We know it all too well -- that nagging feeling that scratches at the back of our minds. That thing that makes us tired, at times overwhelmed, and even emotionally or physically sick.

Stress.

Because stress is such a universally experienced negative stimulant, it gets a really bad rap.

However, there are actually two types of stress called distress and eustress. And the latter can be used to your benefit to fuel your productivity.

In the article to come, we share short interviews from three successful entrepreneurs about their experiences with eustress.

Then, we detail exactly what steps you can take to harness your stress for better time management, prioritization and mindset practices.

Entrepreneur 1 - Katie W. is a Founder of a sustainable nutrition company based in Berlin

Entrepreneur 2 - Maggie Perotin is CEO and Founder of Stairway to Leadership, a coaching and empowerment business designed to elevate female entrepreneurs

Entrepreneur 3 - Erin Barber is Chief Correspondent and Founder of Calipso Communication, a creative consulting agency

Interviews

Stairway to Leadership: What was a stressful situation you recently faced at work?

Katie W.: For me, stress is usually not just one event or instance. It's more of a jenga tower that’s usually triggered by disrespect from male colleagues. I'll show up with my tower of blocks tidy and stacked, and instances of disrespect nudge a block here, take one out there. And in the end, the tower gets weakened. Sometimes, male counterparts choose to use discriminatory language which causes me a great deal of stress, so a block gets pushed out of my jenga tower, so to speak.

Maggie P.: COVID restrictions and school closures added stress to my life, which included work. Having kids home all day and needing to help them with the online school was something that probably not many parents were prepared to do.

Erin B.: I have to say I get stressed pretty easily. The stress I’m currently facing is the looming possibility of falling short of my financial KPI for June 2021. Sometimes I overcompensate that stress by throwing myself harder into my work which, of course, increases my stress levels.

Stairway to Leadership: How did you navigate that stress?

Katie W.: I simply left the environment that was causing me stress. I started to build my own jenga aka a side project. I channeled my passion for learning about the world and the people within it through various side projects. In the end, I think these projects aim to rehumanize both myself and the people around me. Also honestly, I went for lots of long walks and took time to daydream of a better world. I reminded myself of how much I have, and came back standing stronger in myself.

Maggie P.: We created new routines for us as a family. Established ground rules with the kids, incorporated time outside that fit everyone's schedule. I personally have added a 10 minute meditation to my morning routine to help me ground myself better each day.

Erin B.: I decided to organize and strategize for a 30 day sprint. I decided to reach out to 5 organizations every day for the next 30 days to try and reach my goals. Working in short but intense blocks of time somehow alleviates my stress. When I can see structure in the madness, then I feel less stressed.

Stairway to Leadership: How do you think your stress management tactics could benefit other female entrepreneurs?

Katie W.: I've found that when I navigate my stress best, it's when I take that frustration and try to reroute it as finding my joy in other ways. Channeling energy in some other ways outside of work can help you to find new ways of seeing the world. Side projects can be a really enlivening outlet that can help any female entrepreneur foster creativity and get the juices flowing.

Maggie P.: Meditation, being active and fresh air are beneficial for everyone. You help your mind get calm and grounded. We oxygenate it well and give it time to think. There is no better foundation you can give to your mind. This way you're empowering yourself to be able to remain calm in those uncertain times and create great solutions in our business.

Erin B.: Having a plan and investing the time to strategize before tackling a huge project can help to keep stress at bay. Think about it this way--if you’re trying to get to a new destination for the first time, you need a navigation tool or map to show you the way. That’s what having a plan can do for your business. Strategizing can greatly reduce your stress because it relieves some mental work and pressure.

So what do these three female entrepreneurs have in common when it comes to their stress ordeals? They’ve learned how to leverage their stress for the betterment, not detriment of their businesses. These are the steps they implement for better productivity. And you can do the same starting today!

1. Name and Reframe

First and foremost, give your stress a name.

Maybe today your stress is called “I’m so afraid I’m not going to meet this deadline,” or “I’m so mad I didn’t close that client.”

Once your stress has a name, you can find the actual and specific source of the negativity.

Then it’s time to reframe it from a rational mindset perspective.

So “I’m so afraid I’m not going to meet this deadline” can be reframed with all sorts of positive action words. For example, we can call it “I am going to meet this deadline because my co-workers and clients are excited to see the final product.”

And “I’m so mad I didn’t close that client” can be relabeled as “The sale didn’t go the way I expected but now I know what does and doesn’t work in some negotiations.”

With this simple exercise, the stress becomes a lot less scary and much more actionable.

2. Schedule a Meeting With Your Feelings

Yes, pencil your feelings into your daily calendar.

Schedule a quick check-in with yourself to take the temperature of your mental and emotional capacity each day.

One of the key ways to harness stress is to acknowledge it and have a conversation with it.

In fact, Harvard Business Review has conducted numerous studies that indicate the best way to shift, deflect, or harness stress is to first address it.

Great ways to incorporate a daily stress check into your morning routine or lunch break are ten minutes of meditation, journaling, daydreaming, or stretching.

3. Prioritize Based on Outcomes and Importance

Once you have named your stress and addressed it in your daily stress check in, it’s time to tackle it head on.

Make a to-do list of open tasks that, once completed, will get your stress levels down.

Break each task into three smaller sub-tasks.

Once you have all of these tasks jotted down, order them from most critical to least critical.

