Pros + Cons of 4 Common Work Environments for remote workers; 4 Things Disrupting Your Productivity + 6 Ways to Improve Your Work Environment. Plus tips from a Feng Shui expert!
Read MoreAre you unsure of how to do your part to support women for International Women’s Day other than sharing a post with #InternationalWomensDay? Read on to learn how you can support women everyday, not just on International Women’s Day.
Read MoreEngaging, confident, and authentic brands are more successful at reaching their ideal customers. By being intentional with how you approach your visuals and voice, you will develop a clear foundation for your brand—a foundation that feels genuine and true to your vision. If you come from a place of resonance instead of dissonance, your brand will reflect that, and that will help you feel more confident and comfortable in how you present your brand to the world.
Read MoreKelli Preston is that rare mix of web designer and wordsmith - an artist who can help you clarify your brand message both visually and verbally. I’m thrilled to have her here today to share how you can clarify your message and content to attract more of your ideal clients.
Read MoreRead Louise’s startup story for how she fell into tech and built her SAAS (Software As A Service) business, the popular online design platform Designsta. Don’t miss her great tips for building a tech company which can really apply to building any business!
Read More"You'll never influence the world by trying to be like it" - an inspiring quote for entrepreneurs. See my favorite business owners rocking authenticity in business and learn how you can channel your uniqueness into your brand as well.
Read MoreRetargeting ads are replacing the more traditional method of purchasing ad space. It's a marketing strategy which enables the delivery of personalized adverts to users who have previously visited your website. Learn how to close more sales and crush your goals faster by retargeting.
Read MoreWant to feel more productive AND relaxed? With just a bit of effort and planning, this simple practice will help you get on track to feeling successful.
Read MoreThe solopreneurial life is often a roller coaster. Learn why it’s hard to succeed as a solopreneur & 18 ways to help skyrocket business growth easier.
Read MoreThese are my go-to business tools to make running and growing your online business easier, less stressful, and less time consuming.
Read MoreGrowing your audience isn't always easy. Don't miss these 5 key steps to authentically connect & why doing so is way better than a sales pitch.
Read MoreLearn how to not only be more productive but be less frazzled and exhausted. Especially as a single mom & entrepreneur! Take back your morning.
Read MoreJust as SEO drives traffic to your website, Soul drives connection. Here are 3 tips to infuse more Soul into your business!
Read MoreSkipping a full night's sleep is more harmful than you think. Find out how getting more sleep will improve productivity AND happiness (+ maybe a promotion!)
Read MoreFreelance income may not be steady, but with these 5 expert money tips you'll learn how to manage & maximize your income as a new coach or side hustler.
Read MoreThis interview is part of the Chasing Dreams interview series. I’ve interviewed a variety of entrepreneurs and small business owners who have chosen a different path in life in order to go after his or her dream career. Have an entrepreneur in mind you’d like to learn more about? Let me know!
Today's interview is with Cristina, founder and designer behind Sombras Blancas Art & Design. Cris started her business about four years ago as a part-time occupation and after a few years was able to make it her full-time job. She markets her services through her website and Etsy.
I know many of you have side hustles with the hopes of one day going full-time, so I was excited to share Cris's journey of getting started by selling her services on Etsy.
[Read more about Etsy shops: Chasing Dreams Interview with Amanda Heslinga, Owner of the Popular Rocks With Sass Etsy Shop]
This adventure started some years ago when a friend of mine asked me to create a logo for a fair trade campaign he was preparing on our university. It was then when I realized I wanted to take it seriously. I had always gravitated towards creative and artsy activities so this came as a great opportunity.
I started selling my pre-made logos and graphic design services on Etsy as a part-time occupation back in 2012.
I’m now working as a full-time freelance designer and I’m so glad I took this route.
I can say I have been pretty lucky during this whole journey.
In my case, I was a college student when I decided to try, and I was still receiving economic support from my parents. This made it possible for me to go through the early stages of the process without having to worry about my income or balancing multiple jobs.
Apart from that, I think the biggest struggle I’ve faced has been learning to manage all the different aspects of the business by myself. During my regular day I am a graphic designer but also a customer support agent, an accountant, a postwoman and a social media manager.
Something every business owner should embrace in order to keep a healthy balance, especially if working from home as is my case, is maintaining a regular work-out routine. I go to the gym early in the morning 3-4 times a week, right before starting my work day, and I definitely feel the effect it has in my emotional well-being.
