Is being that busy really good for your business?

Are you really busy? Is it a good thing or a bad thing?

I came across an article in the Huffington Post on how being busy is actually good for your brain. After reading it, I just so happen to come across another article – again by the Huffington Post – on how being busy makes you unproductive.

We can’t win, can we?

The first article, which you can find here, discusses a team at the University of Texas looked at the difference in memory and other brain functions of men and women. This was to see how people who are busy compared to those who are not. Lead researcher Sara Festini said “People who report greater levels of daily busy-ness tend to have better cognition, especially with regard to memory for recently learned information. Living a busy lifestyle appears beneficial for mental function.” I don’t know about that, I can’t remember what I had for breakfast – wait, did I even have breakfast? I guess I am not that busy.

I don’t buy it.

The article continues to say that maybe, the busier people are already just more cognitive and capable of doing more tasks. While their counterparts – not so much. So I have to ask, did they actually learn anything in that research? I am thinking the answer to that is up in the air because the second article goes on to tell me that the busier you are, the less productive you are. This I agree with. David Meyer from the University of Michigan published a study that showed switching what you are doing, mid-task, actually increases the time it takes you to finish each task by 25%! I firmly believe this and have always said so! Well, I didn’t exactly have the numbers before but now I do.

Science officially backs up my opinion that being busy is bad for business! You can find this article here. There is no such thing as multi-tasking and society today believes that you have to multitask to succeed. Pfft. Not true, you have to be able to prioritize and focus to succeed. (In my humble opinion.) When you are busy, you are not really present. There are a million moments happening around you, some good, some great, some – you’d rather not experience but when you are busy you are not able to be

When you are busy, you are not really present.

There are a million moments happening around you, some good, some great, some – you’d rather not experience but when you are busy you are not able to be in the moment. You tend to opt out of opportunities. Which are always around you, but if you are too busy you will end up passing some really good ones by. Which; in turn, causes your momentum to go stagnant. You are no longer moving forward, you are just too busy and are bouncing back and forth on task after task not getting much done. I could go on for hours about this but in short, when you are too busy you forget to invest in yourself and your business. It feels like you are because you are so busy, yet you are burning the

I could go on for hours about this but in short, when you are too busy you forget to invest in yourself and your business. It feels like you are because you are so busy, yet you are burning the candle at both ends, not really living and your business is not really growing.

This can cause you to lose patience, lose sight of your endgame, lose quality control on your products or services, shall I go on? When you are too busy you forget your purpose and your “why”. Your why is the reason you got into business in the first place, right? So, stop, take a moment, slow down, and focus.

With so much on your plate, maybe it is time to start delegating some of your projects or daily tasks. Helping your business grow, simplify your life and ensure you do not lose sight of your why!

Have you considered outsourcing some of your work or possibly hiring a VA? Leave a comment and let us know how you could slow down, be less busy and grow your business as a result.

5 ways to conquer a never-ending day and stay inspired.

We all have those days where they just seem to drag on and on and are never-ending. It is an attack of the Drag-On Dragon – that beast sucks the inspiration right out of us!

Well – NO MORE!

Facebook and your direct sales business.

When you think about Direct Sales, what comes to mind? Let’s face it, the direct sales business model has been given a bad rep. This is due to social media and the select few representatives that pushed and pushed their product, alienating friends and family along the way. Constant “buy my product” and “join my team” has cost some people more than a few relationships.

Direct sales may be pretty close to the oldest way to distribute products since civilization began. If it is really that bad, why is it still around? Because it is a solid and profitable way to run a business because of that it is more popular now than ever. However; it is time to find the balance between the old ways and the new ways because direct sales businesses are not going anywhere anytime soon.

The world needs to know that the misuse of social media is what is bad, NOT direct sales businesses. That being said, let’s look at the best way to utilize social media for your new business venture!

First, set up a Facebook business page.

Be sure to post all your business content there and NOT on your personal profile. Only use your personal profile once in a while to share your new business venture with friends and family or to share the odd promotion that may be coming up. If you use your personal profile on a consistent basis for your business, it will only end in a lot of “un-friending”. Not to mention, promoting your product through your personal profile is against Facebook policy and a fast way to lose potential customers.

Make it personal.

Once your page is set up, be sure to send personal invites to those you want to take part in your page. Be sure that these are sent to people with who you actually have been in contact within the last few months. Don’t send an invite to someone you haven’t spoken to in 15 years, they will ignore you and possibly block you right away. Business is about relationships, so be sure to start off on the right foot.

