Tag: mindset

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What self-employment has taught me so far

Image shows a women (Kirsty) with brown curly hair, wearing a black coat. I'm reflecting on what self-employment has taught me.

I celebrated nine years in business at the beginning of 2025, and I’ve got a big birthday later in the year, so I’m in a reflective mood. It’s helped me realise how much I’ve learned, so I’ve decided to share. Here’s what self-employment has taught me so far.

Get it in writing

I used to be a lawyer, so you’d think that contracts would have been at the front of my mind when I started my business. Nope. I usually had an agreement set out in emails about how much the work would cost, what my quote covered and what I’d need from the client. However, agreements can be surprisingly slippery if you don’t include all the details.

This came back to bite me early on when a client piled on extra work (including tasks he’d told me other people would do) and expected it all to be covered. I ended up refunding some of my fee because I didn’t have everything in writing.

Block out your time

Self-employment has taught me that taking too much on is very easy. For years, I had far too many conversations just before the summer holidays, which concluded with me offering to work with someone in September. Then September arrived, and I realised I’d completely overcommitted myself.

Now, I block out every task in my calendar. I use Google because I can add to it wherever I am. It lets me be realistic about how much I can achieve in a week, so I don’t try to shoehorn an extra task in when there isn’t room.

Get into conversations

Have you ever heard the story of the person who turned up at a networking event, handed everyone their card, and left? It’s achieved urban myth status, but I’ve spoken to people who’ve experienced it first-hand. The idea of networking can be intimidating, but it’s really just a series of conversations.

I’ve learned to talk about my business, ask others about theirs, and just get to know them. It’s far less pressured than going in thinking you must make a sale. Even if you don’t work together, the people in your network can also be your ambassadors, recommending you when you’re not in the room.

Set boundaries

Boundaries are tricky beasts because you often don’t realise you have one until someone tries to cross it. They’re also highly personal. What works for you depends on your approach to life, family circumstances and how you want to work. I have some work boundaries, like not doing client work on Fridays or going to evening networking events. It’s worth thinking about what your boundaries are and how you’ll react when someone tries to cross one. (That could be as simple as saying, “I’m not available after 3 pm” when you schedule a meeting.)

Your boundaries will be unique to you, but you might need some help exploring what they are. Which brings me to…

Find a good coach

If there’s one huge lesson self-employment has taught me, it’s that a good coach is worth the investment. I’ve worked with a few coaches over the years. The good ones helped me talk through my challenges and asked the right questions so I could find the answer myself rather than spoon-feeding me. The right coach will help you work out what’s right for you rather than telling you to do what works for them.

If you’ve never worked with a coach, I can’t recommend it enough.

Ready for a chat?

If you’re newly self-employed, I hope this helps. If you’re not and have some lessons to share, please leave a comment!

Finally, if you like my style and want to find out whether I could be the right copywriter for you, let’s have a chat. When you work with me, I’ll get to know you and your business and write content that sounds like the best version of you and that your audience will love. Please email me to arrange a chat or book a Zoom call to find out more.

Alternatively, sign up for my mailing list, and I’ll send you a free copy of my eBook with fifty (yes, 50) topic ideas for your marketing as a thank you.

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Do you share your knowledge in your marketing?

Do you share your knowledge in your marketing?

It’s easy to feel intimidated when you compare yourself to people who know more than you or have more experience. You wonder why anyone would pay you for anything when far more impressive people offer the same service. It holds you back. You think you won’t succeed because there’s always someone better, so you don’t shout about what you do. You don’t talk about what you’re good at or share your knowledge because someone else has already written about it. I know because I’ve been there. On a bad day, I still think like that.

Here are four reasons why you need to stop holding yourself back and share your knowledge in your marketing.

You know more than you think

A couple of months ago, I was at a business expo and was chatting with someone I vaguely recognised on a marketing agency stand. I mentioned I was a copywriter, and he said, “Great, me too! Do you want to do an interview? We can geek out about copywriting.” Then I saw he was pointing to a nearby camera. Gulp. I have to psych myself up to go on camera anyway, but with another copywriter? What if I showed myself up? But I’m in my getting out of my comfort zone era, so I said yes. It was a great chat. There were a couple of questions where I thought of much better answers after it was all over, but that’s life.

I surprised myself, and if you sit down to think about how much you know, I think you will, too.

You know your customers

You’re the boss, and you get to decide who you want to work with and market to. I know that can be hard to hear when you’re starting out and just need to make some money, but over time, you’ll learn who your people are. Then, you can start talking to them in your marketing. Knowledge isn’t just about your work. It’s about people. The way you write and the images you choose can speak to the clients you want to work with and help you attract more of them.

You have skills other people don’t

Once you realise you know more than you think, you work out that not everyone has the same knowledge and skills as you. A graphic designer could explain all the principles of great design to me, but I’d never be able to produce the same quality work as them because my brain doesn’t work that way. Everyone has different talents. You might be great at making jewellery, or photography, or getting people organised and love doing it.

Sharing your skills and knowledge helps you reach people who’d rather stab themselves with hot pokers than do their own bookkeeping or haven’t got time to roam the high street in search of a great gift.

People need you

At some point, you’ve assumed your knowledge isn’t worth sharing anywhere because it’s too basic and obvious to bother writing about. Either that or someone who’s more of an expert has covered it already. The thing is, it isn’t obvious to the people who need you. You’re comparing yourself to other people in your industry and not to your clients. People buy from you because of who you are and not just what you know. It doesn’t matter if they can get the same information somewhere else. Hearing it from you lets them know that you have the knowledge to help them and that you’re their kind of person, and that’s what matters.

