THE BEST ONLINE TOOL FOR ANYONE WHO WRITES COPY

As I'm gathering and compiling information to put together my new resources page on my website, I realized there is one tool I’ve been using for a while and have sort of been taking it for granted. It’s been there for me for quite some time, quietly guiding me in the background to write better, more professional copy for all my writing projects.

That tool my dear friends is Grammarly. If you’re not yet familiar with this really amazing tool, do yourself a favour and familiarize yourself with it. It’s worth it.

In a nutshell, Grammarly is an automated proofreader. Whenever you write documents, blog posts or any other copy for your website, it checks for spelling errors, grammar, punctuation and it even enhances vocabulary usage along with citation suggestions.

You may be thinking that you already have a spell checker that comes with your Microsoft suite. But, let me tell you, Grammarly is so much better than that! From my own experience, I can tell you that it finds more errors and provides much better suggestions than the one that comes with Microsoft. I write quite a bit and I often write fast, which means I make errors every now and then, so this is important to me. And if you write any kind of copy for your business, it should be important to you too, so you can always look professional.

The best part is that you can install a little extension on your internet browser and it will even correct mistakes anywhere you write. So if you’re writing a post on Facebook, guess what? It will be there for you to help you spot and correct those little mistakes which are so easily missed if you’re doing things quickly. It honestly has been so helpful to me so far. So much so that I wanted to dedicate a whole blog post to it!

In case you’re wondering, they offer a free version as well as a premium one with extra features. So to find out which one is best for you, just click here and view the options available. The premium version does offer some neat extras like the plagiarism detector that checks more than 8 billion web pages!

Whatever you decide, let me know in the comments how you like it after using it :)

TOP 4 APPS TO OPTIMIZE INSTAGRAM PERFORMANCE

With all the technology out there and a gazillion apps available for Instagram, it can get confusing and overwhelming when choosing what to use to make the best of your IG marketing.

Instagram is still growing strong and every business can benefit from using it. There’s no doubt about the power of this amazing social media platform. But, if you don’t know how to use it well, it won’t help you grow your business.

If you’re still a little confused about how to get started and build a strong profile, grab my free guide on how to get your first 1K followers on Instagram right here. Once you finish reading that, consider going further and exploring some additional apps to make your Instagram posting smooth as sailing.

When I first started out on Instagram, I never knew what to post. I frequently felt like I had no idea what I was doing and I had no clue how to grow an audience. I didn’t know how to plan out my content ahead of time. Instead, I opened the app every day and wondered, “What the heck do I post now?” Sound familiar?

With a lot of practice, study and research I quickly learned the ins and outs of Instagram marketing and now it’s actually an enjoyable process for me. What really made a difference was testing out a lot of different support apps that helped me make the best of my planning strategy. So I’m going to share with you my top apps that I’m sure you’ll love after trying them out.

1) Regrann

This is the first thing you need to install on your phone after Instagram. What this app allows you to do is repost other people’s content seamlessly. Once you set it up, it just stays in the background and while you’re inside of Instagram, you’ll now have the option to share a post. This is great if you see something you love and think it would be a great addition to your content. All you have to do is update your caption to personalize it and you’re done. Of course, please remember to always give credit to the original owner of the post by tagging them.

2) Planoly

I’ve tried many different scheduling apps like Later, Hootsuite, Crowdfire etc, but Planoly is by far the winner here. What I love about it is that it gives you a preview of what your feed will look like that includes all your pre-scheduled posts. It makes it so helpful to make sure your feed stays cohesive. The other apps don’t offer that and I find it very unhelpful. Try it out, I think you’ll love it.

3) Linktree

As you may know, Instagram only allows you to include one link in your bio forcing you to choose carefully where to direct your audience for further action. However, sometimes you might really want to share more links, like your website, your optin, maybe your Facebook group? And it can be hard to decide on one as well as annoying to keep changing it. Well if you install this app, you’ll be able to have multiple links in Instagram! I love this idea and I think it’s absolutely brilliant.

4) Evernote

This may sound out of place, but I find Evernote very helpful to organize my Instagram hashtags. I keep separate notes of my top hashtags, my optional hashtags (if I want to change them sometimes) and other things to remember. Then whenever I post something new to Instagram, all I have to do is open up my note and copy the hashtags so I can paste them in my post. Total time saver.

So these are my most used apps that help me make the most of my Instagram optimization. I don’t find a need to make it over-complicated and use too many things with my social media management. Have you tried any of these? Got any others that you love? Share them in the comments below.

Marta

HOW TO AVOID BEING A PUSHY MARKETER

We all know one or two pushy marketers. Many of us are exposed to them on a regular basis and frankly put, it’s freaking annoying.

I come across these every now and then, most often on Facebook. Honestly, sometimes I find it really hard to believe that people in this day and age still use the pushy tactic. You know, the one where they try to force you to sign up for their offer or buy their product even when you make it clear you’re not interested? I’m sure you’re familiar with it.

I mean it’s so sleazy and old fashioned, I just can’t understand who in their right mind thinks it will work.

Like when someone adds you to their Facebook group without permission, which you have no interest in whatsoever. For example, someone once added me to a group that was all about weight loss tricks. I for one have no interest in losing weight and for someone to outright assume that I do is quite frankly very offensive. I felt offended because it was like that person looked at me online and decided that I needed to lose weight. Maybe that’s not what they meant, but it’s how it came off anyway.

Or, when someone asks to be your Facebook friend only to force their offers or products down your throat. I mean, if I say I’m not interested, why push right?

Anyway, this post is not meant to be my outlet to vent, but rather, a reminder along with some suggestions of how to be a more thoughtful marketer.

So how can you avoid being a pushy marketer?

The old adage, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” really applies here. I mean it’s really simple if you think about it. Whenever you think of marketing directly to someone in a specific way that you’re not sure about, ask yourself, how would you react to it?

If the answer is that you wouldn’t mind, go for it. But, if the thought of someone doing it to you makes you feel icky in any way, it’s probably not a good idea.

To make it even simpler, here’s a simple guideline to follow when you’re on social media.

• Do ask permission before adding anyone to your private Facebook group. Instead of just adding their name, send them an invitation with a direct link to your group through messenger and let them decide if they want to join.
• Don’t assume that everyone is interested in what you have to sell. Target your niche market only and be polite about it.
• Do focus on them, not yourself when marketing. One thing many people forget is that marketing is not about themselves and what they want to say. It’s about your customers and what they might benefit from. Present your offer in such a way that speaks directly to their needs. But first, find out what their needs are instead of assuming you know what they need already.
• Don’t hijack other people’s posts! I’ve had this happen to me a few times and I cannot tell you how incredibly annoying and inconsiderate it is. I’ve had them come on my Facebook timeline or Instagram feed and post their own completely irrelevant promotion on one my posts under the comments section. I mean, seriously? It doesn’t get any sleazier than that. Do not do this!
• Do try to reply to all comments and questions on your posts. You want to encourage your followers to engage with you, so make sure to show them that you appreciate their comments by replying to them.

