Ten Mistakes Freelancers Make When Starting A Business Doing What They Love

June 6, 2016 by jennifer mcgahan 2 Comments

Freelancers who start businesses doing what they love are some of the most heart-centered entrepreneurs on the planet.

Not only do they truly love and benefit from practicing their craft or delivering their gifts, others feel it and want to be around that energy. Customers are naturally attracted, like moths to a flame.

But heart-centered entrepreneurs can be a bit starry-eyed about their core business at their own expense.

They get swept up in perfecting their thing, and set themselves up for some unique pitfalls. Because they love their craft so much, they forget the business. Their more dispassionate colleagues avoid these things.

I’m not telling you to suppress your emotions or enthusiasm. If you’re fired up about building your dream by going into business with a hobby or interest, go for it! The world needs more passionate people like you. But take it from someone who has made every one of the following mistakes, it’s so worth checking these boxes. You’ll feel better about your work, and be able to serve customers better, too.

1. Forgetting the legal stuff.

Helping people accomplish their dreams through your gifts is a heady feeling — almost like being in love. But don’t forget contracts and milestones. Once, I lost a month’s work by digging into a project a little too much enthusiasm, but no real commitment from the client. You can imagine the result. No payment from the client, and my copywriter/marketer’s broken heart. (I had invested more than time and energy than my client. I invested my heart and mind.) I put everything in to a job that really had no future because the client was not invested… and I never got paid. Now, contracts make me feel more comfortable and excited to move ahead.

2. Falling behind on your books.

Book keeping is right up there with the legal concerns. I used to avoid book keeping whenever possible. But it’s just not possible to ignore it forever. The longer you let things slide, the more work it takes to get your books in ship shape again. If you’re like me and would rather poke a dull ice pick into your eye than file things and keep records, then get someone very competent to do this for you.

The trick is being patient and diligent as you set up your books. You have to participate in the process up front if you want it done right — and if you want your book keeper to be able to work without you in the future. It’s worth the time and the bloodshed involved when, for example, you have to re-file your taxes because the records sent to your accountant turned out to be wrong, as I experienced not too long ago. “Trust but verify” comes to mind here. Take it from me. Make a date with your money and stick to it.

3. Underestimating the importance of being profitable.

If it’s a hobby you love, perhaps you’ve been doing it on your own free time; or in service to an organization or client; or on a volunteer basis. (As an example, I started writing copy for charities and schools.)

You finally decide to hang out your shingle, and serve your clients. Now make sure that you are charging more than you make. Otherwise you will not be in business for long.

If you’re like many heart-centered entrepreneurs, you’re tempted to give away or barter your gifts. Don’t do it. Every time you give it away, you devalue your gift and make it more difficult to internalize and own the energy of prosperity that is rightfully yours. Just because you love it doesn’t mean you can’t charge what you’re worth.

Remember, you’re in business to make money.

4. Not getting the help you need.

I know very few floral designers who love HTML, nor fitness trainers who love creating e-newsletters. At first, you may have to create some marketing or IT pieces going on your own, but as soon as possible you must get assistance with the tasks you hate the most.

Three reasons for this:

Bad energy: Doing crap you dislike drains you and prevents you from wanting to keep at your business.
Time suck: Handing over work that others can do better frees you to leverage your real talents and save precious time.
Blocked resources: Someone out there can do it way better than you. I had to admit I’m not great at graphic design, even though I know good design when I see it. It was worth every penny to let an expert take over my latest website and logo redesign.

5. Lack of self discipline.

Yoo hoo, all you work-from-home entrepreneurs… The endless distractions can easily derail your intentions. A key ingredient of a great entrepreneur is someone who can focus on what needs to be done first to move them forward the farthest.

Whether that means focusing on time management, or discerning next best steps, strengthening this muscle will set you apart from every other wannabe business owner. If you don’t get a handle on setting goals and taking steps to achieve them, you will be like most of the small businesses that fail in the first five years.

You will make no progress and you will give up.

There have been months in that past when I put a hundred other things before my copywriting business…my family, my workouts, shopping, housecleaning, cooking… I’ve begun to integrate the important stuff (family and workouts) and just do the rest of it when my energy is not at its highest level.

Now, for example, even though the HEB market is least busy during weekday mornings, I use this precious time to write, not to get groceries. Mornings are power hours for writing and exercising — the most important activities of my day, and the ones that propel my business forward.

As soon as I understood that in my bones, and made a pact with myself to keep that time sacred, my business started to move ahead. I can always shop, and battle the crowds later!

