If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Not long ago, when people asked me that question, I’d say “invisibility” almost without thinking about it. But then I realized that, for as much as I thought being invisible might be cool, I also very much wanted to be seen. Being invisible was really more about wanting to stay safe - which, as we discussed in a previous episode, is really an illusion and all about being comfortable. Something, kind of the opposite of what building a business is about.
Being invisible - especially in your business - has advantages… some hidden advantages that you’re probably not even consciously aware of. Today, we’re going to shine a light on these perks of invisibility so that you can make some empowered decisions about when to step into your spotlight and when to stay carefully tucked away in the shadows.
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Theme music: “Big Time” by Ikoliks, Artlist.io
Are you interested in expanding your business? If so, then it’s important to take the right path. One of the problems that you can run into here is causing your business to be inefficient. This can happen if you grow your company too quickly. The good news is that there are some simple steps that you can take to ensure a successful expansion. Here are some of the key choices we recommend you explore.
Research
First, you should think about completing the right amount of research when you expand. If you’re exploring a process like a business expansion, one of your main goals should always be to mitigate risk as much as possible. There are lots of ways to do this, but one of the easiest steps is going to be finding out as much information as you can about your target audience and your respected industry. For instance, if you are exploring expanding a business in the food services industry, you need to check whether companies are currently seeing high levels of demand. This data is readily available.
Budget
Something else to consider before you expand your business is how much money you have to do such a thing. Without much of a budget, you won’t be able to do as much as you have planned. Work out your company's incomings and outgoings to see how much you have leftover to put toward your expansion. Expansions are not cheap, however, when they are done well you will see an amazing return.
Recruitment
Next, you should think about recruitment. Regardless of your business model, an expansion will always involve recruiting more people into your team. This could be a whole group of people now on the payroll. Or, it might mean finding the right freelancers and outsourcing agents. Regardless of what type of recruitment model you are driving forward with, you need to have the best people for the job. If you don’t choose wisely, then it is going to weaken your brand, even as it continues to grow and this is the last thing that you want. Particularly, if you’re taking on the risk of an expansion.
Consider Your Goals
Finally, you should make sure that you are considering your goals when expanding your business. If you don’t have any goals in place, then you will find your expansion largely directionless. Of course, you can’t just set any goals. You need to think about what you want to achieve on the market and how you plan to achieve it. This means that your goals must be smart. Think about things that have a set time frame, can be measured, and match the wider objectives of your business. In other words, a goal can’t simply be that you want to grow your audience. You should think about a set figure and when you want to achieve this goal.
We hope you found this article helpful and that it gave you lots of tips on how it’s possible to expand your business.
A few years back, while attending an abundance workshop, I encountered one of the scariest moments of my life! A particular exercise gave me, a business coach, a very “deer in the headlights'' moment but also, a breakthrough that changed the way I work with clients. Had my coach not taken just a few extra moments out of her agenda to help me with this roadblock, I might still struggle with the idea of holding onto something so much. I might have never fully launched the Incubator, which has helped our clients make millions of dollars in the 6 years we’ve been running it. Many of those folks started at zero, so that’s real revenue. Real lives changed that might not have happened if I hadn’t faced down that fear.
What’s the lesson? An Environment of Empowerment can help you overcome your fears.
As I mentioned in our last episode, even Betty White had her haters. Making yourself a victim is something that you have influence over and I am here to help! It starts by not being an a-hole, creating an environment of empowerment for yourself, and fostering a sense of belonging with your existing audience, which in turn changes your audience into your Raving Fans.
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Theme music: “Big Time” by Ikoliks, Artlist.io
It is arguable that creativity is the one thing that will help you to be a successful entrepreneur above all others. After all, if you want to be successful in business then you need to be able to generate lots of new and interesting ideas and lots of new and interesting ways of implementing those ideas in what is likely to be a saturated market. Creativity will help you with that.
Some of us are naturally very creative, and we have no problem whatsoever tapping into our creative side when we need to come up with new ideas or new ways of doing things, while some of us struggle to tap into the creative wellspring at all.
If you are one of the people who struggle to get your creative juices flowing, but you want to succeed as an entrepreneur, here are a few things you can do to unlock your entrepreneurial creativity whenever you need to:
1. Unplug the electronics
Our laptops, tablets, and phones may have revolutionized our lives and made it a lot easier to do everything from accounting to communicating but when it comes to getting our creative juices flowing, they are not always the best option.
Studies have shown that we are often more creative when working with paper and pen than when we are working on a digital device. Not only that, but when you don’t have access to the Internet and its billions of distractions, you are more likely to get your gray matter working too. So, switch off and start brainstorming, you might be surprised at how well you do.
2. Meditate
Whether you are trying to come up with a new cleanroom design that will boost efficiency and efficacy for your manufacturing company or you are simply trying to come up with a new and exciting logo for your brand, taking some time out to meditate is highly likely to help you unlock your entrepreneurial creativity and get the job done.