I believe if you follow these simple rules, you’ll be a lot more likely to make meaningful connections and attract real customers. Some people argue that you have to be pushy to get seen, but I do not agree with that at all.

Do you know what I do whenever someone does any of the above offensive actions? I BLOCK THEM, DELETE THEM, UNFRIEND THEM, FORGET THEM FOREVER. And I know that I’m not the only one who does that. So as you can see, sleazy marketing is definitely ineffective and can even get you in trouble because if you keep doing it, people will report you and you can lose access to a social media platform altogether.

There’s a difference between pushy and confident. What you want to practice is the latter.

Marta

6 REASONS WHY I SWITCHED TO SQUARESPACE

Your website platform can make a huge difference to your business growth and productivity. Finding the right one for you can sometimes take some trial and error, as it did in my case. But if you’re starting out or are not happy with your current platform, read this article to save yourself some hassle and time.    

For the past couple of years I’ve been a WordPress user. I went with that route when I started my new business because I was told by many entrepreneurs it was the most customizable website platform.

Prior to that, I had a website with WIX for my previous business. I’m mentioning this because that pretty much left a bad taste in my mouth for drag and drop builders. I found it super limiting in customization and there were a lot of things I just wasn’t able to do the way I wanted. This really frustrated me, so after I switched to my new business, I wanted to make sure my new website platform was capable of doing exactly what I wanted.

After doing extensive research, everything was pointing me towards WordPress, so I went with it. It was a huge learning curve at first but I’m the kind of person that likes to do it all myself when it comes to website building. The main reason for that is because I change my mind A LOT. I often like to change my design, layout etc. So I always wanted to be able to easily and quickly make changes whenever I felt like it, without waiting for a designer and paying for it each time.

However, after using it for about two years, I have to say I’ve gone through a lot of FRUSTRATION. I finally admitted to myself that there has to be a better way. I did more research and came across a lot of articles detailing why people made the switch from WordPress to Squarespace. Plus a good friend of mine had already been using it for a while and had nothing but good things to say about it. I signed up for their free trial and I have to say, I was instantly HOOKED! So I will detail out the reasons why I made the switch below and hopefully this will help you make your own decision if you’re in the same predicament as I was.

1) SPEED

For starters, WordPress is super slow! Whenever I needed to create a new page or make a small update, it took so long! And no matter how many different cache-clearing plugins I tried, it didn’t make a difference in the speed. This was also not good for my website visitors because the pages never opened as fast and as smoothly as they did on most other sites. This was the major source of frustration for me.

When I started switching my website content over to Squarespace, I could not believe how fast it was! I was amazed at the time I was saving. Plus you can preview your pages instantly whereas in WordPress, you have to wait for the changes to refresh in a new page each time. With Squarespace you get to see the changes in the preview mode as you make them, right then and there.  

2) EASE OF USE

With WordPress, some things are very difficult to achieve and take a long time to figure out. Anytime you want something custom made, you gotta go through all those forums, post your questions and hope that someone answers you. Many times nobody does.

Not only that, anytime you need something new done, you have to install yet another plugin. For me it always seemed like I had to have a gazillion plugins for my site to work properly. And guess what? The more plugins you have, the more they slow down the overall website speed.

With Squarespace, everything you need is included in an easy drag and drop builder. Whether you need a newsletter block, a contact form, a payment button or a product page, it’s all there. You don’t need to worry about installing a separate plugin for each one of those things. So simple.

3) LESS HASSLE

Speaking of those plugins that you need to install, they all need to be updated constantly. Almost every day some of the plugins have updates. And if you don’t update them right away, your website is in danger of getting hacked! What a pain.

You don’t need to worry about any of that nonsense with Squarespace because they take care of all necessary updates for you. Plus your website is secure. If anything ever happens to your website, Squarespace will fix it. With WordPress, if anything happens, you’re on your own.

5) BETTER FOCUS

When you don’t have to worry about constant plugin updates, taking forever to make changes or security of your site, you have more time to focus on actually growing your business. Seriously, you become more productive.

Now you can clearly focus on writing new blog posts, creating content and growing your audience. In other words, you have more time for those money-making activities. It’s so easy to get caught up in busy work, but not really move forward. However, when you have the right tools you need for your business, such as a faster and easier website platform, you’re less likely to waste a lot of time on minute details. Instead, you can spend your time productively, making progress in the growth of your business.

6) SUPPORT

And finally, you get way better technical support if you need it (which you will, trust me) with Squarespace. As I mentioned before, with WordPress you kind of have to hope that your question gets answered by another user because it’s an open source platform which you’re not paying for. This means that a lot of the time, you’re left with no solution, which leads to further frustration.

On the other hand, Squarespace comes with full technical support from professional staff. Plus, if you really want to do something custom that their templates may not include, you still have the option to ask questions in their forum. I found that many of my questions had already been answered there and I was able to find some custom CSS codes for certain functions.

In conclusion, I am very happy that I made the switch and I honestly wish I had done it sooner. Squarespace makes it super easy to launch and edit your site. You get a clean, modern and professional looking site in a breeze. Even though I was skeptical at first about being able to customize it, I was very pleasantly surprised at how many options there were. 

Marta

THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVITY

I don’t know about you, but I have a very strong need to be creative in almost everything that I do. When I don’t do anything creative for a while, I feel as if though my life is getting stale. I always crave creativity. Being creative nourishes my soul.

Creativity is essential to our growth and happiness. It can fill our life with joy and give it a sense of completeness. Everyone can get creative and everyone needs some form of a creative outlet. When we are creative we feel as if our world is vibrantly alive.

Creativity is also imperative to your business. As Richard Branson put it, “A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.” I fully agree!

Think of it this way, if you don’t regularly come up with creative ideas, your business will become stagnant and that never attracts clients. You need to regularly generate new ideas in order to stay relevant in your industry.

Being creative also pays a huge role in authenticity. That’s why it’s vital that you practice coming up with our own unique ideas if you want to stand out from the competition. Using other people’s ideas will only get you so far. If you want to really stand apart, make an impact and stay on people’s minds, you must use your imagination.

I personally like to play around with different creative outlets, such as writing, soap making, photography, cooking, graphic design and even colouring. I find that whether I do something creative for business or pleasure, it always helps me evolve my business somehow. As I play around with different projects, I get sparks of ideas for how I can take my work to the next level.

One of the most powerful ways to be more creative still is doing something out of the norm. Whether it’s traveling, visiting a new city, trying something totally new or simply taking a walk in a new park, it always gets my creative juices flowing. There’s something about the newness of things that open up our brains to new possibilities. It gets us thinking differently and often helps us come up with new ideas.

One other important thing to remember is to never censor yourself when you’re trying to come up with new ideas. If you need to brainstorm for a new business idea for example, write every little thing down that comes to mind, no matter how silly it might seem at first. This process helps your mind generate more ideas, and you never know where it will take you.

