Blog | Ciera Design Studio

5 Ways To Uplevel Your Brand Image

January 9, 2021 by Ciera Holzenthal

The perceptions and ideas a customer has about a brand, based on their interactions with it and the way a brand presents itself, make up a company’s brand image.

Nurturing your brand image is critical because it:

Provides a good first impression of your business to prospects
Builds recognition with the general audience
Boost business credibility, awareness, and equity
Sets you apart from the competition
Provides direction for the future

So – how do you achieve all that?

By tapping into the five actionable tips below for improving your brand image.

1. Achieve Consistency Across All Channels

The key to successful business branding across different channels and platforms is consistency. It is important that your visual identity and voice are similar on all channels.

Consistent business branding is one of the essential aspects of a business’ growth and survival.

Creating a consistent brand image means embodying your company’s core values in visual elements, messaging, marketing, and digital strategy.

Your company’s overall brand presence should be consistent through:

Visual identity: Create a brand board or brand guidelines to define the proper and consistent use of your logo, colors, imagery, typography, and other elements across all channels. Your signature brand look will make you stand out among the competition. If your brand is not visually consistent, it may be misused or misrepresented. A signature color makes your brand 80% more recognizable, while a logo is the first thing your prospects see and associate your brand with.
Brand tone of voice: Your business should communicate your brand consistently and effectively through every piece of content you create and on every marketing platform you use. Strive to use a tone of voice, taglines, web copy, and mission statements that use similar wording and portray similar messages and emotions. To define your brand’s tone of voice, you need to:
- Define your brand
- Identify your audience
- Examine your copy and content
- Inspect your visual content
- Choose your words wisely

Consistent business branding builds trust with your target audience and research shows it can also increase your revenue by as much as 33%.

2. Invest In A Professional Website

Your brand extends to multiple platforms and channels and a website is only one small portion of it.

When prospects, leads, and casual visitors land on your website, directly, via Google search, or through digital ads, they form a first impression of your business.

Users form an opinion about your website – and, consequently, your business – within 0.05 seconds of landing on it. Also, almost half of web visitors believe that design is the top factor supporting a website’s credibility.

Studies show it only takes two seconds to lose visitors if your website loads slowly.

According to the design team from a NY web design company Digital Silk, when creating a professional website for your business, best practice is to use:

Simple and intuitive navigation
Clean and legible typography
Fast-loading pages
High-quality imagery
Bold and enticing call-to-action buttons
Concise and to-the-point copy
Search engine optimization for better ranking in Google results

Simply put, make sure your business website is to-the-point in terms of user experience and usability, aesthetics and search engine performance.

A website that ranks and performs well, educates visitors and aligns content with their search intent is hugely beneficial for your brand image and business results.

3. Identify What Makes Your Brand Unique And Provide Social Proof

Defining your brand’s X factor is a good starting point for making your business unique compared to others on the market.

A brand differentiator is what makes your brand stand out among the rest. This is also a foundation for brand positioning, which we will touch upon later.

Research your competition to find out what brands have the same strengths and weaknesses as you do. Comparing your products and services to others may reveal some of your strengths that you could capitalize on.

Once you have identified your unique selling points, find a way to communicate them to your audience in a convincing and trustworthy way. This is where social proof comes in.

Prospective customers respond strongly to social influence that provides cues saying your products and/or services can indeed solve their pain points.

By aligning your products with previous satisfied customers, brand ambassadors or influencers, you give your brand support and validation.

The most effective types of social proof are:

Customer reviews: Research shows that customers trust online reviews: 70% of consumers need to read at least four reviews before they can trust a business. Online reviews about a product can also increase its conversion rate by more than 270%!
Testimonials: Satisfied customers can also provide full-blown testimonials about how your products or services changed their lives for the better. Featuring their name, job position, and an image of the person giving their testimonial increases trust with prospective buyers through legitimacy.
Celebrity/influencer endorsements: Influencer marketing is a growing trend in digital marketing. Social media posts or photos of celebrities and influential figures on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook posing with or using your brand can be extremely valuable in building your brand credibility and trust.
Media coverage: Your business can leverage press coverage and other media exposure as social proof. For instance, on your website, you can create a special section featuring the major publications that have covered your business.