How does meditation help? By helping you clear the clutter of thoughts that are not serving you or your business, and opening up your mind to a world of possibilities. Most people think meditation is just good for getting rid of executive stress, and although it can be very helpful for that, it has also been shown to boost the creative parts of our brains too, so learning meditation is likely to be a smart move for any serious entrepreneur.
3. Take up an artistic hobby
Even if your busies is in an area like financial services which does not have much of a creative element to it on the surface, one thing that can really help you to unlock your creativity and come up with new ways of running your company is taking up an artistic hobby where you have to use your hands to create something new. From painting and drawing to knitting and crochet, anything that engages your visual perception, and forces you to work with your hands will help you to be more innovative by releasing your creativity and making you think in a much more creative way than you have ever done before. It, like meditation, is also great for relieving your executive stress too.
4. Find a creative mentor
Finding a creative mentor, or even simply reading more about other entrepreneurs and the unique ideas they have come up with, will help to make you more creative too. You will start to notice their processes and the unique ways they look at the world and it will start to rub off on you. You will find yourself thinking about that math problem in terms of the golden ratio or you will start looking at your logo from the perspective of an artist and it will open up a new world of creativity to you which will undoubtedly benefit your business going forward.
5. Question everything
If you want to think more creatively, then you need to start questioning things more often. From the way your production line packages your products to the way you design your website, every decision needs to be evaluated from as many angles as possible. By doing this, you will automatically start to generate more ideas and tweaks and you will be able to ensure that your choices are always well thought out and as creative as possible.
The more creative you are, the more likely you are to survive in business, so you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, by trying out some of the techniques above.
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As a creative, you may have spent your whole life dreaming of being able to do what you love for a living. Being able to ditch a mundane nine-to-five job, follow your ambition, and launch a creative business may feel like a dream come true. However, for many creatives, launching a business and starting their entrepreneurial journey can throw up a few surprises. One of the biggest realizations many creative entrepreneurs have is how much other work goes into running a business.
Trying to keep up with the day-to-day running of a business can consume almost all of your time. Spending your working days replying to emails, sending invoices, and chasing payments may not have been what you envisaged when you started your business, so finding yourself consumed by these mundane tasks can be frustrating. It is challenging to stay creative and keep your passion for your work alive when you seem bogged down by admin and day-to-day tasks. You may be wondering how to run a business and stay creative simultaneously. The tips below should provide you with handy hints to help keep your creativity flowing and ensure you do not get consumed by admin:
Never Multitask
Multitasking and entrepreneurship may sound like two words that go hand in hand, but in reality, you should avoid multitasking as much as possible. Attempting to juggle too many tasks can sap your creativity and leave your mind feeling scattered as you try to manage multiple things at once.
Instead of trying to multitask, it is helpful to focus your attention on one job at a time. Setting aside one hour a day to tackle admin jobs is an excellent way to ensure most of your time is spent on creative tasks. Trying to stick to the same time each day to reply to emails, chase invoices, etc., will enable you to stay on top of these less exciting tasks without impacting your creative time.
Streamline Your Organization
If you find you are spending a large portion of your time dealing with issues related to the set-up of your business, it is a good idea to try and get these resolved once and for all. If you are dealing with constant queries about payment issues, you can make life easier for yourself by sorting out your merchant enrollment api. When you are constantly dealing with issues that need fixing, it is usually a lot less stressful to set aside time to fix them properly than deal with them continually. Getting frustrating troubleshooting jobs out of the way will prevent these stressful issues from impacting your creativity.
Outsource Wherever Possible
Outsourcing aspects of your business is a helpful way to free up your time and focus on what you are good at. Having an accounting company to manage your books and chase invoices on your behalf can take a massive weight off your shoulders. Likewise, hiring a virtual assistant to take care of admin tasks will help you stay creative and minimize distractions.
One of the common fears that comes up with my clients repeatedly is becoming a target for haters, cancel culture, and trolls. I mean, the bigger they are, the harder they fall, right? The idea of having to deal with negative attention does not feel expansive, fulfilling, or joyful. I mean, no one wants haters, and when you’ve already got a full plate, comments and attacks can be the straw that breaks your back.
It leaves them thinking they have to choose safety over the real success that they crave.
BUT… Do you really have to choose between playing it safe or taking risks all the time if you want to be successful? Entrepreneurship is inherently risky, but is the only path to success found by taking BIG risks all the time? Do you really have to choose between safety and security and being successful at the level that brings the income, impact, and influence you know is meant for you?
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Theme music: “Big Time” by Ikoliks, Artlist.io
How to Get the Courage to Start Your Entrepreneurial Journey Today
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The decision to become an entrepreneur is a big one. And it's not one that should be taken lightly. There are a lot of things to consider before taking the plunge—like whether you have what it takes to be your own boss, if you're truly passionate about your business idea, and if you're prepared to face the many challenges that come with being an entrepreneur.