So no matter what you do for a living, I highly recommend you practice being creative on a regular basis. Creative living is fun living.

Now I’d love to know what you think of this subject and how you like stay creative. Share below!

Marta

THE SECRET TO SUCCESS?

Well I came back from San Francisco couple of days ago and as much as I love to travel, this time I'm glad to be back home. I caught a cold while I was there and I'm in some real need of rest and relaxation now.

I just wanted to say a quick hello and check in with you. I've been also thinking a lot about success while traveling. A lot of people are often looking for big juicy secrets to success. Do you believe there is such a thing as a secret to success? I don't.

I truly believe that there really is no secret. The truth is, in order to achieve success, one must simply get started. It's simple, but not easy. If that sounds contradictory, here's what I mean:

If you want to be successful, you must START working on what you want to achieve NOW. Not later, not next month, not next year, but now. It doesn't matter if you take small steps, as long as you take any steps towards your goals, that's what really matters. It's great to be a doer, not just a dreamer because it's the doers that really accomplish big things.

That's the simple part. Now the hard part is staying consistent and persevering despite of how slow your progress seems to be. This is where a lot of entrepreneurs trip up. They think that if they don't see huge results immediately, it must be a sign to give up.

But that isn't so. Just think of all those hugely successful people in the world. Do you think that they hit success instantly? Nope. Not even close. They all went through trials and errors,made lots of mistakes in the process, failed a bunch of times and finally succeeded. That's how it typically goes for anyone in business. You must be able to last through the tough parts of building a business.

However, once you get there, you won't regret anything you've been through. So keep that in mind while you're growing your business and never give up. Keep learning, be open to infinite possibilities and chive one!

Marta

3 STEPS TO MANIFEST ANYTHING YOU WANT

I’m giddy with excitement this week!

First off, my new rebranded website is complete. I feel like it reflects who I am and what I stand for in my business a lot more clearly. So I’m happy about that. It’s got new colours, which I love, and a bunch of peacock elements, which I also love! Do let me know what you think below :)

Secondly, I finished writing the content for my brand new training called “5 Ways to Bring More Authenticity to Your Business”. I will be releasing it soon! As you know, I’m all about authenticity and standing out. After all, that’s the only way you’ll ever connect with your ideal clients. So look out for that because I’m sure you’ll love it.

And last but not least, I’m super excited because I WON a free trip to San Francisco! Yup, I did! I already love California, but haven’t been to this city yet. It’s been on my list of places to visit tough, so I can’t wait to go at the end of the month.

How did I win? I was thinking about travel a lot lately. Then I thought it would be nice to win a free trip. So I went online and googled travel contests. I entered a few and bam, I won! I received 4 roundtrip flight tickets, 2 hotel rooms and 4 tickets to a baseball game. How fun is that?

I know this seems too good to be true. You’re probably thinking, “Yeah right, she just thought of it and suddenly won, just like that?” I get your reservations, which brings me to my main topic for today. THERE’S POWER IN MANIFESTATION.

This isn’t the first time I manifested a trip. I didn’t win the last one, but I manifested the money for it within about a week. There’s a way to manifest anything you want, and when I fully apply this way it really works. Here are the basic steps to follow when manifesting what you want.

• DECIDE

Everything always begins with a decision. So get clear on what you want and make it a must. Really, really want it (whatever it is you want to manifest). Decide that this is how it’s going to be. For example, “I am going to travel this month, end of story”.

• BELIEVE

Now the tough part, you gotta actually believe that it can and will happen. You will never manifest what you want if deep down you don’t believe that it’s possible for you to have it. You must be open to infinite possibilities. The best way to start believing it is to visualize yourself every day for a few minutes already in possession of what you desire. Really try to feel the feeling of what it would be like if you had what you wanted. Get vivid with your imagination and feel the happy emotions that come with it.

• TAKE ACTION

Now it’s time to do your part and get things moving. You can’t just wish for things and sit around waiting for them to happen. That won’t make a difference. What you must do is take inspired action. I know this sounds crazy obvious, but in my case I wanted to win a free trip. If I just sat there thinking about it, it would never happen. What must you do to win stuff? ENTER CONTESTS. So that’s what I did. I had to take that first step.

The last one may sound like a silly example to you, but I needed to include it because it’s that simple. Too many people wish they could win stuff but they never enter any contests. So how are they going to win? And this applies to anything in life. There’s no need to over-complicate things. You want things to happen, you have to do your part.

If you have big dreams of any kind, follow the 3-step formula. Decide what you want, believe in your dreams and take action. Simple as that. Enjoy manifesting and please share what you're planning to manifest in the next month. Comment below :)

Marta

HOW TO BAN WEBSITE SHAME

Alright I’m going to get real honest here. Some websites suck. They look like they came from the 90s and that's not doing anyone any favours. Is yours one of them? I hope not, but just in case please read on to find out if you need a website revamp.

The reason I wanted to talk to you about this is because I’ve been seeing a lot of really bad websites lately. It might sound like I’m being sassy or snarky, but I really mean well. I wouldn’t write this post if I didn’t care about your business succeeding.

The thing is that your website is uber important for your business. And it doesn’t matter if your business is brick and mortar or fully online.  A website can make or break a business. According to Yelp, 85% of consumers use the Internet to find local businesses. So having a professional business website is absolutely necessary. 

Think about your own personal experience. If you went to a website that was unprofessional, confusing and simply ugly, would you stick around? I wouldn’t! I’d find another place to peruse.

The truth is it doesn’t matter how good you are at what you do or how nice you are in this case because the people searching you online have no personal rapport with you yet. So you must impress them with your beautifully designed website to hook them on first impression, so that they are enticed to come and get to know you, which will ultimately get them to buy from you.

One of the biggest mistakes I see new entrepreneurs do is not having professional photos on their website. Selfies DO NOT count as professional photos! Please please please, put a little effort into taking a good photo of yourself to put on your ‘About’ page or any other page necessary for your business. If you don’t know how to do this, you don’t have to hire the most expensive photographer out there (if funds are an issue). There are a lot of fantastic photographers out there who are new at their craft and offer great introductory prices. All it takes is a little research. Pictures of you sitting in your house with random furniture in the background are a big no-no. Getting your hair done nicely and putting on some makeup wouldn’t hurt either.

Secondly, your website should be clear and concise, not cluttered or confusing. It should be your number one ‘sales agent’ to work for you while you sleep. That means, people should be able to log on to your website and be able to purchase your products or services quickly and easily without having to contact you for support. If I ever come across a website that makes it complicated for me to buy something, I’m gone out of there like lightning, never to return. My time is too precious to waste on back and forth communication with support and so is everyone else’s.

Again, this doesn’t have to be the most expensive project. If you have a big budget, you can of course hire a professional web designer who’ll do all the work for you. However, if money is tight at the beginning, there are so many really inexpensive options out there to create your own beautiful website. You can’t say you have no choices. It might take a little longer to do it yourself, but you must be willing to put in your best effort into your business if you want to succeed.

