Let’s face it, running a business can be lonely sometimes. If you work alone you can start to feel isolated. Even if you have people working for you, it’s tough when the decision making is all on your shoulders. It’s at times like this that it’s important to take a breath, look around and remind yourself of all the people who are there to support you. Who do you have on your team?
My networking group is holding an awards night soon and I’ve been thinking about the different people I could nominate. It’s helped me to realise not just how much support I get from my business network but also the people who help me out every day. Here are just a few…
When it comes to choosing some social media platforms for your business, the possibilities are endless. Where do you start? Should you just post everywhere and hope for the best? Would you get any actual work done if you did?
I know what you’re thinking. Diversify my content? How many pairs of hands does this woman think I have? I know, you’re already up to your eyeballs and when you’re not it feels as if your business will never come to anything. However, if you want to diversify your content it could be easier than you think.
Do you tell people your business story? If not, why not? You might think its unremarkable and well, maybe a bit boring, but it’s not. Self-employment might be getting more popular, but if you’ve started your own business you’ve still taken a leap into the unknown. Even if you’ve still got a day job, adding in extra work takes effort.
Over the last year or so it feels as if everyone has got a course to sell. I’m clearly part of their key demographic as I can’t open Facebook without being told how one course or another is going to transform my business. I don’t necessarily have a problem with this. I need to learn things and if someone with the right expertise can teach me, I’m happy. What I do object to is being told that if I want to create a digital product and free up my time, I must create a course. Frankly, that doesn’t make sense to me. I’d rather just say that I’m running workshops.
Online networking is a wonderful thing. I’ve met some wonderful people through Facebook groups that I would never have bumped into in real life. When you run a business the loneliness is often the toughest thing. That can be true whether you work alone, like me, or even if you’re the boss. Social media can give you a place to chat with like-minded people so you feel a little bit less alone. That said, it’s no substitute for meeting people face to face. I’ll never give up going to live events. Here’s why…
OK, I hate to say it, but here goes. Blogging isn’t for everyone. There are all sorts of reasons why starting a blog might not be the best thing for your business. Perhaps you just don’t have the time or the skill. Maybe you don’t know what to write. It’s entirely possible that the people who are most likely to do business with you just don’t read blogs.
We’ve all seen those memes. The ones about people clamouring to buy Kim Kardashian’s new perfume or queueing for days for the new iPhone, but they won’t support a friend’s business. The truth is, as small business owners we’ve got a bit of a mountain to climb. Our friends and family might not need our services. Even worse, they might view it as a hobby that you’ll get tired of. By far the most difficult hurdle lies in persuading our future customers that we offer a better experience than those customer service nightmares they’ve heard about online.
You might think that storytelling has no place in business. In fact, sharing your story is one of the key ways that you can communicate with your customers. A story isn’t just something fictional, a bedtime story for the kids. It’s a way of letting people know that you understand them.