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Your Customers Already Know What Makes You Different. Do You?

Your Customers Already Know What Makes You Different. Do You?

If you’ve been in business for a while, there’s a good chance you already know what you’re good at.

You know your services. You know your process. You know your customers. You know what it takes to deliver a good experience. And chances are, you’re doing something right.

You have consistent clients. People come back. Customers refer you to friends or family. Your business has made it this far for a reason. But now you want to grow. And that’s where marketing can start to feel confusing.

You may find yourself wondering: What should I be posting?
Do I need to be on another platform?
Should I be running ads?
Is my website doing enough?
What should my marketing actually say?

Before you add another marketing task to your list, there’s something I’d suggest doing first.

Pause. 

Go back and listen to what your customers are already saying about you. Because they may have already told you what makes your business different. You just haven’t been listening for it.

Your Customers Are Already Telling You

Business owners often try to figure out what makes them different by looking at their competitors.

They look at other websites. They read other businesses’ social posts. They think about what they can offer that someone else doesn’t. That can be useful. But it can also lead you down the wrong path.

Your customers are giving you much better information.

  • Look at your reviews.
  • Read your testimonials.
  • Think about the conversations you’ve had with customers over the years.
  • Pay attention to what people thank you for.

You may start seeing comments like:

  • “You always get back to me so quickly.”
  • “You made the whole process so easy.”
  • “I really appreciate you explaining everything.”
  • “I always know what to expect.”
  • “You actually listened to what I needed.”

These might sound like simple compliments. They’re not. They’re clues.

Your customer is telling you what they noticed about working with you. And when the same things keep coming up, you’re starting to see a pattern. That pattern can be incredibly useful for your marketing.

Listen to What People Say When They Refer You

There’s another place where you’ll find even more useful information: referrals.

Think about what happens when a happy customer recommends you to someone they know. They usually don’t hand that person your website and say, “Here. Read their About page.” They explain why they trust you.

“Call them. They really know what they’re doing.
“I’ve been using them for years.”
“They’re really easy to work with.”

That little explanation is worth paying attention to. 

Your customer is naturally answering a question that businesses spend a lot of time trying to answer in their marketing: Why should someone choose you? And they’re doing it in their own words.

That’s valuable because customers don’t talk like marketers. They aren’t trying to come up with a clever tagline. They’re describing their experience.

So the next time someone refers your business, listen to how they describe you. Those words might tell you more about your business than another hour spent trying to come up with a new marketing message.

Look for the Pattern, Then Make It the Core of Your Marketing

Once you start paying attention, you may notice that the same ideas keep coming up.

Maybe customers always mention how responsive you are. Maybe they trust your judgment because you’ve been doing this for years. Maybe your customers love that you make a complicated process feel simple. Or maybe you solve a very specific problem better than most businesses in your market.

Whatever it is, don’t treat it as just another nice thing to mention in your marketing. Make it part of the foundation.

If customers value how easy you make the process, your marketing should show that.
If they value your expertise, teach them something.
If they value your personal approach, let them see the people behind the business.
If they trust you because you’ve been doing this for 20 years, don’t hide that experience in a sentence at the bottom of your About page.

Your website, social media, emails, Google Business Profile, and other marketing should all help reinforce the things your customers already value. This is where marketing starts to get easier.

You’re no longer trying to come up with something to say just because you need to post something. You have something real to say.

Don’t Dismiss What Feels Ordinary to You

This is probably the hardest part for many business owners. The things your customers appreciate may not seem special to you.

But here’s the thing: Something can feel ordinary to you and still be very valuable to your customer.

You are inside your business every day. Your customers aren’t.

They notice things you’ve stopped noticing. That’s why it’s worth looking at your business from their perspective.

  • What do they mention in reviews?
  • What do they tell their friends?
  • What do repeat customers say when they come back?
  • What do people thank you for?
  • What questions do customers ask before they decide to work with you?
  • What do they say they appreciate about your service?

You don’t need to guess. You have years of customer conversations and experiences sitting right in front of you. You just need to slow down enough to notice them.

Before You Create More Marketing, Listen to the Marketing You Already Have

If you’re trying to grow your business, it’s easy to assume you need to do more marketing.