Always think about how you’d like your potential client to feel when they visit your website. Do you want them to feel motivated, inspired, playful…? Perhaps you want them to feel supported and safe, so they want to keep coming back. Do you want them to feel a sense of adventure? Whatever it is, incorporate it into your branding. Not only on your website, but everywhere else. Make sure you’re consistent in how you appear online on different platforms because that’s how you’ll build trust.

Most importantly, make it personable, so your visitors can relate to you on a deeper level. Show off who you really are, be authentic. When you do that, you’ll ban website shame for good because you’ll be comfortable showing it off when you know you’ve poured your heart and soul into it.

The truth is, when you create a website based on someone else’s design, you end up feeling like a fraud. You’ll never feel good about yourself when you copy someone’s style because it will never really suit you.

And if you’re not sure how to judge your own website, ask around! It can be hard to judge your own work. Don’t be shy about asking for feedback. Go to Facebook groups and ask people to give your their honest opinion of their first impressions when they visit your website. For example, you can join my private Facebook group AUTHENTIC ENTREPRENEURS MASTERMIND and talk to all the other boss ladies in there.

Or simply ask your friends. Keep in mind, this is to help you improve, so always welcome constructive criticism without getting your feelings hurt. Another great tool is Peek by User Testing and it’s free! Simply post your website and get strangers to give you feedback about your website.

So how do you feel about your current website? Does it represent you honestly? Do you feel proud of it? If not, what changes can you make now to fix that? Hop in to the discussion area if you have any ideas and start a conversation. I look forward to seeing your comments!

Marta

DOES YOUR BIZ NEED A MAKEOVER?

If you were completely honest with yourself, are you happy with your brand identity? Do you even have a brand identity? It’s okay if you’re not sure. A lot of businesses start out that way.

When I first started out in the online biz world, I wasn’t quite sure what branding really meant either. I thought it went as far as having a logo and business cards. The funny thing is that when you do your business completely online, you don’t even need business cards. I dutifully ordered my brand spanking new business cards when I first became a coach and to this date, I only ever gave out one card! Yup, waste of money and paper.

The truth is, branding goes way beyond business cards. It has more to do with you as a person than you realize. It’s your likes, your dislikes, what you believe in and what you consistently talk about that make up your brand.

Strategic branding improves recognition.

In order to create a crashworthy brand, you must ensure you’re consistent with the message you put out to the world, as well as be visually appealing. When you use the same elements in your branding and always talk about your one main message, your brand becomes recognizable over time. People will remember you by your consistent brand. This means they’ll think of you as an expert in your field and will be a lot more likely to buy products or services from you.

So how so you create an irresistible brand? There are a lot of approaches to this, and your brand will always evolve over time, but there are some basic steps you can follow to start with.

CREATE YOUR BRAND PERSONALITY

Start by deciding what personality you want your business to have. How do you want your clients to feel when they see your website, logo, social posts or products? Think of words that would resonate with them and make them want to find out more about your company. For example, I want my brand to be inspiring, motivating, fun, adventurous and luxurious. How do you want yours to feel?

USE YOUR OWN VOICE

Once you’ve decided on your brand personality, start using your authentic voice that speaks to that. This means, matching your message with your visuals. For example, if you’re a yoga teacher who loves nature, get your photos done outside on your yoga mat to prove it. Talk about what nature can do for us and bring in those natural elements into your branding as much as possible. In other words, inject your own personality into your business personality. That’s what will make you unique.

BE CONSISTENT

Most importantly, if you really want to be remembered for what you do, you must consistently use the strategies above. If you just randomly use some of these tips, your audience will be confused and won’t think of you as an expert. Your branding must be consistent and cohesive. This applies to your website, your newsletter, your logo, your message and your social media posts (plus everything else in between).

Don’t worry, with practice this becomes easier and easier.

If you need some guidance with building your authentic business that shines, keep your eyes out for my news next week about a brand new offer to help you do just that.

Marta

SHOULD YOU BE ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA?

I think it’s pretty safe to assume that if you’ve started your own business, you’ve been told numerous times to use social media to market yourself. Whether you sell products or services, social media is a great way to grow your customer base for free.

But if you’re like me, trying to be present on every single social media channel can be way too overwhelming. I remember when I first started, every time I went to any kind of networking event, everyone was swearing by their own favourite channel and gave me a bunch of reasons why “I must use it”.

Back then I didn’t know any better, so I obediently signed up everywhere for a new account because I was so scared that if I didn’t I would miss out. Soon enough I felt really frustrated because I didn’t have the time to be consistently posting on all the different channels. Not to mention, I didn’t like many of them.

For example, I felt unbelievably bored when I was on LinkedIn and I really didn’t get Twitter. I tried to like Pinterest but for some reason I never clicked with it. Facebook is a whole other animal because you can use it in so many different ways. There are aspects of it that I like and dislike. But more than anything, I love Instagram. So I decided to save my time and energy, and focus on Instagram as my main social media channel.

This works well for me because I actually enjoy going on Instagram every single day (multiple times a day actually) and I don’t need anyone to push me to be on there. I don’t even need to schedule it in my calendar because I don’t need reminders to have fun!

So if you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the different social media platforms and find it difficult to keep up with all of them, I highly suggest that you pick just one instead. Pick your absolute favourite one and put most of your marketing focus on that one. This doesn’t mean that you can’t be on any other, you can still go on some other ones, but don’t pressure yourself to show up with all your energy in all of them. That doesn’t work because none of us can possibly love all of them, so we’ll only end up coming off forced, which won’t attract our ideal clients anyway.

Once you choose one platform that you actually enjoy, your marketing strategies will become so much easier because you’ll be able to consistently show up with your highest level of energy in that one place. So whatever channel you choose, make it your priority to learn everything about it and get visible. Own your authentic voice and always keep focused on your main message. How can you show up there every day and be clear about who you’re serving? When you look at your profile with “outside eyes”, what overall vibe are you getting? Is your brand clear? Are you consistent? Are you clear on what you’re selling?

One other thing I want to mention is that you don’t need to be perfect at it before you start. I’m still learning about Instagram and I get better at it as I go along. I’ve learned so much about it in the past couple of months and I’m always putting what I learn into practice. This means that I’m regularly getting more followers and engagement. My feed changed a ton since I started. Don’t expect to have it all figured out before you start posting. Just have fun with it, and remember that nothing is permanent. If down the road you regret putting up a certain post, you can always delete it later! No need to sweat over this or take it too seriously. The most important thing to remember is to have fun and be engaging with your audience. This is how you build relationships and your brand.

So what’s your favourite social media outlet? Let me know, I’ve very curious. Comment below.

To your success!

Marta

THE BEST BUSINESS STRATEGY

Have you ever noticed that when you go on social media like Facebook groups, for example, so many new entrepreneurs post almost exactly the same things as one another? Have you seen how repetitive a lot of the content out there really is?