For some people, the thought of entrepreneurship is so daunting that they never take the first step. If you're feeling stuck and paralyzed by fear, know that you're not alone. But here's the thing: you can't let fear hold you back from chasing your dreams. So how do you get the courage to start your entrepreneurial journey today? Here are four tips to help you get started.
Before taking the plunge into entrepreneurship, it's important to do your research and make sure that it's the right decision for you. Ask yourself questions like: Do I have what it takes to be my own boss? Am I truly passionate about my business idea? What are the potential risks and rewards associated with starting my own business? Answering these questions honestly will help you determine if entrepreneurship is the right path for you.
One of the best ways to gain the courage to start your entrepreneurial journey is to find someone who has already walked the path before you. Ideally someone who can mentor and guide you through the process that has experience in the field. This person can provide invaluable advice, offer support when times get tough, and help keep you accountable to your goals. If you don't have a mentor yet, try reaching out to your network of family and friends or joining an entrepreneur group in your community.
In addition to finding a mentor, it's also important to build a supportive network of family and friends who will encourage and motivate you as you pursue your entrepreneurial dreams. This support system will cheer you on when things are going well and help pick you up when things get tough—because there will be times when things do get tough. It could be those you did your Yoga certification with or went to college with. So don't go at it alone—build a supportive network of people who will lift you up along the way.
If the thought of starting your own business from scratch seems overwhelming, start small by taking baby steps towards your goal. For example, if your goal is to eventually quit your day job and become a full-time entrepreneur, start by setting aside some time each week after work or on weekends to work on developing your business idea. Or if your goal is to launch an online store, start by creating a website or blog where you can sell products or services part-time. As you start making progress towards your goals, see how it feels—if it feels good, keep going! But if it starts to feel like too much, take a step back and reassess how much time and energy you want to devote to your business venture.
When I was 16, I was over the moon excited about getting my driver’s license. I wanted it SO bad. When I was 9, I helped my brother study for his exam and I held onto his copy of the driver training booklet. Man, I read that thing so many times, I was pretty sure I had it memorized. I knew all the moves to parallel park, all the road signs at a glance, and how to safely pass a commercial vehicle. I knew which vehicle had the right of way at a 4-way stop, what to do when the traffic lights were out, and all the other stuff that little encyclopedia of driving wisdom had to share.
But I wasn’t prepared when Dad invited me out to drive.
“What? Me? On the road? But Dad, I don’t have my license yet! I don’t have my learner’s permit yet! That would be breaking the law! I don’t think I could DO that! I don’t think I’m ready for that.”
“Okay kid.”
And he never asked me again, even after I got my permit. The next year, he asked my sister, and she jumped at the chance to hop in the car with Dad and tool around town. I was hurt, angry, and didn’t understand why Dad had passed me over like that in favor of my sister. Couldn’t he see I was ready now? Couldn’t he see that I had more experience, more skill at driving than she did? Why was SHE getting the invite, but I wasn’t?
That was one of my earliest experiences with the Passed Over Paradox. Only, I didn’t know it yet. Let me break this down so you can see what was really going on here.
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Theme music: “Big Time” by Ikoliks, Artlist.io
Technology has significantly evolved over the last few decades and has changed the way that people work and live, the way companies conduct business and the way that people shop. It is an indispensable part of life.
Technology plays a huge role in the way that businesses are run and how they operate. Without the latest technology, businesses are going to be stuck behind in the industry. One of the biggest mistakes that companies make is to remain comfortable with the technology they already have. While there are many benefits to that, there also comes a time when businesses need to take inventory and upgrade their technology.
When the right technology is upgraded and used in businesses, it can change the way you work and give you a competitive advantage. Technology will benefit your business in a multitude of ways, including driving forward your strategies, providing your team a better way to collaborate and communicate, keeping your business and information secure from cyber threats, creating a more efficient and productive environment, helping your employees work to the best of their ability, and save you time and money in the long run. There is no better time than now to be investing in technology to enhance and grow your business. Here are some top tips to help you get started.
Security is one of the most important things you should invest in as a business. As technology grows, so do the capabilities of those who carry out cyber attacks. This means it is vital that you continue to upgrade your security technology as time goes on. You should carry out regular risk assessments, and continue to learn about the current threats and available technology. This is essential for any business that holds sensitive information about its strategy, its customers, and its employees.
Hardware is what enables your employees to do their job. Whether you work in an office or a warehouse, the type of hardware and technology that you use will make all the difference. If you continue to use old and outdated equipment, your employees will grow frustrated and the standard of work will suffer. You should always ensure that your employees are equipped to do what you pay them to do, so you can create a positive and efficient workplace. For example, if you work in a gummy manufacturing warehouse, you may choose to upgrade your gummy machine so that you can reduce problems and increase your output.