Commit to completing at least one sub-task every day.

By the time you know it, your to-do list will be complete.

Sure, it may be slow-going in the beginning, but over time, these small steps of diligence will yield huge returns while lowering your stress levels.

4. Use a 1:1 Yes/No Ratio

The Yes/No ratio is precisely where eustress, or ‘good stress’ comes into play.

This is an exercise designed to apply a bit of pressure in order to kick your brain into its most productive gear.

With the 1:1 or Yes/No ratio, you simply choose your stress.

Think about all of the things that are stressing you out. Now say ‘yes’ to stressing out about half of them and ‘no’ to the other half.

For example if you’re stressed because you need to write a business plan, start a new social media channel, find a new babysitter and hire a virtual assistant, you say ‘yes’ to two of these stressors and ‘no’ to the other two.

In short, you’re going to focus your attention this week only on writing your business plan and finding a babysitter. You’ll say ‘yes’ to two other stressors next week.

The Yes/No ratio puts you in the driver’s seat of your stress and it’s a proven way to harness ‘good stress’ because it gives you a higher sense of control.

5. Delegate and Automate

We live in a digital age where lots of work can be automated by programs.

Additionally, our modern age is marked by connection, cooperation and community.

Harnessing both of these are a great way to keep your stress positive instead of overwhelming or all-consuming.

Use calendar tools to see your whole month or quarter at a glance. We’re partial to Google Calendar, Taskworld and Hubspot.

Invest in a budget planning tool or spreadsheet. You’ll find plenty on Etsy. And, of course, when you sign up for Stairway to Leadership’s coaching course, you’ll have access to budgeting and financial planning tools.

And if you’re able to, hire a virtual assistant or ask someone in your community for help with administrative tasks.

6. Create Your Very Own “Dreamland”

Last but not least, the key to harnessing stress is understanding why the stress is worth it in the first place.

Where is your stress taking you? What is your end goal?

Dreaming and manifesting are crucial to leaning in to eustress and succeeding in business.

We recommend creating a dream board on the weekend or in your free time. Find images of what your future dream life looks like and paste them up on a board that you can look at every day.

Also, take the time to manifest. This means closing your eyes and thanking yourself for all of the work you’re investing into your future. It also means thanking the universe and all higher energy and powers for the blessings and rewards that are coming your way.

When you truly believe that your future will be bright, you trick your brain into positivity and cut the negative thoughts. You completely restructure your mindset to be aligned with your future vision while lowering stress levels at the same time.

by Cory Peterson

Hey there! Thanks to Maggie Perotin who provides many online spaces for women to connect, learn from each other, and cheer each other on in our respective business journeys. I am a web designer and tech consultant for rockstar women business owners. I'm passionate about raising the voice, economic level, & impact of the female solopreneur!

One thing that I really enjoy is doing website assessments, where I get to take a look at all aspects of a website, including its usability and design, branding, copy, customer journey, site speed, mobile responsiveness, and SEO. These are 10 things I tell my clients again and again. Often these minor improvements can make a huge difference in attracting your ideal client and establishing yourself as a professional in your field.

1. Include a photo above the fold

I’m talking to you! Yes, you! I see you trying to hide way down low on your home page, or maybe way over on your about page. My friends, we want to get to know you, and the quickest way to do that is to see your friendly face. Plus, putting yourself first shows you are confident in your brand, what you are selling, and is a model and reminder to other women (and all people) out there: we are confident, we are brave, we are putting ourselves out there, we are successful, and we are doing great things!!!

2. Have a short eye-catching headline that conveys what you do and who you help

You have maybe 10 seconds to capture a visitor’s attention and keep them scrolling on your site. And that window of attention span is sadly getting shorter and shorter. What do you think the first thing people want to know is when they come to your page? “Do I like you?” and “Can you help me?” Seriously - that’s it. Catch them with a great headline so they know immediately you’re the one to help them with the transformation they are seeking with whatever it is you do.

3. Include an email option above the fold

Next question - what is the first thing you want them to DO on your page?

If you’re selling a personal brand or service, most likely BUY NOW isn’t going to work right away. It can take some time to build relationships. People need to get to know you before there is enough “know, like, and trust” for them to make a purchase from you.

So what’s the best way to do this?

Get them on your email list! You want to have an opt in above the fold so right when they get there and after they see your photo and read your headline, they say to themselves “heck yeah, I want to know more!”

4. Come up with a great freebie and call to action

Ok, you might have to use a little bribery to get them on your email list. Bribery is not all bad - I sometimes have to bribe my daughter with candy to get her through a difficult hike (don’t judge).

She gets the candy, I get a hike free of complaints. Win-win. The point is people might need a little motivation to say yes and get on your email list. And people LOVE getting something they need or find valuable for free. Just make sure you are being responsible and respectful with their private information.

So how do you come up with a freebie?

Well, obviously you’re good at something if you’ve decided to make a business out of it. What are some of the best freebies you’ve received when you’ve signed up for an email list? There are tons of great ideas out there. Come up with something that gives away a little of your golden knowledge and skills. People will see how amazing you are and want to learn more.

Again tell them about this bribe, I mean freebie, ABOVE THE FOLD.

5. Don’t put too much text on home page

Remember that super short attention span? This one is difficult for me to convey to clients because they have obviously spent a lot of time and care writing the copy for their home page.