For me, the best way of getting over rejection is to analyze what might have gone wrong and put in place new processes or strategies that can help in the future.
Obsessing over failure is the least productive thing you can do with your time.
Whereas this other approach will very possibly lead to new successes and happier customers.
If I had been asked this question a couple of years ago, my answer would have probably been, “I keep working non-stop until I create something good."
However, I’ve learned that this strategy is useless in most cases. When I’m feeling in a creative slump, the best thing I can do is take a day off. That doesn’t mean that I am completely unproductive. I simply turn my back on my design work (and my computer, if possible) and focus my energy on other creative fields I enjoy: illustration, music or just reading a book.
Usually, the following day I’m looking forward to get back to work with renewed ideas in mind.
There are plenty of misconceptions about the work of graphic designers, but the one I still find striking is that some clients see us as mere translators with the ability to convert their exact wild ideas into a digital format and won’t accept any suggestions or ideas that would certainly improve the final result.
I feel bad in those cases because they are paying for a professional service and then not allowing me to do my job. These are just a few exceptions, thankfully.
Most of my clients come to me with a general idea of what they 're looking for but are happy to see the concept evolving throughout the different revisions.
So far, the biggest lesson I've learned through this experience is that you can't measure your success by focusing on daily numbers. I've found it better to track (at least) bimonthly stats. That way, you can use all your energy to create new products and services instead of worrying to death each time you go more than 2 days without a sale.
Anyone who knows me would smile when reading this answer because I always give the exact same one: start before you are ready.
It's something I’ve always believed but even more after having run this business for some years now. There is no better way to learn all those things you have no clue how to accomplish.
Researching and planning are great but they will never give you as much experience as trying by yourself.
When talking about my business, receiving photos from past clients that show their own businesses are thriving always inspire me to keep working like nothing else. It makes me feel like I'm a tiny part of their journey and that's the best fuel I know.
It may sound cliché but those who have inspired me the most throughout this journey are my parents. Since I was little, they impressed on me a strong set of values such as working as hard as I can and being independent. That's what has driven me to where I am now.
In terms of books, I would say ALL THE BOOKS. I am an avid reader and I try to read more and more diversely every day. I especially feel inspired by fantasy stories and South American literature.
When looking back to the evolution of my business, I think the most exciting moment I’ve experienced has been when I launched my own website, which was the first one I designed myself, including e-commerce functionality that gave me the ability to market my products and services independently from other marketplaces.
I'm currently planning a whole redesign for my website with a fresh look. I'm super pumped about it and looking forward to see the result!
Have any questions for Cristina about selling services in an Etsy shop or getting started on Etsy? Ask them in the comments below!
Hi! My name is Cristina, I’m 26 years old and I am from and live in Spain. I am the designer behind Sombras Blancas Art & Design. I offer branding services for small businesses and startups at an affordable price, mostly logo and website design but also marketing graphics and custom illustrations.
Website // Etsy // Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Pinterest
Lately I've been getting real and sharing how our imperfections and struggles can actually help people more. With that, I've opened up about burning out and needing to take more time for self-care.
While I don't believe a work-life balance exists in the way of a perfect 50/50, I DO believe in the ebbs and flows. I believe in pulling ourselves back to a home base and remaining self-aware.
Taking care of yourself is not selfish. In fact, this is one of my favorite quotes:
"Self-care is not selfish. You cannot serve from an empty vessel." - Eleanor Brownn
And of course, my own motto is: When you feel your best, you'll do your best.
Today we have Per Wickstrom sharing his 5 favorite tips for work-life balance.
Per struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for decades. Thankfully he found help through a rehab program and began his path to recovery. He has a passion for helping others and went on to develop his own drug rehab program.
Per understands the power of helping one another. He's learned a great deal about the importance of self-care in business and entrepreneurship.
I appreciate and respect his journey, so I couldn't turn down the opportunity to have him share.
Please join the discussion and share your own self-care and balance tips in the comments!
On the road to professional success, it can be easy to lose sight of your personal life. When work is your focus, seeing loved ones, pursuing hobbies, and taking time for yourself often fall to the wayside. But it’s important for your mental health and the well-being of your family to find a balance between work and home. Here are a few tips for maintaining a happy work-life balance:
Whether you do it in the morning when you wake up, or just before starting work to get you focused, set aside time to meditate each day. We’re so quick to move straight into the next activity that we rarely pause to appreciate the transitions throughout the day. Our minds should get to take a moment to relax and reboot!