Communication and collaboration technology in the workplace has evolved to better help employees in the workplace work more efficiently and to a higher standard. Communication and collaboration are key for any business that wants to grow, as they will streamline processes, create a good workflow and enable employees to work better. This technology can be anything from video calls, chat features, cloud technology, and much more.
Upgrading the technology in your business is vital if you want to grow. There are many options for technology upgrades in your business, so you must find where your business needs to improve and start there.
How To Delegate Effectively
Running a business isn't about how much you can do by yourself. Instead, it's about figuring out what you're good at and focusing on that while giving the tasks you don't like or aren't good at to people who can do them better than you. It can be difficult to delegate, but letting go of some parts of your work can help your business run more efficiently and help you make more sales and money. We recently found a virtual assistant agency to fits us perfectly and handles many of our delegation needs. Here are some steps to take when you want to start delegating.
To run a business well takes a lot of work, but you shouldn't give out too many tasks. If you feel like you have too much work to do, think about how your staff would feel if you kept giving them more tasks. If they have too much work, it won't be done well, it won't get done on time, or it might not get done at all.
Delegating is not the same as giving someone else everything you need to do in your business, leaving you with nothing to do. When you delegate, you should be smart and give other people the tasks you know they can do better than you. Giving away all your tasks won't solve the problem; it will just move it to someone else, and nothing will get done.
When you give important tasks to other people, it's important to pick the right people to help you. The person you choose to delegate something to must be right for the job. It would be best if they already knew how to do it, but if they don't, they must be willing to listen and learn from you. Try to use the skills and strengths of each team member so that jobs can be done more quickly and easily and there is less downtime in the business as a whole.
Providing your employees with the resources they need to execute their jobs goes beyond just a desk and a phone. This means providing them with everything they need to do their jobs effectively. It also includes ensuring sure everything you need is easily accessible and in good functioning order. No matter what it is they need, from teaching software for K-12 schools to heavy machinery and vehicles, if you want to delegate effectively, you need to provide the right equipment.
If you don’t do this, you can delegate the tasks, but they may not be done well. They may not even be done at all. You’ll need to work at putting the foundations in place before you can really make headway when it comes to delegating.
Technically, you could just give your team a list of tasks to do and be done with it, but if you want to get the most out of them, it's best to explain why you're asking them to do something. Be honest about the fact that your business is starting to grow and you have a number of other tasks to do, and tell them that you think they would enjoy the task, do it well, or do it better. Show them how this work will help them grow as people and how the new responsibilities you're giving them will help them, you, and the business as a whole. If they know all this, they will be much more willing to complete the task.
If you aren't clear and specific when you give someone a task, it will be much harder for them to do it the way you want and in the time frame you set. Give the person you're delegating to the clearest instructions you can, and if you can explain why the job needs to be done, that will help them see how it all fits into the bigger picture of running your business.
If you only give vague instructions, you shouldn't be surprised if the job isn't done the way you wanted it to be done or if your team member keeps coming to you with more questions that stop what you're doing and make the task take much longer than it should.
Leaving an employee to focus on the task at hand may be the quickest solution, but it could backfire in the long run, hurting both you and the employee. The process will go more easily if you check in with them periodically to see if they need anything or have any queries. Delegating is entrusting others with responsibility without hovering over their shoulders, but letting them know you’re there if they need you is a crucial component, especially when you first start doing it.
Today’s workplaces are constantly evolving and so are the challenges of leading teams.
With rapid advancements in technology, collaboration and communication have become easier. Most businesses have migrated from traditional desk-based offices to virtual team spaces and online collaboration tools like Slack or Google Docs.
These changes have resulted in more accessible work environments for employees, making it easier for them to work remotely and telecommute.
However, with all these benefits also come new challenges for leaders who need to find ways of maintaining high performance at all times from their team members.
Here are some tips that can help you improve your team’s performance:
The performance review meeting is the best place to start when it comes to improving your team’s performance levels. It is the perfect opportunity to ask your employees about their work-related concerns and issues and find ways of resolving them.
This meeting can be conducted on a yearly basis, but you can also have it on a biannual or quarterly basis depending on the kind of business you are running. This meeting can help in identifying the areas in which your employees have been struggling and can also help you find ways of resolving these issues.
These meetings can also help you build a better relationship with your team members and help you understand the issues that they are facing and the challenges they are dealing with.
Your employees might not understand the expectations that you have set for them and the goals they must achieve.
It is important that you set clear expectations from the start so that they can work towards them and achieve the goals you have set for them.
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These expectations can include:
Your team members need to know what they need to do and why they need to do it. By setting clear expectations, you can avoid any misunderstandings and help your employees achieve their goals with greater efficiency.
Your team members might feel motivated after setting clear expectations and achieving goals, but you also need to help them celebrate their achievements. Celebrating achievements can also help in motivating your employees and helping them feel appreciated on the job. Celebrations don’t have to be expensive or grandiose - they can be as simple as creating free event tickets or a team lunch.
However, you must also remember to be careful not to celebrate too frequently as this can become demotivating for your team members.
