As a business owner, have you ever wondered if you're maximizing your team's full potential?
Picture this: You're running a successful service-based business, carefully considering each new hire because every salary impacts your bottom line. While you might think only your sales team drives revenue, there's an untapped goldmine of sales potential sitting right in your existing workforce.
Let's be honest - when most business owners think about increasing sales, their first instinct is to hire more salespeople. But what if I told you that the key to boosting your revenue might already be sitting at your front desk, managing your books, or delivering your services?
Every employee you hire in your small business is an investment, and they need to contribute - directly or indirectly - to your business growth. The question isn't whether they can help increase sales; it's how to unlock their potential to do so.
Think about those administrative tasks eating up your valuable time. When you're spending hours managing receipts or handling routine paperwork, you're essentially paying CEO rates for administrative work.
Here's a perspective shift: a skilled bookkeeper or administrative assistant can do these tasks in half the time, at half the cost, freeing you up to focus on high-value activities that directly generate revenue. Not to mention, the quality of their work will be much better than yours, beacuse they are the exaprts at it.
Consider this: If you value your time at $100 per hour (conservative for a CEO), and you're spending 10 hours weekly on administrative tasks, that's $1,000 worth of potential revenue-generating time you're losing. By delegating these tasks to a skilled professional at $50 per hour, you're not just saving money - you're buying back time to focus on growth activities. And there is also "opportunity cost" than many often miss. For exmaple, if in those 10 hours a week, you landed a $10,000 or a $100,000 contract, this is the amount you are truly missing out when when you try to do it all by yourself.
Your front-line staff - whether they're receptionists, service providers, or customer service representatives - have golden opportunities to increase sales naturally.
Here's how:
The most powerful sales force isn't just your sales team - it's your entire staff when they genuinely believe in your business.
When employees love their work environment and believe in your services, they become natural brand ambassadors, sharing their enthusiasm with their networks and bringing in new clients organically.
Practical Implementation Steps
To maximize your team's sales potential:
Your non-sales employees can be powerful drivers of business growth when given the right tools, training, and motivation. By creating an environment where every team member understands their role in the company's success, you'll build a more resilient, profitable business with multiple growth channels.
Ready to transform your team into a revenue-generating powerhouse? Start by evaluating your current processes and identifying opportunities where your non-sales staff can contribute to growth. Remember, sometimes the best sales strategies don't come from your sales team at all.
And if you need help implementing these strategies in your business?
Book a free consultation here to discuss how we can train your team and create systems that drive sustainable growth.
About the Author:
Maggie Perotin is a business and leadership coach and founder of Stairway to Leadership, helping service-based businesses transform into sellable assets through strategic planning, operational excellence, and team development.
I came from the corporate world. Sure, I knew technology, dealt with many systems, heck I even co-implemented them. I consider myself somewhat techy and not scared of trying things out.
But when I started my coaching business, I still knew nothing about apps that help you run a solopreneur business online.
I didn't even realize how vast the world of apps is and how fantastic they are. They make running an online business so much easier and a lot of it for FREE!
So if you're new to this world and might be in the same position as me a couple of years ago, I want to make it easy for you.
Below I have complied 15 + apps, descriptions, and links that are mostly free or have a free version for you to start with. They have been indispensable for me in my business, and I hope that you'll discover some gems here for yourself as well.
Who could live without Canva these days? Their free account is godsent for online content creation. The choice of free templates for all social media, presentations, flyers, business cards is astounding. You can create pretty much any marketing material you'll ever need for your business. You can share your designs and collaborate with others.
They have a wide variety of free fonts, elements, and stock pictures. You can use Canva from your mobile but probably not as easy as from a laptop.
It's super user-friendly and helps your graphics look almost professional even if, just like me, you're far from it. If you haven't used it yet, you must try!
You can have a lot of fun with your photos or stock images. For social media posting straight from your phone, there is a multitude of apps in your Google Play or Apple App Store. Here're just a few, but the choices are almost endless: inShot, inStory, Polish, Background Remover.
Pixabay and Pexles - through these apps, you can download all kinds of beautiful photos for your blogs, graphics, presentations, or videos.
I like them both because of the different styles of photos shared. Also, with those platforms, you can use an unlimited number of pictures for free.