6. Isolation.

If what you love doing most is a social thing, or if you work with people directly, then you’re probably doing OK here. For businesses like writing, graphic design, jewelry creating, or app design; working in solitude (though often necessary) can deplete our best resources.

People are what make your business profitable. Bottom line. They are your customers and colleagues and they shoot your business ahead the more you get your work and gifts “out there.”

My business mentor Lisa Sasevich frequently says “Showing up matters.” Since working with her, I’ve learned to make myself presentable and to take my place at the table.

Community is the key to happiness and success.

Another great friend, Amy Cole, the LinkedIn expert in my circle, suggested I join BNI and show up weekly. Since doing that, I’ve become more clear about how to serve other small businesses and make my network more profitable.

Flying solo from behind your computer, or in your own private workshop is necessary for many heart-centered entrepreneurs. However, a thriving business requires that you make time to get out of your comfort zone and mingle with people. That’s what it means to work “ON” your business rather than “IN” your business. You must practice networking at least 10% of your time in order to grow.

7. The love for your craft dies and you feel like quitting.

Agh, this one hurts. It happens, though, so you’re smart to be on the lookout for it.

Here’s your first clue. Your heart starts looking around for something new to love. What previously gave you joy has now become “work” and so you start slacking off looking for a new fulfilling activity.

This happens a lot with creative types. I should know. I used to love the fiber arts until I realized I didn’t know how to make things out of fabric, build a business around it, and still love it. Making a doll, a purse, or a fiber journal stopped being fun because it stopped being my hobby. Uh oh.

Lesson learned. I still play with fiber and fabric, but I do it because I need the downtime and the open creativity. Same with my art journals. I love creating art, but I found I did not love the business of creating art. Huge difference!

It helps to rub shoulders with people who are doing what you love to do, in order to keep your audience engaged and interested.

8. Lack of marketing strategy.

Now, this may sound harsh, but I love you, so I’m gonna say it. I’m the first to stand up for the tiniest of micro-niches out there. If you love making dollhouses out of playing cards, then I truly believe you can build a business out of it, and even gain a decent following. But it’s going to take some time and some effort in marketing your dream.

Here’s where your passion serves you. You love it, so your enthusiasm and your personality will be the center you work from.

It may take a little while, but steady efforts to grow your community will eventually pay off — if you spend time marketing yourself and your product.

Another requirement is market research, even for a small business. Sometimes I meet entrepreneurs who have a great idea, but they don’t know who their market is, or what drives them. Invest the time to understand your ideal customer. If you make water bottles, understand if your customer is drinking water from it on the subway, or on a hike in the mountains. Know why they want to own a special water bottle (e.e. is it the design, or the function?) and what they see is the primary benefit.

Test things. As you build the business you love from the hobby or product you love, get it out there in front of potential customers before you invest a lot of money in advertising or production. Daymond John from Shark Tank says if you can sell 50 items from the back of your van in the parking lot of a mall in two hours, then call him. He wants to talk to you!

9. Endless tinkering.

Here’s when you know you have a problem. Your numbers and goals are less important than the enjoyment of the work. If you are lucky enough to build up a business from that thing you absolutely love doing, AND your market sustains a regular income, you may be very happy to simply coast along with no growth, testing new things and expecting a loyal customer base to keep things going. But, if you are struggling so much that you’re thinking of moonlighting as a barista at the coffee bar to fund your business, you may have to rethink your business.

I know you love it. That’s great. But there is a little mindset shift that has to take place when you go into business. You can’t love it so much that you tinker, or tweak every little thing. You can’t expect customers to tolerate the intricacies you adore about your art, craft, service, or hobby. Sure, set aside time to experiment with new techniques, but at some point you have to go fast and far with what you know and what you’ve already mastered.

The key is to pick one thing that’s working and keep drilling down into those results. Practice getting better at conversion in those channels.

Document what you know and set goals for growth. Dig in to the business and every now and then stand apart from your “love” and observe it with a critical eye. Tell yourself it’s nothing personal. It’s only business.

even happiness is scalable — heap of yellow balls with smiley faces

10. Neglecting scalability.

This goes hand-in-hand with that common demon heart-centered entrepreneurs battle often…they say YES to everything. They take every one-off job (who would refuse new business?) and try to make each and every customer happy by catering to individual requests.

Sadly, it’s a no-win situation. Repeatability and systems will set you free to love not only your passionate hobby, but also to love the business you are trying to build.

You can still swoon over traditional Bohemian cooking, coffee roasting, or blending things in a Blendtec. You can start a business doing anything your heart desires these days, so follow your heart…and take account of these ten mistakes.