I’m sorry to tell you this, but most people will simply scan your home page copy to see if they like the “jist” of you, what you offer, and what you’re all about. Then, once you impress the socks off of them with your succinct and professional home page, they will decide to explore your other pages or get on your email list to learn more.

Especially on your home page, don’t overwhelm your visitors with too many details, your life story, or how you met your cat (a photo is ok though if it works with your vibe - I do want to meet your cat, but save the story for another page or another day). Think headlines, bullet points, short and sweet copy to make them super curious to get to know you better.

6. Your copy is written in the first person for and about your ideal client

Speaking of copy - you need to be talking to and about your ideal client and what THEY need. Again, no offense, but your website is less about you than you might think. People want to know if you are talking to them in particular and how they can benefit from your service. Get inside your ideal client’s head - what are they struggling with? What do they wish they could improve? What would life look like if their problem was solved?

7. Lookin’ good on mobile

Yep, it’s true. So many people will use their phones to check out your website for the first time. They are going to have 10 minutes while they wait for their kiddo at kung fu practice and be looking up divorce coaches. They might be decompressing from a stressful work meeting on their way home on a crowded post-Covid bus and be thinking “I really need to find a good massage therapist”. They might be stuck on the side of the road waiting for AAA after being forced into a snowbank by a semi and be looking up women-only small group travel options for next spring.

The point is, make sure your site looks awesome on mobile too.

8. Consistent branding throughout your site

Branding is really fun. It’s where you get to be creative, show the personality of your brand and what you’re all about. It consists of your logo, your brand colors, fonts, imagery.

It also gives your viewers a pretty good clue about your professionalism.

Often I see sites with inconsistent branding: different colors or fonts on each page, buttons with different shapes or colors, images that don’t really go together. Spend a little time choosing one “theme” for your brand and go through your site with a fine-tooth comb to make sure everything is consistent throughout your site.

9. SEO basic hygiene

I get it my friends, SEO is a huge rabbit hole you could get lost in for weeks. It’s like another 400 level class. Ugh, not another one on this entrepreneurial journey...! Don’t worry! Let’s just clean up the basics, ok? A plugin like Yoast SEO really can help.

At the minimum make sure every single page on your site has a Title and Description. Understand keywords and how to use them. Use appropriate header tags. And that’s it - now you know how to brush your website’s teeth - ok that’s maybe not such a great analogy.

10. Make sure your site is accessible!

An accessible website gives your readers the ability to consume your content, use your services, or purchase your products, no matter their device or ability of your end-user. Make sure your fonts look good together and are sized appropriately. I know it’s fun, but use fancy fonts sparingly - these can sometimes be difficult to read.

Make sure all images have an alt-text description - this is super important! The alt-text is the description screen readers use when “reading” your image - make it as descriptive as possible so you don’t end up frustrating your end-user (plus it’s helpful for SEO). Check out Hannah Wolfram’s website and services if you want to learn more about this!

Well, there you have it - the top 10 mistakes I frequently see on the solopreneur’s website.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would be interested in a website assessment for your site. You can find me at meadowlark.tech

Enjoy the journey!!

Meet the author - Cory Peterson

Cory is the founder of Medowlark Consulting works with women business owners to build their businesses and share their talents with the world.

Visit her website here at anytime, especially if:

• You need a new website in order to attract your ideal client.
• Your current website is feeling old or clunky, or you are looking for more functionality. (Do you want your clients to be able to make appointments online? Would you like to be able to accept online payments? We can make that happen!)
• You’re curious about what you can do to get more online presence and more clients.
• You want to establish a more professional look for your website or your business as a whole.
• You want to establish yourself as an expert in your field and showcase your strengths and/or your portfolio.

Your content is an amazing way to connect with your clients.

Through your copy and images, they get to know you, like you, and trust you.

Do you think about your clients when you create the content? How do you feel when you do it? Expanded, excited to share, or more like “UGH I have no idea what to post, I’d happily give all of this to someone else to do if I only had the money.”

If you’re in the second group, I want to offer you different thoughts through this exercise.

Sit down today and journal by answering these 5 questions:

1. If you had your BEST client in your thoughts when you create content and made it FOR them, how would you feel?
2. What thoughts and ideas would come up for you?
3. Would you enjoy it then and actually look forward to connecting with them on the posts you created? Why?
4. What energy do you think your posts would exude?
5. Do you think they would create better engagement with your audience? Why?

Creating core content that gives value, inspires, and motivates to action is a skill that allows you to build relationships with your best clients. It helps you add value to their lives and stay on top of their minds.

So when they're ready and reach out to hire you, they're already pre-sold on your offer.

Just imagine how easy your sales consults would be when the clients reached out to you, excited to buy because of the value you've offered them through your content?

Just imagine how amazing it would feel engaging on your posts with your best clients?

In this video training, I teach you all the foundations you need to never run our engaging content ideas for your ideal clients. You and especially they will love it!

And if you'd like to watch more training like this as well as benefit from weekly inspiration, free business coaching and networking with other fabulous like-minded women entrepreneurs, join our community Women Entrepreneurs with Passion 4 Life here.

https://youtu.be/4SPfA2-gPSE

by guest author Stephanie Jones

5 steps to stop the never-ending to-do list, overwhelm, and exhaustion. Take back your evenings, weekends, life! Have it all without doing it all.