And if you have a blog on WordPress, they are pre-integrated with Pexels allowing you to upload images into your blogs straight from there. That saves a few steps and time!
Whenever you have an extra buck to spare, it's great to share it with your favorite photographer. And don't forget to give them credit for their work.
These apps are amazing! They can save soo much time and help with consistent posting. Because if you read any of my other blogs, consistency is key. The apps that I've used are Hootsuite, Later, and Facebook Creator Studio.
In their free version, Hootsuite allows you to connect up to 3 social media profiles. Later was created as an Instagram scheduler and is very good with that. However, now, the free account allows connecting your Instagram, FB, Twitter, and Pinterest – so one more profile than Hootsuite.
If you're only using FB and Instagram, then FB Creator Studio is a great option, although they don't have a nice calendar view of your scheduled post (all in one place) the same way the other apps have.
Once you are ready to create freebies, even basic landing pages, and start building your e-mail lists, there are many choices there. Convert Kit, Active Campaign, Lead Pages, etc., but not all of them have a free account option for an unlimited amount of time.
That's why I will focus on pointing out to you only these two platforms here.
Their free option allows you to have one type of audience with up to 1,000 subscribers. You can also create simple landing pages from templates. Once you need to get more sophisticated, paid options are available.
I have used their free account, and it did the job. The user interface has changed lately and is better than the original, but I still don't find it as intuitive as it could be. Regardless, I think it's a decent e-mail marketing platform for beginners. And, have I mentioned free? 😊
This is one of the most recent all-in-one platforms. Because they are still in the Beta version, I have to tell you here that I invested in their offer of a one-time payment for lifetime access to the entire platform. This will be a great money saver down the road as I'll never have to pay monthly fees for all the modules, which is a standard with such platforms. It's a fantastic deal as long as you're OK waiting for all the Beta version bugs to be worked out.
Now they do have a free account option that, at this point, is well functioning. My link to Groove Funnels is an affiliate link, although I won't make any money if you just sign up with the free account. It will give you the ability to create template-based or entirely custom landing pages and have an e-mail list of up to 500 subscribers. Right now, the free account also allows you to create an online store and a few other things. It's definitely worth checking out.
Are you finding yourself wanting to send regular newsletters to your subscribers or write a weekly blog but never seem to have enough time? Or even if you carve out the time, when you sit in front of the screen, you draw a blank on what to write? Most of my ideas come to me when my brain is not busy because I'm doing house chores, driving, or other daily habits.
If you said yes to one of these, then I highly recommend Speech-Notes or other voice-to-text phone apps. This way, whenever a blog or newsletter idea pops up in your head, but you're not in front of the laptop, you can speak to your phone, and the app will write it out all for you! Then you just e-mail yourself the note or save it straight on your google drive. After that, all you need to do is spend 15 mins editing, and voila! The copy will be even better as it will read as if you were indeed speaking with your ideal client in person.
Whether you write a blog, create free webinars, or do LIVES, the titles are what will stop your audience from scrolling and grab their interest in knowing more.
Did you know that many copywriters come up with multiple titles for each of their pieces of work before picking one?
The title is a super important piece of content, and you want to get good at it. But how when you're just starting? Title Generator will help you. All you need to do is enter your content keywords, and in seconds, hundreds of titles to choose from will show up on your screen.
Personally, when I type my first draft on anything. I don't worry about spelling mistakes. And let me tell you I make many! Without text editing software, it would take me forever to edit my blogs, and you'd probably find even more spelling mistakes in them 😊. Grammarly or Hemingway Editor are great to get rid of most of your writing issues. You just copy and paste your text in them, and they'll catch 99% of your mistakes and correct your grammar. The paid versions will tell you how to improve your piece to be more engaging and clear.
There are a bunch of apps you can connect with your clients on.
The most popular video conferencing in North America is Zoom. The free account allows you to have one-on-one meetings for an unlimited amount of time and group meetings for 40 mins.
Google Meet comes with our Google Gmail account, but I find the quality is not the greatest, and you have no recording options. Microsoft Teams is similar to Google Meet.
As far as texting or chatting, What's Up is very popular worldwide. And, of course, there are the messenger apps within each social media platform: Facebook, Instagram (they are integrated through FB Business Suite if you have your business account set up for both), LinkedIn, etc.