Open 10 doors and build a heart centered freelance business from Jen McGahan

Is there a pitfall you’ve experienced that I didn’t mention? Please share. Comments always welcome.

Need help making sure you’re targeting the right new customers for your business? I help freelancing business owners just like you. Set up a time to chat.

Get Over Yourself — Why A Third-Person Mindset Helps You Play A Bigger Game

October 21, 2014 by jennifer mcgahan 2 Comments

It happens a lot, especially when I’m writing an about page, or a bio for LinkedIn. A client reads the copy I wrote for them, and stops dead in her tracks.

“I’m…this good? Are you sure?”

Then they want to add a disclaimer, or soften up the piece. It’s almost as if they are afraid they won’t live up to what the copy is promising.

See, in my copywriting work, I have the great pleasure of working with many personally driven entrepreneurs. They are doing business with heart and soul. They do it because they love it, and they’re on a mission to change the world with each client they serve.

While it’s cool being a part of someone’s business and helping them shine and get seen online, the challenge is promoting their work in a way that feels “right” to them. Small business people and solopreneurs are often so caught up in who they are, and how they present themselves to the world that they often forget their marketing purpose to attract and win new business.

The challenge of objectivity

Some of my clients (especially those new in business) balk when they read about themselves in the third person because they feel they are “selling” themselves.

It’s a problem they take personally, and it keeps them playing smaller than they should.

One helpful piece of advice I give when delivering copy for a sales page or email, is to try to see your own business from the outside.

Read the copy with the eye of someone who desperately needs your services or product. Know that it will change their life. Stop reading the copy from inside your own narrow perspective.

Overcome it With Confidence

Good marketing takes confidence. It also requires that you assume a level of efficacy you may not be used to. It’s an accountability thing, a belief in your abilities and how well you actually perform a task. As my copywriting mentor Sandi Krakowski told me, “Being a business owner means you have to drop the drama.”

When you decide to go for it in your business, you have to release your hesitancy. Seriously and with intention, you must let go your fear of not being good enough. It’s not a business if you don’t ask for money; and asking for money requires authenticity and integrity. People want to know and feel that they’re in good hands.

As you create your marketing strategy and produce your copy and content, the easiest way to get over your own junk is to ask yourself, “If I didn’t know myself, would I want to do business with me?”

If you’re running and marketing your freelance business, especially when you’re working from home in a bit of a vacuum, you might be susceptible to seeing our business from a single point of view.

You can add a lot of unnecessary drama if you don’t believe you’re good enough. You might even try to disguise a lack of confidence by telling about yourself too much. Believe me, I’ve done it!

Solo-preneurs and small business people can become obsessed with their preconceived view of themselves — what they’ve done, what they do, what they think, feel, and say — and unable to see themselves objectively as their most satisfied clients might view them.

An inexperienced copywriter or someone marketing her own business may use “I” in her marketing and copywriting, and totally miss the connection she could be making with her customers. You remember that customers really only want to hear about themselves, not so much about the person behind the selling.

That takes confidence and the ability to see yourself as others do, and then to relay that information objectively. You’re not bragging, just asking for the sale.

Yes, even if you are the face of your brand, you have to get out of your own way.

Illeism, the habit of referring to oneself in the third person, is symptomatic of someone who is not only uber-confident, they imagine how they’re viewed by others. Ever notice that it’s pretty common among sports and political figures? Generally, thinking, speaking, and writing from a third-person point of view may lower your dependability factor. Take this example spoken by Lebron James:

I wanted to do what was best for LeBron James and what LeBron James was going to do to make him happy.

A bit much, don’t you think? You’d probably laugh if someone talked like that in person. However, when you’re writing copy, knowing how someone would describe you or refer to you is invaluable! Lose the bravado and this is exactly what you should do!

Can you project too much confidence in your copy?

It’s OK to hold yourself to a high standard.

It establishes importance and authority in your brand. However if you frequently do business from an “I” point of view (how I help, what I do best, the way I serve you), you impede your ability to connect with your best customers.

In a misguided effort to assure their customer of their honest intentions, beginning copywriters may even assure the reader, “I promise I’m not selling anything,” (I’ve actually seen this in sales copy!) which looks like you really don’t know what you’re doing, or you don’t have the chops to deliver.

People want to buy from those who have the confidence to make a bold, declarative promise. Many customers truly want you to make an offer because an offer shows honesty, clarity, and purpose within a business.