Think About Your Messaging And Positioning Statement

Your brand’s messaging is the most effective when it balances between illustrating its benefits for customers and describing the products or services.

Try to summarize your business in one sentence and describe your products in clear and understandable terms. Explain to your audience what your product or brand is, who it is for, and what its primary values are to the consumer.

Next, you want to communicate your brand’s benefits.

Create short statements around several main benefits for your customers by focusing on your target audience’s biggest needs. Explore areas such as saving time and cutting costs, increasing business efficiency, and organizational boons.

Aim to begin all of your benefit statements with action words such as “get,” “create,” “boost” and so on. These kinds of words can help you focus on communicating the transformation the buyer is expecting.

Finally, focus on some of your products’ features.

When listing the features of your products or services, use statistics and hard facts that build trust in your brand.

One of your brand’s main objectives should be to make your target audience perceive it as credible and favorable.

Positioning strategies and positioning statements complement your brand’s messaging and make your business extra memorable. Their defining qualities are:

Communicating value: Your brand’s website copy and advertising messaging should provide valuable content that is insightful and relevant to your audience. This shows that you are capable of solving their pain points by giving them value.
Emotional connection: Learn about your target audience’s problems and establish a connection with them on an emotional level before making a sales pitch. This will build trust with your brand and create a more positive experience with your business.
Differentiating qualities: We talked about differentiators earlier and it’s very important to integrate them into your positioning statements. Your unique qualities should be easy to understand through your messaging and in all stages of the user journey and conversion funnel.

Develop A Strong Social Media Presence

Your brand image can benefit from major social media networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Managing your brand message and overall reputation on social media is essential – for B2B as well as B2C businesses.

On social media, you can get the word out about your brand as well as your new products and services.

After all, 80% of consumers are more likely to consider products from brands they follow on social media. Also, global brands spend up to 75% of their social media time on Facebook, which remains the platform for interacting with consumers.

A strong social media presence enables you to reach a much broader audience that resonates with your brand voice and imagery. It also allows you to interact with your prospects instantly.

In order to leverage social media for your brand image to the fullest, keep these tips in mind:

Know your target audience: Different audiences use different social media platforms. Depending on who you are trying to reach, you may want to focus your efforts on a particular social media channel. Or, if you want to create a unified social media network, bear in mind that you should alter and adjust your brand voice and posting strategy for a specific audience on each platform.
Establish your social media objectives: Think hard about what you want to accomplish on social media. Are you looking to reach new, younger demographics? Or to boost your brand awareness? Maybe you want to boost brand loyalty or capture leads. Knowing your goals will inform your content strategy.
Don’t forget about consistency: Remember what we said about brand consistency earlier in the article? All of that applies, even more so, on social media. Align your brand’s voice with your core values that will be reflected in your social media posts and in the way you interact with your followers in comments and messages. For instance, don’t shy away from maintaining a humorous approach on social media if that’s how your brand normally operates and especially if the social media platform and its users resonate well with it.

Brand Image Takeaways

In today’s competitive market, consumers are not looking to buy a product or a service only — they’re looking for an enjoyable brand experience.

When you get your brand image right, you convey what you want it to say to your prospects via all available channels: social media, advertising efforts, content marketing, and, most importantly – your own website.

Why You Need To Perform An Instagram Audit

October 15, 2020 by Ciera Holzenthal

Do you feel like you’re grinding your gears, putting hours into your Instagram feed, but not seeing the results and growth that you know are possible? You know you need to change something, but not sure what? The fix may be an Instagram audit.

An Instagram audit will help you to:

Keep your goals in check

As with all marketing for your business, you should be constantly evaluating your goals and results. Is your current Instagram strategy helping you make tangible progress towards meeting your overall business goals?