If you are an online service provider like myself, then a scheduling app comes in handy. Many options in here as well.
If you use Square for your payments, they have a scheduling app in their suite that you can even integrate into your website, and it allows you to have different types of meetings set up for free.
The other two popular options are Acuity Scheduling and Calendly. Their free accounts allow you to set up only one type of meeting.
All three are intuitive and user-friendly, so pick the one that offers what you need right now and.
I have to say I'm not crafty to come up with some great ideas for small presents for my clients and collaborators. Yes, I am creative in offering amazing value in my programs and helping my clients get results faster, but try to get me to create a thank you card, and I'm lost.
Moreover, going to the post office, spending time buying and gluing stamps to send the cards is torture as well.
That is why discovering Sedout Cards felt like a Christmas present. This online service takes care of everything for you in the client appreciation department. All you need to do is create an account, pick a card (and a present if you want), upload some photos, write a thank you note, fill in the address, and click send. They take care of everything else. It takes 5 mins or less if you entered your client's address once.
They print put the stamp one and send the cards for you. It's such an easy way to express your gratitude, do small acts of kindness, and stay on top of your clients' minds for minimal cost. I LOVE this service. That's why I became an affiliate. You don't have to. There is no cost for the account – you only pay for cards/ presents you send to others.
I like simple. And there are many apps out there that can help you do many things. Client relationship Management (CRM), project management, etc. If you want to know more about them, just reach out. For now and here, especially if you're just starting out, all you need is Google Suite. The business version is paid but the basic plan is quite affordable.
You have cloud storage. You can create forms, other documents and share them with others. Simple, all in one place is really all you need. Trust me. I come from the corporate world where for many years, a multi-million dollar company was run out of excel.
Once you have a website, you need some basic privacy policies to make it legal and legit. You can get some of them for free through sites that generate web policies for you based on your country and the type of policy you need. They will give you one or two for free and then the rest for a small charge.
Website Policies service is super cool and easy to use. Here is the link, and this one can help you no matter what country you're from.
Of course, you have your business to make money. To create invoices and collect payments, I love Square. It has everything you need to do that. Invoice creation is intuitive. You can generate recurring invoices, and it has an app allowing you to charge from your phone quickly!
You can also integrate your schedule, create a simple website and an online store. Square accepts international payments and has a PayPal integration. With my referral link, you receive up to $ 1,000 in free processing in your first 180 days.
If you want o to track your income and expenses by yourself and don't want to pay a bookkeeper yet or even invest in software, Wave is the way to go. It's completely free accounting software with invoicing and payment options. Their free version is more than enough for solopreneurs to keep their books organized.
And we're done. I hope this was helpful. If those 15 suggestions are not enough, I do have a list of over 50 apps that expands on what I've covered here. If you're looking for more advice and would like a while list – just send me an e-mail asking for it here.
There are many lies we tell ourselves each day. Call it "mindset drama," "negative brain," "fear." I see it in many women entrepreneurs I talk to and help each day. Gosh, I see it in myself.
Is there something wrong with us then?
Let me reassure you that NO, there isn't. Unfortunately, that's how we, as humans, are built and operate. This daily negative self-talk might have helped us in caveman ages survive and not be eaten by predators. Still, In modern days it is more self-sabotage than anything else.
There are thousands of such thoughts coming up in our brains every single day.
Here are five that I see frequently showing up for many women entrepreneurs. These five are directly preventing them from growing their business.
Why?
Because they keep you away from focusing on income generating activities.
"I can't find any clients even though I'm on this platform every day: networking, bringing value" - ergo, "it's not good for me." Whether it be Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or anything else you have such thoughts about, before you abandon the platform and move on to the next one – double-check with yourself.
Are your ideal clients hanging out on this platform?
If the answer is yes, then think about what kind of activities you do to attract them and whether you're consistent with them.
Maybe "it isn't good for you" because you aren't consistent and only show up sporadically. Perhaps it's your networking skills that need improvements. Or maybe it's your messaging that's not clear and therefore not attracting your ideal clients.
If that's the case, switching to a new platform won't solve your issue, only aggravate it.