More posts. More platforms. More campaigns. More content.

Maybe you do need more marketing. But before you add more to your plate, make sure you know what you want that marketing to communicate.

Start with what your customers already know. Ask yourself:

  • Why did they choose us?
  • Why do they keep coming back?
  • Why do they recommend us?
  • What do they consistently appreciate?

Then look for the common thread.

That thread may be the clearest expression of what makes your business worth choosing. And once you know what that is, your marketing has something to build on.

You’re not inventing a personality for your business. You’re not trying to sound different just for the sake of standing out. You’re taking something real that customers already value and making sure more people can see it.

That’s what good marketing should do.

It should help potential customers understand what your existing customers already know.

You May Not Need to Start From Scratch

If you’ve been in business for years and marketing still feels confusing, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing something wrong. You may simply be too close to the business to see what other people see.

Sometimes the answer isn’t a completely new marketing strategy. It’s getting clear on what is already working, understanding why it works, and building your marketing around it. And that’s something we can help with.

At Social Speak Network, we help small businesses figure out what their marketing should focus on, then turn those ideas into consistent social media, local SEO, website, and online marketing efforts.

You don’t have to figure it all out by yourself. If you’re ready to grow but aren’t sure what your marketing should be doing next, let’s talk. Schedule your free consultation today.

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What Happens to Your Marketing When Life Gets Busy? 

What Happens to Your Marketing When Life Gets Busy?

Most business owners don’t stop marketing because they want to. They stop because life happens.

A busy week turns into a busy month. A key employee leaves. Client work piles up. Family responsibilities take priority. You take a much-needed vacation. Or maybe you’re exhausted and need a break.

When that happens, marketing is often the first thing to go. The social media posts stop. The blog ideas stay in draft form. The email newsletter gets pushed to next week. Then next week becomes next month.

If you’ve ever found yourself in this situation, you’re not alone. The reality is that most business owners are juggling far more than marketing. You’re serving customers, managing operations, solving problems, leading your team, and making important decisions every day.

The real question isn’t whether life will get busy. It will. 

The question is: what happens to your marketing when it does?

 

The Hidden Problem: Marketing Depends on You

For a long time, many business owners believe they have a time problem.

“If I just had more time, I’d be more consistent.”

“If things slow down next month, I’ll get back on track.”

“If I could just get through this busy season, I’ll focus on marketing again.”

While time is certainly part of the challenge, it’s usually not the real problem. The real problem is that marketing depends entirely on the business owner.

If you’re the one responsible for planning content, writing posts, creating graphics, scheduling updates, and responding to inquiries, then marketing only happens when you have the time and energy to do so. And that’s a difficult system to sustain.

Your availability will always change. Some weeks you’ll have plenty of time. Other weeks, you’ll barely have enough time to get through your most important responsibilities.

When marketing depends entirely on you, consistency becomes difficult. Not because you’re doing something wrong, but because you’re trying to fit another full-time responsibility into an already full schedule.

 

Signs Your Marketing Depends Too Much on You

Sometimes the signs are easy to miss because they’ve become normal.

You might notice that:

  • You create content at the last minute.
  • Social media goes quiet during busy periods.
  • Marketing gets pushed aside whenever something more urgent comes up.
  • You constantly feel like you’re trying to catch up.
  • Nothing gets published unless you personally remember to do it.

Many small businesses operate this way. In the early stages of business, it makes sense. You’re wearing multiple hats and getting the job done. But as the business grows, what worked in the beginning can start creating unnecessary pressure.

At some point, the goal shifts from simply getting things done to creating systems that help things get done consistently.

 

How to Keep Marketing Moving When Life Gets Busy

The good news is that marketing doesn’t have to require your daily attention to be effective.

In fact, some of the most consistent businesses aren’t necessarily spending more time on marketing. They’ve built systems that make marketing easier to manage.

Plan Ahead Whenever Possible

One of the simplest things you can do is stop creating content one post at a time. Instead, set aside dedicated time to plan and create content in batches. Even getting a few weeks ahead can reduce stress and help you stay visible when your schedule becomes unpredictable.

The goal isn’t to create months of content overnight. It’s to give yourself some breathing room so marketing doesn’t become an emergency every week.