Stay up to date with any Instagram changes

Is the type of content that was successful in the past for you still performing well? Are you trying new features that Instagram rolls out? Instagram tends to favor people using their newest features so it’s usually worth working new features into your strategy.

Reassess and refine your content

You may need to reevaluate and realign your content from time to time to stay relevant with your current launches and offerings. Based on your insights you can also find content that has been successful in order to re-purpose or expand on.

With a frequent Instagram audit, you’ll no longer feel overwhelmed, you won’t be posting just to get something up, and you’ll have a strategy and plan that’s actually effective.

Not sure how to perform an audit? I got you! Your Instagram, Upgraded live training will teach you the same process that I use with my 1-on-1 Instagram Audit clients. This hands-on Instagram refining intensive will help you say goodbye to Instagram overwhelm and hello to a cohesive strategy that speaks to YOUR target audience.

I don’t want you to devote any more time to a platform that isn’t helping your bottom line.

It’s easy to forget your actual marketing goals if you find yourself rushing to make your random quota of Instagram posts.

This is one of the reasons why a regular Instagram audit is essential for pulling you back on track.

In this Instagram intensive, I’ll show you how to go over every aspect of your Instagram account and refine your content in order to reinspire your followers!

With the help of this training, you’ll have the tools and knowledge to view your feed with a fresh perspective to make sure it’s cohesive and speaking to YOUR target audience.

Why A Don’t Do List Is Important For Business

July 13, 2020 by Ciera Holzenthal

Forget a TO DO list, you need a DON’T DO list!

While I was pregnant with Asher I started a DON’T DO list. I knew I would have very limited time to spend on my business, and I was sick of wasting time on things that were not helping my bottom line.

My don’t do list includes items that I found myself doing because I was “supposed to” or tasks that really aren’t helping me to achieve my goals. I’ve found that it’s just as important (if not more important) as my TO DO list.

I encourage you to examine what’s working and what’s not working for your business and make your own DON’T DO list.⠀

Do you think you’ll try this idea? Leave a comment!

Why You Should Use Your Exact Brand Colors in Instagram Stories

June 26, 2020 by Ciera Holzenthal

I think it’s worth mentioning again – consistency is key to growth and getting customers/clients to trust you.

If you’re using Instagram as a part of your business marketing plan you may find yourself focusing on your feed graphics but being a bit haphazard when it comes to stories. Your stories should use a strategy as well. Not only do you need a game plan for your story content, you should also consider the design.

If you’re creating stories right in the app, your font choices are limited, but did you know that your colors can be totally customized?

It may seem easy enough to just tap on the standard color closest to your brand colors BUT taking one more step to use your custom brand colors will actually make a huge difference in your content being recognizable at a glance.

Research finds that color increases brand recognition by 80%.

If you want to take it a step further, you can upload totally custom designs that you’ve created ahead of time in your favorite design program (Adobe, Canva, etc.) but I know sometimes that is just not doable.

Not sure how to make using your brand colors a part of your story workflow?

Here’s a step-by-step how to use your exact brand colors in instagram stories:

1. Screenshot and crop a file that includes your brand colors (your brand board is great for this)

2. Save to your ‘photos’ then open your ‘camera roll’

3. Click the ‘share icon’ then ‘copy photo’

4. Open Instagram and start a new Story

5. Select the ‘text tool’ and press on the screen until the ‘paste’ button shows up – click ‘paste’

6. Use the eyedropper tool to use as many of the colors as you want

7. Before sharing the story – drag your color palette image to the trash

BONUS: Save the file from Step 1 to an album called ‘Biz’ for easy access in the future. Then you can just skip the first few steps next time!

And there you go!

With so many platforms these days, clients should be able to recognize you at a glance through your brand identity. Using your specific brand colors in stories is another chance to build on your consistency and in-turn, trust!

Tag me on Insta if you use this trick!

P.S. In the tutorial, you’ll see me using the brand board that I created for VenturePop. A brand board is a simple document to make sure that everything you put out into the world for your business is consistent. Don’t have a brand board? You can download this easy to update template for only $6!