I have. I notice it every day. It’s no secret that marketing is vital for your business to survive. You must be visible to get customers. But how do you stand out when there are so many others doing the same thing you’re doing already?

The truth is there will always be many others building a business in the same industry as yours, whatever that may be. With so many people in the world, you can’t avoid that. But you can learn to stand out. And the secret to standing out in your industry is AUTHENTICITY.

You might think it’s hard to be authentic, but the truth is it’s the easiest thing in the world when you realize what makes you authentic. It’s really simple. Being authentic means simply being yourself.

Unfortunately, a lot of people find it difficult to be themselves. The reasons for that vary. Sometimes it’s a matter of self-doubt and low confidence. We learn to pick up these traits from a young age. From being judged in the past to feeling burdened by society’s expectations, we end up doing things that are against our very nature.

We often look up to others for inspiration and when we see how successful those people are, we think that we should do things exactly the same way so that we too can achieve what they have. But the problem with that approach is that you might end up modelling your idols so much that you lose sight of who you really are.

You start to talk like them and maybe you even copy their style a little bit. This is no way to be authentic. You have to remember that when you adapt someone else’s style, it will always be somewhat forced. Others can feel this and they’ll think you’re a copycat. That never bodes well for any business.

The only sure way to tackle this is to practice being totally yourself whenever you do any kind of marketing or social media posting. It might take some practice, but it’s worth it because people are hungry for authenticity. With so much noise out there, the more original and unique content or products you put out, the more likely you’ll get people to notice you.

So whatever makes you who you are, let that out. Let your true personality shine, quirks and all. Allow your customers to get a glimpse of your persona because that will help them feel more connected to you. People always want to do business with people, not companies. If you let them see you for who you are, you’ll gain your customers’ trust and they’ll be much more likely to buy from you or do business with you. So be yourself because an original is always better than a copy.

I’d love to hear from you. How do you stay authentic? Do you have any tips that haven’t been mentioned here? Share them in the comments below.

To your success!

Marta

TOP 5 TOOLS FOR INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY

Running a business can get complicated and overwhelming at times, especially if you’re unorganized. I personally love finding tools that help me be more organized because whatever eliminates chaos in my life helps me be more productive.

So today I want to share with you my top 5 tools that help me stay organized, which in turn helps me increase productivity. Let’s face it, when we don’t have it all together, we can waste A LOT OF TIME and then wonder, where did it go? You know the feeling, right? I think we’ve all been there.

These are tools I use pretty much on a daily basis and they really help me save time and my sanity stays in check, which is a bonus!

• Google calendar – I couldn’t live without this tool. Honestly I’ve used many other calendar apps and none of them compare to this one in my opinion. It makes it so easy to organize all your tasks, appointments and reminders all in one place. I love how customizable it is and I love the freedom of being able to view only certain calendars on my mobile device and others on my laptop.

• Trello (trello.com) – Anytime I have a new project that I want to start working on, I first go to Trello! Whatever I’m working on first starts with a brainstorming session followed by a backlog of every task I need to do in order to complete my project. And this is the best way I’ve found to keep track of all these tasks. Bonus: since it’s online, you get to be eco-friendly by reducing paper waste :)

• Canva (canva.com) – This is the simplest way to create your own graphic designs if you don’t have a designer’s background. It’s free, it’s easy to use and it’s super customizable. You can use it to create posts for social media or any other branding projects.

• Evernote – I love keeping a lot of different notes handy for reference, and this tool helps me do that electronically while being able to access them from any device. So I can keep notes like recipes and easily open them on my tablet in the kitchen. Or I can make shopping lists and always have access to them on the go from my phone. And of course, I can keep all sorts of business references there for quick access as well.

• Google docs & sheets – Let’s face it, Google has created some pretty amazing things. This is why I’m recommending their products again. Using their docs & sheets has been so beneficial for sharing information with others. For example, when I’m masterminding with my peers, we’re able to use one document and continuously add to it on both ends. The updates are immediate and we can share information between each other quickly and easily. No more saving a document on your computer and emailing it back and forth with changes. Who has time for that?

Hope you find these helpful. I’m curious; do you have your own favourite productivity apps or tools that you swear by? Please share them in the comments section below.

Marta

3 WAYS TO FEEL MORE SUCCESSFUL NOW

It has come to my attention recently that there’s an overwhelming hype on social media from new entrepreneurs who are supposedly making five or six figures in their first three to six months of business. While this type of bragging to lure clients in so “they can show you how they did it” isn’t exactly new, I am kind of alarmed at what it’s doing to the rest of us entrepreneurs.

What I’ve recently noticed is that new business owners seeking coaching are after one thing only – making money fast. Like, NOW.

This hunger for tons of money right away is a result of seeing all that nonsense all over the Internet, and quite frankly, I’m tired of it. I’m fed up with the false illusion those people are spreading because all they’re really doing is making everyone else feel completely inadequate for not achieving the same results!

Moreover, most of these people are not completely honest with everyone. What happens usually is that they’ve struggled for a year or two trying to figure it all out as they were starting their business, and then suddenly they came across a breakthrough due to some formula or idea. This breakthrough made it easier for them to achieve success, so about six months from then they started to make all their money. Now, they are going around telling people that it only took them six months to start making $10-$20K a month because they’re counting it from the time of discovering that new way of doing things.

So I’m not saying it’s not possible to make a ton of money in your business, but it definitely takes more time than we’re led to believe. Of course, there are always exceptions because you might hit some lucky break sooner than expected. But, for the majority it simply takes more time to build a solid business foundation and I don’t want you to feel discouraged if that’s what you’re experiencing. Do not think that there’s something wrong with you or that you’re not as good as someone else who’s “gotten rich so quickly” just because you haven’t got there yet.

Instead, I have three tips for you to feel more successful now.

1. Stop comparing yourself to others.

Comparison is the thief of joy, as they say, and no good can ever come out of it. When you compare yourself to another person who seems to have gotten very successful at a rapid rate, you’re damaging your own confidence. The truth is you don’t really know what their story is or what they’ve been through before to get to this point. Every single one of us has a unique path and story that shapes who we are and determines where we are in life.

2. Recognize what you’ve already achieved.

Often when you compare yourself to others, you’re also more likely to focus on what you haven’t achieved yet because of how far “they’ve come along”. This is another joy buster. So instead, take a good look at what you have already done so far and give yourself some credit for every little milestone. Even if you’ve just begun and only got 50 followers on social media, recognize that as an achievement. Say to yourself, “wow 50 people want to hear from me!”

3. Be patient with yourself.

Understand that success takes time and give yourself the time you need to achieve it. There’s no magic formula that will turn you from broke to $100K in a matter of three months. If someone’s trying to sell that idea to you, please beware of their hidden agenda. Instead of being in such a rush to make a quick buck, remember why you started your business in the first place. Obviously you want money, but more than that, I’m sure you’ve started your own business because you want to do what you love, you want to live creatively and have more freedom to call your own shots. Be patient and enjoy the process of building all that.