I’m not telling you to promise something you can’t deliver on, but be confident that what you have is worth paying money for — at least if you want to succeed in your business!

As long as you come from a place of service to your customer, a genuine offer reveals honest-to-goodness possibility. It feels good to deliver the offer and it feels authentic to receive it. Buying customers rely on the quality of confidence because it dissolves their own doubts and inner objections.

As psychologist James W. Pennebaker points out, the third person point of view relates to speakers who assume a higher status than those who use the first person. We often think of someone who uses “I” a lot as someone who’s self centered at worst, and confident at best. But Pennebaker counters that “I” reveals a touch of insecurity and an internalization of others’ opinions and observations.

Get over feeling weird about third-person language.

break out of your narrow perspective — Break free from your narrow perspective!

Marketing — especially self-marketing — demands some stretching. Look up and out. See yourself from the outside in order to grow and say what you do with assurance.

“I” Vs. “She”

Two ways to start seeing how others perceive you, and market your business with confidence

Viewing your business from your own point of view, is a first-person mindset. It is actually a good thing, because this mindset reveals a commitment to clients and customers. Using “I” in your writing also allows you to tell your personal story, to share your purpose for your business, and to solidify your personal brand. It shows you are willing to be “on the hook” for your work and that your word is gold.

But internalizing your work also gets in the way of being able to claim a place in the market and the (presumably) positive outcome of working with you.

If you want to start getting a good idea of how others see you, and gaining that third-person mindset — ask your clients! They will tell you how you are different, where you stand out, and why they like doing business with you. They may also tell you where you trip sometimes. Negative feedback is sometimes hard to hear, but listening is a skill that will pay you back in spades. Unless you can read minds, you should come right out and ask those questions in an exit interview or a survey for your ongoing clients.

Additionally, you may try getting some valuable insight from Sally Hogshead’s book below. I did this work and was found to be an “Intrigue”: Discerning, Perceptive and Considerate. It’s a fun test you can take online, or buy the book How the World Sees You: Discover Your Highest Value Through the Science of Fascination, and learn even more.

Looking for more inspiration and copywriting tips? I’ll show you how to connect with your customers and market your business like a highly paid copywriter…

The Number One Threat To Your Customer’s Objections

February 12, 2014 by jennifer mcgahan 2 Comments

LOVE.

That’s it, baby. All you need is love.

What is an objection, but an assertion of fear?

Fear that they’ll make the wrong decision, spend too much money, buy the wrong color, type, or size.

Fear that they’ll lose an opportunity, lose face, or the chance to buy something better in the future.

Fear that they don’t know what they’re getting into.

Fear that they’ll blow it, break it, lose it, crash it, fail…

The customer’s objections always stem from some kind of fear.

And what is the opposite of fear? LOVE.

“What’s love got to do with it?” you ask. We’re in it to win it. The goal of marketing is to find good leads to a sale. The goal of a sale is to make money, earn a living, grow the business, earn the respect of our customers and competitors. Sales are crucial. (If only we could get past those peaky objections!)

When St. Paul sat down and wrote to the Corinthians, he penned a challenging list of ways to live. Do you think some Corinthians had any objections? Of course! But the good news includes this bit about love, and if you want to counter objections steeped in fear, the best way to do that is to drop down to the basics.

Love is patient.

You can’t exactly show patience in a blog post or video, but you can craft your content to effectively speak to your perfect percentage of the world. If you do get the chance to talk in person, just listen to their objections. Listen with patience. Don’t interrupt, or you might miss out on the juicy bits that help you understand what’s brewing beneath the surface.

Sometimes I get off the phone and wish I could remember more of what the other person said, than what I yapped about. Shoot, what a missed opportunity! Too little, too late. Don’t make my mistake. Just listen patiently and…focus on understanding.

Love is kind.

Learning how to listen patiently is a skill. The next part is processing the knowledge before speaking.

When a customer objects, she’s exposing her soft underbelly of doubt. This is not the time to pounce, but to show gentleness.

One of my resolutions for 2014 is to take time to ask questions, a natural part of a copywriter’s job. Part of that goal extends to the business side, listening to prospects and deciding in real time whether to even make an offer of my services. Sometimes it’s just not a good fit.

Just yesterday I talked with my friend Jenny in London who had a phone call with someone who was considering her services. This prospective customer showed hints that she wasn’t ready to fully benefit from Jenny’s service. Did Jenny bend her will and force a situation that didn’t feel right? No, she didn’t even make an offer. That was admirable and kind, don’t you think?