You are right - in your pursuit for clients, some might not have money to invest with you. But not all.
Think about it. If other people in your niche are making money and attracting clients – it means people need what you have to offer.
Because in reality, you'll find three types of potential clients:
So your job is to reframe "people have no money thought" into "I'm attracting people who are ready to invest" and then go out there and find them.
This thought is related to the one above. The "right people" are the ones who are already ready for your help. Your ideal clients are the ones who're looking for it actively or at least starting to consider that they need it.
If you're having a hard time attracting them, then maybe it's time to look at your messaging or marketing strategy. This will allow you to see what you're doing or not doing that's preventing you from attracting "the right people."
Focusing on what you can control coupled with action gives you your power back. When you blame "external circumstances" for your lack of results, you give that power away.
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Our thoughts create our results. This thought is a very example of this truth. You had failed without trying because you told yourself a lie before even a real "failure" happened. You created failure with your own thoughts because it prevented you from taking action.
And only action can bring you the clients, income, and success you dream of.
Yes, action can be messy, and often we stumble, and that stumbling hurts. But when you don't try at all, the pain of not helping your clients and doing what you love is worse. Which pain are you going to choose then?
"There are so many other entrepreneurs in my niche out there: more successful already, smarter, with better offers. So who & why would buy from me?"
And to that, I say why not?
You are as smart and talented as them. And in a unique way that no one can replicate. There is no other like you.
And you know what?
There are at least 5 people out there right now waiting for your offer, ready to buy, and happy to give you their money in exchange for your help.
So let that thought sit with you for a while instead of the negative one. How does it make you feel? What does it inspire you to do?
And as your inspiration, take this quote (whether you believe in God or not):
God didn't have time to make a nobody, only a somebody. I believe that each of us has God-given talents within us waiting to be brought to fruition.
Mary Kay Ash
With ones that empower you to grow your business, attract more clients, and make more money?
I'm sure you are. Don't wait, do it. Reframe your thinking and help your confidence. And if you want to learn more on how to do it regularly, on-demand, and grow your business skills at the same time, schedule a free discovery call with me here. If we're a good fit, I will be able to help you.
Growing a business while raising a young family and sometimes even working a 9-5 is challenging. And as moms, we also want to keep our family healthy and not feed them pizza all the time. Although it's fast and so convenient ;).
I personally love to cook but only when I have time. One of the high-performance tricks that work well for me is to cook some yummy food over the weekend so we can have leftovers by Wednesday. Thursdays are French omelet days for our family, made with love by a French "chef," my husband JF Perotin, a.k.a. The Rocking Krolik. Fridays are "support local restaurants" days :).
Being born in Poland during the communist regime, I was raised on home-cooked meals. My mom and grandmas were masters in making fabulous dishes with limited but healthy supplies. Family dinners create fabulous opportunities for great conversations, laughs, and memories, and bring joy to our lives.
And since I'm all about balance, I invited a fantastic mompreneur here to teach us 10 easy steps on how to keep your family whole and healthy while expanding your creativity (helps in business!) through the joy of cooking!
This blog is brought to you by Britney Shawley from Whole & Healthy Kitchen.
These are basic culinary principles that, when applied, will carry your cooking from boring to extraordinary! They will also help you to be “on your game” so you can save time and stress in the kitchen. I am so so so passionate about these principles. I have applied them to my own kitchen, and if you apply them to yours, I guarantee you will find success and JOY in your kitchen and cooking!
When we plan ahead for what we want to make, we are then prepared ahead of time and more ready to cook when the time comes. Have you ever stood with your fridge open, trying to figure out what to make only a few moments before you start cooking dinner? Or you walk in the door and the kids are super hungry all crying and frustrated, yanking at your clothes? Well, this can be stressful and contribute to you not wanting to cook. Instead, if you plan ahead, it will take away the guesswork and the stress in the Kitchen. The cooking happens more naturally when you know the ingredients and recipes that you are cooking with ahead of time. And if you're someone to whom counting calories is important, this easy and fast-to-use calculator can help.
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I used to try and skip this step. I would skim through the recipe only to realize I either didn’t have the ingredients, the tools, or the know-how to do it. Instead, I learned to read recipes all the way through in order to see the WHOLE of the recipe. Once I see the whole of it, I can get jazzed up about wanting to eat this amazing meal.
