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Why ‘open all hours’ is killing your biz
Starting your own business was supposed to give you more freedom, more time to enjoy the things you love OUTSIDE work – family, friends, *whispers* time for yourself. Yet somehow it feels like you’re on call more often than an ER doctor on a Saturday night.
You end up feeling guilty for saying no, worried that if you do your clients will go elsewhere and you’ll be left trying to find new ones.
Your weekends are spent with half an eye on your smartphone, which means half the time to give to anyone else or heaven forbid – yourself.
I’m here to tell you, that’s not how we work around here!
Feel the fear, and do it anyway
In the first flush of excitement about your new business it’s natural to want to work as much as you can and you love doing it. But that’s not sustainable over time.
And, I know from personal experience that you simply CAN’T. And you shouldn’t. I tried and now I pay the price with chronic fatigue.
It can be a big scary idea to limit the amount of time you give to your biz and your clients but it’s a total must.
If you don’t you’ll end up burnt out, resentful of your work, and not giving 100% to anything.
Making yourself always available when people ask for your time leaves you scattered, unorganised, drained and constantly forcing yourself through your work. When mostly, you want to feel like you’re gliding over calm water totally in control.
It’s all about setting yourself some boundaries, sticking to them – religiously – and getting on top of your time.
A new way of working
Let’s start with email. This one’s a biggie. In modern times, communication technology has become a way of life. We’ve come to believe that emails should (and are expected to) be answered immediately. But, says who??
We buckle to self imposed pressure to reply straight away when an email lands in our box. When a more productive way to manage email is to use blocks of time to answer many messages at once.
This is called chunking. It’s a productivity concept of bringing together similar tasks in blocks rather than when they arise or when you’ve got no choice but to do them (like it was due YESTERDAY).
For instance, you might block out an afternoon to do invoicing or uploading automated social media updates instead of doing them every day.
Another example is having client appointments on certain days and dedicating your entire day to them.
The thought of doing something similar in your business may scare the H out of you.
You might even think ‘there’s no way I could ever do that because…’ and immediately have a number of reasons (or excuses) why that won’t work in your business. I get that, but I challenge you to think about it some more to explore whether it’s really that impossible.
Working this way benefits everyone. Here’s why…
You are focussed fully on your clients all day. You don’t get distracted by other tasks which means you bring your best self to your clients without feeling frazzled or preoccupied. That means they get the best from you too.
I do this in my business on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. When I switched to this model I was nervous. I wondered if they’d complain or decide not to work with me, and guess what? No one has a problem with it and my roster is full!
The truth is, I had no choice but to set these boundaries – I had to do it for my health.
I couldn’t afford to let my clients decide when they wanted to work with me. I knew that if I had a client booked on a morning after chronic insomnia the night before, or a bad case of the zombie-inducing fatigues – I wouldn’t be my best for them. And, they deserve to have my best.
You make the rules
Of course clients will always want to work with you – you’re fabulous, why wouldn’t they?
But it’s up to you to set out how it will work. If you leave the decision with them you could end up working on Sunday mornings when you’d rather be lying in, or 8pm at night when you’d rather be kicking back with your Significant Other and a G&T.
If you tell your clients your availability, they respect it.
I promise you that you’ll be surprised at how many don’t even notice. If someone said to you “I can’t do that time, I collect my children from school at 4pm every day.” What would you do? Demand that they leave them there to get on a call with you? Of course not.
Clients will still want to work with you, they’ll still say YES.
When you let others dictate your work schedule:
- You set unrealistic expectations about how soon you can get work done.
- You pull late nights, it doesn’t get done or you don’t present your best work.
- You let people down.
- You get pissed with yourself, feel (and look) unprofessional and that is really sucky.
When you are the boss of your business, YOU make the rules. And when you set clear boundaries for yourself, your working day is easier, more productive and you achieve bettter results for yourself and others.
Further reading:
How I stick to a 30 hour week (and how you can too) Read it here
Who’s calling the shots in your biz? Read it here
Dare I mention the ‘H’ word? Read it here
Your turn
I’d love to know what boundaries and systems you have in place – let us know in the comments, we can all learn a thing or two!