It’s just as kind as countering an authentic objection from someone who is truly ready for the outcome you can provide. If your product or service is genuinely going to help your customer and bring a level of peace, clarity, happiness, delight, service, or utility to her life; then you’re doing a disservice NOT to offer what you’ve got. Recognizing and overcoming an objection comes from kindness.

Love is not boastful.

The only thing boasting does is put distance between you and your customer. Boasting says “I’m up here. You’re not.” That’s not going to win him over. There is a time for graciously accepting those roses everyone’s throwing at you, but a fist pump in the face of an objection doesn’t cut it. Think of an objection as a chance to offer a solution. If you take it as an opportunity to leverage yourself and your ego, you blew it.

Love is not proud.

Wait, let’s dissect that word right there. Proud. You’re supposed to proud of your work, your reputation, your company, your service. What’s wrong with pride? The wrong kind of pride interrupts your ability to deliver on your promise. If you’re really “that good,” chances are you’re a little humble about it. Pride can blind you to the chance to improve, even just a little. And our customers continually challenge us if we let them…

Let them.

Love does not dishonor others.

So what’s a little objection, anyway? It’s true, not everyone is our ideal client. But everyone is worthy of being served. Objections often enlighten an entrepreneur of unsolved problems, and new creative solutions. Honor every objection with a sincere goal of helping your prospect make the right decision. You might find you benefit from it as well.

If you consider it a privilege to serve on all levels, then you might offer additional services to support someone after a sale. That could mean maintenance, follow up, service plans, or even alternate products. A heartfelt objection could trigger a new evaluation of your products line or markets.

Honorable sales is meeting your customer where she is in the moment. and showing them where she could be.

Love is not self seeking.

If you come from a place of service, everyone wins. If you’re thinking at every moment that a sale is at stake, then your thoughts are swirling around what you stand to gain. When that starts to happen, then any objection might even personally offend you. (Not good enough? Not comprehensive enough? Not desirable? Overpriced? Not status-y enough? How can this person not see the value?)

Your customer wants to know the most important thing: “What’s in it for me?” (That’s why they’ve given you their valuable time.) If you start feeling self conscious or inadequate during the moment of an objection, then the sale is already lost.

As you write your copy, visit with customers, or make phone calls, you stand squarely between your commitment to your customer, and her desires and needs. Being able to anticipate an objection with open eyes, the whole self-conscious aspect of selling dissipates. That icky feeling goes away.

Love is not easily angered.

Well, this one is tough. Most times an objection is not a challenge to a duel. But if you feel angry, maybe it’s only because you didn’t lay out the terms properly. If anger rears its ugly head, then look at the way your’e doing business and change it. Make sure you don’t let yourself become a doormat.

As a young sales person selling semiconductor equipment in Silicon Valley in the 90s, I made the mistake of bending over backward every time a certain customer called, even to the point of partnering in a research project together. I was just sure I’d get this account’s business, so I put everything on the line. I enlisted the help of some busy engineers at my company, and moved heaven and earth to obtain and transfer sample wafers between our two companies. When the sale went to our competitor, I was devastated. Givers make this mistake and get burned out if they don’t know how to protect themselves (a topic for another post).

In business, anger usually stems from the feeling that something is not fair, or that you’re being used. An objection that triggers anger means you should step back, re-evaluate your offer, and then move on.

Love keeps no record of right and wrong.

If you keep getting an objection — but no decision — then it’s time to give your prospect his freedom.

Some objections are just stalling, not true objections. On the other hand, try not to place a value on them, and address each one without judgment. Just as there are no wrong questions, there is no good nor bad objection. If someone raises a good point, acknowledge it and direct attention to your overarching value.

Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in truth.

You want your customer to be happy because a happy customer makes a happy business. Deception will only make you and your clients miserable. Stand up for yourself, but also know your limitations. The truth will set you free.

Acknowledging how you’re NOT a certain way, can be the key to bringing your customer over to your side. Long ago, I went shopping for hot tubs. The internet was just getting going, so I hoofed it around to the local shops in search of information. At one store, the tubs were so shallow, I thought they weren’t as good as the others. In my mind less water meant an inferior tub. Only when the sales person countered my objection did I realize that mine was one objection he actually enjoyed getting! He pointed out my small stature and how people my size tend to bob at the top instead of ease down into the seats. A shallower tub didn’t have that effect, and besides, less water meant lower heating costs…who knew?

Love always protects…

Do you want a relationship with your customer? Protect her decision to buy with a guarantee, a commitment to stand by her, to support her decision to say yes, or no. An objection is often a question about support. (E.g. If this happens, then how am I protected? If I don’t like something about it, then what? If it doesn’t fit, will you take it back? If It stalls in the middle of the desert, who will come get me?)

