by Suellen | Meeting the Challenges, Success
Being a successful solopreneur is an extremely challenging goal.
Being a great parent is likewise extremely challenging.
So can you be both? With careful thought and planning, yes you can!! Many have accomplished this.
Both of these ambitions will take up lots of time and thought. They both leave you with very little energy at the end of the day. And they both linger psychologically: meaning that it’s very hard to “switch off” in either case.
As you can imagine then, finding a way to do both these things at the same time is quite a challenge. So what are some secrets for doing this?
Let’s take a look.
Perhaps you are too focused on work, which leaves you stressed when spending time with your family. Your webinar didn’t go well and you realize that you made mistakes in your presentation.
Or maybe you are thinking about your new product launch.
Or your business stress has you in a bad mood.
Maybe the cash flow isn’t what you want and you are struggling to pay your bills.
Then perhaps you’re too far the other way. Maybe you’re a great parent, but you let that interfere with your work-life. Maybe you can’t focus at work and you’re constantly taking holiday to spend time with your family.
Maybe you’re distracted by hearing the kids play downstairs and you just can’t focus on work.
These are definitely issues many stay-at-home Moms face when they start a business.
So, what do you do?
There’s no single answer to this. There are so many variables in this situation that one answer wouldn’t be relevant for everyone.
I would say to pray and ask God for guidance. He will help you to see how to maneuver this. How to plan and how to implement your plan.
But here’s a truth that is fairly universal: If you try to do both things simultaneously then you will do neither well.
This is why you need to be very strict and disciplined about what you consider to be “work time” and what you consider to be “home time.”
Some successful solopreneurs “dress” for work – just as if they were going to an office. No pajama days for them. This simple trick can help them and their families realize that office hours are important.
Set up a schedule for work, and stick to it. Focus on your work for these set periods of time, and afterwards, switch your attention to your family. Then focus on them!
You might feel as though that defeats many of the benefits of being self-employed in the first place. But there are ways to get the benefits AND still keep things separate.
For one: as long as you are able to focus hard and work fast, there is nothing to stop you from taking additional breaks throughout the day. As long as they are clearly defined and you go back to work afterward!
Sometimes you can try to focus on completing a certain amount of work, rather than working for a given amount of time. This incentivizes you to work quickly, and it means you often can take more time to be with your family!
One of the great benefits of being a solopreneur and a parent is that you are setting a good example. Your children see that you are working hard – and they want to emulate that behavior.
They also see that you are setting goals and accomplishing them. Children thrive when they see the success of their parents. They will even benefit from seeing you make mistakes and correct your course along the way.
Such examples are “caught” and you will see your children being more productive. They too will want to be visionaries and set goals. They too will want to put in the work necessary to achieve those goals.
So pray, plan, implement, and be a great role model for your children. They will gain much from having such a parent!
And you will flourish in your pursuits!
by Suellen | Meeting the Challenges, Success
Being a solopreneur means you are an entrepreneur who runs everything in your business.
Whew! Everything sounds overwhelming!
Yet, there are countless advantages to this kind of business model, and thanks to the web, now it works for more people than you can imagine.
The notion of running an entire empire single-handedly would have seemed like an impossible pipe-dream only a few years ago. Today though, this is what more and more people are living as their reality. The internet is such a powerful force multiplier that it allows many people to truly become “digital polymaths.” (People who have knowledge in many different areas).
For many years, it was impossible for an individual to compete with the resources of larger companies. But then things changed.
Really smart people started developing and selling (or sometimes sharing) software, platforms, and apps which helped individuals accomplish things they never could before.
Now you can design your website, write for your blog, sell products, collect the money, and have them delivered. All by yourself. All from your home! Amazing, isn’t it?
But while the solopreneur lifestyle is liberating in many ways, it can also be extremely challenging. That’s because it requires you to wear a lot of hats and to take full responsibility for every aspect of your business.