If you’re feeling like it’s a struggle to fit everything in and you’re working all hours, get in touch and book a Clear Strategy session with me so that we can get your days streamlined and your free time back!
5 tips to stop dreading your biz photo-shoot right now!
Who enjoys having their photos taken? Not me!
Especially when it’s for something as important as my website. Ugh! That’s why I pulled together some of my best tips for making your photoshoot super hot.
And, it’s not just so that you look shiny and fabulous, it’s so much more than that.
Your brand is all about YOU
As microbiz owners like it or not, we ARE our brand. As consumers, we connect with brands on a personal level because of how they make us FEEL.
So in your online images, you don’t want stiff or dull photos that are not your true, unique, fabulous self, right? But it’s REALLY HARD to capture that when we’re not comfy in front of a camera.
So after my own FABULOUS photoshoot here in Ibiza (check out some of my fave snaps…)
I hopped on Periscope to share what I did to make sure my shoot went as well as it did, and shared a little behind-the-scenes of my life here on this beautiful island.
Only problem of such a great shoot? Which images to choose from the 700+!!
What you’ll get
- My top 5 tips for getting the best from your branding photoshoot
- Some suggestions of what to do (and what not to do) beforehand
- How to communicate your ideas with your photographer
- BONUS, free, no sign up required, template to help you plan – get it here
Watch the replay of my Scope and get my tips here:
Further Reading
- Read this to see how important it is to be yourself in your biz: How YOU are you being in your business?
- Read this to find out what on earth Periscope is and what I was doing on there. My first time (and why you should pop your Periscope cherry too)
Big ups and thank you’s
Emma Saunders photographer
Katy Gill make up
Claire at Miss Dress styling
Tara at Pragmatic PA (no she’s NOT for hire!)
Amazing homeopath and blues DJ client mentioned in Periscope:Tracy Karkut-Law
Over to you
How do you feel about creating your branding shots?
What kind of preparation did you do and what are your best tips for making it amazing?
I’d love to hear in the comments below how you got on. And come over and find me on Periscope (AbsoluteAlicia) so you can join me live next time!
My first time (and why you should pop your Periscope cherry too)
I did something for the first time last week.
I was really nervous beforehand.
I was worried I’d make a fool of myself, that I’d say or do the wrong thing, that all my vulnerabilities and flaws would be up for scrutiny.
I put it off until the last minute. Then dived in. When I relaxed into it – it was amazing!
Now I want to do it again, again, and again.
YUP! I popped my Periscope cherry.
If you were there with me live – HEY, thank you for joining me!
Huh?
For anyone wondering what the H I’m talking about, Periscope is a live and interactive video streaming app which you can hop on whenever you feel like it. When you do, your followers are notified that you’re broadcasting and they can join you. As it’s online you can broadcast (and they can watch) from around the planet!
It’s FABULOUS!
“Another social media app? Why should I be interested in that?!”
I get it, and to be honest when it was first suggested to me I wasn’t sure either.
Actually, I totally ignored the hype around the latest craze until my super smart assistant told me this:
As you can see she knows exactly which buttons to push to appeal to my show off side, smartypants!
Next, I thought: There’s no way I’m going to record myself on video, totally live, unscripted and unedited that can be viewed by anyone, anywhere.
But then I changed my mind
But I did a bit of digging around, and I’m so glad I did!
Here’s why I decided to join in the fun:
- Because Periscope is linked to your Twitter account it’s easy to build up followers quickly. Very quickly. If you don’t want to just take my word for it, check out what my Twitter and Periscope expert buddy, Mark Shaw has to say about that…
Plus, it means you create an instant connection. People you’ve been following for ages suddenly coming to life? Brilliant!
- Because you’re streaming live there’s plenty of room to be human and real. THIS is what bonds people, creates loyalty and gives everyone a warm fuzzy feeling. I’ve seen people cry, screw up, waffle on for too long, and cuss during Periscopes. It only makes me love them more, and tune in again!
- Everyone LOVES to see what really goes on in people’s lives. Just think of all of those addictive fly-on-the-wall TV shows around. Give your community a peek at your everyday life.