Simplify Your Content Strategy

Many business owners feel overwhelmed because they think they constantly need new ideas. The truth is that your audience doesn’t need endless new topics. Most people need to hear your core messages multiple times before they remember them.

Rather than chasing new ideas every week, focus on a few content categories you can return to regularly, such as educational tips, customer stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and service-related content.

Simple content strategies are often easier to maintain than complicated ones.

Use Scheduling Tools to Your Advantage

Consistency becomes much easier when you stop relying on memory. Scheduling tools allow you to prepare content in advance and publish it automatically. This means your marketing can continue working even when you’re focused on customers, projects, or other priorities.

You don’t have to be online every day to maintain a consistent presence.

Create Simple Systems

Many business owners think systems need to be complicated. They don’t. 

A simple content calendar, a running list of content ideas, and a basic posting process can go a long way.

The purpose of a system isn’t to create more work. It’s to remove decision fatigue and make marketing easier to manage. When you spend less time figuring out what to do next, it’s much easier to stay consistent.

 

You Don’t Have to Do Everything Yourself

This is something many business owners struggle with. You’re capable. You know your business. You care deeply about your customers. So naturally, you take on a lot.

But there comes a point where doing everything yourself starts limiting your growth. Your highest-value work isn’t creating every social media post. It’s serving customers, leading your team, improving your services, and making strategic decisions for your business.

Marketing is important, but that doesn’t mean it has to depend entirely on you.

Whether that means building better systems, delegating certain tasks, or partnering with a marketing team, the goal is the same: creating a business that can continue moving forward even when your attention is needed elsewhere. 

That’s not about doing less. It’s about focusing your energy where it creates the greatest impact.

 

Life Will Get Busy. Your Marketing Doesn’t Have To Stop.

Every business owner experiences busy seasons. Projects pile up. Priorities shift. Life happens. That’s normal.

The goal isn’t to create a business where you’re never busy. It’s to make sure your marketing doesn’t disappear every time life demands your attention elsewhere. Because when marketing depends entirely on you, consistency becomes difficult.

But when the right support is in place, your business can continue showing up online, even when you’re focused on serving customers, managing your team, or simply taking a well-earned break.

You shouldn’t have to choose between running your business and marketing it.

At Social Speak, we help business owners stay visible and consistent without adding more to their already full schedules. We handle the planning, content creation, and social media management so you can focus on the parts of your business that need you most.

Your marketing keeps moving. Your online presence stays active. And you get more time and energy to focus on growing your business.

Book a free consultation and let’s talk about how to make your marketing work for your business, not the other way around.

 

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How to prioritize your task list

By utilizing the Eisenhower Matrix, you can divide your tasks into 4 different boxes and be able to focus on what is most important, schedule what is important but not urgent, delegate everything you can and then don’t do the things that don’t serve a purpose in your business.

The Eisenhower Box: How to be More Productive

To Do: Draw a big box on your paper and then divide that box into 4 little boxes.

Label the first box- Do First
Label the second box – Schedule
Label the third box – Delegate
Label the fourth box – Don’t do

5 time management tips when working with the Eisenhower Matrix

  1. Putting things to-do on a list frees your mind. But always question what is worth doing first.
  2. Try limiting yourself to no more than eight tasks per quadrant. Before adding another one, complete the most important one first. Remember: It is not about collecting but finishing tasks.
  3. You should always maintain only one list for both business and private tasks. That way you will never be able to complain about not having done anything for your family or yourself at the end of the day.
  4. Do not let you or others distract you. Do not let others define your priority. Plan in the morning, then work on your stuff. And in the end, enjoy the feeling of completion.
  5. Finally, try not to procrastinate that much. Not even by over-managing your to-dos.

Prioritizing tasks by urgency and importance results in 4 quadrants with different work strategies: https://www.eisenhower.me/eisenhower-matrix/ 

Another example source: http://timewiser.com/blog/eisenhower-matrix-productivity-at-work/

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Mompreneur Interview with Owners of Aerie Lane – Tarpon Springs, FL

Aerie Lane Tarpon Springs Florida

I had the pleasure of interviewing these two amazing sisters that decided to take the leap of faith and invest, not only in themselves but in their future by opening a new franchise called Aerie Lane. In this interview you will learn:

  • How these sisters are able to work together, divide and conquer.
  • Splitting roles while one left corporate and runs the day to day and the other is still working her corporate job.
  • Playing off each other’s strengths to create an amazing partnership!

