#bossLadyBlooms

Seeking Clarity as you Start your Small Business.

As you set out to turn that idea in the back of your mind into a profitable business, its safe to make sure you have clarity on important things.

First, what do you want to do? Meaning, what kind of business do you want to start? Do you want to offer a service or a product. Start by deciding what problem will your business solve. Most people, including impulse buyers, buy things to solve a problem. We buy food when we are hungry, we buy a bigger shoe if our old ones hurt, we buy a rake to clean the leaves and debris from the yard. Narrowing down, or getting clear on what problem you business will solve is the beginning step.

Next, as you start your small business, you must be clear on your expertise. Are you good at making the product or can you actually do the service that you plan to start a business with. But even if you are not an expert, are you willing to do the research, attend classes that will better your business.

Clarity on Running a small business

Now that you have a a solid working start to your business, let discuss getting and keeping things clear as you run your business, the day to day operations.

Are you clear on your target customer or client? Exactly wo will be buying from you. Finding and promoting your business is the most important skill in running any business. You don’t want to waste time or energy, dealing with people that are not your potential customer and will not promote you to others.

Setting legitimate boundaries in your business. Nowadays, most small business are run from home, so making clear boundaries is essential.

1. Have set start and stop times. Be clear on what time you will start working and what time you will stop. The freedom of working from home, can lead to exhaustion and burn out. If you work a typical 9 to 5 job, you come in at 9 and go home at 5. Make the same distinction at home.
2. Responding to clients. If you answer calls from clients at all hours on the day and night, they will continue to call at all hours of the day and nigh and will expect you to answer and have a pleasant conversation. Make it clear what times you will answer phone calls, if you don’t want to respond to calls after 5pm, stop answering the phone after 5pm. The same can be said of emails. If you wake up at 3am and respond to an email, clients will think its ok to email you at 3am.
3. Set your prices and stand by them. It works both ways with prices, people feel they can throw money at you and “encourage” you to change something in their favor, that is not a good business practice to start. If you allow this to happen it will continue. Don’t reduce your prices to accommodate anyone’s budget!! People do not haggle at Walmart, or Target or any other stores, they pay the price as marked; and they will do the same for you if you stand firm in your pricing.

Gaining Clarity to Expand or Grow your Business.

With your business running successfully, clients coming in and you are making a profit. Now comes the time to expand and grow.

1. Hiring employees. As your business grows, it may come a time when you are not able to be all things in your business, this is a good problem to have. but hiring employees can be a process. Be clear on who you want to hire. Ask questions, take much consideration into the response. Be mindful of putting your business in the hands of someone who may not be committed.
2. Adding more products to your inventory, can be a way you want to grow your business. Be clear on what you want to add. How will it help you business, how will you market the new with your existing products. The same with services. Are your prepare to do expand on your service, do you have the manpower to do the physical work required. Do you need to educate yourself on the expanding service?
3. Once you are clear on expanding your business, how will you advertise to a larger audience to market your new service or product. Current customers should be your first stop. You already have their attention and if they are repeat customers, they are the perfect people to market a new product or service to first.

Final Thoughts on Business Clarity

Having a clear vision and plan before starting your business is key to having a profitable business. Continue to seek clarity as you run your business, dont be afraid to set and keep legitimate boundaries. As you expand your business, stay focused and keep a clear mind of where you want your business to go.

As I was starting my business, I did my research before I even came out of the gate. Below are some books that helped me gain clarity as I brought my ideas and dreams into reality. (affiliate ad).

This is a revamp of a post I first wrote in 2019.(pre pandemic)  I wasn’t sure what I was doing, at the time, in the blogging world and I most definitely didn’t know what I was going in the world of business.  What I did know is what I wanted to happen.   Since then so many things that I wrote have come to reality, it sincerely makes me appreciate the realness of setting intentions.

Future BCBA(originally posted in 2019)

WoW!!!    Its official!! I am in my third week of classes for my Board Certified Behavior Analyst certification.  I feel excited and nervous at the same time.  The next three years will be extremely busy for me, so taking care of myself will have to be a priority.  I became aware over the last two weeks that things move quickly and if I’m not careful I can become overwhelmed.

As I set the goals to finish my certification,  start my business, among other things, I have to KEEP the goal to continue keeping my mind and body healthy and say NO to things and people that I may need to say no to.