Many productivity tools are available in the market and you can select any of them and implement it in your team.
You can use tools like Asana or Teamwork to organize and schedule your work, help you collaborate with team members and serve as a communication platform.
A productivity tool can help you stay on track with your work and help you stay focused while working.
These tools can help your team members with accessing articles, files and documents in one central location and can also help with setting alerts and notifications to keep everyone updated and informed about upcoming deadlines.
Team members may start feeling apprehensive about sharing their ideas, concerns and suggestions with their managers if they feel they will be reprimanded or criticized for it. This can result in a lack of open communication and can affect your team’s performance.
A lack of transparency in your workplace can also impact your team’s productivity, especially when employees are unsure if their ideas will be accepted or not. The only way to avoid such complications is by creating an environment of transparency in your workplace.
This can be done by encouraging your employees to speak their minds and letting them know that their suggestions will be accepted and appreciated.
Depression and anxiety can affect work performance and may have a negative impact on the entire team. It’s important to identify when employees are struggling mentally so that you can make things easier and help them on the road to recovery.
Performance review meetings can be a chance to also check in on people’s mental health. Being approachable can also help employees open up about problems they may be having. You can then find a solution - which could include temporarily reducing responsibility or letting them have some time off.
Some employers find it beneficial to outsource services like business chaplaincy or a workplace counsellor. These individuals can provide counselling and help check in on the mental health of every employee. They are particularly useful in larger workplaces.
Team performance can be significantly improved when leaders actively engage in these six ways to improve their team's performance.
However, it's important to keep in mind that exceptional performance doesn't happen on its own; it happens as a result of specific strategies and practices. By following the tips mentioned above, you can make sure that your team thrives and outperforms themselves.
Making your business better is one of the key things that you need to be getting right when it comes to improving your success. There are so many ideas that play a role in helping to improve and enhance this process, and you need to focus on the best ways of being able to achieve this. Improving your company is something that plays a key part in helping build a memorable and successful brand.
It is important to come up with some of the best possible ideas that play a role in helping your company improve, and this means making the right decisions at the right times. You need to consider the best ways of being able to make your business better, and these are some of the best changes you can make that will help you to achieve this.
Have a Plan for Success
Having a plan for success is one of the best things you can do when looking to improve this process. It is important to focus on some of the best ways of being able to achieve business success, and you need to think about how this can happen. Crafting a detailed business plan for the future is one of the best things you can do when it comes to making the most of this moving forward right now. You have to make sure you come up with some of the best ideas that will help you when it comes to making the key decisions as a business.
Hire the Right People
Making sure you hire the right people in your company is one of the key ways of being able to ensure you work toward greater success. It is important to think about what it takes to achieve this, and you need to think about what is involved in this. Choosing people who are experienced professionally, as well as having the right kind of personality to fit into the company is so important, and there is a lot that you can do to help improve this as much as possible. Coming up with ideas that will make your company better is important, and this is one of the key considerations to make here.
Understand How to Market Your Brand
You need to look at your marketing philosophy, as well as what you can do to improve this and promote the company in the most effective way possible. This is something that plays a massive role in this process, and you have to try to make sure you come up with some of the key ideas that will let you boost your marketing strategy. There are loads of amazing ideas you can use here, and a combination of online and offline marketing techniques can make all the difference to the way you are able to achieve this.
Protect Your Reputation
Protecting your company’s reputation is one of the best things you can do when it comes to making yourself more successful. There are plenty of excellent ideas that you can use that are going to help you make the most of this, and thinking about the right ways of improving reputation is essential. There are a lot of things that play a part in this, and looking at things like how to protect your privacy online, as well as who you hire and the stance you choose to take on societal issues can be great ways of protecting your reputation.
Be More Efficient
Efficiency is one of the core components of success in the world of business, and this is something that you need to try to make the most of when looking to improve your company. Try to make sure you come up with some of the best ways of being able to focus on this as much as possible. There are so many elements that you have to consider when it comes to boosting the efficiency of your company, and this is something that you need to make the most of as much as possible, and this is one of the best ways of making your company better.
When you are looking to find the best possible steps that will help your company thrive, it is important to assess what it takes to make your brand better. You have to excel and stand out as a business, and this is something you have to keep in mind as much as possible right now. It is vital to make sure you focus on some of the best ideas that will help make your company better.
Every manager or owner should look for the best ways to improve your business efficiency, but it should not finish within the office and with your customers. In addition, making your customers’ lives easier can significantly boost your company’s fortunes and help it increase its reputation within your industry. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to make life simpler for your customers, and here are the best approaches to consider.
Payments are perhaps the biggest aspect that businesses should improve when trying to make their customers’ lives simpler. Whether you need to organize a one-off payment for a purchaser or set up recurring payments for long-term clients, it must be safe, secure, and straightforward.