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Mise en place translates to “put in place”. It means to get all your prep work done before you start cooking and set it in its place on the counter, where you can use it. This includes getting out your ingredients and your kitchen tools/gadgets.
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Salt has received a bad rap. I have learned to unwrap the gift of salt and use it in every dish to add boundless flavor and depth.
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I used to fear spices and therefore did not use them. I did not understand them and thought I would screw it up if I tried to put them together. I also did not know how much to use and what’s too much.
What I began learning is that spices are our friends. There is a particular ratio that you can go by when you use spices, and if you follow it you cannot fail.
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Often times we can follow a recipe exactly and still have it fall short. This is because of many factors. Some including the brand of spices/ingredients, the size the vegetables are cut, how fresh the ingredients are if you use organic, and quite frankly who grew it or touched it along the way.
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Having a stocked pantry makes for cooking options. When I can look in my cupboard, fridge and freezer and splice together a quick bombdiggity whole & healthy meal, I am grateful. It saves time in shopping, in overspending, in fast food or unhealthy choices.
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It's okay to make mistakes because you always learn when you do! If you take the attitude whereby you know that making mistakes is part of learning, you can also have the attitude that no matter what happens you ARE enabling yourself to succeed as a home cook.
Being afraid of what spices to use, or how long to cook, or what it's supposed to look like [and I’ve been there!]……will only prevent you from being an amazing home cook that is inside you waiting to blossom.
Julia Childs, the beloved French Chef, says “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking, you’ve got to have a what-the-heck attitude.” When you say “what-the-heck" and throw a dash of extra spice in a dish you are TRUSTING the process. Trust will breed epic results. Without trust, there is only fear and fear will produce bland and boring food.
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Tap into your heart center, find that “what-the-heck” attitude and trust yourself through the process of cooking. The worst that can happen is you eat a mediocre meal, you learned something or you eat out for the night. You’ve got this!
The reason why lentils and beans make it to our top 10 WAHK list, is because we eat lentils and beans a few times a week. They are part of our life, and part of any whole and healthy kitchen. Learning to use them probably is a key to your success with them.
The upside of lentils and beans is they are jam-packed with nutrients. In a cup of black beans according to DrAxe, there are 15g protein and 15g fibre. There is also a good source of iron magnesium, manganese, copper, and zinc. As well as potassium, calcium, folate, vitamin B6 and selenium. They are also filled with disease-fighting antioxidants.
In 1 cup of lentils, you will find 18 g protein and 16 g fibre. You will also find, according to the world's healthiest food website, that they are an excellent source of molybdenum, folate, copper, phosphorous, and maganese. They are also a good source of iron, protein, vitamin B1, Panthothenic acid, zinc, potassium, and vitamin b6. They are also a superfood!
One downside of lentils and beans is often the gas. Yep, I said it. We all get gas when we have beans. However, there are a few tricks to help combat that. One being, add sage leaves to your lentils/beans when they cook.
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Read this article on “How to Cook Lentils & Beans” to learn how to prepare your beans and lentils for utmost health, taste, and cost benefits.
Yes, it's true, Love is the key ingredient in every single meal. When anyone asks me what's in my food, I will often say it's Love. Because honestly, it is. I loved the ingredients I chose, the process I took to make it and I love the people I am making the food for. This ain't no airy-fairy love, this is an all-powerful Love of Service. It is the inspiration behind the joy that can be unleashed in the cooking process. We want to bring this love and joy out, and use it.
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Love is the power that leads the cooking process. If ever I worry about how a dish will turn out I pause, I listen and reconnect with the love in my heart, and move on. Even if I make a spontaneous move and choose a random spice, it often will kick the meal up the perfect notch, proving yet again, that love is the way and the answer. Julia Child speaks about love being important in cooking as well: “Cooking is like love — it should be entered into with abandon or not at all” Love your food, love yourself, love the process, love those you are feeding and you will be filled with the Love you Give!
I am Britney Shawley. Founder of Whole & Healthy Kitchen, a Mom, Mindset Coach, Spiritual Advisor & a Holistic Nutrition based Foodie that is your biggest support system to awaken your Love for Self & wholesome home-cooking!