The kids are starving, you are still working, the house needs to be cleaned and laundry needs to be done. It's all never-ending! You seem to be the one holding it all together, except - are you?

You are running on empty. Waking up in the middle of the night riddled with anxiety. Important tasks, appointments, clients are slipping through the cracks. You are too tired to be creative, or find a way out.

It doesn't have to be like this!

Time management is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot but what does it mean and how can it help you?

Time management is essentially telling your time where to go, so it doesn't control your day/life. It's attacking the day with a plan versus being reactionary to everything thrown your way.

So - let's dive in!

1. Set hard start and stop hours for work

I know this can be incredibly hard - especially when you have so much to do. Hear me out though. You will get it all done in less time with better systems (which I scratch the surface on in this article).

When you have hard start and stop times for your work, you are setting a boundary around your day and your business. You are making that time important for you so you can build your dreams.

This doesn't mean you work 12 hour days all day, every day. It means you can start freeing up your time, reducing your workload (see following tips) and get to that elusive point of work/life balance we all seek, but only a few attain.

3. Set BOUNDARIES

You are the go-to person for lost keys, misplaced wallets, socks, clean laundry, milk, sports equipment, literally everything, am I right?

Stop that!

Have a family meeting, talk with your partner and kids. Have the truthful conversation that the house would literally not burn down if you weren't there to answer e v e r y single question that they had at all moments of the day.

Explain what you are building, dole out chores (kids as young as 5 can even help out - even if that means you don't have to ask them to brush their teeth or put their clothes in the hamper). Teach those life skills, release the perfection of your way of doing it and let everyone help out - heck, they all live there, right?

Ask for respect for your time and privacy while you are working. Make it a "no interruptions" zone, unless of course there is a real true blazing fire. Having quiet, focused, uninterrupted time in your day to get your work done - frees you up to be off your phone and computer, and to be fully present with those that you love. That's not too much to ask, right?

In case you are being hit in the gut with some strong mom-guilt right about now, let me share some stats with you:

• Every interruption (phone, notification ding, knock on the door, etc) costs you 6 minutes of time - and that's not even including the time to address the interruption
• You are 42% less productive when you multi-task
• Brain fatigue is increased when we are constantly changing tasks and having to remember where we were at
• If you are on a client phone call, it is unprofessional causing you to potentially lose either a client or a referral

3. Time Blocking

If you are unfamiliar with the term, time-blocking is "blocking" out a chunk (minimum of 15 minutes) for an activity, or a group of activities.

For example, you need to prospect clients. You can do this over the course of the day but does it really get you to where you need to be? Would it be better to block out 2 hours every Monday to prospect, track, etc., and then another block of time later in the week for the prior week's follow-up?

The latter allows you to stay in the zone, without distraction, accomplishing more and keeping your energy where it needs to be for that particular task.

If you have never time-blocked, I recommend going through your last week or two and either color coding like items together (all personal blue as an example, clients green, etc) and seeing where you are spending your time. Are you able to start moving like items together and protecting your time? Leave one day a week open for a catch-up, doctors, impromptu beach days, ya' know - LIFE!

4. Batching

Similar to time-blocking, batching helps you create space for focused work; allowing you to be more productive in less time.

Batching means "like things together in large chunks of time". For example, content writing. You can write a social media post every day for sure, but how many could you write in an hour?

Batching allows you to be dressed and camera-ready on days when you need to be on video or present with clients, and messy bun and sweat pants on days when you're writing content like a mad-woman.

If you're new to batching, and especially if you're also new to time-blocking, here are some suggestions:

1. Pick at least an hour of uninterrupted time
2. Close all tabs (work offline if at all possible), leave your phone in the other room or put it on airplane mode
3. Put on background music if you work better that way, or silence if not
4. Grab your favorite beverage, pen, inspiration, etc and get comfy
5. Set a timer for the allotted time (I try to work in 2-hour blocks but I get up for a 5-minute rest break halfway through so I just set my timer for 55 minutes and then reset it when I am back at my desk).

Get to work and see how much you can get done!

5. Margin in your day, your week, your life - especially in your calendar!

Margin = space and space = calm. You are not a machine! You need downtime. You need to be able to confidently move your calendar around when you are sick when your kids are sick when your bestie needs you. Leaving space allows for this. It keeps you on track and caught up. Your to-do list will get done!

If you are always running late, you need to leave margin/space in your day so you can leave 5 minutes earlier (or 15!) so that you aren't stressed. When you are stressed, your kids are stressed, your partner is stressed, your health suffers.

Stop booking yourself so tightly in a day that you are stressed, overwhelmed, and can't get everything done.

If you are asking HOW????

I have a BONUS Answer for you and a free time strategy session call. 30 minutes and I can help you free up your calendar! You just have to implement the advice ;)

BONUS ANSWER: Deletion

Delete any and all unnecessary tasks, including busy work in your business.

Stop scrolling social media.

Stop comparing yourself to others.

Stop checking email more than 2/3x a day (and even that is a lot).

Stop doing work that doesn't have a direct ROI (return on investment - including your investment of time)

Stephanie is a Holistic Wellness Coach based in Seattle, WA. Her background is in both Corporate Executive positions and Restaurant Management. She changed career paths, graduating from IIN with a certification in nutrition and health coaching.