Provide value.

Even with only a few likes on your business page, it is time to post content. Be sure to create original content, you do not want to be an infomercial and post whatever your parent company is posting. Those that have liked your page do not want to support your parent company, they want to support you and your business. So, be sure to post valuable content, not just promotional material.

Be engaging, be human.

Post often, on your page, and be sure to reply to comments and questions. People want to do business with people they know, like and trust. So be sure to tell stories, introduce yourself and any of your team. Hold a Facebook live video every week; a Q&A or tutorial on using your products, opening a new delivery – get creative. Show the world who you are and what you have to offer. These few and simple suggestions for your Direct Sales business on Facebook will help grow and start you off on the right foot!

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Hostess Coaching Tips For A Successful Direct Sales Party!

If you have a direct sales or network marketing business, chances are parties are the lifeblood of your business. One of the most important aspects of to having a successful party is to work with your Hostess. Setting your Hostess up for success is just as important to your business as your sales. Effective hostess coaching is how you are able to do this.

It all starts with a plan, who knew “party planner’ was part of the job description of Entrepreneur Goddess?

Basically, when it comes to having a successful party, it will come down to a strong strategic plan, communication and truly partnering with your host or Hostess. You will be able to increase your party sales, and bookings, by working with them on several different levels. Here are a few things to remember when working with your host or Hostess.

Remember, if they have a successful party – you will have a successful party!

1. Appreciate your Hostess!

• Send your Hostess a handwritten thank you and let her know she’s appreciated. Build a solid foundation of trust and confidence by sharing that you’ll be there to guide her along the way. Include a link or email her a “save the date” graphic (easy to create in Canva) that she can easily send to her guests.

• Mail a Hostess packet with a cover letter, catalogue and order forms. Be sure to place post-it tabs in the catalogue on the Hostess program page and special products. Also, put a few extra post-it tabs in the package, so the Hostess can tab her favourite pages and products.

2. Be A Good Listener:

• Call your Hostess and set up a “Wish List, time it so you call soon after her packet arrives. Write down everything on her list and create an action plan to help her get it all. The plan should include pre-party orders and a pre-arranged booking.

• Discuss any concerns that your Hostess might have. Brainstorm ideas on how to get outside orders, create e-vite reminders for friends and family, not on Facebook, and possibly teaming up with a friend to double-host.

3. Set High Expectations:

• We’ve all heard, “Aim for the moon and you’ll fall among the stars.” So, aim high. Add a Hostess tip and tricks checklist in your hostess packet.

• Don’t settle. Challenge your Hostess to beat your highest or last party. Be sure to recognize her efforts on the event page, using fun graphics, emojis and stickers to build her confidence.

4. Create a strategy:

• If it is an online Facebook event, advise your Hostess to only invite FB friends that she knows well enough that she’d invite them to a home party. That will help keep both you and her in a spam-free zone.

• Encourage rules of engagement: Personal phone calls or send hand-written invitations to the party. Encourage social media engagement by having your Hostess comment on all posts on the event page put up by you and to post some herself. She could tag friends who shop and share her own pics of her fave products.

• Make sure your Hostess builds excitement for her own party: review your “day of party” game plan prior to the event, which should include personal reminders to everyone who is attending, a “party crashers welcome” post on her personal page and an “I’m so excited” post on the event page a few hours before party time.

5. Use your phone:

• Remember that your phone was created to be used as a… phone. Personal phone calls with your Hostess could be the most innovative risk you take and encourage her to do the same with her guests.

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How to Boost Your Productivity.

Boost Your Productivity!
Are you really busy? Is it a good thing or a bad thing?

“Focus on being productive instead of busy.” – Tim Ferriss

Time is precious and when you are a busy entrepreneur or small business owner you know this more than most. Running your own business is hard work and long hours and it is especially hard when you are a mom, taxi driver, maid, cook, wife, caregiver, the list goes on and on! When you do have the time to focus on your business it can sometimes be hard to be productive. And it isn’t something that can just happen overnight, it is almost a lifestyle change. So, hopefully, we are going to make it that much easier with a few simple steps.

Declutter and stay organized.

If your office is clean and organized you will spend less time looking for things. Make sure everything has a place. If it is to be filed – file it. If it is to be mailed –mail it, and so on.

