When it's Time to Rebrand Your business is up-leveling. You're starting to see some real success, and that old "My friend's brother has a pirated copy of Photoshop" logo is no longer working for you. You need a polished BRAND, not just a "starter" logo. if your business is growing and seeing some success, it's time for a rebrand. Your business is pivoting into something new. You've decided that you'd like to move away from fitness coaching, and become more of a wholistic lifestyle coach - but your brand is all fitness related. If you're changing focus, it's time for a rebrand. Your business has evolved. You may not want to completely change what it is you do, but over the course of your business' life you've naturally added and removed services/products. Your business is ... Continue Reading
Don’t be a Weird Barista – How to Ask for Money
Imagine. You are at the coffee shop buying a cup of coffee. You place your order, and the barista just stands there and stares at you. What do you do next? Do you put the money in the drawer yourself, and start pouring your own coffee? Do you stand there waiting forever? Do you leave and go to another coffee shop? Uncomfortable, right? That's what it's like when you don't ask for money. You're like that strange barista, just standing there staring, hoping that your customer can 'guess' the next step. Don't be a weird barista. Not asking for money clearly and with confidence, pushes the discomfort to your clients. It makes your issue, the client's issue. So how do you ask for money? Bring money up early in the conversation. Trust me, your clients expect to pay for your services, ... Continue Reading
How to Write a Kick-Butt Intro Email
Creating partnerships with complementary businesses can help promote and build both of your businesses. But breaking the ice, and telling them what you do without sounding salesy can be tricky. You know that you're a good fit, but in order to connect you need them to see it too. Here is a template that I use to help build my intro emails for collaborating with other businesses. How do I know them? How did I learn about their business? Include a compliment, and list some details so it's clear that you really are familiar with their work, and you're not just sending them a form email. I heard your interview on the Business Babes podcast, about your jewelry design business, and your opinion on stylish clothing was so right! I loved how you thought that great clothing can really improve ... Continue Reading
25 Free Ways to Market Your Business
Marketing on a shoe-string budget can be challenging. Check out this list of 25 free things you can do to market your business and jump-start your marketing efforts. Post a free Ad on your local online free classifieds website (Craigslist, Kijiji, etc...) Write a Blog Post and Share it on all of your social media pages. Be sure to include a compelling, and "shareable" image. Give new life to old content. Promote an old blog post on your social media pages, and new blog posts. Join and take part in Facebook groups relevant to your niche. Avoid straight-up advertising. Instead, focus on providing valuable content, and taking part in conversations. Create an info-graphic. Check out Canva if you need some help designing one. Build your list. Add an optin form to your website, and ... Continue Reading
My Favorite Free Business Tools
Starting, and running a business can get expensive. Finding a few free tools that work with your business can really help. These are a few of my favorite free business tools. Gmail Boomerang - Schedule your emails in Gmail. Docracy - Free resource for contracts. A great place to start planning for meeting with your lawyer. Pexels - The best free stock photos complied from around the web (be sure to check licensing on individual pics). You Can Book Me - Client booking calendar. Start with a free plan and work your way up as your business grows. Google Apps: Docs, Sheets, and Slides for Business documents. Google Hangouts for group calls. Google Drive for file sharing. Good Hangout on Air - Free Webinars. Skype for free video calls. Canva - Free graphic design ... Continue Reading
Reconciling Your Web Design Dreams With Your Budget
Budget. There, I've said it. The elephant in the room: money, clams, moola. I get it, you're just starting out, you have big dreams, and a small pocket-book. That's cool. No, really. Challenges like this help you to grow your business using creativity, flexibility and ingenuity. And that's great! But what to do when your "eyes are bigger than your stomach?" When you want ALL THE STUFF, but Don't have ALL THE MONEY? I'll tell you just what to do. 1. Dream - Create a Wish List You have an idea of what you want, features you dream about. You want a booking calendar, newsletter optin, estore, membership area, animations, blog, recipes area.......etc..... You might not be able to have everything, but these dreams and desires help you to figure out what it is that you truly want and need. They ... Continue Reading
10 Things Every Author Website Should Have
Having a great website is so important in your book marketing efforts. The main goal is to connect to your ideal readers, the ones who sing your praises and love your work. Give your readers and fans an easy and fun place to learn more about your work (have they missed any of your books? What is the next book in the series?), live a bit in your world, and link up with other fans. 1) Great Homepage Your first impression sets the tone for your entire site (no pressure, right?). Your site's design should reflect the mood of your books, and immediately answer your readers most pressing questions, like: What type of books do you write? (this should be obvious, like, super obvious. You write novels about zombies there has better be pictures of zombies front and center on your ... Continue Reading
3 Things You Can Do to Instantly Elevate Your Coaching Website
1) Add Your Photo As a coach, You are the face of your business (both literally and figuratively), so show off that smiling face. Your clients want to connect with a real person, someone who isn't afraid to step out from behind the screen and stand behind their work. Showing your face adds credibility and a face to put to your message. As you know, being a coach requires some real confidence so don't be shy, be yourself and add some personality to that pic. 2) Make it Super Clear What it is You Do, and Who You Do it For Coaching is such a broad service. There are coaches for just about every situation. You might be clear on what it is you offer (...and what coaching actually is). But I bet your potential clients aren't sure what you are offering, and if you are the perfect fit for their ... Continue Reading
How to Choose the Right Colors for Your Logo
One of the most important aspect of your brand is your Logo. It is the face of your business, and representation of what your business stands for, and color plays key role. Sometimes the color of the logo transcends the logo itself (think of Barbie, or McDonald's golden arches). So how do you choose the perfect colors out of almost limitless color combinations? Here are a few aspects to consider: Mood There is no question that colors evoke a certain mood. Choosing the right colors can tell your customers a lot about how you want your business perceived. Understanding the psychology behind colors can help you choose the right colors to tell your story. Red: Passion, energy, anger, love, aggressiveness, intensity Yellow: Joy, sunshine, happiness, energy, fresh, sunshine Blue: ... Continue Reading