As an entrepreneur, there are days when you’re juggling so many balls that you just don’t know which ball to keep from hitting the ground. What is an entrepreneur to do when there are many projects and ALL of them are priorities? How to manage multiple projects is something that is a learned skill for many.
We have put together a way in which to lay a foundation that will help you finish projects, prioritize them and meet deadlines. This article is aimed at those entrepreneurs who are blogging for their businesses.
How To Manage Multiple Projects
If you’re a writer, you may know all of these tips, if you aren’t planning to write your own articles, you may want to send this along to the writer on your team.
Know which article HAS to be the priority. Is there a deadline? Are all the project deadline-oriented? If so, which deadline is coming first? Which project will be the hardest to meet even if the deadline is further out? Write down the name of the project as well as the assets you need and the deadline.
Set your milestones. Even if there is a deadline, you may want to set a milestone that breaks the entire project down into smaller project portions. If your project requires interviews, research, outlines, asset collection and more break the project down into milestones.
Can any of the projects’ tasks be delegated? If so, write down to whom you can delegate it and reach out right now. Don’t make your looming deadline cause stress to the person to whom you’re delegating it.
If you’re managing multiple projects and multiple people and milestones I may be helpful to use a project management tool that everyone involved can access and that you can easily see and manage. Trello, Asana or even a shared Google doc can help.
Stay in touch with everyone involved in the project. Don’t assign it then walk away.
If you discover there will be any issues or if you will not be able to meet the deadlines, let your client know as soon as possible.
Reward your team for a job well done.
Do you have any stumbling blocks when it comes to writing projects, delegating writing projects or managing them? If so, let us know — we can help!
Are you new to working from home? Has the coronavirus pandemic lead to this switch in your workday from the office or your comfortable cubicle to trying to find room at the dining room table to work and take calls? We have tips for how to be productive working from home, especially if this is a new way of life.
Not everyone is accustomed to working from home and not everyone enjoys the freedom that being in their home offers them. If you’ve been forced to change your workday and your work life you also need to change your mindset.
How To Be Productive Working From Home
Working from home brings challenges and benefits and we have put together a list to help you be more productive during this transitional time.
Get dressed as though you were going to the office. It is easy to go from your “bedtime pajamas” to your “daytime pajamas.” Don’t get into the habit of living in sweats. You don’t have to put on a tie or a skirt, but do get up, get dressed, comb your hair, put on socks and greet the day like the professional you are.
Find a place to call your office. If you don’t have a room you can dedicate to an office space, find a corner of the living room, the dining room or even your bedroom (although we don’t recommend working in the bedroom because you need a separation between home and work). Set up a card table or a small desk and use that for work only.
Have work hours. If you’re used to working from 9 am to 5 pm then keep up with that schedule. Your colleagues and your boss or clients have gotten accustomed to you being in the office and available at that time so stick with it. Don’t give into your night owl tendencies and begin work at 9 pm.
Have a ritual for “going to work” and “coming home from work.” Don’t shuffle from the bedroom to the office then from the office to the couch at the end of the day. Set up a ritual that gets you ready to jump into your work day. When the day is over, close the door on the office (even if it is a virtual door), turn off company and work emails and get into a homelife mindset.
Keep in touch with colleagues. It’s easy to hibernate and communicate only through email. Pick up the phone. Send a text. Invite colleagues or clients to a Zoom meeting. Face-to-face can still happen even if you can’t meet for coffee. Have a virtual coffee date or a virtual Friday Happy Hour. It may seem odd, but it is fun!
How are you coping with the new workstyle? Has your workday not been impacted by the switch to more people working from home? If you are looking for more ways to be productive, to stay in touch and even to put together a strategy for a new business way of life, give us a call!
Coronavirus is leading to the shut down of many businesses not deemed “essential.” If you’re now working remotely and if you want to find a way to keep in touch with current clients and perhaps reach a new audience of clientele, why not take to online meetings. We have tips for how to host networking meetings online during coronavirus shut down.
Planning an online meeting isn’t difficult, nor should it be, but you will want to take a few steps and have a strategy in place to get the most out of it. When you’re planning an online meeting or webinar you will need to market it in advance, get sign ups and then follow up after the meeting has ended.
Host Networking Meetings Online During Coronavirus Shut Down
Here are ways to “fill the seats” at your webinar
Prepare a pre-event email campaign. How will people know you’re hosting an event if you don’t do pre-promotion? They won’t! Plan a launch campaign. The first message could be a tease – a “save the date” as it were.
After they have saved the date you will want to reach out again and give them a sample of what they will see, hear or learn during the event.
Offer up some behind the scenes, or teaser handouts. Get them interested and they will sign up.
Let them know what they will learn – in other words what is their ROI for giving you some of their time.
Give them an exclusive offer. This should be in the email invitation. Let them know what they will get: early bird tickets, deeply discounted merchandise, insider information, pre-launch insight, free bonus merch just for being there live
Urge your subscribers to forward your message to colleagues they believe will benefit from your webinar
Invite potential attendees to write and ask you if they have any questions or want clarification.
As the date approaches, send reminder emails to those who still haven’t signed up AND send emails to those who have registered to keep the excitement high.
If you’re having guest speakers, urge them to share the invitation with their list.
Promote the speakers in your email campaign
Finally, send a follow up. If you offered a time sensitive discount, remind them of the ticking time clock and build the sense of urgency.
Aaahhh the beauty of being a business owner is that you can take off every Friday, right? Well, maybe not so fast! If you’re taking every Friday off will your business grow and thrive? Do you take Fridays off? If you do, are you working on another day of the week? Are you working a four day work week consistently and working longer days when you do work?