Don’t get too personal and keep no more than three personal items on your desk. I suggest that you also limit the supplies on your desk to only those you will use daily and ensure your phone is flipped upside down so you don’t see the light go off when you get a notification. Finally maintain an empty paper-sized space on your dominant side to make reviewing, signing and organizing papers easier.

Create a routine, schedule it, and stick to it.

Start with creating a routine, schedule your daily tasks on the same day at the same time. Sticking to that routine will require you to schedule all appointments and meetings around it, making it easier to accomplish those pesky little things that always got tabled.

Prioritize your time and then put it on your calendar. Book time for things like check email only at specific times a day, coffee breaks, update social media accounts, go for a run, eat lunch (you know you work through your lunch, don’t deny it!) and even family time! I know it sounds sad to have to schedule family time, but if you don’t you might just work away your evening and miss out on some great things.

Trust me, as an entrepreneur, I would eat dinner and head right back to the office to get something done. My super supportive husband would take care of dishes, kids, etc… This needed to stop, and so it has.

Focus on that one thing.

When in the office, do not get caught up the check off my to-do list vortex! Yes, you probably have a lot of things that need to get done, but break it down to that one thing. Focus on the single task that will move your day forward. Look at your to-do list, then cut it in half with the highest priority items. Take that second list and cut it in half with the highest priority items. Keep doing this until you come down to that one item on the list that needs to be worked on now. Then, get it done.

Set a timer.

Set timers to complete specific tasks, great apps like Get It Done App or Tomato Timer are fantastic to assist you with this. This may help you with ensuring your time is organized and you do not lose track of it.

Delegate what you can.

Don’t be afraid to have others do some of the work for you! If your spouse was heading out you would have no problem asking them to pick up milk on the way home, right? You can do the same for your business. Why not ask your spouse to deliver a package to the post office, or pick you up some highlighters while they are out and about? Hire a virtual assistant to create your social media graphics, put together the monthly schedule and newsletters, and other administrative tasks such as data entry and bookkeeping.

Take meaningful breaks.

If you are able to step back and have as much of your workload automated, that is going to increase your productivity, a lot. If you don’t have the option to delegate some of the more time-consuming tasks, then consider automating as much as possible.

Consider looking into automating things such as your social media posts, client invoicing, client booking, and more. You can set up a FAQpage to answer common questions for your customers, this way you are not spending a lot of time responding to emails. Or an “If this, then that’ page on your website. Email list automation, bookkeeping… I could go on. So look at your current workflow and ask, what can you spend the time to set up an automated system for that will save you a lot more time in the long run?

Automate what you can.

We touched on setting up your schedule and in that schedule breaks need to be included. These breaks need to actually need to be a small break from work. Not just a couple of minutes to grab another cup of coffee and click through facebook. Schedule breaks for you to recharge, so you can be all the more productive when you return back to “work mode”.

Go for a short walk, meditate, do a bit of yoga, read a trashy novel, do something to calm your body and your mind. As long as you are timing your breaks, you will be able to get back to work and tackle your day.

Just remember that they are not so short that as soon as you start to feel the purpose of the break it is time to get back to it or that they are so long you just lose your motivation for the day. Your breaks need to be purposeful and meaningful.

There you have it! Declutter your office then look at your daily routine and create a schedule that works for you and your family. Look at your workflow and systems, what can be delegated and what can be automated?

Finally, take care of yourself. Those breaks are important for your productivity and your mindset!

How to Boost Your Productivity

Be sure to follow the Studio’s Facebook Page, leave a comment on how you are boosting your productivity, and any other tips that may help. We’d love to hear from you. The page is a free space where you will find business-focused training and support for female entrepreneurs, as well as inspiration and Studio updates!

How to Boost Your Productivity!

Do you know your website bounce rate?

Do you know what a website bounce rate is? I have had a few questions regarding this topic, the first being “What is it?”.

The bounce rate is one of the most important things you should track on your website. It measures is the percentage of how often visitors “bounce” off of your web page.

Why it is important.

It is defined as a person landing on a page of your site then immediately leaving. They could be closing a browser window, hitting the back button to get a new URL or clicking on a link to go to another site. Meaning they only saw the one page, the page they came in on is the page they left on.

This percentage is something you want to pay attention to. In most cases, a high bounce rate is bad. It indicates that someone did not find what they were looking for and decided to leave your site. A visitor arrived for a reason then, maybe they couldn’t navigate or thought the information is irrelevant, there is no way to know why they left, only that they left. What you do know is they came to the site for one reason or another, possibly a google search, a paid ad or a referral click, they expected to see something when they arrived and it was not there. The higher your bounce rate the more you are not meeting that expectation, which means it is time to correct this.