Marta

WHAT I LEARNED FROM MY SOAP BUSINESS

It’s been about a year since I’ve made the transition from my handmade soaping business to success coaching. I can’t believe how time flies!

As I reflect back on all the changes I’ve been through, I realize that I’ve learned a ton from my previous business. Besides the obvious, like how to create and run a product-based business from scratch or make handcrafted products that attract raving customers, I also learned another very important lesson.

The lesson is that not everything you love to do has to be turned into a business.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a total believer that we should all be doing what we love for living. In fact, I have no tolerance for anything else. I strongly feel that we’ve been put on this earth to thrive, not just survive, and our purpose is to experience as much joy as possible. If you’ve been following me for a while, there’s no doubt you’ve heard me say this before.

However, I often come across women wishing to start their own business stuck in their tracks because of this reason: they have multiple passions and they’re not sure which one to pick for their business.

Ever heard of the term “over analysis leads to paralysis”? It’s for real. When you start to over analyzing, you become paralyzed and therefore, stuck in a rut. Wouldn’t you rather get out of that?

The way to get out of this rut is to realize that not every hobby has to be turned into profit. It’s totally fine to have multiple passions and do things you love just for fun. In fact, it’s very healthy to engage in fun activities that inspire you just for your own pleasure. We all need creative outlets without the pressure of expecting financial results.

Starting a business is not always easy, so there’s no need to over-complicate it even more. If you have multiple passions, you’re actually one of the lucky ones because a lot of people don’t even know what their passions are at all.

So the best way to approach this is to consider how each hobby or passion plays out in an actual business scenario. Does it fit with your long-term goals? Does it suit your ideal lifestyle?

For example, when I first started my soap business, I found it incredibly fun and interesting. I loved creating my own recipes for new handmade products and I enjoyed the process of making them better and better. I loved that I was able to make products that were not harmful to people’s skin, were 100% natural and very safe to use for everyone.

But eventually, my sales started increasing which meant bigger production operation.  I know it’s a good thing when sales increase; however, I realized that I wasn’t able to handle huge orders by myself nor was I interested in opening a big warehouse that I’d have to oversee. That did not suit my ideal lifestyle.

I learned that I preferred a location-independent business which I could run from my laptop, from anywhere in the world, so that I could start travelling more. That’s why I switched to coaching because it is more suitable to my inner desires. Plus I get to continue to positively impact other people’s lives, but in a much bigger way.

I still enjoy the occasional soap making just for myself, family and some friends. So I didn’t have to give it up completely, but now I don’t feel the pressure of turning that hobby into some huge profit-making production.

You may be the opposite. You may love the idea of running a business with lots of employees under your supervision. If that’s the case, fantastic! The point is for you to get clear on what you really want. Figure out which business model suits you best and pick the passion that fits in with that. You don’t have to give everything else up, unless you want to. You can continue to enjoy your other passions at your leisure time.

The most important thing is that you start somewhere. Once you take your first step with clarity, the rest falls into place easily.

To your success!

Marta

HOW TO FIND YOUR PASSION

Living your passion is like living your purpose. To live on purpose means to engage in your passions and do things that make you feel excited to be alive.

Yet so many people don’t even know what their passions are. If you’re one of them, I totally get it because I’ve been there before and I know exactly how it feels.

I know how frustrating it is when you’re spending your days bored to death at your mundane job and everything else feels so monotonous you could cry. And I get how frustrating it can be when you talk about this to someone who’s never been through this before and they tell you to “just do what you’re passionate about”.

My favourite author, Elizabeth Gilbert wrote in her book “Big Magic” that if you don’t have a clear passion and somebody blithely tells you to go follow your passion, you have the right to give that person the middle finger.

You see now why I love her right? She’s hilarious and totally right! There’s nothing more annoying than when you confide in someone and tell them you’re lost, and they tell you, “Just follow your passion!” What if you don’t know what the heck your passions are??

If you’re one of those people still struggling to find your way, rest assured, there are ways you can overcome this obstacle. And one of those ways happens to be incredibly simple and powerful. This way is to:

THROW “SHOULDS” OUT THE WINDOW!

Over the past year or so, I’ve come to despise the word “should”. If you’re trying to find your passions by doing what you think “you should be” doing, then you’re just wasting your time. Sorry, but it will never work.

For example, if you force yourself to exercise just because you think you should, you will never enjoy it. But if you think of the benefits of exercise and think about how it will make you feel as a result (and you want those feelings), then you actually have a chance to learn to love it. Same is true if you think you should stay at a boring job for the rest of your life just because you’ve gone through school for it, even though it makes you miserable. You will never find your passion forcing yourself to do things out of guilt or worry. Worrying about what others might think of you if you decide to take a different path because you suddenly realized that what you went to school for was not your calling after all will only keep you stuck where you are longer.

The way we’re overusing the word should is mind blowing. Last weekend, my husband and I went for a really lovely, extra long walk by the water and we very much enjoyed it. Then suddenly he said to me, “We should do this every weekend” and just like that, the idea lost its original appeal. It suddenly hit me that we both do this all the time. Whenever we have a nice experience of any kind, we always say, “We should do this regularly” and we NEVER do!

Why? Because as soon as you use the word “should”, it’s like you’re putting this unwelcome pressure on yourself. Whatever you were doing suddenly has this unappealing side to it once you tell yourself you should do it more often. It puts a negative vibe on it immediately and makes you not want  to do it.

So here’s a challenge for you. For the next entire weekend, make a commitment to yourself to only do the things you WANT to be doing. Start with the days you’re off and you don’t have any responsibilities that have to get done. Do not plan anything for the entire 2 days. When you wake up, ask yourself, “What do I want to do today?” Then do just that and do it without feeling guilty. When you keep practicing this, you will feel wonderful and you will come to realize that all those things you thought you should’ve been doing were really not that important. This may sound simple, but it will start to open up new ways of thinking for you. You’ll start to understand what makes you feel really good and you’ll want to incorporate more of those things into your life.

Then take it a step further, and ask yourself, “What do I want to do in my life?” And let yourself get carried away for a while. Write down all the things that you’d want to do if there was nobody there to tell you it’s not a good idea. Write down everything that makes you smile, everything you find exciting and interesting. Keep writing until you come across something you could really see yourself doing every day for the foreseeable future. Eventually you’ll come across something that makes you so excited just to think about, you’ll want to burst. That, my dear, is your new passion.

Now what will you do with it? Leave a comment below.

Marta

THE REAL REASON YOU STILL HAVEN'T ACHIEVED YOUR GOALS

Goal setting to me is one of those subjects that you either love or you hate. I’ve studied goal setting for a few years now and I’ve learned a lot. I’ve battled with doing it right for almost as long as I’ve studied this subject. And yet, for the longest time, it was a battle I couldn’t seem to win.

There are many experts out there claiming that their way of goals setting is better than all the others, just to add to the confusion of how to do it right. One of the most popular techniques is the SMART goal setting, which you’ve probably heard about at some point.