I have always loved to help others and have been in the coaching profession for 10 years. Early on, however, it was very difficult for me to help myself. I used to have a terrible relationship with food. I would binge eat every night, never cooked healthy meals, and became overweight and unhappy because of it. It wasn’t until I learned how to train my mind and nourished myself daily through well-balanced meals, that my weight fell off and my whole life changed.
If you want to BE healthy and BE happy, consistently, then now is the time to learn how. It starts inside of you, then extends outside. It's simple (not easy) once you see the whole picture.
I now dedicate my time to pouring my skills, education, and talents into my mission of increasing the quality of health and happiness on this planet. I believe this shift IS happening, and we all have a part in it. We can start with ourselves, in our own minds, with our own families, and in our own kitchen. I am committed to helping you to embrace the whole and healthy cooking and living, with simplicity and with joy.
When you hear the word "selling" what thoughts come to your mind?
Something unnatural, pushy, convincing, something no one likes or wants.
What is I told you that whether you are an entrepreneur or not you sell all the time?
Healthy food to your kids, your partner on a movie you want to watch, your employee or supplier on the new project you need their help with.
To me selling is serving. It's helping others achieve the goals they want and overcome challenges they struggle with.
So if you have an offer that you believe in, that helps people, that is of quality and value to those who need it, then you're helping.
But is sales conversations still feel awkward for you, then this training will help.
Selling is helping. And it's possible to have fun conversations with your ideal clients that serve them whether they decide to work with you or not.
Conversations that help and not convince.
It all starts in your mind and the thoughts you have around those conversations. Watch the video, implement the tips, and start getting better results, less stress, and more fun now!
And if you are a women entrepreneur that would like to benefit from more training that will help you grow your service-based business online, join our thriving FB community Women Entrepreneurs with Passion 4 Life.
https://youtu.be/mG-PfmOe2-c
Growth and with it progress come from feeling uncomfortable.
The biggest leaps I made in my life came not even from uncomfortable decisions but rather scary and terrifying ones.
I remember my mind offering me the doom and gloom scenarios of what would happen if I took on what I wanted to take on.
And yet looking back, I’m so grateful to my past-self that despite that fear I made those decisions. That I stood firm and was willing to “fight” for me with my brain and also whomever else came in my way of trying to dissuade me from making them.
And trust me there were attempts.
“What if it doesn’t work out?”
“What will people whom I love will think about me?”
What if they’ll be disappointed or even won’t want to talk to me anymore?”
“What if I won’t be able to support myself financially?”
All the what-if’s!
And the truth is … that barely any of these what-f’s ever materialised.
The ones that did weren’t nearly as scary as I thought they’d be. Moreover, I figured the way out of them.
And you know what the best part is?
That those scary and difficult decisions CHANGED MY LIFE. They changed it so positively & profoundly that I wish everyone could make theirs for themselves.
And it’s not to say that making scary decisions will make your life perfect. That it will eliminate “life happens” events, or that your negative thoughts will go away.
You’ll have the skill, resilience, ability and possibility to do it.
Just like I do now.
Even if you don’t know about it, it’s all there, dormant. You can wake it up and use it to your advantage.
Imagine just how amazing it would be not to self-sabotage yourself anymore because you can make great decisions for the future you who achieved her dream results.
Even if they feel very very uncomfortable.
Because feeling uncomfortable and uneasy about important steps in your business (and life) is normal.
And our brain feels scared precisely because they are new. It as no past experience for now to rely on to tell it everything is ok, you’re not going to die”.
When you learn how to manage that unease and fear, you can create the results you dream of.
And I can teach you HOW to do that. Just how I thought myself and am teaching all my clients.
This video training is the start.
And once you watch it and want to know more on WHAT decision you can make to get you closer to your dream business results and HOW to make them for yourself, schedule a free consult with me first here.
https://youtu.be/DqEwfvdHqz0
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.
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
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!!!
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.
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!”
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!!
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:
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.
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.
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
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!
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.
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:
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!
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:
Get to work and see how much you can get done!
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 ;)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The calendar year is divided into standard fiscal quarters which businesses and financially savvy persons describe dated financial data.
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
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.
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.
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.
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