There are many ways you can ensure easy payments, including offering multiplier ways to pay such as debit, credit, points, or cryptocurrency. The more diverse and creative your payment approach, the more confident your customers will feel when they reach the checkout.
Customers interacting with your business is not all about browsing your website. Your business should also be easy to find online, both for desktop computers as well as mobiles and tablets, which help your customers reach your company wherever they are.
If you haven’t already done so, consider designing a mobile app, there are multiple ways to build an app to simplify their experience. You can also make your company easy to find on social media and search engines, including filling in all the information a customer would need, such as your address, opening hours, and contact details.
There are few things more frustrating than searching through a store - whether online or in person - and being unable to find what you need. Most customers would have a certain level of autonomy. They want to be able to find the products themselves, but this can be impossible if you fail to organize your store correctly.
A logical layout should feel natural. Stock related items beside each other to make your customers’ lives easier and empower them to get everything they need without spending all day in the store. They will have a positive experience and feel comfortable returning.
While many customers want to feel empowered to do everything themselves, some require assistance, which is why you must train your employees and give them all the knowledge they need to help.
Regular detailed training is ideal if you want to improve engagement and profitability within your business. The more your employees know (and don’t need clarification from you), the more confident they will be, which shines through when helping customers. It demonstrates competence, which makes your business seem more professional. In turn, this establishes your company as legitimate and improves the customer experience.
Every customer wants their buying experience to be as straightforward as possible. The more convoluted your approach, the quicker they will be put off your business and happily shop elsewhere. By providing a simple and high-quality service no matter where they are, you can boost your company’s profile and establish your enterprise as the go-to choice for your community.
Workplace diversity isn’t just about meeting a quota. Hiring employees from a range of different backgrounds can have many benefits for your company. Below are a few reasons why diversity matters within your workforce.
Diversity helps creativity to thrive
Diversity is great for encouraging different ideas. While a team of young, white, able-bodied men are still likely to have many different individual experiences, they are not going to have the same range of experiences as a mixed age, multiracial, mixed ability and mixed gender team. People with different backgrounds may be able to identify different problems and solutions. Your team members can also learn from each other as a result of this. When it comes to industries where creativity is important such as product design, marketing and research, it could be essential to hire a diverse team.
Diversity improves your customer reach
Diversity can help to build consumer trust. In fact, diverse companies are 70% more likely to capture new markets. This is likely to be due to creativity and the ability to appeal to more audiences by identifying the problems of different demographics. If you want a diverse range of customers to relate to your product or service, a diverse team of employees can also help to make you more approachable. All in all, it’s good for your brand.
Diversity leads to greater employee retention
Many employees are also likely to feel prouder working for an employer that champions diversity. A new diversity and inclusion study found that 81% of respondents would consider leaving their job due to a lack of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. While it is true that some employees may be less welcoming to certain minority groups or demographics, most people are fairly open-minded when it comes to who they work with - as long as they’re friendly and competent at their job. Worrying that certain employees may not fit in with the ‘company culture’ may in fact be a form of discrimination on your part. Consider the fact that adding more diversity may be good for your team morale and could lead to a reduced turnover.
Diversity allows you to access a greater talent pool
Being open to hiring employees of different ages, ethnic groups, genders, orientations and abilities could also expose you to a greater range of talent. Some employers are quick to dismiss an employee for being too old or for having a disability without really looking into the skills and experience of that employee. By skimming over certain employees, you could be missing out on talent that could be valuable to your business. This is why you should always approach the hiring process without any personal bias. Focus on what really matters when hiring someone - their knowledge and their passion for the job.
There are many aspects to running a business. From operations to marketing (and everything in between), it’s not always easy. Business owners must be able to adapt to new challenges and ways of doing things including ways to make the company more efficient.
Most entrepreneurs know that you'll have your fair share of struggles at some point or another. The key is figuring out how to streamline your workflows, so the business runs as smoothly as possible. This doesn’t mean your business has to struggle forever; there are plenty of ways to make your business more efficient to save time and money in the long run. Here are some tips on how you can improve efficiency in your company and thereby increase profits in the long run:
As a business owner, you come across situations where you may have to change how you do things. For example, if you’re creating content for your website, you might have to change your strategy if you notice a drop in traffic. You might be creating content that’s not relevant to your target audience. Or, you might not be using the right keywords. At this point, you have two options: You can either keep trying to make the content work or make a change. What kind of change? You could change either the content you create or the workflow around how you create it. For example, you can try creating visual content, such as videos or images, instead of written content. Visual content tends to be more engaging to audiences, making it more likely that they share it. Or, you could look at HOW you're creating that written content and change how that's getting done. I hired a copywriter to help me outline most of the content for Season 6 of the Creative Freedom Show, and it saved me countless hours of trying to rack my brain for topic ideas. That change in the workflow helped me see how to not only create better content, but do it faster by hiring out part of the process. In season 7, I continued to outline the episodes before I scripted them. Even without hiring the copywriter, that change in the workflow still saved me a ton of time.