When you see this happen, you need to take action on the pages with high bounce rates and lower the percentage. A lower bounce rate leads to a more effective website that will have visitors more engaged and will help them find what they are looking for.

When looking at your percentages, keep in mind some pages you would like a higher bounce rate than others. Pages that you would like a higher bounce rate on, are pages that will lead visitors to your Etsy store, to purchase products. Or a lead page that does not require your visitors to keep navigating your site but to collect contact information. Essentially, if the goal is to get visitors to this page for one specific reason only, then you may not have to worry about the bounce rate on that page.

So, when looking at your website analytics, look at bounce rates per page and not overall.

My suggestion is to play the video below, bounce to the music why you check out your website bounce rate!

Bounce Rate

Be sure to follow the Studio’s Facebook Page, leave a comment and let us know! We’d love to hear from you. The page is a free space where you will find business-focused training and support for female entrepreneurs, as well as inspiration and Studio updates!

How important is social media for your small business?

To some who have a small business, social media is the next big thing, a powerful fad that must be taken advantage of while it is still in the spotlight, and relatively cheap! To others, it is a time suck with no practical advantages and a complicated learning curve.

According to Hubspot, 92% of marketers claimed that social media marketing was important for their business, with 80% of them indicating their efforts increased traffic to their websites. According to Social Media Examiner, 97% of marketers are currently participating in social media; however, 85% of them do not know what social media tools are the best to use. This shows that there is a huge potential for social media marketing to increase your business, but a lack of knowledge on how to accomplish this increase. When used properly Social Media can boost brand recognition, improve brand loyalty and provide more opportunities to engage with your customers. Take a peek at these 5 reasons why it is important to use social media for your small business:

1. Exposure.

You can get more exposure through social media. As a small business owner, you want to become as visible as possible to your target audience. The world of social media has made this easier and has made your audience more accessible.

2. Social listening.

Aside from simply knowing what people think about your brand you are able to actively listen. Their thoughts and concerns will be given through mentions, reviews, and conversation. This gives you an opportunity to actively listen, respond, and address to grow your business in the direction you want.

3. Relationship building.

Now you are actively listening to your target audience you have the opportunity to build relationships. Trust is one of the most important parts of a successful business – Social media will give you the opportunity to build it with your audience.

4. Personal touch.

Social media will allow you to ensure that you are being seen by those who want to see you. Targeting who will see your business is a great way to ensure your marketing dollars are being put to good use.

5. Minimal cost.

Spending a lot of money to promote your brand is not necessary with social media. You can promote your brand yourself while in the comfort of your own office. Every chance you have to make your brand visible is a chance to find another customer. Social media accounts make your company accessible for new customers, familiar and recognizable for existing customers and will help in creating a loyal client base.

Take a peek inside our new accountability group!

Accountability benefits you in several ways as you pursue your dreams. Being held accountable isn’t only for those who are struggling with a particular issue, but for anyone with a goal. Working with an accountability partner or team is a key to success for anyone who wants their business to grow. If this is something you need, please, join us inside the Study Hall!

Become a founding member of the Study Hall community and gain access to exclusive content from the Studio Library, Mentorship, and experts in all areas of small business.

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The bad news is time flies. The good news, you’re the pilot.

Time Management Tips for Your Work/Life Balance

I once heard that the city I live in has a reputation of everyone lives to work and that the city I love to vacation in has the reputation of everyone working to live. This really stuck with me because all of a sudden I realized it was true.

Here, in my hometown, everyone is always working. Work seems to be all anyone wants to talk about or do, then they do not understand why they are stressed, burning out, and want to call it quits. Work is a necessity, yes – I understand but we should all work to live and not live to work and in order to do that we will need to determine the balance between work and life.

What is balance, really?

Balance, seems to be the trend today, doesn’t it? That everything is all about balance. Well, there is truth to that – balance is the key to everything. However; this doesn’t mean that balance is about equal parts. Having a 50/50 balance between work and home life is not going to happen, and I truly hope it never does happen to you! To me, that means you are spending too much time on your work and not enough time living.

To be able to maintain the balance, you first need to decide on what you want – then schedule around that. You will need to know how to better maintain time than maintaining a balance. There are so many factors on finding that work-life/home-life balance but today, I am just going to talk about time.