Even if you are simply running a blog and selling affiliate products, this can be a surprisingly challenging lifestyle. Suddenly, there is no employer. There is nobody else who is going to take responsibility for your business. Or to accept the blame if things go wrong.
Likewise, there is no guaranteed paycheck. There isn’t even a guarantee that you’ll have work this time tomorrow.
Things can be going extremely well one day, and terribly the next.
What if Google removes your site from its listings and you can’t sell any more products?
What if you have one big client and they leave? Now you could have a quiet spell lasting for months.
What if a shipment of products goes missing? Or your links get messed up and you can’t seem to fix them?
As the solopreneur, you must be ready to weather all these scenarios. And you must be ready to make countless huge decisions.
You run a YouTube channel, and you want to sell an eBook from there. But how much do you charge for it? What eCommerce store do you use to sell it from?
What if your loyal audience finds it offensive that you are now charging for information, and thus they leave you?
What if the WooCommerce store crashes because you have an outdated PHP version on your server? And what if that means you lose thousands of preorders?
And do you let that other creator you met upload videos to your channel? What if those put off your viewers because it’s not what they came to see? What if they like the other person’s content more than yours??
Juggling work is also extremely difficult – especially if you want to maintain some semblance of a work/life balance. This is especially true for a service provider. In this scenario, there is no delineation between work hours and downtime.
That is to say, that you could work 9-5, but you could also work 9-9. That latter option would mean you earn a LOT more money! Do you really need to be relaxing in the evening when you could be getting closer to your goals?
What if you don’t finish your work on time? Do you work a little more?
What if there’s something you need to buy, but don’t have the money?
Again, the number of variables is huge, and you are constantly forced to make these decisions. Even when you are “relaxing,” you might be questioning whether you could be doing something more useful. You might still be worrying that your work wasn’t done to standard.
Then there is the customer service. Download problems. Negative comments. Etc., etc., etc.!
You get the point! It can be stressful!
But it can also be very rewarding.
You as a Solopreneur, are a pioneer. And with a new type of career, you need a new approach to health and productivity.
The healthy, happy, productive Solopreneur starts with a plan. And this plan must include not just work, but your spiritual goals and health goals.
You are not just trying to “survive” in business. You want to thrive. You want a happy personal life. A close-knit family or group of friends.
Planning for total health and well-being helps you include all of these things in your life. And planning for that well-rounded life increases your productivity.
The truth is that the more you improve your focus, energy, creativity, and health, the more you will produce. As a solopreneur, everything you sell and everything that earns you money comes from you.
If you want to be more successful, that means that you need to produce more. And if you’re going to produce more, then you need to manage your energy levels and your focus. You need to learn how to get the most from your body and your brain
And this can result in a HUGE increase in your productivity and profits. Because when you’re a solopreneur, learning how to double your output, means doubling your profit!
In the next few posts we are going to be discussing ways to increase your energy levels, your focus, and your productivity.
Remember, it’s the whole you and not just the working you that makes your Solopreneur lifestyle so productive.
So take a deep breath. Pray and ask for God’s guidance.
Get in a quiet place and write down your thoughts. Which areas of your life need improvement?
Are you battling confusion? Overwhelm? Lack of Confidence?
God will help you see some things which need to change. And which areas need growth.
As always, it’s one step at a time. Patience and perseverance.
You will get there if you don’t give up.
by Suellen | Success, Website Tips
Do you sit at your desk all day and look at things online with your dual wide screens?
Uh-oh. You may be making some mistakes. (Just like I do from time to time).
It’s fun to design and implement beautiful layouts. But we need to take a look at this
In the last few years, more and more people (figures are about 33%), are using their smartphones and tablets for all or most of their internet needs. So a beautiful website on your desktop can sometimes look clumsy – and even weird on your phone.
So, as always, we smart people adapt.
We have to design our sites so that they look good – and are readable – on all devices.
So let’s look at a few tips to help us maximize our audience.
Be Minimalistic.