Businesses can become more efficient by automating everyday tasks through software. For example, you can use a CRM or email service provider to organize leads and automate sales activities. Or you can use accounting software to create reports, create invoices, and track expenses. Automating everyday tasks can help you save time and money in the long run because it frees employees to focus on more critical tasks. It also gives your company an edge over the competition since other businesses might not be efficient.
One way to make your business more efficient is to outsource specific tasks. For example, you can outsource your customer service to a third-party company if you have an in-house call center. This allows your employees to focus on more important activities related to your business. It also saves you time and money since outsourcing is less costly than hiring your own employees. Similarly, you can do this for shipping. UPS international shipping for small to mid-sized businesses is an example of a service you can use to ship your product across the globe, and you can outsource work such as the packaging and delivery of the product to other people. At the same time, you can focus on other essential elements of your business. There are many ways to outsource tasks, such as hiring virtual assistants to do administrative work, using freelance designers for your website design, or having content writers create blog posts. Investing in outsourcing can help boost your business and make it more efficient.
Efficiencies come in all shapes and sizes. One last thing you can do is just delete stuff. Stop doing things. Take them out of the company or off your plate completely. Don't let ANYONE in the organization do them. Your "Stop doing" list is just as important as you "to do" list. Once you've eliminated what you can, try one of these three approaches to streamline your business even further.
Need support? The Creative Freedom Incubator has limited openings this fall. Join us and get the help you need to make faster progress in your growing business.
A long-time friend of mine came to visit Nashville not long ago. He paid me a compliment or two, as he often does, and I poo-pooed nearly all of it. Later, when we were at lunch with my family, he turned to my husband and asked: “How does she not see how talented and gifted she is?” My husband shrugged in agreement that I wasn’t owning my gifts and talent, and I certainly wasn’t accepting the compliment.
Hello, Impostor Syndrome!
What is Imposter Syndrome anyway? Well, it can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. Maybe you’ve felt it, too, but sometimes, Impostor Syndrome is a symptom of something much different. In this week’s episode, I talk a bit about the difference between Imposter Syndrome and what I call the Passed Over Paradox.
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Inside this episode, we're talking about:
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How many touches does it take for your audience to convert?
According to some research, it takes on average 8 touchpoints from the initial interest to the full commitment to purchasing. Some research suggests it's as many as 22 "touches"! In other words, most leads will need to interact with your company's marketing content at least 8 times before they are ready to buy.
There are several steps in the sales process:
A sales team will typically prepare interactions to help keep leads in the loop and move them from one stage to another. If your business doesn't have sales professionals, your marketing activities will need to guide your online and offline visitors through the buying process so they don't get stuck in a particular stage.
But how can your business figure out the right activities to increase conversion rates?
Figure out your best-converting activities
How you attribute conversions and track leads can make a huge difference to your strategy. Research tools such as WhatConverts do the hard work for you, not only naming and identifying unique leads but also identifying where they came from.
For small businesses and marketers trying to build value-generating campaigns, it is a fantastic way of:
Test and experiment with trackable campaigns
Some activities, such as marketing campaigns using Google Analytics and Google Adwords tracking methods, provide greater insight into your audience's mindset and preferences. Therefore, Google provides marketers with unique experimenting options, allowing you to optimize your marketing content through testing:
The more you test, the more data you can receive to improve your marketing touchpoints, even recognizing which type of campaign is needed for different stages. Even small tests can give you meaningful results. Don't be afraid to try!
Ask your customers
Sometimes, the fastest way to know what people think is to ask them. While data can show interaction and engagement with your marketing activities, it will not answer the most important question: why something works.
As a small business, you can gain valuable insights by inviting a few selected customers to a question panel, where you can interview them. To make it easier for them to say yes to your invitation, consider offering them something in exchange for their time (a PR opportunity, discounts on future products, or even free access to your new offer as a Beta-user or founding member). Here are some questions suitable for customer interviews:
The interview process may be unpleasant if customers are willing to be fully honest. However, it is an opportunity to improve your marketing activities in the future.
Potential customers usually need to interact with your brand several times before they decide to purchase. Understanding which activities and content deliver the best results can make your marketing much easier in the future.
I’ve been holding onto this episode for a long time. Decades, in fact. You may already know that I’ve been in the online space for nearly 30 years - back when it took 15 minutes for an animated gif to load - and we were actually excited about that!
I’ve seen the rise and fall of many an internet marketer in my time - and the cult-like followings and mythos that those gurus often created around themselves. In that time, I’ve learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t work. Which is why I’m still here.
So many folks were wooed by a “guru” promise only to find out they needed to invest more before they were really ready to step into that guru's big-ticket offer. They were sold on a dream of “success in their sleep” with images of fancy cars and exotic locations. Except that the guru’s “way of doing business” was a cookie-cutter formula, or an online success “blueprint” - no joke - that was an actual thing back in the day. Those formulas and blueprints were often high-level overviews or outlines that didn’t give you enough details to help you make real progress. They just kept you hamstrung - needing to invest more and more money with the guru in order to finally get the details that they’d been holding back from the beginning.
