Month: January 2016

  • The Challenge of Business and Life Goals

    Life and Work balance

     

    One of the big issues when you start your own business is whether or not you will have time to actually live your life. Striking a balance between the two has always been a problem for entrepreneurs forever. I know at times I struggle in this area as well.

     

    You think you have it together the plans and strategy and then life happens and all of a sudden you’re off balance. So the best thing to do is to affect balance without sacrificing your goals for either.

     

    Does this sound familiar? You start a business so that you can have more financial freedom in life and then you don’t spend any of your earnings because you are always working. Working for yourself may fulfill a lifelong goal, but you don’t have time to spend with your family, enjoy recreation or take a vacation.

     

    It can be hard to find time for both work and family, especially when you are doing it all alone. But, there is hope.

     

    Let’s look at 5 Balancing Tips for Business and Life

     

    Get help as soon as you can

    – Yes, it will be hard in the beginning. You may work long hours, but there is a brighter day coming. As soon as you are able to afford help without sacrificing profits, then get it! Extra help will free you up to handle bigger tasks and knock off of work early to enjoy the simple things in life.

    Flexibility

    – Rome wasn’t built in a day and your business won’t be either. Realize that there is more to life than working all the time. Build in time for family activities instead of finding more time to work. Keep your schedule somewhat flexible to account for sudden changes because we all know they happen!

     

    Life Balance

    Communicate

    – Keep your family in the loop about what is going on with business. If you need help from them, then ask. Make sure that you make decisions together as much as you can, so that no one misunderstands what is going on. Even though it is your business enterprise, it is a family concern in many ways.

     

    Use time wisely

    – Time management is always important, even if you don’t own a business. When you are working, divide tasks to get everything done in the allotted time frame.  While the week is mostly for work-related goals, let the weekends lead off as family-oriented. Adjust your schedule to take off a Friday now and then for a long weekend getaway with the family. Does that sound nice?

     

    Enjoy yourself

    – If you are not happy in your life or with your business, then nothing you do will matter. You won’t be motivated in either arena. Does the business seem to be sucking you dry? Take a new perspective on your goals. The same goes for your life. Making changes can lead to fulfillment and success. Life is too short not to get pleasure from it.

     

    So keep in mind your “why”. Why did you start your business and when it comes down to it does it bring you the lifestyle of your dreams? If you are struggling in this area reach out to me. Business building is easier if you don’t have to go it alone.

     

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  • What You Need to Know for Your Website Design

    website development

     

    When you first start out creating your website, or talking to a company like ours to develop one for you you’re going to have to stop and ask yourself, “What is the purpose of your website?” If you don’t know, it’s hard to create the website because without a purpose it’s impossible to get started. Not only that, it’s hard to use your website the right way if you don’t even know why you have it.

     

     

    Do You Want a Niche Affiliate Website?

     

     

    This is generally like an authority or expert website that is devoted to promoting someone else’s products or services using the code that they provide. This type of site requires the ability to place a lot of content and information on it, as well as a lead capturing service like AWeber.com, and it needs to be devoted specifically to the niche you want to support. It’s a lot like an authority website except it will promote other people’s products or services.

     

     

    Do You Want to Sell Products or Services?

     

     

    If this is the point of your website, then you’ll need an e-commerce website. It will need shopping cart technology, the proper security, the right type of server capacity, and a way to pull traffic and handle leads that don’t purchase right away. Knowing up front that you want to sell products or services directly from your site will help you explain to a web designer what you need.

     

     

    Do You Want to Generate Leads?

     

     

    Building a lead-generating website requires a little less technology than the e-commerce site, but it still requires such things as an autoresponder, special landing pages, attractive design and keyword-rich content that is devoted to educating the audience and collecting names to market to later (usually via an autoresponder system like AWeber.com or MailChimp.com).

     

    website development

     

    Do You Want an Authority Website?

     

     

    Many experts like to establish their online presence by creating an authority website. Usually they will fill the site with articles, blog posts, and information relating to their specific niche as well as possibly a portfolio and links to other work they’ve done that establishes their expertise more fully. This website basically requires the same technology as the lead-generating site, but it will be set up in a more personal way with the expert as the center of the website.

     

     

    Do You Want a Locally or Nationally Focused Website?

     

     

    Another important factor in considering the purpose of your site is whether you want to attract a local or national audience? If you have a local business where all of your foot traffic will come from people passing through or who live in your city, then of course you want a locally focused site. If you have a business that can be recognized nationally such as being an author, or selling products online, then you want to focus your website nationally. There are a lot of differences to the two that need to be understood before getting started.

     

     

    The makeup of your site also has many characteristics that are always important, regardless of the purpose. All need a lead capturing system with an autoresponder like AWeber.com and all need to have a beautiful and responsive design. But they each have their own purpose that needs to be clear when someone visits the site. Knowing your purpose will increase the marketability of your website exponentially. After reading this, do you know the purpose of your website? If not, contact me and I would be glad to help you figure out what direction to take.

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