A flashy website is not going to translate well on a mobile device. Stick to the basics, and remember the acronym you’ve learned before. K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple silly)
Consider how mobile readers see your content — Check for yourself on the mobile device that you are targeting to assure yourself that the mobile content translates well to the device. You can’t be sure without looking.
Cut down on ad clutter
You may find that you need to move your ads to other areas that work better with mobile devices. Ads right in the middle of content might not work well with a mobile device like they do on a regular website
Choose a website theme which is good for phones.
Some – like Divi by Elegant Themes – have a means of customizing a page for all devices.
Or if you are a bona fide techy, you can detect platforms that are viewing with proper coding — Learn about special coding that you can do for your content so that it detects what device is looking at the site, and appears in the best format for that device.
(I’ll stick to choosing the right theme).
Have Lots of navigation
For a mobile device you likely need more navigation than on a website. Consider using shorter drop down menus, and think of ways to drill down to the minute information on your site with more menus.
Make short links
As we know, typing on a handheld device is not fun or easy. So make links as short as possible so that no one throws their mobile device across the room in frustration when trying to view your site.
One post or set of content per page — this goes back to being minimalistic but keep the content to one post per page for easier viewing.
Put content front and center —
Instead of having an entry page, put the newest content front and center so that mobile content viewers see what is important right away.\
Reconsider how you put textural links within a post.
While this is great for a website viewed on a webpage it might work better to put links under the post as well as within the text for easier navigation.
Add drop down navigation or hover navigation –
This type of navigation saves a lot of space on the mobile device and makes it easier to actually click it to move to the mobile content that the visitor wants to view.
So there you have a few tips for pleasing your mobile viewers.
We want to keep those mobile viewers coming back again and again.
by Suellen | PLR, Success
Your business has a lot of moving parts. Even if yours is a side-hustle, you need to regularly attract new people and keep them coming back for more. PLR is an excellent way to offer your visitors high-quality information that doesn’t cost a lot of time and money to produce.
There are many reasons for tapping into this resource. Right now I want to mention five.
- PLR is affordable Large companies employ staff writers and marketers whose job is to create their content. These staffers plan the subject matter, do the research, and write as employees of the business. Their material is the property of the business and the writers are paid hourly or salary for their time at work.
Most small businesses can’t afford to hire a writer to create unique content just for their business. So most often, the business owner is left with the job of writing for himself. It can be very time-onsuming.
Since a lot of the copy is used for give-aways, it isn’t necessarily a money-maker.
Buying PLR is an affordable way to get great content written for your audience without having to pay for a writer or taking the time to write it yourself.
- PLR is plentiful: There are many ways to buy PLR. Some PLR is exclusive, which means fewer copies are sold. This means the content is less likely to be widespread. This PLR may be more expensive, but it can be a wise choice for certain items like eBooks or challenges.
Other PLR is sold in larger quantities, which reduces the price point and makes buying PLR an easy yes for your budget. There are multiple places to source PLR. A simple search for providers will yield lots of results.
- PLR is customizable: PLR is formatted in ways that allow it to be changed. You can add your own branding and add your name as author. You can also edit the copy, gving it your voice and your message.
In some cases, you can hire a virtual assistant to help you modify your content for far less than having new and individual content created. In the moments it takes to brand your PLR and upload it to your site, you can reach your tribe and add value to their lives.
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- PLR is engaging: Good PLR has engaging content that encourages your tribe to reach out and connect.
From high-quality emails to calls to action in an eBook, great PLR will have your customers reaching back to you for engagement where you’ll be ready to connect.
- PLR is educational: Many times, PLR can do a lot of the sales or the education for you. Strategic use of PLR can educate your audience about what they need in order to work with you or offer collateral information that supports your sales goals.
The quality information is useful for your clients and helps make you an expert in your field.
So you can see that using PLR saves time and money. It allows you to offer high-quality information to your customers, while freeing you up to focus on money-making or other important tasks.
Using PLR to support your site and add value to your client’s experience is a great way to offer more for less… time and money.
by Suellen | Start Your Week With Purpose, Success
It’s the start of a new week. Do you have a “Start Your Week Off Right” routine?