She is a mom of 3, all grown now, kids but understands the challenges moms face. At one point, she managed a household of 7, with her own 3 children, 2 stepchildren, resulting in 4 parenting plans, sports, holidays, various schedules, and a team as a Starbucks store manager. She feels your pain! She has taken everything she learned from corporate environments and warped it up for you! Teaching you systems to regain your time, freeing up nights and weekends so you can live the life you deserve!

Check Stephanie's website here to see what she's all about!

There is a lot of information out there telling you what to do to grow your business.

A lot of it is great but not necessarily applicable to you and where you are in your business growth journey.

Information overload and overwhelm is real.

So let's make it simple.

Simple allows you to focus.

Simple helps you be consistent.

Simple makes it possible to scale.

This video training will help you avoid 10 most common mistakes I see women entrepreneurs do. You can grow your business faster knowing what they are and choosing not to make them.

https://youtu.be/khPdjz4krTI

If this masterclass resonated with you, and you want to benefit from more such training

+ free business coaching

+ daily motivation

+ networking with other fantastic women entrepreneurs,

then join our thriving FB community Women Entrepreneurs with Passion 4 Life here.

By Leslie Campos

Everyone in the education field – students and instructors alike – had to transition to some degree of online learning since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. However, colleges have been developing and perfecting the delivery of online education for a number of years, working to ensure they have viable options for those who want to pursue a degree while still holding down a job. If you’ve never taken online classes, the prospect might seem a bit daunting at first. However, once you understand how the process works, and see the many associated benefits that come with online education, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running with these tips courtesy of Stairway to Leadership.

Necessity of Continuing Education

The way we work and learn is continually evolving, and according to Kiplinger, the jobs of the future are changing as well. That’s why it's important to regularly assess your skills as a business owner or career trajectory and take steps to ensure you have the appropriate training and education necessary to adapt to fluctuations in your industry. You may opt to pursue a degree related to your current profession, as a way to advance in the field, or you might look to the fast-growing and critical areas of information technology, computer science, and cybersecurity – all rapidly advancing careers of the future. Graduate education, in particular, can help prepare you for people leadership and management roles.

How Advanced Degrees Help Your Career

While undergraduate degrees introduce you to the main tenets of your particular area of study, advanced degrees take your insight and knowledge to a new level. This is especially important in continually changing fields like IT. You’ll often have the opportunity to learn from experts in the field, gaining relevant, timely knowledge that you can begin incorporating into your work right away. You’ll also interact with other students who may be working or running a business in the same industry, giving you the opportunity to learn from the experience of others while making valuable professional contacts.

Elements of Online Education

While in a traditional higher education setting, students typically participate in lectures, discussion groups, and some degree of project work, leading universities have found a way to replicate and even improve this system in an online setting. You'll still have an opportunity to interact with fellow students, professors, and guest lecturers – you’ll just be doing it in a virtual environment. This may include real-time and/or recorded lectures or presentations, group chats or discussion boards, and commentary posts. You'll likely have access to online resources and reading materials, rather than hard-copy books, which is a highly efficient way to research, study and prepare course assignments.

Flexibility of Online Learning

Depending on the type of online education you're pursuing, you're likely to have a great deal of flexibility about where, when, and how you study, interact, and complete assignments or take tests. This system provides an exceptional degree of freedom, which can be especially useful if you're caring for children or parents or working full-time. Additionally, studying from a remote environment can provide for greater focus and concentration, which can improve your overall productivity and learning outcomes. Keep in mind, professors, academic advisers, and university resources all remain accessible to you in an online learning environment.

For entrepreneurs and those climbing the ladder, a degree isn’t the only reason to go to school. IF there are skills you’ve always wanted to learn, particularly if they’ll be useful to the business. You’ve got a good eye for photography but have never taken a class. You think you’d be good at graphic design but have never tried. You could learn web design, digital marketing, or coding. The more you do to support the business, the more you’ll grow along with it.

Just this last December, Maggie has graduated from a fully online executive MBA program at Jack Welch Management Institute. This 3-year journey allowed her not only to become a better coach for her clients but also to run her own business more strategically.

Stairway to Leadership wants to help you build a successful, long-lasting business. Click here to learn more about our coaching programs and to schedule a free consultation.

If you're an entrepreneur who's scared of numbers and financial language, this article by Susan Vanderburgh is a good start. I always tell my clients: You are the CEO of your business. And finances are the language of business. You don't need to be a financial analyst to run your business but you need to understand enough to make informed decisions and hire great people who can help you manage money.

by Susan Vanderburgh

The calendar year is divided into standard fiscal quarters which businesses and financially savvy persons describe dated financial data.

Here is a summary:

January, February, and March (Q1)

April, May, and June (Q2)

July, August, and September (Q3)

October, November, and December (Q4)

Q1 Dates: January 1 - March 31

Q2 Dates: April 1 - June 30

Q3 Dates: July 1 - September 30

Q4 Dates: October 1 - December 31

Why is it important that you know this information?

Well, if you want to impress your friends and family members, you could start referring to a month in the context of a particular quarter. However, when you are speaking to business or financial professionals, it is appropriate, and sometimes expected, to refer to parts of the year in quarters.

For illustrative purposes, here is a scenario:

Prior to this knowledge, you might have wanted to say, “I will get this done by the end of August.”

Here are two examples of how you would say this differently when speaking with a business or financial professional:

Example 1: “I will get this done by the end of the third quarter of the year.”