I love my yoga class and I will definitely keep making it a priority on Tuesdays and Thursday. It is a chance for me to regroup and quiet my mind and body.

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What is your go to for relaxing and keeping a healthy mind and body?

Do you have a favorite ritual or  quiet place to regroup?

Have you set goals that may cause you to be busier than normal? Please don’t move self care to the middle or bottom of your to-do list.  Keep yourself at the top.  Go easy on yourself and make yourself your #1 priority.

Love Yourself.  Set Your Goals. Live Your Life.

#bossladyOUT!

This original post was written before I had a Facebook business page as well; you can check it out here.

I’m so proud if my accomplishments!!

In last weeks blog post, we discussed common ways to bring more attention to your business and hopefully find more customers. We continue on this topic, but with more unique ways that may also be helpful in marketing your small business.

YOUTUBE

YouTube may not be unique, by any means, but using it to grow a small business cliental can be. Making quality videos to promote your business takes skill and patience. Yes some people may feel like making a video is simple just point and click record, but by doing that are you making something a customer would want to see? Will they choose to do business with your from it. YouTube can be beneficial in marketing your business if done correctly. Decide what do you want to show your customers, but just a video showing products will hardly do. What do you say to get a potential customers attention. Making client grabbing interesting videos on YouTube can be a great way to attract people to your business. Here is a look at the YouTube channel for BossLadyBlooms:RBT Exam Tutoring. It was just recently started but is growing a significant following so far, that has led to sells. YouTube marketing services are another way to use YouTube to help grow your business. The Family Table is a unique small business that uses YouTube to advertise.

EBOOKS

Several small businesses have started including ebooks as a way to advertise their business. If you are not familiar with this term, an ebook is an electronic book, a book publication in digital form. According to thinkmaverick, ebooks are an excellent way to advertise you business. If written correctly, an ebook can help establish you and your business as an expert in that field. You can use an ebook as a lead magnet to help grow or establish an email list.

Ebooks can be easy to create starting with a pdf. There are several ebook templates that can be helpful in creating your ebook from start to finish. Amazon Kindle is a useful way to publish your ebook once its complete. Adding audio to your ebook can be valuable as well.

I recently used my ebook, as a give away to my email list. Although it was written as a class project in 2016, it has been an asset to my RBT tutoring business.

Networking

YouTube and Ebooks are valuable ways to market your business, but nothing beats making a word of mouth sell. As strange as it seems, simple telling people about your business is still a good way to get people to work with, or buy from you. Talking about you own business is helpful, but having customers tell other people about your business can always be a benefit.

Getting people to notice your business is only part of the the whole of owning a small business. Once you have people noticing you, making the sell is the next step.

Amazon business is also a helpful way to grow your business. From buying supplies, to templates and more Amazon business is your one stop shop.

Owning and operation a profitable small business is difficult in and of its self; but advertising and getting your business noticed by potential customers can be even more difficult. I reached out to some small business owners and compiled a list of simple but affective ways to get your small business seen by more people.

Business cards

One of the best tried and true methods of getting your business in the face of potential customers is to use business cards. Business cards are an inexpensive way to promote and advertise your business. In addition to using them to exchange during networking, business cards can be posted in libraries, on bulletin boards and with permission, can be left on display at certain restaurants.

Make sure your business card is eye catching but also has the important information, like your business name, what you do and your contact information.

Social media

Another even more popular way to advertise your small business, is to posted it on social media. Social media is the hottest thing out and putting your business on social media will get you seen immediately. The most difficult thing about putting your business on social media is finding your potential customers. Yes, you will be seen, but you want to be seen by people who will do business with you. One way to do this is by inviting potential customers to visit, like and share your business’ page. (I highly recommend having a separate personal and business page). A few good examples of how your business can look on social media can be seen at my Facebook business page for BossLadyBLOOMS:RBT Exam Tutoring and the Facebook business page of Taylor Your Yard. With many businesses getting overwhelming good follows, feedback and sales on Instagram, it seems to be a positive way to show off your small business and get customers as well. Stitched by Sug is a growing Instagram business page that is making a big impact.