What is Aerie Lane?

Aerie Lane is about gathering with friends, creating with inspiration, and connecting projects and people in creative ways. Each time you construct a project by hand, you share a part of yourself with others.

Check out their website here to book your next party!

Like them on Facebook and support their business!

Have you been thinking of starting your own business? Need a little motivation? Maybe just a little push? We invite you to join our Facebook group here.

 

Mompreneur Interview with Owners of Aerie Lane – Tarpon Springs, FL

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Tools for Entrepreneurs

tools for entrepreneurs blog image

As an entrepreneur, it is important to find tools to help us stay organized, creative and on top of our social media. In this video, we will go over 10 tools to help you save time, work smarter, not harder.

Interested in learning more? Take a look at the following videos:

Creating the Right Mindset as an Entrepreneur

Setting your Social Media Goals

Core Values, Why They Are Important To Your Business

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Tips for Creating a Successful Online Business

Not too long ago, people would visit the local stores and endure the long lines just to get the things they need. Today, however, people prefer to shop online. In fact, studies revealed that consumers make 51% of their purchases online.

With the growth on online retail and shopping, many of you probably have an existing e-commerce business or looking to start an online business.

Here are some tips for creating a successful online business.

Bring your products to life

Product photography can mean the difference between losing customers and making a sale. High quality product photos are a must when trying to persuade people to buy your stuff.

Internet users are bombarded with ads, emails and news stories. With so many businesses vying for their attention, you only have a few seconds to capture the attention of your target audience. Unique and visually appealing photos can help you do just that. If you’re selling clothes, we recommend that you hire a model. This way, people will have an idea how the clothes look like when worn.

Clean and user-friendly design

A professionally-designed and user-friendly website can go a long way in the success of your online business. It also adds credibility and will help increase trust in your company.

According to studies, 42% of online shoppers base their opinion of a business based on the overall design of their website. Majority of consumers didn’t push through with the sale because the site has poor aesthetics.

Fast loading time

An average person has an attention span of 8 seconds. Yes, you read that right. They want to get things they want fast. This is why we’re in the age of fast – fast cars, fast foods and fast websites.

Survey revealed that people expect websites to load in 2 seconds. They would leave the site if it doesn’t load within 4 seconds. Slow loading time can drastically affect your sales. People aren’t going to stick around if it takes a while for your website to load.

Easy payment process

Most people prefer to shop online because it’s more convenient. As such, you want   to make the shopping process easier for them. The more methods of payment you offer, the more likely a customer will buy.

Credit cards and Paypal are the quickest and easiest ways for customers to pay. You may also offer cash on delivery, money order, personal cheque, direct deposit into your bank account.

Tips for creating a successful online business | How to create an online business | Internet business | Ecommerce business | Online business | How to create an ecommerce business | building a business online | successful business | ecommerce how to

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The Most Common Misconception About Digital Marketing

Running a business in the digital age has its perks. It also can be incredibly difficult. Retail stores need to rethink their sales channels and social media networks get you sucked into a deep abyss if you aren’t careful. Over and over again, however, we see business owners make the same mistake. It is based off a misconception that can not only hurt the long term success of your business, but can also keep you from ever getting off the ground in the first place.

The most common misconception about digital marketing is that digital marketing replaces the need to make personal relationships.

When we first create social media accounts for clients, we have to consistently change our client’s mindset about what their networks will do for them. Our clients want to see their networks boom, which can be a great goal, but to what end? Would you rather have a small network of devoted customers who trust you and help sell for you or a large network of individuals who don’t even recognize your name, let alone buy from you?

Many times the client who wants and expects the large network then stops their in person networking and relationship building thinking that one post per day is actually going to lead to new sales. Though, again, if your network is active and trusts you, this may do the trick, but for businesses, you can and should never stop your personal relationship building.