Put her worry to rest. Make sure she know’s you’ve got her back.

Always trusts…

An objection is a chance to put your customer in the driver’s seat. You answer with honesty and turn the decision back over to her, making the sale a two-way street. Trust allows you to enter into a relationship with a customer on even footing. And it may even pull your contracts and/or terms into better shape. If you’ve been burned a few times (as all new business owners and entrepreneurs have been at some point), then you know the value of being able to trust your customer in the same way that they trust you. Build trust into your offer and you both win.

Always hopes…

Have you ever wanted to ask, “How many more objections can you possibly have?” Do you ever feel that the whole sales process is getting wobbly because you both have lost sight of the big picture, the big transformation?

Sometimes, too many objections or ‘nitpicky’ objections are just an indication that your prospect doesn’t have clarity about the real value your provide. Don’t go down that dark path with her. It’s your obligation to steady the pace. You know who you are and how you help, so when you see that the conversation is taking a turn for the bleak, then lift it up. The transformation still exists for your customer, but you must point the way. Bring it back into the light.

Always perseveres.

You win some, you lose some. Every “no” gets you closer to the next “yes.” In the world of content marketing, you don’t often get the chance to directly counter objections, but you always have another chance to position yourself in a new or different way.

Wrong person? Inopportune timing? Not in a position to make a decision? It’s okay; your content can be shared in another way, on another day, with the right person. Consider putting out a fact sheet with a list of the most common customer objections (FAQs). If you persevere, you’re always ready for the next objection because you’ve anticipated it.

Don’t let fear of rejection cause you to freeze when your customer raises a bona fide objection. It’s a natural part of the sales process and a precious opportunity to earn a happy client. Follow the rules of “love” and enjoy it.

St. Paul’s mission was to spread Christianity all over the land with the powerful sales technique of love. It might work for us, too.

Seven Productivity Tools to Increase Content Creation in the Car

February 6, 2014 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

I’m proud to say I run a home-based business.

But the truth is…I run much of my business from my car.

I have a car-based business. While I write at my big-screen computer during the mornings, I spend a healthy chunk of time in my van in the afternoons.

Not that I’m complaining. I get lots of ideas in the car. Inspiration, sometimes. Tests of patience. I download podcasts and interviews and listen to those. My kids absorb digital media news and marketing trends, but usually they’re plugged into Spotify or Injustice unless we get wrapped into conversation, laughter, or sometimes arguments.

So I’m running a business from my car, with all of life’s drama to boot. (Not to mention Texas drivers.) I cover the same 100 square miles every week, practically on autopilot.

The reason I’m sharing this isn’t to revel in my provincial existence, but to show you that you can market your business from right where you are — even if it happens to be a very small place.

“I don’t have the time,” people say.

“I hate the copywriting part,” small business women confide.

“I’m too busy to market myself,” they bemoan.

While I sympathize with all that, the truth is no one can market your business better than you.

So be prepared. Seek opportunities and take stock of what you do have. Busy people enjoy more content currency to spend simply because they’re in there, doing it. Build in an extra minute or two and create quickie micro-content, like the kind GaryVee talks about in his book #JJJHR. It’s all over the place!

Click image to enlarge.

Do you keep all the content creation tools within easy reach? Here are some of my favorites:

Kindle (latest magazines, reports, books) to stimulate the mind.
Pen and notepad, for great ideas at stoplights.
Digital recorder, for great ideas when you’re moving.
Phone (not in picture because I’m using it to take a picture)
Old iPod, for audiobooks and recordings that don’t get interrupted with every email or text that comes in.
Inspirational Quotes. My two words of the year, “Breathe” and “Ask” are stuck to my steering wheel, reminding me how I’m going to accomplish my next best step.
I left one thing out…these content creation cards that make it easy to come up with things to write about.

The game has changed. Marketing isn’t about telling your customers how things are. They already know. It’s letting them take a peek behind the curtain at how you can serve them and why they should want to connect with you, personally. What do you have that no one else has?

When you started your small business, you focused on delivering that one thing you actually love to do — the thing people pay you for. But you also knew there’d be other challenges. Things you’d have to get cozy with, maybe even some things that fell outside of your comfort zone.

Along with all those other hats, you knew you’d have to market yourself. But no one ever told you it would take so much time, money and energy right?

The great news for small business people is that you are more than capable of reinforcing your culture with micro-content. (Stay with me here.) Imagine how rich your life is — and can be — while you are running your business. All that you are, wrapped up into all that you offer, and the great service and products your customers reap, too.

