, a blended family, and a second marriage. And maybe a handful of those who have lived in small, medium, and large cities, and understand the economics of each. And there's only ONE who has the Creative Freedom Entrepreneur Type Spectrum (that's me!).
Your unique combination of skills, talents, and life experience make you unlike anyone else. I constantly say YOU are the most important product that your company has to offer. THAT is your onlyness and what makes your business different from anyone else.
You need to do something that will help you to stand out, whether it's aiming for a very specific target market or providing some useful extras with your service. Find the things that help you stand out, lean into them, and focus on serving the people who love you for it.
One of the reasons Rachel Rodgers had a breakout 2020 was because she used her voice. She spoke up and spoke out about issues that mattered to her in ways that her peers and colleagues couldn't. The result? She had her first million dollar month!
Rachel had been building her business for a decade. She had an audience, and she just kept speaking to them. She shared from her heart about what she was seeing in the world and how she wanted to change it. Her message was so timely, though, that her videos became part of a watershed moment in online marketing. Thousands of people joined her community because she used her voice to talk about what mattered to her - and by extension, to her audience.
Do others in your space know who you are? Do you speak up about the issues important to your community? Sharing your voice and making yourself heard is important if you want people to pay attention to you. Your blog and social feeds are a great place to start. You could also build your network with others in your industry so that they know who you are.
Remember that the groundwork you lay today can have lasting effects. I have blog posts from 10 years ago that still drive traffic to my site and guest appearances on podcasts from years back that people still reach out to me about. You're building a legacy of content that, if done properly, will continue to build your exposure for years to come.
If you're like many of the creative entrepreneurs I know, you're probably working a side-hustle. Your day job is also probably not exactly what you thought it would be when you went for that interview. The pay may be okay (maybe). The hours might not be that bad (well... then again). But the opportunities, the stimulation, the challenge? While they may have been there at first, they've fizzled out and now going to work feels, as one of my clients once said, like wearing a pair of itchy pants that just don't fit anymore.
Fusion Creatives are dynamic, proactive, and thrive on challenge. Chaotics are at your best when you have autonomy and just a little challenge. Linears enjoy the challenge of problem solving. Pandemic aside, you probably haven’t felt much challenge in your job recently, and you certainly haven’t been given much autonomy.
It probably feels as though you’ve been under-stimulated, underappreciated, overworked, and micromanaged for as long as you can remember.
Something needs to change… but you’re paralyzed by your fear. As a result, you find yourself falling back on those same old excuses.
They help you feel safe, but you already know that safety is an illusion. Excuses help you justify putting your dreams on hold. Don't get me wrong. Some reasons are important and necessary. There's a time and a place to act and a time and a place to wait. Do what you can as you are able. But, if your excuses are keeping you stuck in your old comfort zone, it’s important to remember that growth doesn't happen there. We don’t live our best lives by staying in our comfort zones.
Here are some excuses that you need to stop making if you’re serious about making your dreams come true:
Do you know that for a fact? Just because you don't currently know anyone who wants to buy your offer doesn't mean NOBODY will buy it.
In the past 25+ years, I've launched and sold hundreds of offers, and hundreds more that didn't sell the first time I offered them. But many of them did sell eventually - when I found the right match between offer and audience.
Nobody knows how viable their idea for a business, product or service is until they carry out their market research. This enables you to determine the need your offer can fill and identify areas where competitors aren’t servicing those needs. Any time you can match your offer to the right audience, sales happen. It takes time and effort, sure, but I've yet to see it fail.
Unless you're actively working from home while managing to homeschool your three kids, struggling with a chronic illness, and dealing with a combative spouse all day, you've probably got a few minutes. And even then, I know folks who make the time. This is a mindset issue.
I ask the same question to everyone who applies for the Creative Freedom Incubator: How much time can you reasonably devote to growing your business each week?
You've got to be honest with yourself. You may have to let go of some things. You may have to (gulp) ask for help. But even if you have 10 minutes a week you can do SOMETHING. The goal is to find the best use of those 10 minutes and stay on task.
Bluntly, I've never had anyone tell me they had less than an hour a week (on average) to work on their business. Even in 5-10 minute increments, you can get things rolling. Will it take a lot longer than someone who can give 20-40 hours a week? Sure, but you're not here to compare yourself to them, are you? Stay in your own lane and keep your eyes on your own paper!
Instead of asking where will you find the time, ask yourself where can you find the time? Can you shave 2 minutes off of your morning routine? Who can you get to help you at home so you can focus on work? Can you hire someone for even a few hours?
When you master the art of delegation, your support team will grow and be able to help you play to your strengths so you don’t multitask your way to burnout.
How much do you really think you'll need? Unless it's a product that needs a lot of R&D, certifications, or licensing, you can probably start from scratch. Take pre-orders to generate the revenue to create the product - which will also prove demand!
You can also borrow money, but I don't advocate for that because debt is a claim on your future income. Instead, I encourage my clients to find interested buyers first, set prices that give you a built-in profit, and charge fairly for your work.
It’s also prudent, however, to try and find ways to save on business expenses so that you don’t need to borrow. For example, a virtual POS (point of sale) like Square turns any digital device into a POS terminal, saving you the cost of new hardware.
Try to make as many of your expenses as flexible as possible. Fixed costs often sink a new business when cashflow is tight. There are many such ways in which you can make savings and improve future cash flow.
Especially right now, I can see where this seems to make total sense. Healthcare benefits, a steady paycheck when so many people are out of work. Your job may feel like a pair of golden handcuffs right now. As I said earlier, there's a time and a place for waiting. Check in with yourself. If your health and well-being are truly dependent upon your day job, then stick with it! Build your business in your free time and do what you can as you are able until you’re ready to go full-time.
Also, set a financial goal for yourself. Get clear on how much money you need in order to leave. Once you've hit that number, if you're still holding onto that day job, it's probably just your excuses talking.
Fear is tricky. It takes a small grain of truth and weaves a fantastic tapestry of lies around it. Because one tiny piece of the fear is true (I don't know anyone who will buy my offer), you convince yourself the entire fear is true (No one will ever buy this. What was I thinking? I must be crazy!). THAT is the kind of thinking that keeps you stuck. It's also how to tell a valid reason from an excuse. If you're wrapped up in irrational, unprovable fears, it might be time to put your excuses in check and re-focus on achieving your dreams.
Need help? The Creative Freedom Incubator is here to help you eliminate your excuses and stay focused on what really matters to you. If you're ready for healthy business growth - regardless of what stage of business you're at - check out the Incubator and see what kind of support is available!