Websites

Having a website for your small business is crucial. Not only does it give your potential customers a landing page, a business website will allow you to book clients and to accept payments all in one place. Having a website for your business also tells the world that your small business is legitimate. Setting up a small business website can be difficult for some, and if that’s the case, I recommend you to hire someone to set up your website for you. There are several sites that have website templets that walk you through the process of setting up and starting your small business website on your own, if this is what you choose to do, I would recommend using WIX, as I did for my website. (https://bossladyblooms.wixsite.com/website). There are other site builders such as this one on Shopify.

Search Engines

Of course we all know the supreme being of all search engines is Google, and getting your business listed in a high rank on this search engine will most definitely solidify that your small business will be seen, and seen by a lot of people. I’ve often heard this quote about Google, “if your business is not on Google, does your business really exist?” If you have not already, register your business for Google My Business. Here’s a look at mine, for my tutoring business.

Believe it or not, Pinterest, is a search engine with pictures, not a social media platform. People search on Pinterest, just as they do on Google. Using photos relevant to your business along with keywords in the title and description, will send more traffic to your business.

Weather you chose to use one or more of the listed ways to get people to notice, and buy from, your business, the key is to get as many eyes as possible, looking at and taking an interest in your business.

Wishing you all the best in your business.

I listened to a podcast a few days ago about how our bodies intertwine with our moods.  In one exercise, we were encouraged to demonstrate someone who feels sad.  As I sat in my desk, I lowered my shoulders, dropped my head and made a frown.  In my effort to model a sad person I even lowered my eyes and made myself small.  We were then asked to sit and be sad for a while.  Upon a few minuets, I actually started to feel sad.

After a little over 5 minutes, we were instructed to keep the sad feeling and stand up and do five jumping jacks.  He repeated to us listeners to “stay sad” as we jumped.  As I did my jumping jacks I tried to keep my humped over frame, lowered eyes and frown…but it was really hard to do.  My head was lifted and my eyes watched straight ahead, I didn’t feel the sadness of only a few seconds earlier.  It was difficult to feel sad and move my body in a faster pace.

He had  made his point right there and could have ended the pod cast. 

I thought about that for a while.  How just the moving and position of my body had altered my mood and attitude.  I encourage anyone who may be feeling sluggish, sad or even just bored, to stand up and move, maybe jog in place, or do a few jumping jacks, put some happy music on and dance.  If you are able, maybe go for a walk outside.  Just move, breath and get your heart pumping.

Research has linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns, from obesity to high blood pressure.  A large amount of small business owners are at their desk for hours on end performing the daily task it takes to run their businesses.  I, as an online tutor,  spend the majority of my day sitting at my desk with my computer.  Before I even realize it,  three or four hours have already passed.   After listening to this podcast and doing two more of the shared exercises, I decided to make some changes to my work day. 

How you can sneak in movement in the workday.

One of the first things I did was to start setting a timer to take a “stand up”  five minute break, after every hour I worked.  Something that simple made a difference in my day.  

Next, I decided to try an idea I got from a kindergarten teacher. I purchased an exercise ball to use as a chair.  Using the exercise ball was a joy, until it became a issue as I bounced to much as I worked with clients.  But don’t let my silliness deter you from trying it.  Its a great way to keep your core engaged and helps with balance and moods.  

Finally I added a standing desk to my at home office.  This was the thing that took some getting use to.  I was able to stand for a while but seemed better able to talk with clients while sitting.  This is a great way for a more physically active person to stay active during the work day.

 

Don’t eat at your desk

Eating lunch while you continue to work at your desk doesn’t save you time and it actually can hurt you, health wise, in the long run.  Leave your desk for lunch, go eat in the lunch area, or maybe in you car, (my favorite) for more privacy.  If you do choose to eat at your desk, don’t work while you eat.  Take your full allotted lunch time and eat your lunch. Afterwards, maybe take a walk around the building or outside, to help wake and energize you for the rest of the work day. 

Until next time….

Wishing all small business owners, good health.

* The photos included in this post are of two successful small business owners.   R. Hayes owner of Raebodied apparel, a fitness apparel online store; and J. Harris, owner of Jax Tha Trainer, an online personal trainer.  (jaxthatrainer@gmail.com).  Click the link or send an email to find out more about the two small businesses.