Since I am a copywriter, here’s how it breaks down for me. I get up really early to write. 5:00am is average for me. That gives me a good four hours before I go to the gym. Then another couple of hours before I start checking email and returning phone calls. Six hours of writing is plenty. If I can do that much every day, I am happy. The rest of the day? Driving, cooking, reading, catching up with people via phone calls and recordings, etc.

I’m not saying this is the perfect way to do it, but it’s right for me. I’ve structured the day so I can get stuff done, and it’s not glamorous by any means. Most days I come up with article ideas at 55 mph, or a through a simple conversation with the guy at the pet store where I buy crickets for my son’s lizard, or a Facebook post.

Anyone can market their business. Your life looks different from mine, of course, but as you build your business, why not share the journey with your community? The content you create right where you are is the juice that ultimately drives your business.

It’s what you opine as you read articles.
It’s what you tell your friend about after an interesting meeting with a new affiliate or vendor.
It’s that tangent your can’t resist exploring in conversation.
It’s the funny joke you shared when your favorite client visited.
All of this is fodder for your content. And the people who are your ideal clients will naturally click with where you are right now.

That’s not an excuse to be scattered and unintentional. And it’s definitely not an excuse to share all the “junk in your trunk,” so to speak. But a home-based business (or a car-based business) allows you a certain lifestyle that still serves clients with great value. The same goes for your life as a shopkeeper, a coach, a volunteer, an educator, a speaker, a realtor, or any of the various professions small business people fall into. It’s a life you can share as you reveal how you serve.

Incorporating content creation into your day-to-day takes a little extra time and intention.

Learn how to do it efficiently, making use of apps and tools so you can touch the right people. Having the right tools makes it easier on you, too.

Here’s an example.The driving around started early today. An orthodontist appointment at 7:30 am and drop-off at the high school led to two hours at the cafe where I wrote for awhile. Then I picked up another child at the grade school to have a wart checked by the dermatologists. Trish, at the school’s front desk told me we’d need a doctor’s note when we returned, but I forgot to get one. So I turned the car around and sent my son Henry in to get it from the receptionist. As I waited in the car, I looked up to see this set of windows, a riff on classic architecture. I snapped it, intending to research the golden mean, while I waited — and if I could relate it somehow to writing.

I got to thinking how lovely the lines of simple geometry during a hectic day and how to share it in some way.

Which brings me full circle. Within your day, there is something to share. Take stock, don’t discount the small stuff; try to find meaning in all the chance bits of flotsam and informational jetsam God sprinkles into your life. Don’t take them for granted.

What does it mean for your customers and your ROI? Relish all the little things that contribute to the business you are building, and share them as your community grows.

What you invest is time and effort. What you get back is the return on dependability and familiarity. The better your ideal customer knows you and understands your vision, the clearer they see how you fit into the perfect solution once they’re ready to tackle their problem.

Do you have any thoughts on inventing and sharing content from “inconvenient” places?

The Tragic Trait of Entrepreneurs

October 31, 2013 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

Vampires are pitiful creatures. Lost souls, floating between earth and the afterlife, no heaven, no hell. They can’t live a powerful story because without an end, the beginning and middle parts bear no relevance.

The beauty of this mortal coil.

Think of it. The drudgery of immortality would suck the mojo out of even the stoutest personality. You’d never convincingly cry, “This is it! Now or never!” but only endure the slow, monotonous march through time everlasting. I’d take up napping, too.

Of course there are the lesser consequences of vampire existence, more annoying and creepy than dangerous. That bit about not casting a shadow, or being able to enter a home without the owner’s invitation. Awkward!

However one particular vampire trait plagues fleshy humanity, too.

The inability to see your reflection.

That one is truly scary because it’s one we humans understand.

Not literally of course. If a vampire lives today, the “selfie” trend would negate any inconvenience. Need to check your make-up? Post a picture to Instagram and see if your friends approve. Want to change your hairstyle? There’s an app for that.

No, I’m talking about the near tragic flaw of most entrepreneurs: not being able to see yourself for who you really are.

Nothing will suck the life out of you and throw you off course more than this one painful trait. And yet it’s oh-so-common.

Why is it so easy to see the speck in someone else’s eye than the plank in your own?
Why do so many people find it easy to do for others what they can’t do for themselves?
Why do so many professionals end up teaching what they themselves most need to learn?
Why are we so easily see the gifts of others but fail seeing our own? It’s that reflection-averse ego that gets in the way.

