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Connect your goals to an action plan that will guide you to success
When I talk to clients about their goals, one of the missing pieces tends to be an action plan. They have their vision, but what’s unclear is how they’re going to (realistically) get there with their current resources.
An action plan breaks down each goal you have into parts, taking you step-by-step closer to meeting the goal.
Let’s explore this with a basic example of some short-term goals that are connected, with moving parts.
4 ways to streamline your discovery call process and optimize lead quality
Streamlining your processes as a business owner is an important part of building a sustainable business. One way to do so is by implementing an onboarding sequence that allows you to filter out potential clients who aren't a good fit before you start working with them; optimizing your customer journey and saving you time on discovery calls.
Here are a few ways to weed out clients who aren’t right for your business offerings.
Expand your marketing message with collaboration: A quick start guide
One of the most effective ways to reach potential customers is through the art of collaboration – and yes, it’s an art! When you’re intentional in your collaboration efforts and in supporting other businesses, you gain access to new audiences who are primed to opt-in to what you’re offering.
And, when you open up your own platforms to aligned business owners and creators, you’re able to build trust and provide additional value to your audience, making it more likely they’ll want to support you. Here are a few ways to expand your marketing message and reach more people.
Expand your business marketing efforts beyond social media
You can’t solely rely on social media to market and grow your business. You aren’t in control of the platforms and they can go away or change, at any time, for any reason, without any warning, and with zero recourse.
So, let's talk about some additional strategies you can implement into your business in an effort to diversify your marketing efforts beyond social media, your website, and/or email marketing. And as a bonus? You have greater control over how these initiatives work for your business.
How to address the biggest marketing challenges for small business owners
Most small businesses don’t have the time, money, or expertise they need to make decisions about marketing. So where does that leave you? While this analysis might sound bleak, there are ways to make marketing work for you, as long as you’re willing to prioritize strategy.
Let’s review some of the common marketing barriers small business owners are facing and look at potential solutions.
Rest is critical: Here's how to boost your productivity and performance
As an employee you (generally) have set working hours, specific deliverables, and a certain number of holidays and sick days. You have a contract in place. You have someone holding you accountable to your personal working goals and company KPIs.
As an entrepreneur though, none of these systems, structures, rules, or guidelines around your work are in place. While that flexibility and freedom can be exciting and empowering, it’s also a lot of responsibility. And there’s an important distinction between enjoying your work and being productive in pursuit of a goal, and overworking to no end, toxic productivity, burnout, and exhaustion.
Passive income is a myth and we need to accept it as such
Passive income is the holy grail of business. Or so we're told by business and marketing experts alike. Except – it's not realistic and likely won't happen for you. If it worked, those sunny beaches would be full of passive income earners living it up.
Here’s the bottom line: it takes a lot of work to make money off of courses, books, or guides of any kind, even if you have a large and engaged audience.
Let’s review the bare minimum requirements for creating “passive income,” and what I’d suggest you prioritize instead.
Perspective shift: Why I stopped using charm pricing
Ever heard of charm pricing? Maybe you’ve even used it before? Full transparency, I used to. These days though, when you go to buy something from me it's a nice, round number until the tax gets added on.
When it comes to your business, and more specifically your pricing, you should be doing what works for you and not worrying about what anyone else says – including me (at least on the number at the end of your prices). That’s not to say your pricing shouldn’t be thoughtful and strategic. Pricing decisions should be built directly into your marketing and business plans.
But there are much more important considerations than the look and appearance of the number you choose.
Goal setting and planning your marketing for a new year
The New Year is around the corner which means it’s time to get planning.
While it’s never too late to start this process, you’re sure to feel a sense of relief if you tackle it early – giving yourself clarity on where you want to go and what you want to achieve.
Once you’ve developed a sense of your goals, it’s time to embed them into your business strategy for the year.
Choosing marketing tactics based on what works (even when you don't like it)
All too often I speak to clients about various tactics in marketing and they scrunch up their faces (giving me a clue that they're not on board) and then share their feelings about said tactic(s). Now, I'm not one to push anyone to do something they're really against doing. But, the objections I hear from clients are often about personal dislike of something, which is a whole different conversation.
While you can always make business and marketing decisions based on your personal thoughts and feelings, in doing so you are missing out on the opportunity to create a well-rounded marketing strategy. Here’s how to approach your marketing instead.
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