 

 

 

 

 

It is the Amazon you love, for work. Make workplace procurement easier with convenient delivery options, simplified purchasing workflows, multiple payment options, and a competitive marketplace with business-only pricing and quantity discounts. Anyone who makes purchases for work (eg. procurement specialists, office administration, IT departments, etc.) can create a free account for their business. Customer must be from a verified business in order to successfully create their Amazon Business account.

https://amzn.to/35k1f8u <—–This takes you to a better look at what the benefits are with Amazon for business.

Small businesses, survive by finding the path of least resistance that allows for better customer service as well as keeping things in arms length. Work smarter, not harder with Amazon for business.

You may find other small business gems here.

Until next time wishing you all the best in your business…

What exactly is a mission statement?

According to Ownr.com, a mission statement is a way to state the mission or purpose a business serves. The bottom line of mission statements is that it should clearly defined what your business does and why it does it. A mission statement is just that, a statement, it should be one sentence or a very short paragraph, that is memorable.

Does my business need a mission statement?

The simple answer to this question is yes. A mission statement can be revisited as your business grows, as you update your business plans or when you need to revamp your entire business. Because most mission statements don’t change, they may remind you of why you started the business in the first place.

The other answer to this question, is also yes. Customers, investors, and potential employees, may read and dissect your company’s mission statement as the make the decision to do business with you or not.

Why are mission statements important to your business?

Your business mission statement can be very helpful to a small business, as its useful to keeping you focused and on track. It can help keep other people, involved in your business, working towards a common goal, or mission.

Mission Statement Of Popular Businesses

BossladyBlooms, the small business I own and operate, has a mission statement that says, “Our mission is to prepare the potential RBT to take, and pass, the RBT Exam, by providing the most up to date and accurate behavior analytic information available. Plan and simple, it tell what I do and how I do it.

Some mission statements, such as the McDonald’s mission statement, focuses on the way they want to make a person feel while enjoying their food. The Adidas mission statement on the other hand, focuses on being the best in their industry.

Whatever you focus on, you mission statement should define your company’s ongoing purpose. Most companies, particularly small business, do not change their mission statement over time.

How to write a mission statement.

First, write a basic sentence of what you business does. Then write, the how it does it, along with the why it does it. With this information in mind, build a mission statement.

If your business is a brick and mortar, you may want to display your mission statement in your customer’s view. If you have a service, or e-business, you can add it to your company’s website and to your business portfolio.

As always, wishing you business blessings.

The process of knowing to whom to market your product or service, can result in much higher rates of return. If you have no target customer in site, you will find yourself spending a lot of time and energy on your business and getting nowhere. The bottom line is, you can’t build a business without knowing who wants and needs your products or service.

But how do I identify my target customer?

If you are already selling your product or service to people but want to find your target customer to increase sales, take a look at who is already purchasing from you. Are your customers generally older males, younger females, married single? Knowing this can help you find your target faster.

If you are just starting out, ask yourself, what problem does your product or service solve; and who generally has such problems. If you are selling curly haired wigs, your target customer is NOT someone with naturally curly hair. If you have an after school shuttle service, your target customer is NOT a single male with no children. See where I’m going with this?

I ask this question to Mrs. Dementia Johnson, owner of MeMe’s CREATIONS; “who is your target customer?”, her reply, “anyone looking for a custom sublimation craft to give as a gift!”.

What is my target customer buying?

Again, if you are already selling your products or services, and want to identify your target market to increase sells, you already have an idea of who it is. Take a look at what your present customers are buying. Do you have repeat customers buying the same or similar types of items, that’s who you market to.

If a customer buys one product and may ask about another or make suggestions about you products or service, that customer is most likely your target customer.

Social Media and your Target.

Posting your products or service on your personal social media platforms is not the best way to find your target customer. Doing so may get you a few likes or comments, but I doubt it will bring in very many actual customers and probably even fewer repeat buyers. If you use social media to advertise your business its best to have a page separate from your personal pages. You can post your business pages in groups for people whose problem your business solves. For instance, if you knit and sell baby blankets, join a group for new moms and/or parents that may be looking for those type of items.

In conclusion, advertising and marketing to your target customer is not as difficult as it may sound, and can make a world of difference in your amount of sells.

To see the complete interview with Mrs. Johnson, of MeMe’s Creations click here

…..and to purchase customized gifts from he visit her website at memescraftycreations.com

See more information that’s important to small business owners from small business owners, click here.

To take the best pictures of your products or for stable, top quality videos, try the equipment that I use. You can find it here.