If you’re lucky, you have a friend or loved one who will remind you of what you can’t see: your value, your goodness, relevance, beauty and folly. And a really good friend will gently point out your weak links, too and nudge you toward your better nature.

It is possible to get a good objective look at yourself? It takes some work and a little discomfort (sometimes genuine pain), but the results are worth it. There are only two ways…

How Successful Entrepreneurs See Themselves More Clearly

View yourself through others:

Join a Mastermind Group. A mastermind group is a small group of like minds with a common objective, to challenge each other to set goals and grow. When you surround yourself with people who are focused on improving some particular aspect of themselves in business, you’ll find that you can’t help but address the complete picture of your life. Your spiritual, social, professional, and physical reality is brought to light. In learning to ask questions of others in the group, you also develop a good sense of where your value lies. You also reveal your own myopic tendencies and gain insight into other alternative ways of acting and thinking.

Get in the habit of asking difficult questions of yourself and others. Dig deep into subjects and people who interest you (and even those that don’t. You’ll not only get invited to more parties and improve others’ opinion of you; you’ll develop your critical thinking about ideas you wouldn’t normally encounter. Don’t ask questions just for conversation’s sake. try to gain real understanding. If you push through, what you find on the other side often says more about you than the line of reasoning by which you pursued it.

For example, you may discover after thinking and sharing ideas, that you have rather strong opinions about matters you never considered before. Or your eyes may open to a tenet that you assumed was part and parcel of who you are, turns out to disconnect on a fundamental level.

Read a lot.

View yourself by turning in:

Keep a journal. Your thoughtful consideration of your life, feelings, goals and activities, recorded over time, allow you to see some repetitive themes running rampant! This clarity may suggest you tweak and monitor what you see about yourself. But there’s a catch.

Recognize truth when you get glimpses of your real self, but don’t get too attached to the picture of yourself. Your story is continually unfolding. It will change as your circumstances change. Even your beliefs and values will evolve.

Don’t be afraid of failing. Fear of failure may be the most disastrous feature of an entrepreneur who can’t see herself clearly. How can this be? When they hear the word “Entrepreneur,” many people envision the intrepid, self motivated leader who builds businesses with confidence. But the flip side of this “success at any cost” mindset is that in a lot of these highly energetic business people see failure as a setback. Failure is simply not a possibility.

True optimists, however, see no distinct line between success and failure. Failure propels them forward by allowing them to course correct as they go. Failure is simply “the way.“ Successful entrepreneurs go with the flow of failure. They accept and even embrace failure because in failure there is freedom. Not perfect? Great! Dig deeper. Push on.

Discernment. There will be thousands of causes, questions and ideas that you have no more than topical interest in. Accept that you will skate the surface of those things and move on. For example, you may understand the basics of calculus, but have no interest in thinking deeply about them. Although there are many fields that use calculus concepts to describe phenomena, it’s just not how your mind frames and solves problems. Appreciation and understanding are not the same as really internalizing what’s important to you. Give those ideas a nod and pursue your the ones that resonate with you.

This can be difficult for someone who loves to learn. The other day I encountered an article about big brands using Twitter. While interesting to me, I had to admit that taking ten minutes to read an article about big brands — when my copywriting and content creation service is geared toward entrepreneurs and smaller brands — was probably not a good use of my time and focus. By leaving the article unread I caught a clearer glimpse of who I am and how others see me.

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

~Socrates

Entrepreneurs are prone to examining their beliefs and goals because the same self-motivation required to start a business and run it successfully, moves deeply into personal territory. For many entrepreneurs, this reflection can’t be helped.

But it’s easy to get so busy with your work that you assume you’re the same type of entrepreneurial person as that guy over there, or that successful woman you met recently. In haste, we assume an idea of who we are, while our true appearance and gifts don’t correspond to some altered version of reality we’re chasing.

Remember the vampire. He probably never stops and glances in a pane of glass because it holds no interest for him. He lacks substance, can’t even cast a shadow with his form. He is a whiff of a person because he can’t see his own reflection. He must rely on his senses and someone else’s version of reality.

We consider the undead on Halloween because it’s fun to imagine being monsters. It’s the one day each year to laugh at death and other things that scare us.

Behind the fun, though, are some serious questions that cut to the heart of our fears. The cruelest of human flaws is also one of the most common — never seeing our own face in the mirror.

Entrepreneurs, unlike vampires, are grounded. Gravity, light, weight, a finite but unknown number of years – all give our lives meaning and value. Spend at least a little time every day really seeing your reflection.