You probably have a lot of different responsibilities to take care of on a daily basis, so it’s understandable that they might be on your mind. But if you can learn to focus completely on the task at hand, you’ll not only be happier, you’ll be more productive. Leave work at work and keep home off your mind as much as possible.
Emergencies can happen at any time, so it’s not fair to suggest you leave your phone completely out of reach while at work. You can, however, limit your vulnerability to false alarms and interruptions. If you work a desk job, for example, that might mean turning your personal phone on airplane mode while you finish working on a project. If you’re at home, it means turning off your phone and any alerts about work. Be in the present moment where you are.
If you work at a desk job or somewhere you can be on your phone, don’t sit on social media all day. Limit yourself to only work-related websites, and if you find yourself feeling tempted, there are even apps you can install on your browser that will block unproductive sites.
You may tell yourself that it’s all for the family, but if you think you might be overworking, reexamine your motivation. Why are you working so much? If it’s to provide a better life for your family, make sure you’re not sacrificing vital time with them now. Sure, a third grade production of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” may seem like a little thing to miss if there’s a multi-million dollar deal on the table, but consider that you may be losing your family little thing by little thing.
Don’t skip the holidays. Sure, they’re a day that you could really get ahead. But it’s a free day off! Make the most of it! See your best friend, hang out with your kids, visit the local park, or even simply appreciate a few hours of extra sleep. You ever notice how holidays tend to come at times when you could really use a break? Embrace it.
Finding success in your professional life doesn’t have to mean giving up the rest of your values and hobbies. By finding the right balance, you can excel in any area and even use the different hats you wear to work in each others favor.
Per Wickstrom is the CEO ofBest Drug Rehabilitation Center. Founded on the principles of natural healing, BDR is one of the largest holistic rehabilitation centers in the country. He is a recovering addict and firm believer that everyone has the power to make healthy changes for themselves. To learn more, follow Per on Twitter and Facebook.
A few weeks ago I received an email from a blogger friend. I was SO excited by the content of the email, but had no idea how huge and inspiring it was going to become. Ashley Beaudin asked me, along with a group of amazing online entrepreneurs, to participate in a three day event called #TheImperfectBoss Campaign.
She said, "I want to ask you (with my big wild heart) if you would join me in this project in an effort to revolt against this pressure of perfection and rise as women owning our unique calling. Because perfection is a myth we must break through."
Transparency and imperfection as a business owner are among my favorite topics.
As much as I love my career, it's not easy and it's nowhere near perfect. And you know what? We're ALL just figuring it out as we go.
965 Likes, 77 Comments - Melissa Camilleri, Founder (@shopcompliment) on Instagram: "I was invited by my friend Ashley at @fireandwindco to share some real life truths about running a..."
That was a resounding theme in the responses to the campaign on Instagram. Along with fear, rejection, and mistakes.
348 Likes, 43 Comments - Sarah | No-BS Blog Strategy (@xosarahmorgan) on Instagram: "This week I'm joining a bunch of badass biz-owning babes in sharing what it really looks like to be..."
Another one of my favorites was the honesty about what a real day-in-the-life can look like for a digital entrepreneur.
Some people get the idea that “working from home” means staying cozy in your PJs and working from bed. Which is TRUE…kinda…sometimes.
The reality for most of us is more like what Kelsey describes below. Things get so hectic your priorities change from getting dressed and sitting at your organized desk in a pristine office to launching right into work no matter what you’re wearing or where you are.
219 Likes, 37 Comments - Kelsey | Paper + Oats (@paperandoats) on Instagram: "Day 2 of #theimperfectboss campaign with @fireandwindco - anyone else struggle to wear normal..."
And I can’t write this post without including this theme: overcoming the stigma and challenges of mental health.
I urge you to change your mindset. Instead of believing you will help others “once you have it all together,” instead realize that
you will help more people when they see that you struggle but are doing it anyway.
While I planned to participate all three days, the reality was that I rushed to post something at 10pm the first day and then didn’t get around to doing any others. I did interact and learn a lot from everyone else, though.
Burn out is why I didn’t get around to the other days. Also, you’ll notice the bottom of this photo is cropped. I forgot “the” in the hashtag and couldn’t muster up the energy to retake the photo. hah!
Since there was such an amazing response, Ashley has made the campaign an ongoing thing. I’m pumped to be joining in when I can (and remember to) each Thursday.
For now, here are some of the real, imperfect boss moments that I hope help others realize that none of us live a polished-internet-ready life. I hope it inspires someone to realize that they can do it too, whatever “it” may be that they want.