How To Fight Overwhelm

April 10, 2020 by Ciera Holzenthal

I feel ya – the stress of doing it all is at an all-time high.

Here are a few things that have helped me out over the past few weeks.⁠

Pick ONE key task for each day – I used to have a top 3 of the day, I’ve slashed that down to 1 key task per day.
Ask for help – big or small, try to ask for help when you can.
Take a break from social media – try to set a time limit or certain time of day when you use your phone, then put it away.
Go easy on yourself – these are unprecedented times, you don’t have to be super productive if it doesn’t feel right.
Batch tasks – I am such a fan of batching, I think I’ll do a whole post on this!
Limit watching the news – we listen to the news on the radio in the morning and evening for about 30 minutes and then only listen to music during the day.

Is uncertainty in your business causing you to feel overwhelmed? Do you feel like your business needs to make a pivot? Like you’re in a rut? Or are always playing catchup?

I’d love to help you get reinvigorated and start each day confidently knowing what to do when it comes to your digital marketing.

Introducing: Brand + Marketing Audits

Your current approach, evaluated.

I’ll review your current approach to marketing including aesthetics, brand voice, website, social media posts, and your email marketing plan and provide feedback and suggestions for how to improve your strategy and better reach your target market.⁠⠀
⁠⠀
An audit is an economical way to get an objective, professional review of what’s working and where there may be gaps.⁠

Shoot me an email if this is something you may be interested in!

Why You Need To Be Using Pinterest For Your Business

February 5, 2020 by Ciera Holzenthal

Did you know that Pinterest is not just for personal pins like recipes and travel inspiration?

Pinterest is the top traffic driver to my website. It brings WAY more visitors than all other social media combined (yes, even Instagram).⁠

Pinterest is one of the easiest ways to get new people consistently coming to your site with EXISTING content!

Want work on your Pinterest strategy but don’t have a ton of time? Here are three easy steps to easily up your game:

MY TOP 3 PINTEREST TIPS:

1. The right graphics make a difference. Stop wasting your time fiddling around with design programs and getting frustrated that it’s still not what you’re envisioning. With a template, I do the design work and you just fill it in with your images, colors and content! Easy Peasy. Get more traffic to your site with less work. I have two styles available bright + bold or light + delicate.

2. Pin your own content. This may seem obvious for some, but many people don’t take this simple step. Create boards that are relevant to your business niche, and then pin your own blog posts, portfolio images and articles to them on a regular basis.

3. Use a scheduler. Pinterest doesn’t have to take tons of time or a daily commitment. Use a platform like Tailwind to spend an hour or two every month and knock it out. Get a free month of Tailwind here.

I hope these simple steps help you to better utilize Pinterest! If you see results from using these tips, let me know, I’d love to hear about your experience!

4 Tips From My First Few Months of Motherhood

August 7, 2019 by Ciera Holzenthal

This post is sponsored by Evivo but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

I’m excited about sharing some more personal things on the blog again. As you may know, if you follow me on Instagram or subscribe to my newsletter. I had a baby in May! And needless to say, he has taken over my life (in a good way) for the time being!

4 Tips From My First Few Months of Motherhood Including Probiotics

I’ve been on a casual maternity leave (still sending emails, publishing blog posts and designing items for my template shop).

I’m loosely planning my return to work but want to be open to change in this transitional time in my life. So I’m leaving things a bit open-ended and trying not to have too many expectations for myself one way or another.

We’re getting used to our new normal around here. Keeping business goals simple for now: if I do one task per day I’m happy. That can be as simple as getting through a few emails. Because my little dude is priority right now.

But I won’t sugar coat it… it’s been HARD.

Zander works long hours and late nights so all of baby duty falls on me.

My thoughts go a little something like this these days…

which swaddle helps him sleep best… is he getting enough milk … is he getting enough tummy time… enough stimulation… too much stimulation… do I just live covered in spit up now… how can I protect his future health… wow, that was a SHORT nap… another dirty diaper… does he realize that it’s 3 am?