Example 2: “I will get this done by the end of Q3.”

When you use either example (above), economic professionals will understand what you are saying. It also sounds cool, doesn’t it?

If a financial service provider does not understand what you are saying, hire a replacement. I mean this, seriously because this is a basic business and finance concept. Wouldn’t you want to work with the best?

Knowing about the quarters of the year is helpful when you are trying to gauge the business and financial knowledge of a potential business relationship or referral partner. Being able to refer to the calendar in quarters (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) also shows your sophistication when you are applying for a business loan. The potential lender is likely to look at you as a professional, especially when you are presenting your business ideas in hopes of getting financing.

For people who are self-employed or those who are required to pay quarterly estimated taxes, it is important to pay on time to avoid penalties. Although April 15 is a due date for filing tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service, you still need to file quarterly payments throughout the year as a self-employed individual.

Here is a Cheat Sheet of when quarterly self-employment taxes are due (US regulations):

PaymentQuarterlyJanuary 1 - March 31April 15April 1 - May 31June 15June 1 - August 31September 15September 1 - December 31January 15th of the following year

Please note that there are exceptions, especially during COVID-19. If the due date of the estimated tax falls on a weekend or a national holiday, the payment would be due the following working day.

So, what does this mean on a personal level? Why do you need to plan for the end of the year and think about the year in quarters?

The last quarter of the year could be quite expensive and can catch many people off guard. November and December (i.e., in the last quarter of the year) are quite important. Not only do we have Thanksgiving (for those who celebrate), birthdays, anniversaries, and winter holidays, for property owners, real estate taxes are also due.

Your knowledge about fiscal quarters also provides insight when researching stock and bond markets, and financial reporting of public companies. You might have recalled hearing about financial projections for publicly traded companies that schedule the releases of their financial reports and payment of stock dividends in quarters of the standard calendar year.

As you could surmise, the final quarter of the year is also when most public companies are pushing for the ability to report positive earnings. As a consumer, you would be inundated by offers from retailers and businesses offering incentives to spend. Also, do not forget, for homeowners, this pressure to buy during the last quarter could be torture, especially if your real estate taxes are not impounded with the mortgage payments and you must pay real estate taxes to avoid delinquency.

For employees, most companies offer year-end performance reviews and holiday or merit bonuses. Yes, these are more reasons and added temptation to spend those hard-earned dollars!

For people who are undergoing credit repair or budgeting for a better financial future, consumerism is a real struggle and often creates conflict on the person's well-being and happiness when not able to spend.

As we head into the last quarter of this year, I urge you to make a list of your goals for the end of the year and for the upcoming new year.

Think specifically of these 6 questions:

1. How was this year for you financially?

2. Did have enough income to live comfortably or did you exhaust all your credit lines?

3. Do have an “emergency fund” that will cover you if something unexpected happened and would cost you some dollars?

4. How do you want to make your money work for you in the coming year?

5. What are your financial goals?

6. Do you have a plan to make the next year a better financial year than this one?

If you do not have answers to the above questions, you still have a few more months before the end of Q4 to figure out your plan for the next year.

For individuals who are hoping to buy a new home sometime next year, you should allow yourself 6 months (or 180 days) to make sure your credit profile is ready for a lender to review and have no objection. Please stay tuned for other articles regarding buying your home.

If you need assistance, it would be a good idea to seek professional guidance.

About the author

Susan Vanderburgh is a Business, Financial and Credit Strategist who helps clients get from frustrated to a more balanced financial lifestyle by implementing financial and credit strategies. www.getcreditcure.com

guest post by Teresa Greenhill

Entrepreneurs face many challenges that others do not. We are responsible for not only ourselves but also our employees and, in some ways, their families, too. We often work ourselves to the point where we feel like work is a life sentence, and no amount of good behavior allows us any personal freedom.

It does not have to be this way.

As an entrepreneur, you have control over your working hours, and you must use your time and resources wisely. This means taking care of yourself both at work and at home. Today’s tips from Stairway to Leadership can help you take better care of yourself.

Self-Care and Therapy

First, it’s important to know that part of your self-care regimen might mean seeking therapy in your relationship, to help you lose weight or help change behaviors that are holding you back. The good news is you may be able to do so from the comfort of your home. With the advent of telehealth, you can take advantage of medical providers offering a range of online services that can help you do these things. By utilizing virtual visits, you can save time and money and get treatment on your own terms.

Work/Life Balance

It may sound cliché, but finding a balance between your work and your career is one of the best things you can do for yourself. A few simple actions to get you started here include reducing clutter (and therefore cleaning time) at home, hiring a virtual assistant, providing your body energy through natural light, and adding houseplants to improve your mood. You should also set a schedule and avoid working when you should be spending time with your family.

Another great way to save time is to hire freelancers to work remotely. Communicating with these individuals, however, can be a challenge. You can streamline this process by utilizing PDFs to convey information back and forth. Try a free PDF editor to make changes easily on shared documents so you can skip explanatory emails and intrusive instant messages.

Health And Nutrition

Do you eat lunch every day? Probably not. You should. Give yourself permission to check out from work every day, which the Work It Daily blog explains will help you be more productive. (If you're a strict workaholic, you can use your lunchtime as an opportunity to network.) Further, keep a desk drawer full of handy snacks that can give you energy on those days when you can’t break away on time. UK-based snack food company Veloforte recommends bananas, nuts, watermelons, and berries for boosting energy.

