Trying to get out there in your community? VOLUNTEER!

I believe wholeheartedly that a small business or entrepreneur needs it’s community to survive.

You have to be involved in something. Anything. Big or small, popular or not…getting involved in your community is SO KEY.

Why?

Because you look good if you volunteer.

That’s part of it, let’s be real here. But it’s WAY more than that.

It’s…

Connections

Perspectives

Struggles

Celebrations

Friendships

Peers

The situations volunteering in your community will put you in can teach you a million lessons for your business IF you are paying attention.

So pay attention…

What are some struggles? Can you help? Can you alleviate those struggles in some small way?

DO THAT.

What is your community jacked up about? What’s fun and makes them feel a part of something?

DO THAT.

What messages are groups in your community trying to share? Can you get behind that cause? Lend your time or talent to back it?

DO THAT.

Are you a home based business and are hermitting up? Haven’t washed your hair in a week because you don’t REALLY need to see anyone to do your job?

Here’s the straight truth…

You are probably losing touch with your community and your work (and personal hygiene!) is going to suffer.

Get out there. Get involved. Meet all the people. Embrace the awkward. Click To TweetI guarantee your business will benefit. People hire people. And they can only hire people they know are there.

So get there.

24/7 isn’t working for you.

Here’s the thing about being a solo entrepreneur.

IT’S ALL YOU.

Ever go to bed feeling spent? So frickin spent. Not just tired, but spent. Because you are stretched between work – attaining new clients, servicing old ones, learning new ways to market and life – momming, dadding, wifeing. You want adult time…but then shit. Who’s got energy for that??!

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the I WILL KEEP EVERYONE HAPPY IMMEDIATELY AND AS CONSISTENTLY AS I CAN. Because I am woman, hear me roar! Click To Tweet

Or whatever.

I kind of just wanted to say that hear me roar deal…

But really? You suck. Because all the things are suffering. Because your mind and actions are interrupted, sporadic, and crazed.

So stop it. Serious.

Set regular hours for when your clients can contact you. Don’t be available 24/7. Just don’t, unless lives depend on it.

You have to be connected to other things besides work, to do good work. Whatever “connected” means to you…

… connected to your family

… connected to your social life

… connected to your volunteer work

… connected to your cat

It really doesn’t matter what it is, just don’t let those connections be sacrificed for work. No one is good at giving 24/7 of themselves to their work. Click To Tweet (I actually have no statistical facts to back that up…but it’s got to be true.)

Put it away.

It’s not always urgent.

Go connect.

Instagram & Small Business

I signed up for Instagram because a client of mine wanted it on their website so I figured I’d better check it out. My intention was to use it strictly for business.

ALL BUSINESS ALL THE TIME.

Here’s the thing.

I can’t do that.

Truly, I can’t. And I totally understand why as a small business owner you might be overwhelmed to think HOW am I going to come up with content for that every day without it being a total YAWN? How many images of my product can people take?

I’m with ya. 100%

No thanks.

So I stuggled with that. I locked up my account for a while because I was posting a lot of pictures of my son…which is so unprofessional…right?

Screw that definition of professional.

That may work for some, but not all. And certainly not me if that’s the box I have to be in.

I opened it back up, still feeling like “I wasn’t doing Instagram right”.

Then I started to really think about what I love seeing from other small business (and even big business!) people.  I like seeing their work, their space, their behind the scenes and I love, love, LOVE seeing what they are doing in the community! It makes me feel connected to them. And that’s how I do business.

If you’re struggling with Instagram as a small business owner, here’s what I like to see on there, for what it’s worth…

You…your people…enjoying this community, exploring this city, this province. It makes me interested in you and truthfully inspires me to get out and try different things, to visit businesses I haven’t, and to share with others so they can do the same.

Think of the repercussions of that...if we were all advertising for our city? Click To Tweet

Win win.

Now, go post what you ate today and tag me in it 😉

 

Follow Unlimited BS on Instagram

Just Start

How many times have you procrastinated on just starting that thing?

Starting that business you love.

Starting that conversation.

Starting that design.

Starting to grow your business because the start feels overwhelming.

OVERWHELMING.

DAUNTING.

EFFING IMPOSSIBLE.

So here it is…my huge, life altering solution.

JUST $#@! START YOU GUYS!

lol…yes, it’s truly that simple and yet that seemingly hard.

Want to start blogging? Trust me, I KNOW the mental block, the freak-out-ed-ness (new word) of putting your thoughts out there. But you’ll find your audience, it won’t happen immediately, but you will. A new trick I’ve picked up in this marketing blog (I wish I could remember where or I’d credit it!)..set the timer for 6 minutes. Not 5. Not 7. Six. Six minutes to just write shit. You have 6 minutes and you don’t need to schedule in or prep yourself for 6 minutes. If you think you do need to schedule in a 6 minute block…check yourself.

It works. You’ll be surprised. Just write…whatever is in your head. It’ll be random and messy.

JUST START.

Thinking about collaborating with a business? Send that email. Stop thinking about it, START.

Thinking about starting to tell the world about  your new venture but are afraid? Why? Worried people won’t share your excitement?

JUST START.

Send that first tweet. Write that first facebook post. Don’t wait. Don’t wait until everything is perfect. Until the stars align, until the laundry is done (p.s. the laundry is NEVER done).

START NOW.

And lastly…if you are needing a new, FRESH, packed with your energy, website?

JUST START 😉

Eff the Shame

What am I all about these days?

Staying jacked up. Staying excited about my work, my life.

I magically ended up at this random website that is based halfway across the world, more than once. That’s got to be a sign right? So, I signed up for some work to get to the heart of what I’m about…which leads also to what my business is about. Because I’ve always said “small business web design” but YAWN. WHY am I small business web design…this I’m getting to the bottom of.

Will discovering WHY you do what you do feel like your “true calling” or some sort of “soulmate” action?

pfffft. I’m going to say no. At least not in my world…but I’m sooo not a romantic so maybe it will for you! (If it does, please don’t tell me or I’ll be jealous)

It WILL however, feel like excitement, like clarity, and maybe even like your insides are dancing. That my friends, is frickin awesome. Who  doesn’t want to feel like that?! I can tell you I most certainly do. It’s a drug…and makes me want more and more to get in tune to how I can live like that…

ALL THE DAMN TIME.

How did I get here? A long road. Like really long, and it punched out a few times along the way with some crippling self doubt. But I’m here now! I’m proud of my business. I’m proud of my ethics. I’m proud of my work and what I do for my Clients.

Sadly there were times I couldn’t say that. Times of shame. Frickin shame you guys, it’s a killer. Shame that I didn’t have the knowledge to build a site from scratch, to code it. Shame that I use pre-made themes to create websites for my Clients. Shame that I never went to college for this or have any certifications in design.

ALL THE FRICKIN SHAME.

Operating from a place of shame is the shits. You can’t be truly confident in your work when your ego is veiled in shame. It makes running your own business mentally exhausting.

And now?

EFF THE SHAME.

Why? Because I’m creating websites that are bang on to my Client’s brands. I feed on their excitement and vibration they have going on when they speak of their business. I’m getting to know them. And there is a REALLY good chance I now consider them friends.

Is that wonky? A weird way to operate a business? Ya…probably. But being weird is not something I’ve ever denied being.

Maybe that’s what makes Unlimited BS different. And maybe, that’s why we should work together 🙂