4 Tips From My First Few Months of Motherhood - don't be anxious to set a schedule too early

I’ve realized right from the get-go that things will not go as planned. He definitely didn’t enter this world as planned.

When I got to the hospital I was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia and was put on medication that basically turned me into a zombie. After a day of labor followed by 6 hours of pushing, I had to have an unplanned C-section followed by a recovery much harder than I could’ve ever imagined. The first few days I didn’t even trust myself or don’t think I was physically capable of picking up my newborn out of his bassinet in the hospital.

We had to supplement with formula for a few days in the beginning because he did not gain his birth weight back due to my milk not coming in because of the medications I was on.

Once we got home, one of the biggest struggles we’ve been having is with spitting up and gas at night. There was a point where I swear he was grunting the entire night – I probably didn’t get more than 30-minute chunks of sleep at a time because every noise he made I woke up and I still continue to wake up for every little peep that comes out of him. The exhaustion is real y’all.

So I started thinking of solutions… maybe it’s the swaddle, maybe he’s cold or hot, maybe I need to try infant massage, what about probiotics? I started looking into probiotics and found Evivo and it really stood out to me because it’s the first and only clinically proven baby probiotic.

By taking a proactive approach to your baby’s gut health now, you can set baby up for lifelong health down the road. Evivo is the first and only clinically-proven baby probiotic that restores the good bacteria, B. infantis that is critical for a healthy infant gut. There are other probiotics on the market, but Evivo is the only one specifically formulated to partner with breast milk. Evivo transforms the nutrients in breast milk into valuable nutrition for baby.

Good bacteria is critical for the development of a healthier metabolism and stronger immune system. Without B. infantis in baby’s gut, bad bacteria can thrive.

Bad bacteria in baby’s gut is linked to a higher risk of autoimmune and metabolic issues like colic, eczema, allergies, diabetes, and obesity later in life. When more good bacteria are present in the gut, it creates a strong, protective wall and crowds out the bad bacteria. Unfortunately, today, 9 out of 10 babies are experiencing a disruption in their gut causing more bad bacteria to thrive.

Here are a few myths that I found really interesting about baby health:

MYTH #1: Baby probiotics are only needed when symptoms appear.

FACT #1: Probiotics are not just for fixing symptomatic conditions. In fact, Evivo is the only probiotic clinically proven to repopulate baby’s gut with the good bacteria they are missing 100% of the time, every time.

MYTH #2: There’s not enough science to prove probiotics are really helpful.

FACT #2: Evivo is the result of over a decade of research and clinical trials studying the importance of B. infantis in the gut, and the many benefits it provides to baby’s gut health.

MYTH #3: All probiotics are the same.

FACT #3: Strain does matter. Evivo is the only baby probiotic clinically proven to be 100% effective in restoring B. infantis to baby’s gut while reducing bad bacteria by 80%.

One by one things slowly become better, so if you are in these beginning stages of motherhood, I want to give you a few tips for what’s helping me get through it!

1. Find A Community

Attend some sort of mom/baby group or get together with mom friends with children around the same age at least once a week. At around 6 weeks I finally felt the confidence to get out of the house by going to local mommy/baby groups. I knew this would be a safe place with other moms in the same stage of motherhood as me. While going to a coffee shop or the grocery store felt totally unmanageable in the early days, getting to one of these groups felt doable. This really helped to make me feel not alone and getting out to baby-friendly exercise groups to get my body moving again. It’s so important not only keep your baby healthy but to keep yourself healthy as well so you can be a good parent to your child.

2. Follow A Routine Not A Schedule

Download a tracking app to help you notice trends – but don’t be anxious to set a schedule too early. Try to pay attention to a routine or cycle (like eat, play, sleep) and your baby’s cues more than watching the clock. I really like the Hatch Baby app for this. It has a great hour by hour view to help you compare days so you can somewhat know what to expect.