Other Health Tips for Self-Employed People

• Get enough sleep. Your eight hours each night does more than refresh you; it can also reduce weight gain, strengthen your heart, and, like our other suggestions, boost productivity so that you can have a better work and life balance.

• Don’t take things personally. One of the best things you can do for yourself is to learn that business is business and things are not always personal. Losing a customer, for example, does not mean you are not good at what you do, and there are always opportunities to find new clients.

At the end of your work day, you want to know that you’ve done your best as an entrepreneur. But, for that to happen, your workday actually has to end. It’s important to find balance and prioritize self-care, whether that means eating right, getting enough sleep, or seeking therapy when the pressure is too much to bear. By giving yourself the same attention you give your customers and employees, you’ll be a better business person and may be better positioned for strategic growth.

About the Author- Teresa Greenhill

Teresa Greenhill is the co-creator of MentalHealthforSeniors.com, which is dedicated to providing seniors with information on physical and mental fitness. Being a senior herself, Teresa, with some help from her granddaughter, manages the website as a way to keep her busy and help other seniors be active and happy in their golden years.

written by Victor Lane

If you own, manage, or operate a business in today’s digitized world, you already know that marketing your business on social media is integral to any modern business’s overall digital marketing strategy.

But when it comes to marketing their businesses on social media, managers have many options available in terms of which platforms to use for focusing their social media efforts.

After all, there’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linked In, Twitter, Tik Tok, YouTube, and more!

And because of their differences, marketing your business on any of these platforms will require a slightly different approach.

More specifically, in the following article, we’re going over a handful of simple yet proven tips and tricks that can help your business better connect to its target audience when using the popular social media platforms known only as Instagram.

Create A Separate Business Account

It doesn’t matter if you’re the business’s sole employee; you need to create a business account that’s entirely separate from your personal Instagram account.

Of course, you’re welcome to share your content between both accounts. But if you want your business to get noticed, you’ll need to have a specific page where you can showcase your brand, as well as its products or services.

You can still share content and information about your business from a personal Instagram account.

But we highly recommend signing up for a Business account because doing so will give you access to features, such as account analytics, the ability to create sponsored posts or ads, and the ability to create a shop directly from your business’s page.

After setting up your business account, it’ll be time to start creating and regularly sharing content with your followers.

High-Quality Images And Content Are Everything

As you know, Instagram is famous for its users sharing heavily filtered images.

Therefore, for business owners active on other platforms, it’s essential to understand that Instagram is a more visual-based social media platform than its competitors like Facebook and Twitter.

Therefore, you’ll want to focus on creating content around visually attractive, eye-catching imagery, graphics, and other media formats.

For instance, rather than simply uploaded photo images, some business owners might prefer using the carousel image feature, which allows you to create individual slides, which can be swiped through by your followers.

Carousels, stories, IGTV, and other features can also be used as practical tools for helping you connect with your target audience on social media.

One Follower At A Time

When you’re first starting, it can often feel disappointing when you see your business competitors boasting hundreds or thousands of followers on Instagram, especially if you’re still struggling to gain your first dozen.

But when you feel like getting down on yourself about a lack of followers, remind yourself that it’s much better to create an Instagram account with a handful of followers that like your content, interact with your posts, and who want to learn more about and promote your brand, rather than an account that has a million followers but virtually no engagement rate whatsoever.

The fact is that it takes time to gain popularity on social media platforms like Instagram, especially when you consider the fact that you’ll be competing with hundreds of thousands of other users and businesses.

But when you gain one loyal follower at a time, you’ll build a much better foundation for your brand’s future social media success.

Know Your Audience And Get To Work

Finally, before investing too much time or energy in your Instagram marketing efforts, it’s a good idea to regularly review and factor in your target audience. Keeping your ideal customers in mind will help you develop content ideas that will better resonate with your followers.

And in turn, taking a slightly more strategic approach to your Instagram marketing will result in better content, better engagement levels, and more leads and sales for your business!

I love to dance. It's so much fun! The 6 years I spent dancing in a dance theatre in Poland were the best years of my teens. My daughter loves it too and is way better at it even at 9 (look below of some pictures of ours ;)).

Dance taught me many valuable lessons that I use in my business and while coaching my clients. I picked four key lessons to share with you in this blog today.

1. You need to know the basics.

To be a professional dancer rather than a hobbyist you need to learn the key principles of dance technique. Be it ballet, hip hop, or ballroom, without knowing the basic steps and moves you won’t go far.

Same with your business, you might get some clients from your immediate network and by talking to people, and that’s a great start! Like movement to the rhythm is a great start for dancing.

But to gain consistency and really scale your business to the professional level, you MUST learn some basic marketing, sales & finance skills.

2. You need to practice, practice, practice.

Nothing happens without action - consistent action.

It's repeating the same moves over and over again, day in and day out. To do that, you grow patience. Because in the beginning, your moves (results) can be clunky, won’t flow well and you’ll be tired. Sometimes even discouraged.

But when you persist, you’ll start mastering the moves, they will start flowing with ease, and you’ll learn any new choreography (strategy or tactic) much faster.

One day you just become a professional without even realizing it. You'll make everything look effortlessly to the outside eye.