The digital age has made many business owners lazy when it comes to getting their word out. They sit online wondering why nobody has come knocking on their door. Those who hustle, however, reap the benefits.

You now have access to millions of people, if you only reach out. My recommendation for clients is to find the individuals who are are your level or a step above you that you admire and wish to connect with. Start following their social media accounts and commenting on their posts. As you do this, share their posts, too, and tag them so they can a notification that you are publishing their content.

From here… reach out! Write an email or direct message the individual. Let them know how much you’ve enjoyed their articles on X, Y, Z and then get straight to the point. What are your goals for reaching out for them? Do you want to run a joint webinar? Do you have an article that you think their audience would enjoy or benefit from?

The more clear you are, the more likely you will receive a reply. Of course, leading up to this point you’ve been interacting with them on their social media and blogs, so you should already have some name recognition.

In addition to digital networking, keep up your local networking.

Meeting with people and groups keeps us on our toes and from moving away from what the market needs. It helps us refine our message and get real time feedback from individuals we know and trust. This blog post  goes into more detail about why networking groups can transform your business and how to get involved.

To make sure that you aren’t making the biggest mistake in the digital age, continually get out of your comfort zone and form actual relationships with people you admire who are one step ahead of you. Even if the relationships start online, you are still treating the account handle or email as a person, and that individual respond accordingly.

Do you still network in person? Have you succeeded at reaching out to an individual you now partner with online?

Be sure to share your success stories!

The Most Common Misconception About Digital Marketing. Running a business in the digital age has its perks. It also can be incredibly difficult. Retail stores need to rethink their sales channels and social media networks get you sucked into a deep abyss if you aren't careful. Over and over again, however, we see business owners make the same mistake. It is based off a misconception that can not only hurt the long term success of your business, but can also keep you from ever getting off the ground in the first place.

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Top Mistakes You Can Make as a New Business

Working with businesses owners we see a lot of mistakes and successes. Especially for the new business or freelancer, the mistakes below can completely destroy your business before it has the chance to succeed.

Mistake #1: Striving for Perfection

“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.”

– Salvador Dali

As a type A perfectionist, I struggled with this. It also is the number one thing I see people starting a business struggle with, as well. Your business is your baby and you are pouring your heart and sole into making it a success, but being too wrapped up in the little things can keep your from actually going out and finding clients. If you find yourself:

  • Stressing over your logo
  • Tweaking every aspect of your website
  • Rereading your introduction email over and over to make it just right (but still not hitting send)
  • Working on perfecting your elevator speech before you attend your first networking group

then you may be focusing too much on being a perfectionist. Trust me, though thoughtful branding can help you land more clients, if you are receiving personal referrals, it isn’t going to stop you from getting paying clients. People choose who they are going to work with based on your personal connection not because of what your logo looks like. Then there is your website… Perfection for every site is a moving target. Your products and services will change. You will notice contacts respond more to one aspect of your business rather than another. As for the next two points, you are procrastinating! It is okay to want to define your messaging, but just getting out there and putting yourself out to prospects is far more important. Sure you want to make sure your messaging is just right when you reach out to that dream prospect or mentor, but these shouldn’t be your first contact. The best part about putting yourself out there before you think you are ready is that you get to understand what the market actually wants and needs! When I first started Boundless Marketing, I had my dream service offerings in mind. Turned out that nobody even understood what I was talking about! There wasn’t a market. I drastically shifted my messaging and began signing contracts almost immediately.

Mistake #2: Thinking you can get clients just by posting things online.

“The richest people in the world look for and build networks, everyone else looks for work. Marinate on that for a minute.”

– Robert T. Kiyosaki

The internet and social media has shifted many of our mindsets about how you can get clients. Even through online channels you need to create a personal relationship with your network. Just posting your blog posts online isn’t going to cut it. I recently signed up for a program to Gain 100 Followers in 3 Days, just to see how other professionals where growing and starting their email lists. Guess what, these influential bloggers and business owners all start int the same place – asking friends, colleagues, clients, and prospects individually if they wanted to join their email list! If you find yourself:

  • Wondering why your networks haven’t converted into paying clients
  • Haven’t asked your mom, sibling, aunt, and grandparent if they want to join your list
  • Are frustrated seeing all these other people succeed

Then you may just be making this mistake. Start going to networking groups and collecting business cards. Take the email address you collect and shoot out a quick note following the template below :

“Hi NAME, I recently met you at EVENT NAME and loved learning about your business. I am in the process of starting an email list focusing on 3 TOPICS YOU WILL BE WRITING ABOUT, and was wondering if you would be interested in receiving the emails. My goal with list is to LIST BENEFITS. Are you interested in learning more?”