#targetCustomer #buying #smallBusinessOwner #selling #increaseSales #craftsbusinessowner #growth

Happy New Year! Its 2022 and time to make that small business idea you have in the back of your mind, become a reality; or to put more quality effort into building your new small business. Whatever the case, time management for your business counts.

For most small business owners, their own business is a dream in the making. It comes after working as an employee for some other business. Building a small business may require late nights, early mornings and weekend work. But in order to make the dream a reality you have to be willing to make the sacrifice.

I recently sat down with Demetria Johnson, the owner of MeMe’s Creations, a sublimation crafting small business. Mrs. Johnson, a full time teacher, agrees that building a small business does cost her some late night and weekend time, to get orders completed and delivered to customers.

Setting aside specific time and making a visual schedule is helpful advice for making time for building your business.

But what do you do with your chiseled out work time? Making to do lists and planning is all well and good, but if you plan to start or grow a business you have to do the work. Time management means very little if you don’t use the time wisely . You have to make products, advertise, purchase material, and actually make good use of your time. You can have months to work on your business, but if you never pass the planning stage and do the work you will be in the same place this time next year.

Even if you only have a small amount of time to work on your dream, make it count. The more often you work, the more progress you will begin to see. Even one step forward is moving in the right direction.

Hear more of my conversation with Demetria Johnson of MeMe’s Creation, in the full interview on the YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxDRHy1n4eU03TxVTQH9DSg

You can also visit MeMe’s Creations at https://memescraftycreations.com/ or on her Facebook business page at https://www.facebook.com/memescreations77488

Thanks for reading, and I wish you the best of luck in your small business ventures.

#small #business #time #schedules #goals #work #MeMesCreations

As we come to a close of a challenging 2021, we look forward to business growth with a positive outlook for 2022.

Small business owner are more focused than ever to bring financial, as well as personal, growth into the new year. We talked with some small business owners as we collected 10 goals they set to achieve in 2022.

TEN GOALS SET FOR 2022

Lower outgoing expenses Controlling exactly how much money is going out of your business is always key. If business owners are able to lower what goes out, they are better able to keep profits in.

Revamp your business plan If you have been in business for at least a year, or two, revamping your original business plan is a productive goal to set. Now, with a clear look at what works, for your business, and what doesn’t, you are able to make necessary changes and upgrades

Hire first, or more, employees This can be a scary goal. Small business owners birthed their businesses, so handing even some of its responsibilities over to someone else, can take real mental strength.

Direct more traffic to website This is a 2022 goal I can definitely agree with. Customers don’t know you exist if they cant see you. Drawing more eyes to your website is a sure way to get more clients.

Create a new product. Rather it be an extension to your existing service or product, creating something new is always a creditable goal.

Better social media presence Again if people don’t know you exist, they can’t buy from you. Social media is the most effective way to get your business seen today, with LinkedIN and Facebook, being the top platforms.

Open a brick and mortar What a courageous goal. Stepping out and opening a store or office is an awesome way to level up in your business.

Respond to more networking opportunities This goes right back to what I said earlier, if people don’t know you exist they cant, work with you, or buy from you. There are tons of networking events being hosted now, some even virtual.

Schedule a break from work Taking some time away from your business is sometimes a hard goal to accomplish. But focusing on yourself and your family may be the thing that keeps your business on the right track. If you and your family are doing well, so will your business

Make more money I’m sure this is the number one goal for all business owners, rather small or a large corporation. Making more money in your business is a priority. Our businesses are how we pay our bills, take care of ourselves and families and provide for our lifestyles, this goal should be on every business owners list.

WHAT’S NEXT

After setting your small business goals, the next step is to make them a reality. Its time to do the work. Attend that networking event your heard about, start a Facebook page for your business or pull out the old business plan for a revamp. In order to move your business forward, you have to move your feet.

CHECK US OUT

If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, where we discuss all things important to the small business owner. Starting in January, we will also chose one small business to spotlight on our channel. Don’s miss out.

Purchasing the proper supplies for your small business can also help you set and reach your goals. I shop at Staples.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxDRHy1n4eU03TxVTQH9DSg

Wishing you business growth,

From The Business SQUAD: thebusinesssquad2021@gmail.com

#smallBusiness #growth #GOALS #businessPlan #YouTube #THEBUSINESSSQUAD