3. Talk To Your Pediatrician

Talk to your pediatrician about things you are struggling with early on and talk to them about probiotics. Evivo even has a PDF you can provide with all of the important details. Keeping an open line of communication with your child’s doctor helps to provide your baby with all the support early on to set them up for lifelong health. The first 6 months of baby’s life is critical for autoimmune and metabolic development.

4. Don’t Overthink It

Try not to Google every little thing and TRY not to overthink things. This one is hard. Because when you’re up in the middle of the night, it feels like mindlessly scrolling Instagram or Googling every little thing are your only options. Now at 3 months, I’ve finally cooled out a little bit with the online forum rabbit hole. As soon as I let go of the stress of how something is ‘supposed’ to be it always seems to fall into place soon after without me forcing anything.

I want to know… have you given probiotics to your little one? Have any tips to add to help other moms in their first few months?

Learn more about Evivo and the benefits of B.infantis and how it can help keep your baby healthy for life. Make sure baby is set up from day 1 with the good gut bacteria needed with Evivo.

Want to try Evivo probiotics? Get $10 off a 4‐week starter kit with code: BLOGXQ8NP or $20 off an 8‐week or greater starter kit with code: BLOGC5TJ7.

4 Tips From My First Few Months of Motherhood

Simple Ways To Get More Done In Your Work Day

July 20, 2019 by Ciera Holzenthal

As a small business owner, you only have so much time in the day to get everything done. Sure, you could work overtime or start work especially early in the morning to give yourself a fighting chance, but this could lead to burnout if you push yourself too hard.

Thankfully, there are some simple ways to get more things done each day, without the problem of exhaustion affecting your life. Take a look at our ideas below.

Make a To-do List

Such a simple thing to do and yet so vital. If you have a to-do list in front of you, you are less likely to forget something important that you have to do, and you will be better placed to prioritize those tasks that need to be completed to a deadline. Download a to-do list app on your phone, or go old school and use a pen and paper to create your list. I reccomend having a top 3 for each day. You don’t want your list to become overwhelming so designate 1-3 items that MUST get done that day and make sure to do those first!

Get Rid of Any Distractions

The more distractions you fall prey to during the day, the less work you are going to do. It’s simple logic, so think about those things that distract you and deal with them. So, you might install a website blocker on your computer if there are any sites that you are tempted to visit for personal and not work reasons. You might turn off your phone if you know you won’t be needing it for any business calls. And you might also declutter your desk, because not only will you be better able to focus on your work without any messy distractions, but you will also be able to find what you need when you need it, without having to waste time looking for something.

Let Technology Be Your Friend

You have much to do in the day, from managing your clients to generating leads for your business. Some of these tasks are more time-consuming than others, and if you’re reliant on manual processes, then you are going to struggle to get everything done. Thankfully, there are all kinds of programs and apps available to make light work of some of your most complicated tasks, so take advantage of them. As examples, Netsuite for your accounting, Copper to help you generate more leads, Dubsado for automatically sending proposals and Tailwind for Pinterest and Instagram scheduling. Take a look at my recommendations page for more apps and programs that could help you, and implement them within your business.

Stop Multitasking

You might assume you are getting more done when you’re multitasking, but according to psychology, this can actually be counterintuitive. Rather than speeding up your day, you might actually hinder your productivity as your mind and brain aren’t built for handling too many things at once, according to the study. You might disagree, of course, especially if you have nailed multitasking at home managing your work needs with your family’s needs, but if you have ever found yourself in a mental muddle in your business and if you have had to redo work because of some simple mistakes, it might be because you are trying to do too many things at once. Focus on one thing at a time then, as this might improve your productivity during the day.

Finally

There will be times when you do have to work longer than usual. It’s something that many business owners become accustomed too. However, this doesn’t have to be the norm, so follow our tips to better manage your work day, and if you have any ideas of your own, please feel free to share them!

Top 4 Things to Consider Before Ditching the 9 to 5

June 12, 2019 by Ciera Holzenthal

That idea that’s been germinating in your head is ready to be planted. You’ve finally reached your limit on what the world of a 9 to 5 office job can offer you and it’s time you spread your wings and soared.