But without these long roads, mistakes and experimentation, I wouldn’t have learned as much. I wouldn’t have seen what it actually takes to create and run all of the working parts of a business.
I wouldn’t be able to teach and help from a place of experience.
As an entrepreneur or small business, you know that taxes can be pretty harsh. Make sure you're taking advantage of everything you're able to.
Read MoreIt's January, which means I'm deep into reviewing stats for 2015 for clients and myself. I'm a huge believer in tracking everything you do in business and adjusting accordingly. It might sound like common sense, but many bloggers don't do this!
If you've been following along this year, you may remember that I took a few months off from new clients, slowed down on blogging and accepted guest posts instead, and slowed down on social media.
I was going through a break up from a 7.5 year relationship and moving across the country, so naturally, things had to slow down. I gave myself time and room for the transition.
My reason for sharing that is to show that it's okay to not reach your goals.
In the end it gave me more clarity on the direction I want to take my business (and life in general, obviously).
It's okay to have slow business months - seasons - years. Success doesn't happen overnight.
It wasn't what I had intended for this year, and I didn't reach all of my numbers-related goals, but overall everything worked out how it was supposed to.
And looking over my stats above, I guess my growth was actually pretty good.
Referrals to my website from Pinterest grew 1,300%, from 1,000 in 2014 to 14,000 in 2015 (making up 61% of my social traffic this year). That number is not to be taken lightly!
The key here was improving some of my older images and trying to keep Pinterest in mind when creating new ones. Large, easy to read text is important.
I also started scheduling my pins to post in the evening when more people are on Pinterest. You can do this with a number of tools such as Buffer or Viral Woot (which were the two I used).
Stitch Fix was also a very specific reason I had so much Pinterest traffic. A few of my pins send decent traffic every day, but this one in particular has over 5350 repins.
Now, you might think posting my Stitch Fix reviews is unrelated to business, but I did get a client through a review. PLUS, I strongly believe in my client Ustyled's philosophy on the power of your presence and how you show up.
Referrals to my website from Twitter grew 306%, from 920 in 2014 to 3,737 in 2015 (making up 16% of my social traffic this year).
I can attribute this partly to three things:
Not sure why or how to get started with Twitter? Check out my Beginners Guide to Twitter Part 1 and Part 2.
One of my top referral traffic sources was Running with Spoons. Each Sunday she posts a Sunday Link Love similar to what I post, but she includes a link-up at the bottom where readers can add their posts.
Adding my link to her link-ups referred 1,514 people to my blog in 2015, which made up 12% of my referral traffic. I didn't post my link every Sunday because I often forgot or was trying to not work weekends, but I can see that it was worth it.
If you choose to try this method, make sure it's an appropriate match. Amanda's link up is great for me because her audience is mostly health and fitness bloggers, which makes up a large part of my target audience as well.
The posts I share with them have value, and I enjoy clicking through the other links because it's in my area of interest.
As I mentioned above, I switched to Buffer this year. I mostly use it for Twitter, and my favorite feature is the analytics (naturally..I'm an analytics nerd).
Being able to sort tweets based on how well they performed has been a game changer for re-purposing content.
Not only does it make it easy to re-buffer them, but I also get an idea of what copy or language resonated best with my audience. It's an easy way to split-test headlines or blog post titles.
You can use Buffer for all of your main social channels excluding Instagram (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest). I had been using Viralwoot for Pinterest, so this made it much easier to have all my scheduling in one place.
Another aspect that helped my click-through-rates was setting up a pre-determined schedule so I can easily add content to my queues and they will post at my best times.
My organic search traffic grew 425% during 2015, which accounted for 12.6% of my total traffic. I consistently optimized each post and photo, as well as gained more back-links. Those are just a few of the on-page factors, but the longer you have your blog and consistently post quality, relevant content, the better your SEO will be overall.
If you'd like to improve your SEO for 2016, you can start by checking out my SEO Basics series.
I’m an SEO + content marketing strategist with over a decade of experience in the industry.
I work with passionate, purpose-driven business owners and marketing directors who are tired of trying to do All The Things and spreading their efforts too thin. They want to know what's working, what's not working, and where they should really be spending their time and money.
But I'll be honest- I'm not here for the people chasing vanity metrics. My philosophy is grounded in people-first marketing and what I've dubbed #SEOwithSoul. I don't believe in hacks and "beating algorithms" as a long term strategy.
Read more about me here.