I can’t say that I always have. 
I like to begin each day with coffee and the Bible. But I haven’t always taken the time to think about my focus for a week. Another week dedicated to my God, my family, and my special assignment from my Creator.
That’s what life is, you know. Your life is your special assignment from God. Nobody looks just like you. Or thinks just like you. Or has gifts and desires just like you.
You are different. You are one of a kind. A masterpiece. Even when you are in a crowd of people, there’s no one quite like you.
(more…)
by Suellen | Meeting the Challenges, Success
Do Your Customers Trust You?
It’s a well-known fact that people like to do business with people that they know, like, and trust.
So every now and then we have to take a personal inventory. How do we measure up?
When I think about this concept, I almost break out into laughter, because I am reminded of one of my favorite all-time businesses.
Are you ready?
A tire store. Mac’s Tire Store in Tupelo, Mississippi. Let me tell you about that store.
You may have heard that my husband and I lived in Mississippi for about 25 years. We had some wonderful times while there, and I loved the area.
However, there were a couple of times when I would suddenly find my tire low in air, and I wouldn’t know what to do about it. (It seemed that Mickey was out of town or in a business meeting when those times came).Could it be fixed easily, or was it serious? I certainly didn’t know.
So I would take my car to Mac’s and confidently wait with my cup of coffee in hand and a pleasant magazine to browse.
I was confident because I knew these people. Their service would be quick and first rate. They would do a good job, and they woudn’t try to sell me something that I didn’t need. In fact, once I went in thinking that we needed new tires and they talked me out of it!
Now that’s my kind of a store!
It’s funny because I don’t even care about cars. Much less tires. But when I was in trouble, I knew these people would help me. They came to my rescue, and I was incredibly grateful.
The kind of trust that Mac’s had with me (and others), didn’t come over night. They had worked at building their business on a strong foundation of integrity and friendliness. They knew that most people think of tires as an unpleasant necessity, and so they worked at making the experience at their store to be the best it could be.
Have you thought about this element in your business lately? I have. Every now and then, I like to take a step back and look at this issue. How trustworthy do my customers see me?
I think that this is even more important for online businesses. Since people can’t see us and talk with us face to face, it’s even more important to convince them that they can trust the products and courses they buy from us. They need to know that we understand their needs and concerns and help them meet those needs.
I’m determined to build my own business around the same concepts which made Mac’s so great.
The following points to improve your trust ranking and build better relationships in your business. They can also be used to regain trust too.
- Understanding and Empathy – try to look for things that you have in common with people and then build trust from there.
- Being Honest and Open – don’t be scared to show your true emotions and viewpoints. Of course be receptive to other people’s opinions too.
- Be Genuine – show people that you care.
- Have Respect – you need to respect yourself and others and treat people as equal. Do not blame or criticize anyone or make them feel guilty.
- Listening – really pay attention to what someone is saying and demonstrate that you understand them. All it takes is a quick nod in agreement to achieve this and trust will quickly build.
- Best Interests – learn how to take other people’s interests into account, not just your own. Look for solutions so that everyone becomes a winner.
- Being Reliable – when you promise to do something, follow through and get the task done. Don’t make promises that you have no intention of keeping.
Think about how you can take these principles and apply them to your business practices. If you promised to look into something for a customer, actually follow through and do so. Even if you don’t locate what it was they were looking for, at least you made the effort and tried. This will no doubt be totally appreciated by them and helps build trust and respect.
Sometimes mistakes happen or you sell or refer a product that isn’t suitable. When this happens be honest and tell your customers or clients that you made a mistake. This helps demonstrate solid business practices along with trust.
If you truly want to run a business with honesty, integrity and trust then take steps to build relationships with everyone you meet on a day to day. Be personable. Open.
One of the best ways to build trust is to write a book. Share your life. Your stories. Your point of view.
For material to help you get started, check this out.
In the meantime, Keep on Soaring!