Time Management

Time management is something that most entrepreneurs struggle with. Getting pulled into the world of distractions that are: social media, email inbox, and “multi-tasking”. (I put that in quotes because I think multi-tasking it is more of a mythical unicorn than a skill but that is a topic for another day…) When you have good time management skills you will find that there is a lot more freedom in your workday and a lot of pressure to get things done starts to subside. Why? Because you have more time, well, not really. It is the same amount of time, only with time management skills it is better spent.

Look at it this way, time is truth. The truth of time is that there are only 24 hours in a day and 60 minutes in each hour. This we cannot change, yet we are caught saying “There are not enough hours in a day.” That isn’t true, there actually are enough hours in a day – there are 24 of them! Once you accept the things you cannot change, your world becomes a whole lot better and it is that much easier to better utilize the time you do have available.

To do this, start with using only one calendar. I am willing to bet there is a good chance you have more than one or none at all. Be it a traditional planner, a wall calendar or an online calendar – one is all you need. I am guilty of previously having 4! I had Google calendar, my paper planner, the pretty one on my wall and finally my Outlook calendar. What a mess. I would put my shooting schedule in one, family schedule in another – goals in yet another, and finally the fourth was supposed to tie it all together. Ha, I can laugh now… Anyway, now I have one that I use, and one on my wall that I don’t use but it is pretty to look at…. Okay, that is the ONE acceptance of the rule. Pretty to look at, but not written on, calendars are acceptable to have as a second calendar.
(They are more art, right?)

Under plan your time.

Now, when using your calendar, try to under plan your time. What I mean by this is try to leave 5 – 10 minutes for every hour where there is nothing to be done. As a photographer, I always plan sessions and events in 1 hour and 15-minute blocks. Yet, I would ensure that each would only take an hour. With the Virtual Studio, for example, a 45-minute coaching session is always scheduled for 1 hour in my calendar. For both my photography and coaching schedule, that extra 15 minutes gives me time to recollect my thoughts, travel, and for any unexpected surprises. Doing this also allows for tasks to be done at a more relaxed pace and has proven to be a lot less stressful.

A few other things you want to keep in mind to better manage your time are to set deadlines, delegate, stay motivated, and stop multitasking! (There is that magical unicorn again!)

The Virtual Studio’s will be launching a Work/Life Balance System that will go further-in-depth into time management! So stick around, that way you won’t’ miss the launch!

How are you going to better utilize the time you have each day?

What one calendar are you going to use moving forward? Let me know in the comments, I love hearing what systems they have in place!

Affirmations for business success!

Affirmations For Business Success

I am a huge fan of affirmations and use them as part of my daily morning routine – not only do they help make major shifts in your mindset they also serve as prompts and daily reminders on what you are truly capable of.

They help ensure you have an amazing and successful day, every day. Personally, every morning before I get out of bed, I read 3 affirmations. Each affirmation is said 5 times then followed by:

“This or something better now manifests for me in perfect timing!”

Ideally, your affirmations should be the first thing you think of when you wake up and the last before you go to sleep. Here are a few of my favourites!

Affirmations For Business Success
Affirmations For Business Success

Be sure to follow the Studio’s Facebook Page, leave a comment and let us know your favourite! I’d love to hear from you. The page is a free space where you will find business-focused training and support for female entrepreneurs, as well as inspiration and Studio updates!

Follow Your Passion

5 Essential Tips on Branding

“Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
– Jeff Bezos

Aside from what service or products you offer your brand is going to play a huge role in your success. Mr. Bezos is right, your brand is a representation of you, which is why it is imperative to put together a good strategy.

Use this infographic and remember these 5 essential tips when building your brand.

5 Essential Tips on Branding

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We can’t win, can we?

I don’t buy it.

When you are busy, you are not really present.

Well – NO MORE!

First, set up a Facebook business page.

Make it personal.

Provide value.

Be engaging, be human.

Remember, if they have a successful party – you will have a successful party!

1. Appreciate your Hostess!

2. Be A Good Listener:

3. Set High Expectations:

4. Create a strategy:

5. Use your phone:

How to Boost Your Productivity!

Why it is important.

1. Exposure.

2. Social listening.

3. Relationship building.

4. Personal touch.

5. Minimal cost.

What is balance, really?

Time Management

Under plan your time.

How are you going to better utilize the time you have each day?

“This or something better now manifests for me in perfect timing!”

Affirmations For Business Success Affirmations For Business Success

5 Essential Tips on Branding

Affirmations For Business Success
Affirmations For Business Success