Setting up your own business can be equal parts terrifying and liberating. That feeling of independence and of being in charge of your own destiny walks hand-in-hand with the very real fear of not being able to pay the mortgage on time and of falling flat on your face.

While conflicting, both feelings are in fact useful to spur you on towards success and creating a thriving enterprise that pays your bills and more.

For those of you who don’t know how I made the jump, I’ll give you a little background. I got a job right out of college at a great advertising agency and gained a lot of experience in my four years there. However, a time came when I was no longer growing or enjoying the type of work I was doing so I decided it was time to move on. Rather than looking for a position at another agency, I decided to go freelance and pursue the type of work I was interested in. I started getting connections by doing pro bono work while I still had my agency job and it transitioned into full-time freelancing in 2010.

In this post, we took a look at how to make it once you go solo, but today, we’re digging into the top 4 things to consider and prepare for before ditching the 9 to 5:

1. Isolation

Those first few days (even months or years) are tough and there is a lot of decision making to do that falls squarely on your shoulders. You’ll be deciding why to start an LLC, have the pressure of having to navigate your way through building websites, deciding on the cost of your services or product, not to mention figuring out your accounting and processes can seem overwhelming.

It’s quite natural to feel like that and chances are you’ve found yourself spending less time with friends and family as you throw yourself into setting up your new venture. While they may not be able to help specifically with your business, they can support you in other ways – so let them. They’ll lend you a listening ear, provide dinner now and again and help you to get organized. Don’t be afraid to call on them and other friends who run their own business to lend a hand if you’re struggling, they’ll want to help.

It may be that there are some who find it difficult when you’re in this early stage of setting up and can’t understand why you’re unable to spend time with them. These friendships, if they’re not helpful, may need to be parked until you’re able to devote more time to them again. Nothing is permanent and these early days will pass so bear that in mind.

2. Success

Guess what? You’re going to be a success, maybe quicker than you thought. When you are setting up, many people fail to prepare adequately for actually doing very well in their business. They assume those first few weeks, months and even years will be ones of struggle and getting by. This might be the case or you might just hit the ground running. If you’ve found the right niche, pitched your service to the right customer and made yourself competitive, then you might just have hit the nail on the head.

When your business does really take off, you need to be prepared for it. Look at your web provider. Can your website adequately accommodate more hits? If you have a checkout system, is it up to scratch in terms of the process and security aspects? Find an expert to take a look around and make sure that you’ve got a site that’s fit for purpose and for growth.

You’ll also need to take a look at how you’re managing your workload. If you’re keeping up just fine then just tune your day so you’re managing to fit in some breaks here and there and giving yourself time for some self-care. If you’re struggling, now might be the time to take on one or more team members.

This can feel like a huge leap, and in many ways, it is but recruiting a great team is going to be the difference between your business struggling on or growing into something impressive. Start the process early enough so you’re able to choose candidates who tick all the right boxes. Create specific job descriptions and person specifications and take your time interviewing until you find someone or some people who have exactly the right skills and character that you need.

3. Stress

It happens to everyone at one point or another and when you’re running your own business, stress can be a daily part of life. Unlike anxiety, stress is often focussed on or two specific things. You might be concerned about how your business is functioning, how you’re managing your team or trying to get your books in order. Stress can either bring you to a point of inertia, where you feel too overwhelmed to address the issues or it can be a great motivator to help you deal with and rectify the problem.

The very best thing you can do to combat stress is to face what it is that is causing the problem. By all means, have someone help you or even take care of it for you, but take action as soon as you can to rid your mind of the issue.

4. Time

It simply becomes a commodity. You’ll find yourself having to ration your time out very carefully as you try and balance your daily commitments. You may be lucky and find yourself making money with plenty of downtime thrown in but if not, then now it’s time to carve out some space for your well-being.