- Live viewers can ask questions and make comments directly to you, making it really easy to communicate with a big ole chunk of your community at once.
- And, when your audience loves what you’re saying – they can send you HEARTS. OMG, so cute. (Just double-tap the screen to show your appreciation).
Communication is a two way street
It’s this communication with your audience which makes all the difference. Interaction is key in building relationships with your people, and these relationships are what you’ll convert into loyal, paying customers and cheerleaders for your business.
It’s super easy and you can deliver value to your audience in real time.
We are all used to answering client and prospective client questions in private communications like email and phone calls.
Some of us answer these questions in our blogs and social media channels, (which is important, don’t stop doing that!) BUT for a quick Q&A you can’t beat live.
AND you know if one person asks a question there are a billion others who want to know the answer but didn’t want to put their hands up in class. Win for the quiet kids (me, at school)!
What you can do with it
The ‘Scope (as we Scopers call it ;-)) replay is available on the app for 24hrs then it’s gone. BUT when you’ve finished recording you’ll have an option to save the video to your camera roll.
Once you have the scope you can do several things with it.
- Post it on your Facebook page or other social media
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- Turn it into a blog (here’s mine!)
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- Use the questions asked as ideas for future blogs or even products
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- Pull out all the witty and helpful things you said for social media updates
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- Upload to YouTube
What happened my first time
I used my photo-shoot for my new website as the inspiration for my first scope.
No one likes having their photo taken, especially for something as big, scary and important as a new website. So after my shoot, I hopped on Periscope to give my 5 top tips for making a photo-shoot for your brand smoking hot so that you can get your most desired result.
Yes, I was nervous that no one would show up except my assistant but they did – look!
So how can YOU join the fun?
If you aren’t already Scoping, you’ll need to download the app (iOS or Android) to your phone.
Once you’ve done that, follow some Periscopers – you can follow me on to see when I’m online.
My mind is already racing with ideas for more Periscopes on business success strategies, living and working in Ibiza, creating a business you love, interviews, tips on modern marketing so come join me!
Your first time
To start a broadcast just tap the camera icon, enter a title that describes your Scope, then hit “Start Broadcast” and you’re LIVE BABY!
Tips:
- Think about what you want to achieve with your scope – is it to give tips, have a chat, demonstrate something? But be prepared to change direction quickly if you get a load of questions on a subject you weren’t expecting
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- Make a plan of what you want to get across. I had my 5 tips on an index card because there were so many distractions I didn’t want to lose my thread.
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- Welcome and interact with your audience. If you ignore what people are asking you and just plough on you may as well have made a pre-recorded webinar. AND, who wants to be ignored?! The whole point of Periscope is the 2-way conversation. You may even find your audience chatting amongst themselves!
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- When you create your headline make it something that will attract viewers. Don’t forget the replays are all listed for 24hrs so make sure yours stands out from the crowd.
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- You can choose to have a private Scope with a friend the first time, you’ll have the option to make your broadcast private via the icons above the “start broadcast” button.
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- Not comfortable sharing your location? You can turn this off too – use the icon above “start broadcast”
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- If you’re not ready to broadcast your own Periscope just yet, participate as a viewer. Follow some of your favourite online peeps (I’m here!) and join in the live periscopes. (I got a bunch of new followers purely by my participation in other live Scopes)
It might seem daunting to put yourself out there in front of the camera, but it’s totally worth it. It’s quick access and low maintenance! Not like spending hours writing a blog or the prep involved in a webinar. A few quick notes and Bob’s your uncle.
AND then you have that material to repurpose in any way you choose! Win win.
Over to you
I’d love to hear your thoughts on Periscope. Answer one of the questions below in the comments:
Have you been on Periscope either as a viewer or a broadcaster? What was your experience of it?
If you haven’t ‘scoped yet, what topic would you talk about?
What scopes would you like to watch by me? You can ask me anything!
Need more help?
If you feel like this is just one more piece of a puzzle that you can’t get your head round, book a Clear Strategy session with me. We’ll look at what you’re missing, what’s holding you back, and come up with a plan which puts all the pieces together to give you a business you love, stress free.