3. To achieve mastery you need to express yourself.

The skills, action, and consistency form the foundation. Without them, you can never call yourself a professional dancer (the CEO of your business). Without them, you’re a hobbyist.

However, to become a master you need a little bit more.

You need YOU.

Dance is a form of art. To create a masterpiece, the artist needs to express their emotion, be vulnerable, show themselves to the world for the world, so the audience can really SEE their art.

The same applies to your business. You attract your clients for being YOU.

For being authentic and expressing through your marketing and branding what you are all about. That’s how you’ll have clients coming to you and asking to work with you.

4. You need great teachers to help you with everything above.

There is no professional dancer who has risen to where they are all on their own. They have been blessed with the teachers and coaches who stood by them every single step of their journey.

Those teachers taught them what they knew, encouraged, picked up when they lost confidence, motivated, and help them be accountable.

It's the same with your businesses. All highly-successful entrepreneurs had mentors, coaches, and advisors along the way in their journeys. They were their teaches helping with achieving mastery.

In your business, this is where I can come in.

My individualized coaching support, video lessons, journal, and everything else you get when you join my Business Results Accelerator coaching program take you from a hobbyist to a professional business owner.

You become the CEO who not only has the skill to run a seriously successful business but also a master of knowing who you are, being confident and proud of it AND showing that to the world.

That is how you'll be attracting 2, 3, 4, 5, and even 10 paying clients every single month!

If you’re ready to make that switch and want to know more about how it would look for you, fill in this form to schedule a free discovery call with me.

Alonna Heller, the CEO of The Heller Creative CO, is a young leader, an entrepreneur who has started her business straight after college.
On her journey to growing her business and making money, we have coached on a few challenges that most of us experience on the entrepreneurship journey: the need to be liked, not wanting to disappoint your loved ones, or even thoughts about making money.

Listen's to Alonna's learnings and breakthroughs to see what's possible. Check her business here. You can also follow Alonna on IG @hellercreativeco

You can also listen to this interview here, on the Diamond Effect podcast, Episode # 20.

https://youtu.be/R_A07JR4-WI

Written by Leslie Campos

Thanks to the internet, moms no longer have to choose between their kids and careers. There are so many different ways to work from home. Advancements in e-commerce technology have produced countless digital tools and resources for people striving to launch a business on their own, which should be great news for busy moms.

Still, finding the time—and, importantly, the motivation—to work on your business can be incredibly challenging with kids underfoot. Maggie Perotin explores some steps you can take to make entrepreneurship more attainable.

Ask for Help

You’re bound to come across a few roadblocks as you prepare to launch your business. Do yourself a favor and ask for help overcoming these obstacles. Business consultants, coaches, and specialized freelancers can offer a lot in the way of assistance. For example, business and leadership coach Maggie Perotin can help you establish a simple strategic plan for attracting your first clients.

Depending on your business idea, you may even want to hire a few employees to give your business a running start. Hire team members to take on time-consuming tasks like packing and shipping products or managing content creation. Just be sure to establish a solid payroll system before onboarding staff. To set up payroll for your growing startup, you will need to set a regular pay schedule, review your CRA/ IRS filing obligations, establish a reliable bookkeeping system, and determine how you’re going to pay your workers. A full-service payroll system will make the whole process a lot easier.

Another option to get help is to hire freelances and other entrepreneurs whose genius zones are to help Mom's like you to get the business off the ground.

Choose an Idea You’re Passionate About

Most business ideas seem exciting in the beginning, but that initial enthusiasm is going to wear off eventually. Once this happens, it can be tough to carve time out of your busy schedule to work on your business. Feeling passionate about your business idea is key to maintaining your motivation in the long run!

Still looking for your passion? Try thinking back on your experiences. Have you come across a problem that has not yet been solved? Can you think of a way to solve this problem for others in your situation? Think about how you can use your strengths and skills to develop a solution that will provide immense value to others.

Harness Your Stress

Launching a business is bound to add a little stress to your life, and that’s okay!

Occasional stress can drive you towards your business goals. The key is knowing how to harness your stress and channel it into productive activities rather than letting it overcome and overwhelm you. Instead of thinking about your anxiety as a negative feeling, Trello recommends reframing it as excitement or motivation. Try to relate to your anxiety positively and use it as a springboard for your passion.

Chronic stress, on the other hand, is not healthy. If you’re constantly feeling stressed by your new business, take steps to prevent burnout by reducing your workload. Hiring help—with your business or your home life—can take some weight off your shoulders so you can enjoy a better work-life balance.

Establish a Mompreneur Schedule

You’ll have an easier time finding the energy to work on your business if you stick to a daily schedule. VirtualVocations recommends developing a schedule that aligns with your unique work style, business model, and personal obligations so that you can commit to it day after day.

For example, if you feel the most mentally energized right after lunch, don’t waste those productive hours on insignificant tasks or household chores that require less brainpower. It’s also a good idea to schedule in an hour or so of flexible time that you can use as a lifeline when a project takes longer than anticipated or a family emergency pops up.

There’s something about being a mompreneur that is incredibly liberating. Launching a business opens up a world of opportunity for the stay-at-home mom. Whether you’re looking to earn some extra income, pursue a passion project, or fill some free time while the kids are at school, launching your own business is the way to go.

Are you looking for business coaching or leadership advice? Contact Maggie Perotin for a free brainstorming session today! Fill out the contact form on our website to get in touch.