It may sound obvious, but it’s quickly forgotten in the hustle and bustle of daily life. Take time for screen breaks. Get up and walk around, take some time away from the computer and to fit in a little movement in your life. Make taking a lunch break a priority and try not to sit at your desk in front of a screen but instead have a complete break for at least half an hour, if not more.

I hope these tips can help you if you are thinking about ditching your 9-5 or looking to grow your own small business!

You’re in charge now, you’re going to make a great boss, run a great business and never regret the decision you took to spread your wings.

3 Ways Contracts Can Protect Your Business

May 30, 2019 by Ciera Holzenthal

If you're not sure about whether contracts are worth the investment, here are 3 ways a sturdy contract can protect you.

Let me ask you something: Do you feel protected in your business? Like, actually hold-up-in-a-court-of-law protected? Like, Elle Woods protected?

True story – I used to design my invoices and contracts in InDesign, export that contract as a PDF, email it to the client, have them sign, scan and send it back. My contract was pieced together from info I found across the internet, and truthfully, it was a hot mess and it scared clients off. And I don’t blame them.

Now that I’ve been running my business for 9 years, I have some much better practices in place like using The Contract Shop (where I get pre-written contracts) and Dubsado (how I send invoices and contracts).

ooof, that was painful to admit to you guys, I wish I could laugh about it since it’s in the past but there’s nothing funny about being unprotected and leaving yourself open to losing hundreds, even thousands of dollars.

If you’re not sure about whether contracts are worth the investment, here are 3 ways a sturdy contract can protect you:

1. When a client goes MIA

We’ve all had situations where the client could have been a little… clearer. But when a client just straight up ghosts you, what can you do? With a robust contract in place, you’ve collected the client’s address, permission to send them to collections, and you have all the resources you need to at the very least get paid even when the client has virtually disappeared.

2. For super late paying clients

Hands up if you’ve ever had an invoice paid late! 🙋 With a contract, you can clearly lay out your payment expectations right from the start so that your client pays on time, and if they don’t, you have the option to add on a late payment charge!

3. When a client feels ‘wronged’

Effective communication and a proper contract are great ways to avoid any of the above situations. But, sometimes, we run into a nightmare client. It’s reassuring to know that your contracts clearly lay out what you expect of clients, and when, so they can reference this at any time and deliver what is expected as needed. On the other hand, if you have a vague contract that leaves your clients guessing, they could feel neglected, left out, and maybe even fearful that you’re not taking care of them!

So now that we’re on the same page, a good contract is a MUST… lucky for you, The Contract Shop is running a sale where you can grab up to 40% off their products until Wednesday, May 30 (that’s tomorrow)!

This is the PERFECT chance to get yourself a contract that protects your business and, most importantly, Future You 🎉

Click here to shop the sale!

Here are some of my top picks in the The Contract Shop store in the sale:

1. I personally use the Graphic Design Templates but they also have contracts in the 40% off sale for the following professions:

2. Turnkey Business Binder

For the first time ever, you can get your business organized, started and profitable in a matter of days, not months! This workbook is practically a done-for-you business plan that helps you create a roadmap for your business – a.k.a. the best gift you could give your biz!

Click here to grab the Turnkey Business Binder at 30% off!

3. GDPR Compliant Terms & Conditions + Privacy Policy Bundle

Did you know that without a privacy policy, you could be breaking federal law? And if you don’t have one with GDPR provisions, you could be breaking an international law?! When you are transparent with your readers like this, it builds their trust in your website, opinions, products and services.

Save yourself hours of head scratching and staring at a blank Google Doc and grab yourself this T&Cs + Privacy Policy bundle.

I use this for my own website and it’s super easy to customize and add to your website or blog!

Click here to grab 40% off this bundle!

If you have any questions about The Contract Shop or the best products for you, just email me and let me know! I’m here to help.

P.S. This post contains affiliate links. I receive a commission for each sale made through my link at no extra cost to you.

P.P.S. This sale ends on Thursday May 30 at 11:59pm EST so make the most of it while you can!!