Okay, so you’ve got to make sure that you goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. Okay great! I did that with my goals for a while thinking that now I will achieve them for sure.

I wrote it all down, I got real specific, I planned it out in my calendar to make it real, and I thought they were achievable. I made myself look at them at least once a week and forced myself to keep the goals at top of mind as much as possible. And yet, I did not make any breakthrough and never actually achieved my goals. I was left frustrated and discouraged, thinking this was all pointless because I’m only setting myself up for disappointment.

If you read my last paragraph carefully, you might have guessed what the problem was already. You might already know why I wasn’t achieving any of my goals. However, in case you didn’t, here’s the real shocker:

I was not in love with my goals.

Did you notice how I said, I “made myself” and “forced myself” to keep these goals going? Yup, they were that boring! My goals were not inspiring enough. They did not make me feel excited because they were goals I thought “I had to do”. Things I might have heard others say that were necessary to move forward in my business.

For example, I started hearing everywhere that doing Periscope was the next best thing for your business and everyone simply had to do it because otherwise they were missing out on humungous opportunities. My FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) kicked in and I started feeling the pressure to start my own Periscope. I created an account, I followed a few people and I made a plan to study this new phenomenon so I could do it right.

I even followed the SMART formula. This was months ago. Guess what? I still haven’t made a single Periscope video and after about a month of “making myself try”, I felt like a failure. Here was another goal I had NOT accomplished. Way to go Marta!

But you see, here’s the problem. I hate the thought of doing a live video! I’m not at all comfortable on live camera and just thinking about it makes my skin crawl. Every time I thought about doing it, I absolutely dreaded getting started.

So why did I want to do it in the first place? Well because of that whole thing about everything you want being on the other side of your comfort zone. Yes, it’s true and I still 100% believe this to be right. However, I’ve come to realize that there is one very important piece that must be included in the equation of any kind of goals setting. And it’s very simple.

You must be in love with your goals.

If I look back on the goals that I did achieve in the past, I definitely recall being super excited about each and every single one of them. Yes, some of them were scary and out of my comfort zone. Yes, they were challenging. But I knew in my heart that I absolutely without a doubt wanted to achieve them, so I did.

It turns out passion is the main ingredient in the recipe for success.

So here’s a pointer for you if you’re still struggling with goal setting and achieving. ONLY SET GOALS THAT YOU’RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT. This doesn’t mean they have to be easy. It’s okay if there’s a little bit of fear involved. That means you’ll be able to stretch yourself a bit and grow as a person. But you must feel passionate about achieving your goals. It’s imperative that you actually WANT to think about your goals daily and can see yourself accomplishing them because it feels right in your heart. If you set goals out of some sort of obligation like I did before, then you’ll either get bored or frustrated and chances are you’ll never achieve them. This will lead you to feel like a failure.

The bottom line is, it’s important to set yourself up for success not failure. You have at least that power within you, use it well.

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Has there ever been a time you did not reach your set goal? If so, why do you think that was? Or do you have your own super powerful way of achieving goals effortlessly? If so, please share your wisdom in the comments below.

To your success!

Marta

DITCH THE EXCUSES AND LIVE LIKE YOU MEAN IT

For a long time I was one of those people who kept waiting for something to change, so I could have a better life. I was waiting for Friday, waiting for the weekend, waiting for better weather, waiting for more money, waiting for better timing, waiting for a better car, waiting for a better house and so on. Anything to tell myself I’ll be happier when I have all those things, and all my ducks are lined up in a perfect row. I cannot tell you how many days I desperately waited for 5pm so I could finally leave work and go home, to be set free!

All those years when I was working at one meaningless job after another, I kept thinking, there’s got to be more to life than this – this endless rat race that doesn’t have a real reward at the end. I thought, there must be more than just working at a boring job every day, coming home exhausted, watching mindless TV for the rest of the day and waiting for the weekend to squeeze in a bit of fun. Deep down I knew there had to be more and I wanted it so bad.

But, I kept on waiting. I told myself to just wait for sunnier days, then I’d have more fun. When sunnier days came and still nothing seemed to change, I told myself to wait for next year, it will all be better next year.

One day it occurred to me that I could wait like this forever. It hit me that what I was really doing was making excuses and I could go on like this until the end of my days. I could’ve spent my entire life without experiencing true purpose of living if it wasn’t for that wakeup call.

I finally discovered that I had everything I needed right inside of me. I didn’t really need to accumulate more things like a bigger TV, a newer car or the latest shiny new laptop to make me happy. After a few years of accumulating these things which I thought would make it all better, it dawned on me that they weren’t making much of a difference in the level of my happiness. What I really needed was to ditch the excuses and start living the life I knew was meant for me.

I had always dreamt of being my own boss, so I finally kicked the fear of failure and went for it. Once I became an entrepreneur, everything changed. I no longer had to wait for 5pm to be set free because I was doing what I loved. They say your dream job doesn’t exist, that you have to create it, and that’s exactly what I did. As I was creating my dream business, I started to feel more aligned with life because I was finding joy in my daily activities. I no longer found myself waiting for Friday or the weekend because I was having fun every single day of the week. I now knew that the purpose of life was feeling as much joy as possible.

So if you’re still one of those people who are always waiting for something before you start enjoying your life, know this:

Your life is happening right now and it’s not going to wait for you to live it.

Regardless of what you have or don’t have, your life will keep moving forward, so you might as well move forward with it. So stop waiting for the perfect opportunity to be happier. Instead, create your own opportunities. Honestly, the biggest fulfillment comes from doing what you love daily and being of service to others in some way.

It’s your job to make sure you don’t live with regrets. So if your dream is to have your own business, go for it! If your dream is to go on that trip to Europe, make it a priority. Start making all your dreams a priority. Spend as much time as you can seeking joy and doing what you love because that’s what life is about. It’s time to ditch all those pointless excuses and live like you meant it!

How will you make your dream life come alive? Comment below to share your story.

To your success!

Marta

STOP SETTLING & START DOING WHAT YOU LOVE

I always knew that I was meant for something big, that I wasn’t meant to be ordinary, even when I was a young girl. I always wanted to be known for something great.

I didn’t have a clear understanding of what that meant at the time, but after many trials and errors through my early adulthood, I finally figured it out.

I now know that I want to be known for having helped people to find their passion, pursue their dreams of doing what they love and living a creative life. I want to be known as someone who isn’t afraid to go after her dreams and someone who’s always tried to carve out her own path to success instead of conforming to the norms of society.

Of course, it’s natural for all of us to derail from our purpose at some point in our lives. Things happen; life proves to be full of surprises and shows us that it will never go exactly as planned. Life often has a different plan for us than we imagined when we were little. And unfortunately, for a lot of us that can be quite discouraging. We often take the unexpected to mean that we were not meant to have our dreams fulfilled after all. We start doubting ourselves and saying things like, “What was I thinking? I can’t have that or do that.” And that’s when a lot of us start to conform to other’s expectations, such as our parents or just society in general.

