Are you the type of creative entrepreneur who thrives on having 25 projects going simultaneously because that’s just how you like to work?
Welcome to the club. We would hold meetings but everyone is double booked anyway.
Treating Customers like People
Do you ever receive an email from a store or business and wonder “who writes this crap?” Or is it just me?
For years now I’ve been increasingly frustrated with the jargon filled, key word heavy, content light emails that come our way – not just newsletters and sales emails but customer service ones as well. No matter how you’re reaching out and touching your community, if you sound like a cyborg while doing it then your customers are going to be turned off.
Avoiding entrepreneurial burnout
As entrepreneurs we’re in a unique culture that celebrates overworking to get results and underutilizes self-care in the process. No one cheers for the entrepreneur who gets 8 hours of sleep every night and we still look up to the all night coders as great hustlers.
Is lead follow up your kryponite?
There’s an interesting dichotomy for entrepreneurs because in almost every ideal client profile (aka avatar) there’s the expectation that the right lead for your business will immediately say “yes!” and hand over their credit card. And so while we intellectually understand that most people will need a bit of nurturing, stubbornness takes over.
Do you really trust your team?
It starts so innocently. Checking in. Opening their email account after hours. Fixing things here and there.
And while training and managing your team is a necessary facet of being a business owner, it can quickly cross the line from “overseeing” to “controlling.”
How to handle emergencies in your business
I was finally in the water a few miles off the shore of Cozumel after years of planning to visit the island and putting my snorkel skills to good use on a reef when everything went pear shaped. The first indication was the leader of our small group of snorkelers went back to the boat, something I didn’t immediately notice. The second indication was the boat pulling away, leaving me and an 8 year old in the water.
Are you ignoring leads?
When I arrived for Easter lunch I wasn’t expecting to be drafted into the role of Easter bunny but there I was, basket full of eggs full of candy, frantically hiding them alongside my aunt in her backyard. By the end we just threw them haphazardly across the grass (there was a toddler after all) and rushed the kids outdoors. We weren’t being cruel, the skies opened up and poured on us 2 minutes after the last egg was collected.
It’s time to speak up and step out
I’m so tired of hearing how “selfish” it is for entrepreneurs to hide their “gifts and talents” from the world. For one, an entrepreneur that doesn’t have the expert training, business set up, insurance – even the confidence! – to make an offer shouldn’t jump the gun just because some guru calls them selfish.
Is your business herky jerky?
Sometimes I listen to the stories that entrepreneurs tell about their journey and it sounds like b.s. Great story telling often leaves out the important – but boring – parts like “then there were 3 months when I got no sales and wanted to cry daily” or “and then we worked the same business plan for a year seeing small but steady growth.” Continue Reading ￫
What Cleaning My Garage Taught me About Systems
When it comes to cleaning I don’t really have a “system” – Martha Stewart would in fact be appalled at how much I skip around.
Truthfully, I don’t really enjoy cleaning as much as I enjoy the result, something that most adults can probably relate to. You may not like laundry but appreciate avoiding frostbite in the winter and public nudity charges.