Not everyone will say they are interested, but the ones who do will help you grow your contacts quickly! We work with a lot of businesses who see varying amount of success through their social media marketing. The ones who see a return quickly are the clients who are complementing our marketing management services with their own outreach and networking. To see the best results from your marketing, you need to treat social media as you do in person networking. Create personal relationships and treat handles and usernames as individual people not just another account.

Mistake #3: Not Understanding Your Own Values

“When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.”

– Roy E. Disney

Okay, so this one does tie into the branding of your business, but it really is getting out being your authentic self. Knowing your values helps you to better manage your time, set priorities, and work with clients you enjoy. If you find yourself:

  • Wishing there were more hours in the day
  • Being drained after meetings with prospects
  • Continually wishing you had done X, Y, or Z

Then you may be making this mistake. One of my first clients taught me this lesson the hard way. My values are Relationships (family), Creativity, Challenges, Health, Experiences, and Knowledge. Shortly after I began my business full time, I traveled to my brother’s wedding. I was ecstatic to see him tie the knot and spend time with my family. Unfortunately, a new client nearly ruined my weekend. As a people pleaser, I started bending over backwards for the client and found myself anxiously checking email during the rehearsal dinner. I wasn’t being present. Finally, I recognized I would resent my actions if I didn’t shut off all devices to be there for my family. Sure there was a nasty email from my client, but we worked through our differences once the owner understood my boundaries. If you find yourself stressed about client conversations, I urge you to lay out boundaries, guidelines, and a list of responsibilities. You may loose some clients, but they are the people who take up 80% of your time. Think of all the other things you could do to grow your business if you had 80% of your time back!

What mistakes have you made in your own business that kept you from success?

3 Mistakes that can Ruin Your Business and What to do About Them. Working with businesses owners we see a lot of mistakes and successes. Especially for the new business or freelancer, the mistakes below can completely destroy your business before it has the chance to succeed.

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No Plan B – 4 Tips to Jumping into Business Ownership

“The best fights are those fought by those without a Plan B.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Jumping into business ownership is daunting. How do you know when it is time to let go of your previous life? How can you be sure that your new endeavor will lead to success? The truth is, there is no end-all, be-all advice regarding the right time to jump all in or whether or not you will be successful. There are things you can do, however, that can increase the odds of fulfilling your dreams.

Tip 1: Plan, plan, plan

Creating a road map for your business is integral to your success. Not only do you need to know where you are starting from, but you also need to know what your goals are for month 1, month 6, 1 year, and 5 years. Working through these goals can help you to understand what you need to do to reach them. From here, write a list of the top activities that in the end will lead to you reaching your goals. For example, in my business, we need clients. Most of our clients come from personal relationships, referrals, and outbound marketing. In order to be successful, each week I need to reach more prospects or referral partners. Even if I’m swamped with current projects, I need to make sure I am continually touching new businesses.

In addition to planning for how you will get your first clients, you also need to plan your offerings. Create a list of all the services you can provide and create sample bundles or packages. What if someone only needs help with one aspect of what you provide, how will you charge? What if they want something you haven’t thought of, but have the skills to tackle, will you create a custom service offering for that client?

When I started out, I thought I would only be offering data analysis for marketing efforts. I thought I would be helping clients to understand what works and what doesn’t work as a way to tailor their marketing efforts. Though this is something I do, I was able to listen to my tribe and completely shift my messaging and packages to align with what the market actually needed.

Regardless of how much planning you do, your business plan is going to change.

“We should always have a plan B, but at the same time, treat plan A like it were our only option.”
― Izey Victoria Odiase

Tip 2: Surround yourself with positivity, but not naivety

We all have cheerleaders. Often in business, however, these cheerleaders are wrong to not give push back. Your idea may not actually be all that great. This isn’t to say that you can’t make it in business, it’s just that someone who always agrees with you isn’t going to get you to the place where you will find the most successes.