Blueprints and cookie-cutter concepts can only take you so far. Heck, we use them when we build business models. We start with the same framework for every person we work with. But, like a good builder, we don’t stop at the blueprint. That’s the "what". We also need the “how”. We take that model and help our clients implement it in ways that work for them.
And you can do that, too... You can do business outside the box! Listen along as I bust 4 myths so that you can feel at ease and start doing business YOUR WAY.
Inside this episode, we're talking about:
Rising Tide community members can login and access your free downloads here.
Not a member yet? It's free! When you register for the Rising Tide, you also get email updates, the FREE learning library, and access to episode transcripts, worksheets, and more!
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Theme music: “Big Time” by Ikoliks, Artlist.io
Your support team is a key ingredient in a growing business. Without them, little to nothing would get done. That's why creating a safe and positive work environment for your team is so important - whether they are employees, contractors, or volunteers in your organization. This will not only make them more productive, but it will also make them happier and more likely to stick around, sing your praises, and tell the world about your company. Here are some ways to create a safe and positive work environment for your team members.
Via Pexels
Creating a vision for your company means nothing if your team isn't on board. If you're unsure where to start, ask your key team members. They are the ones who spend the most time in the workplace, so they will have a good idea of what needs to be changed to align with your vision. Then, sit down with your entire team (or the department heads if you have a large organization) and have an open discussion about what would make the workplace safer and more positive. You may be surprised at some of the suggestions they come up with.
Health and safety should always be a priority in the workplace. Not just physical health, but mental health, too. If your employees don't feel safe, they will not be productive. Worse, if they start to resent working there - or are only there "for the paycheck", you may run into other issues. This goes beyond OSHA -required things like first-aid kits, fire extinguishers, and safety signage. You should also have a plan for dealing with accidents and emergencies, as well as time off procedures to give your team a much needed and well-deserved break from the ins and outs of daily work. Whether your contractors are taking designated vacation time or your executive assistant needs a mental health day, having plans and procedures in place to make sure works is covered while giving your team the time off that they need makes a big difference.
This also includes YOU, by the way. Your health and safety are just as important as any other member of the team. Make sure you're creating an environment of empowerment for yourself as well as others.
Provide a sense of financial security for your team (and yourself!). If employees feel their job is secure, they're more likely to stick around and be a positive contribution to the team. When it makes sense, use performance contracts rather than just hiring on a short-term basis. Offer competitive salaries and benefits.
As your company and assets grow, it may also make sense to hire an investment advisor. Look for one who is in compliance with Global Investment Performance Standards, where applicable. Those financial advisors are regulated through a gips consulting service, helping to ensure that you get sound, qualified advice.
Flexible working arrangements are becoming more and more popular. And it's not hard to see why. They offer several benefits for everyone. First, employees get a better work/life balance. This can lead to increased productivity and happiness. For employers, it often leads to reduced absenteeism and increased retention rates. After the pandemic that shall not be named, more employers are offering flexible working arrangements as a hiring incentive.
We've all heard the horror stories about Amazon employees being timed to the second so that they have to run across a warehouse or can't take a bathroom break. Don't be that guy. If your employees are constantly working long hours, they will burn out quickly. This is not good for them or your business. Instead, encourage your employees to take breaks and to have a healthy work-life balance. This means they should not be working all hours of the day and night. They should also be taking time off when they need it.
While you can't legally offer training to your contact workers, investing in your employees is a great way to create a more positive and helpful work environment. Training and development opportunities help your employees progress in their careers. This will not only make them more productive, but it will also make them feel valued. And you can always let your contractors know about training that could help them be more beneficial to your company. It's up to them, however, if they take it.
Creating a safe and positive work environment is essential for any business. It will make your employees more productive and more likely to stick around. You can create a safe and positive work environment in several ways. These include having open discussions with your team, prioritizing health and safety, creating job security, and offering training and development opportunities.
It's finally Season 7! It has been a long road to get here, and I’m so excited to be digging into the new content this season - all around helping you overcome the Passed Over Paradox and step more confidently into your Great Work. To be that star in your market, instead of a best-kept secret.
Last season I talked about increasing your brand visibility by showing up, giving people a reason to pay attention and by collaborating with colleagues. But that third point - collaborating with colleagues - deserves an episode all to itself.
This episode is about building a community network and finding the right moments and opportunities to tap into those communities for business growth and visibility.
Inside this episode, we're talking about:
Rising Tide community members can login and access your free downloads here.
Not a member yet? It's free! When you register for the Rising Tide, you also get email updates, the FREE learning library, and access to episode transcripts, worksheets, and more!
Special thanks to our Patrons for your continued support.
Theme music: “Big Time” by Ikoliks, Artlist.io