Hey, as your own boss, you can do what you want, but know that if you don’t put in the time, how will your business grow? Perhaps time doesn’t have to be a factor in your business, but I don’t know too many entrepreneurs who work only a few hours a week and attain success.
Success, though is personal and only you know what success looks like to you.
Do You Take Fridays Off?
If you’re not productive or working on Fridays, and know that you should be, here are some ways to regain control of your Friday and perhaps even be productive when you do!
Plan to attend networking events on Friday.
Schedule client calls or client meetings on Fridays.
Take a class on a Friday.
Teach a class on a Friday.
Set aside time on a Friday to go through the enewsletters you sign up for and read through the trade magazines to stay current.
Use Friday to look at what you’ve accomplished.
Use Friday to plan for Monday and the next week.
Get out of the office and attend a networking event.
Clear out your email inbox so you’re not faced with an overflowing inbox on Monday.
Connect with colleagues.
Use Friday for prospecting calls.
Fridays don’t have to be full work days, but if you know you’re not productive on a Friday, that doesn’t mean you can’t make forward momentum on your business and its growth.
Are you productive on a Friday? What do you do on Fridays to move your business forward?
Show me the money! That is a famous line from a movie and while you may not be screaming that every time you write a blog post you may be wondering how to monetize your blog, right? Your blog is your company’s 24/7/365 calling card. It is where you share your expertise and your insight. It is the place you direct potential clients so they can see who you are and “hear” your tone.
Your blog also feeds new content to your website and that makes Google think you’re continually adding new content and that’s a great thing.
How To Monetize Your Blog
Here are a few ways you may be able to earn a little bit of money (in some cases, quite a bit of money) from your blog and that will help with the effort and time and, yes, money you put into it.
Affiliate marketing. You can be an Amazon affiliate and if you mention products in your blog post you can link to Amazon and potentially earn affiliate money. You could also partner with a business or a product or service provider who offers affiliate programs if you sell their programs or services.
You can sell advertising space on your site. Be aware that you will need to show a potential advertiser that you have the traffic to warrant their wanting to buy space on your site. Another way to sell ad space is to place ads on your site for products you endorse and you may earn a percentage of sales made when someone clicks on the ad on your site.
Write and sell ebooks. If you have an area of expertise that lends itself to books, write a few. Hire a ghostwriter to write them for you. The books don’t need to be long, short ebooks are popular. Ask us for information if you need a ghostwriter.
If you have a business model that lends itself to a membership site, sell paid membership plans. When you do this, you will need to offer the members perks they can’t get elsewhere, classes, downloads, online sessions with you, etc.
Write a sponsored blog post. Sometimes you may be approached by a brand who will pay you to write have one of their blog posts on your site. This is ideal if you agree with their product or service and their brand. For example if you write a vegetarian living blog, you won’t want to agree to a guest post on the merits of eating beef.
Have you ever looked into ways to make your blog “pay”? If so, how did it work out? What were your challenges? If you’re still searching for inspiration, reach out. We can help!
Some people who are always late will laugh it off and say it’s just a personality quirk or that “they’d be late to their own funeral.” Why are you late? That is something you need to look at and explore within yourself. It’s not a quirk, it’s not something that others find amusing — it is in fact a rude way in which to interact.
Whether you’re going to a family event or a work meeting or even showing up at work, are you late more often than not? Let’s kick off 2020 with a plan to stop your tardy ways and be more on time.
Being punctual is something about which many people pride themselves. Being late is not something they would ever do. Yes, there are times when you just can’t avoid being late — there is an accident, or a fire or something beyond your control. More often than not, though, if you leave early you will arrive on time. If you know it will take thirty minutes to arrive somewhere — don’t leave at the thirty minute mark. Leave forty-five minutes before your appointment. Give yourself a cushion. Respect the time of others — that is the main point of this conversation.
Why are you late?
Does time truly get away from you?
Do you forget to write appointments down in your virtual or paper calendar?
Do you need to set a timer or alarm in order to get yourself to meetings on time?
Do you have an assistant who could be called upon to remind you of pending meetings and to get you out the door in time?
Do you honestly not want to be where you are supposed to? Look into your own procrastination for answers
Why Are You Late?
In the past being late was relegated to “artistic types” or “creatives” and that no longer flies. Regardless of your vocation or avocation, being punctual is respecting the time of others.
Here are tips you can implement into your life to assure you’re on time:
Timers matter. It is easy to get so lost in a task that you honestly forget the time. To help prevent that from happening, set a timer thirty minutes before you need to leave. This will give you time to wrap up what you’re doing, visit the restroom, gather your stuff and leave on time.
Plan your tasks accordingly. If you know you have a meeting soon, don’t get involved in a time-consuming task.
Build in buffers. If you have calls that are scheduled for thirty minutes add a buffer before you have your next appointment. This will help you not feel rushed, help the person with whom you’re on the phone not feel rushed or short changed, and if you have additional time because of your buffer, get up and take a walk! Treat yourself.
If you simply can’t, or won’t set a timer, ask someone to give you a reminder. As an adult, you should be able to set your own timer, but if you know you’ll ignore it, then ask for help.
Take time to really do some soul searching on why you’re late. Are you late to everything or to specific things (like the dentist or a meeting with a client with whom you’re not engaged?) If you know what you’re late for then you can find reasons for your tardiness then address it.
Do you struggle with time management or productivity or getting to appointments on time? If so, drop us a message and let’s get you accountable!