Though you need to remove negative energy of people pulling you back and second guessing your move to entrepreneurship, you need to also make sure that the positive energy you are surround yourself in is made of people who have been through your same journey and can help give push back when you are approaching a common pitfall. The people you surround yourself with will have a direct effect on your ability to succeed. Find mentors and other business owners who can talk you through marketing, technology, hiring and firing, taxes, etc.

blogging your business

Tip 3: Don’t have a Plan B

Here I mean don’t plan on needing your plan b. Jump head first into your business and don’t get distracted. Though your offerings may change, you need to stay course that you are now a business owner. The most successful businesses take shifts in the market in stride, but never second guess their decision to be in business.

“I don’t believe we should carry backup
plans in life’s suitcase—

they’re too easy to unpack
like living a life in yoga pants,
so comfortable our hips spread
into new timezones…”
― Kelli Russell Agodon, Hourglass Museum

Tip 4: Have backup funds to support you as you jump in

Try not to jump ship unless you have some residual income, clients, or savings already in place. As a new business, you don’t want to feel as though you need to work with every prospect you meet and you don’t want to come across as though you are begging for the next gig. Though being on the verge of bankruptcy can motivate some, most of us will become distracted from our daily activities if you need to constantly worry about money.  Additionally, make sure you have truthful discussions with your spouse about how spending and budgeting will need to change and be realistic about startup expenses. Things always take longer and cost more than you initially estimate.

Tip 5: Throw all this advice away (except the part about listening to your market)

If you know it is time to jump into your own business, just do it. You only live life once, why not make it the most fulfilling life you can. I think the number one reason why people decide to be a business owner is that they are worried about security, health insurance, managing their time, but when you just jump into it, you learn to make things work.

I didn’t set out to be a business owner, but somehow freelancing turned into a full time income. Now I can’t get enough. I encourage all of you with a business idea to give it a shot. Start taking on clients on the side or developing your MVP (minimum viable product). Keep your salary, but work towards being self sufficient. In the end you will thank your employer for funding your budding business.

Best of Luck!

NO PLAN B - “The best fights are those fought by those without a Plan B.” ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana Jumping into business ownership is daunting. How do you know when it is time to let go of your previous life? How can you be sure that your new endeavor will lead to success? The truth is, there is no end-all, be-all advice regarding the right time to jump all in or whether or not you will be successful. There are things you can do, however, that can increase the odds of fulfilling your dreams.

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Are You Unemployable?

One phrase that always comes up when I’m chatting with my friends and colleagues whom own their own businesses is “I am just so unemployable.” Why do so many business owners and freelancers believe they are unemployable? Let’s dissect this below:

  • We recognize the value in knocking off top priorities and checking out for the day.
  • We are comfortable going for a run, walk, hike, lunch date in the middle of the day as a way to clear our heads for fresh perspective.
  • Even though we’ve traveled to Europe, Mexico, and across the US, we haven’t taken a REAL vacation in years.
  • We don’t understand why people bog themselves down in minute tasks that should be outsourced.
  • 98% of the time we don’t set an alarm in the morning (if you are a morning person) or go to bed at a decent time (if you are a night owl) because we know when we get the best work done in our daily schedule.
  • We choose only to work with clients who understand that sometimes little Suzie or Johnny needs to come to our meetings.
  • We cut out time every week to further our own education.
  • When we feel the most successful, our values are aligned with the work on our plate.

I don’t know, if I had an employee like this, I think I’d jump for joy! The problem is that so many businesses require 8 hours a day. It is a way to build a strong culture and often those who are first into the office and last to leave make a lasting impression on management about how committed they are to the organization. Surely as an employee, you can’t outsource those small repetitive tasks – or can you?

Running your own business takes perseverance. Every day you need to make a choice about how you will spend your time. It’s easy to get side-tracked by “shiny object syndrome” or those small tasks that don’t actually result in return. But if you jump all in, you may in fact find that you will never be employable again.

Do you find yourself thinking that you are unemployable even though you work harder than anyone else you know?

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