We start to believe that we were silly to have those wild fantasies as children and foolish to think we could accomplish such great things. We then do the “normal” thing and get a “steady & safe” job.

That’s exactly what happened to me for a while. For some years, I gave up on my dreams and did the “normal” thing. I went to school, got a diploma (twice actually, in two different fields) and started working for someone else. I frequently changed jobs because none of them ever made me happy. I never enjoyed any of the jobs I had because they did not light me up in any way. Working for someone else was not my destiny. Deep inside, I needed to create something entirely on my own. I needed to be free to do what I loved as an entrepreneur, and that was the secret ingredient missing in my recipe for success.

Once I realized that was my reality, that I was never going to be happy with any “regular job” out there, I made a decision. I decided to stop wasting my time here on earth and start doing what I loved. I had a great desire to enjoy my life more, to be more, to do more of what felt right to me. I remembered my earlier fantasy and realized that it needed tweaking, but that deep inside I was always meant to be my own boss. I told myself I was done pretending like I was okay with living and ordinary life. I made myself a promise to do something that made me happier.

I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy. I knew it would involve a lot of risk to start my own business, but I also knew that it was the only thing that made sense for me. I needed to satisfy my free spirit and give it what it needed if I was going to make the best of my life. I was no longer satisfied settling for less than amazing.

Now looking back on everything that happened in my life, I understand that claiming my freedom, doing what I love and helping others do the same was my purpose all along. And I am feeling quite proud of myself for taking charge of my own destiny and embracing this path to my personal fulfillment. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. But then again, I’ve also learned to accept that everything happens the way it happens for a reason, so there’s no need for regrets! The only thing we must do is learn from everything we’ve gone through and make the best decisions based on our ability moving forward.

It’s important to remember that it’s never too late to change course and take charge of our own lives. We have dreams and desires for a reason and that reason is to fulfill them. Finding happiness is our purpose.

To your happy future!

Marta

ARE YOU HAVING ENOUGH FUN IN YOUR BUSINESS?

Okay, here's the deal. Sometimes, as entrepreneurs we get so caught up in the endless "to-dos" required to keep our business running that we forget to have fun.

This happens a lot. When you first start out, you’re so determined to succeed and make things happen that you often end up taking on too much. Before you know it, you burn out and working on your business starts to feel too much like your old job used to feel. You know, the one you hated so much that you had to quit before you lost your mind.

You might not even have realized yet that you’re in this place, but if you are, don’t fret! There are ways to fix this and bring back more fun into your business.

The last thing you want is to start hating your work because the reason you started this in the first place is to feel more enjoyment in what you do, right? And if you’re thinking, “Oh no, I still love what I do and have so much fun”, that’s wonderful! However, keep in mind that it’s still wise for you to follow the tips below, so that you never reach that stage of frustration.

So if you’re feeling a little frazzled and overwhelmed, the first thing I would suggest to you is to make a list of all your favourite parts of your business. Write down everything you love to do and as you’re making this list, acknowledge your deep appreciation that you get to do what you love every day.

Then make a list of the tasks that you dislike and that drive you crazy. Out of this list, think really hard about what you could possibly outsource. I know that at first it might not seem possible to hire someone to do things for you, but it might very well be worth it to at least start with outsourcing one small project or assignment. So if you dread responding to customer service emails, for example, you could hire a virtual assistant to do that part for you, so that you’re freed up to do the creative work that you love. Often the time you save on these tedious tasks is well worth the money spent (and it may not be as expensive as you think).

Next, I would highly suggest signing up for a mastermind group. This can be a small group of people who are in a similar place as you. The idea is to share your goals with your mastermind partners and keep each other accountable. Honestly, if you can’t find a group that resonates with you, you can always start one yourself. Simply go to some Facebook groups that match your industry and ask around if anyone would be interested in joining you. Sometimes it’s great to even have only 2 people in a group because you can really dive deep and create strong support for each other.

And last but definitely not least, make sure to always take enough rest! I know this can be hard, especially if you’ve been told that you need to work 24/7 in the beginning stages of your business because that’s the only way you’ll succeed. Well I strongly disagree. I, for one, did not start my own business to work like a dog. Oh no, I started my own business so that I could enjoy more freedom in my life. And what makes it “freedom-like” if I work all the time and never take any rest? If you attempt this “work all the time” idea, I promise you that eventually you will burn out and you will start to resent your business for it. Why even go there? It’s totally not worth it, so please take regular days off every week and make sure to spend some time doing fun things that have nothing to do with your business. This will also fuel your creativity!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. How are you keeping your business fun and exciting? Share in the comments below. I’m sure we can always learn from each other :)

Marta

5 TIPS FOR GOING AFTER YOUR DREAMS WITH CONFIDENCE

If you’ve been dreaming about having a certain kind of lifestyle for a while, but you still can’t find a way to finally “get there”, I have some tips for you to achieve your dreams with confidence. If you still haven’t checked off anything on your vision board, don’t fret! It is never too late to go after what you want. I’m a firm believer in that. I believe that no matter what situation you find yourself in, no matter what age you are and no matter what you’ve been told, IT IS NEVER TOO LATE to live how you want.

Here are my 5 tips for going after your dreams with confidence:

1. Destroy your limiting beliefs. First things first, you can’t get very far unless you believe that you can. So if you’re used to having limiting beliefs about your ability to live the life of your dreams, changing those beliefs must be your first step to achieving any type of progress.

2. Understand that it’s not enough to dream. It’s great to have grand dreams, but dreams don’t work unless you do. Once you get clear on what your dreams are, you must begin developing a plan of action. Start with small steps and always go for progress over perfection. Don’t just dream about success, work for it!

3. Stop comparing yourself to others. As Theodore Roosevelt put it, “Comparison is the thief of joy”. This is so completely true. When you compare yourself to others, you tend to start doubting yourself and asking things like, “why does she have it all and I don’t?” You must understand that each one of us is on a different path and each one of us has had different circumstances. It won’t do you any good to compare your progress to others. Just focus on your own path and your own goals.

4. Stop worrying about what others think. I know this one is tough, but when trying to achieve your dreams, please only worry about what you want, not what others expect of you. Ask yourself, “If I did not worry about what ‘they’ thought, how would I do things differently?” This can stir up some powerful inner observations for you. I know it did for me when I first asked myself that question!

5. Don’t let fear scare you away. I know that sounds funny, but my point is that change is always scary and can bring up all sorts of fear; however, realize that it’s part of the process and go along with it. In other words, expect to feel afraid whenever embarking on something new. It is totally normal to experience fear when facing new challenges in life, just don’t let it hold you back. Every single time I faced my fears and did something new and exciting (that scared me), I always came out stronger for it. Just follow your intuition on this one and you’ll be fine.

So there you have it. Follow these steps and you’ll be much closer to achieving your dreams. Just remember to always be kind to yourself whenever you’re embarking on something out of your comfort zone. Don’t beat yourself up when you make mistakes along the way, you’re human after all. