Let’s take some time to celebrate and reflect the last year together! This month we’re looking back at 12 months of tips, tricks, and bites of knowledge from 2019’s Hustle & Heart as a reminder to be proud of what you’ve accomplished and excited for what you’re going to implement next in your business! Cheers to a great next year!
1. Projects and tasks of small business owners continue to evolve and add up throughout the week, making it difficult to feel accomplished. Do yourself a favor and spend a little time at the start of every day picking your top three goals! Sure there are tons of things to get done, but choose three things that absolutely must be completed before the end of the day.
2. Avoid what I call “review abandonment” and make it simple for customers to write you a rockstar review with these three questions: Question #1: What was the problem that you were facing? Question #2: How did you use me to solve that problem? Question #3: What did life look like afterward/what did success look like after?
3. When you have a new service launching or a product sale coming up, promote your brand and dive into your marketing across all of your resources. Make sure to pause in between those large promotional moments and prepare your existing audience and potential customers alike, by curating connection and trust.
4. The “where” that you choose to sell has to support who you are. Consider your personality and ask yourself if you are more introverted or extroverted. Do you enjoy interacting with customers in person or behind a screen? Do you enjoy the creative side of merchandising a physical space, or does that idea frighten you and feel uncomfortable? Know your strengths and play into them to get the best results.
5. When it comes to user-generated content, the more, the better for your business, especially when the account is leading people back to your brand. Encouraging customers to share photos of themselves using your product and tagging your account on Instagram is a simple way to gain traffic and often followers.
6. When you are starting a business, a support system is one of the biggest assets you can have. Having people in your circle who not only care about you and your success but are willing to help promote what you’re doing and connect you to others is very important. Spend time cultivating a community and the ROI will always be tenfold.
7. Having a content plan can seem like a bear to tackle, but I promise it can be as easy as sitting down at your computer for a fifteen-minute brainstorming session! A great way to make this happen is to add a recurring calendar reminder each month during a time of day you are most likely to have some time to spare. This becomes your time to get all of your ideas in one place.
8. One of the best pieces of advice I received was to create a “rainy day” folder in my email. This folder is meant to be a place where you can store those emails and sweet messages of encouragement, praise, and rock star moments. It could be a review from a client, a thank you from a friend, or anything that makes you smile and reminds you that you’re doing amazing things!
9. When someone needs you “real quick,” remember that the moments with them are not all they are asking for. You lose productivity by exiting your current concentration and workflow, as well as the time it will take to get back into it afterward. Embrace saying “no” and “not right now” to stay productive when you need to.
10. When you’re creating video content, it’s important to remember exactly whom you’re addressing and try to picture them in front of you! We can feel awkward and a little robotic when we hit that scary record button on our camera or smartphone. Allow yourself to have someone in mind that you’re speaking to, and it will get easier to show up as yourself and share what you’re there to talk about.
11. Think of everything you’ve learned since launching your business! Remember, you don’t have to know the steps A through Z to teach someone A through C! Host a workshop or class on a topic you are knowledgeable and passionate about that coincides with your brand. By showcasing your expertise, you become a resource for your audience and you gain trust, which helps build a strong, reputable brand people stand behind.
12. You can do big scary things. Listen to the voice of fear when it starts to speak and give yourself permission to either run away from something that doesn’t feel right for you or run towards something that you want more than anything. Remember, you are the CEO of your life!