Ready for a chat?

If you need a copywriter to be your cheerleader and help you share your knowledge, let’s have a chat. When you work with me, I’ll get to know you and your business and write content that sounds like the best version of you and that your audience will love. Email me to arrange a chat or book a Zoom call to find out more.

Alternatively, sign up for my mailing list, and I’ll send you a free copy of my eBook with fifty (yes, 50) topic ideas for your marketing as a thank you.

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The lazy entrepreneur 

Aime Ayrehart from Ninja HR writes about being a lazy entrepreneur

The title is a little cheeky.  My reaction to people telling me I could make so much more money if I worked more hours.

I nodded, then ignored them. If I can live a fabulous life and only work 16 hours a week, what more can money buy me? 

I’m writing this sitting on the beach in Scarborough.  The air is warm and calm and feels like spring.  The sound of the waves crashing is gentle, and I can hear the birds singing contentedly. 

Yesterday was an entirely different experience. There was wind, rain, and even hail. It was exhilarating and exhausting.

Life as a solepreneur

I have to be in the right head space to be creative.  Calm, playful, relaxed.  And being a solepreneur requires a huge amount of creativity.  Partly because my speciality as the employment genie is to solve impossible work-based problems, which each require an entirely novel approach, but also because running a business requires us to design products and endless social media and networking.

But life, emotions and the journey of a solepreneur are more like the sea than a motorway.  Endless opportunities but at times exhausting and scary.

Embracing creativity

In an attempt to fit into a man’s world, most women have tried to even everything out to be consistent and professional.  To always be able to deliver the same thing and to control our environment rather than live in harmony with it.

But ignoring the seasons and the ebb and flow of our emotions has led to increasing levels of conflict at work, at home and in the world generally. Not to mention it’s created global warming.

Noticing the ebbs and flows

Few people who know me would doubt I can be strong and confident, do maths and law and lead – typically masculine attributes.  And I’m glad I have these skills as part of my arsenal.

But my real breakthroughs in both business and my personal life are where I have begun to notice the ebbs and flows and more gently acknowledge them in myself and others.

When people ask me how I am, and I reply, “Fabulous,” they seem somewhat shocked – and of course, I have bad days.  But it’s true I’m in a good place.

Mmm now I’ve written this blog, I might go and make myself a hot chocolate and read for a bit.  Such a terrible life indeed 😊

Aime Ayrehart being a lazy entrepreneur after writing a guest blog

About Aime

Aime Ayrehart is a bestselling author, founder of a trade union, and offers HR crisis management through Ninja HR.  But her real passion is supporting female business owners to flourish.  She started a female-run collaborative that has launched the Entrepreneurs Mindset Development Tool to help identify strengths and areas for development in a kind way, and through the Sasspreneur Club, we offer unique, cost-effective and accessible support to help you flourish – however that looks for you. 

Ninja HR

Entrepreneurs Mindset Development Tool

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5 ways to maintain some Christmas Calm

Vicky Haig Hypnotherapy guest blog with 5 tips to find some Christmas calm

As we head quickly into Christmas, it’s easy to become swept up in the need to provide a perfect Christmas for those around us. We are bombarded with images of elaborate elf antics, picture-perfect Santa visits, magazine-worthy Christmas trees, matching pjs, the best presents and a list of Christmas traditions to enact.

While there is nothing wrong with finding joy in any of these activities and moments, they can easily add to our stress levels and impact our well-being in the run-up to Christmas. Here’s 5 ways to help maintain some calm and find the joy again.

1. Recognise when you are in comparison mode.

Naturally, we are interested in what’s going on around us and what others are doing. It’s in our nature to feel the need to fit in so we can feel more drawn to following what others are doing. However, we are often looking at ‘the best bits’ snippets of people’s lives and trying to recreate them, then when we bump into the normal struggles of life, we can be left feeling like we don’t quite match up. So take a moment to recognise when you are comparing your every day to someone’s best moment, then switch your focus to the best moment for you that day.

2. Take time out.

It can feel counter-intuitive to take time out when we are busy, but we need breaks. Our brains need downtime; however, the brain isn’t actually resting in downtime. When we allow our brain time to wander its actually really busy organising, sorting and often connecting the dots, it needs time to do this without us consciously giving it more tasks. So go for a walk, take a shower, have a cuppa, read a few pages of a book, find the things you can do even if it’s just for a few minutes to give your brain a break.

3. Write a list.

Every time something pops into your head that needs to be done write it down on a list. When it’s wrote down it’s easier to organise and prioritise it. When we are trying to hold everything in our brains, we struggle to prioritise and decide on its importance – everything starts to feel ‘most important’. So, write it down and then pick the thing that needs to be done first.

4. Move your body.

We are designed to move, but modern living often takes away natural opportunities to move our bodies (online shopping, electrical appliances, cars). So we have to be intentional in making sure we are moving and exercising our bodies everyday. Find the ways that work for you and try to build them in everyday, until it becomes a habit like brushing our teeth.

5. Sleep.

It’s easy for our sleep to be impacted in the run up to Christmas, but try to keep the boundaries around it. Build in good sleep habits like winding down for bed (devices off, warm baths, cool rooms etc). Its particularly important in the winter to try to get out in the daylight as soon as you can in a morning. It helps set our natural rhythms and sleep patterns.

Remember to bring it back to what you and those around you need. We are all so different and it’s ok to focus on what works best for us, I hope these tips allow you to find some calm in this period and if you’d like an extra boost head over to: https://www.vickyhaig.co.uk/try-relaxation/ where you can listen to my relaxation track for free, just make sure you are in a quiet calm place where you’re not having to do anything else, but relax.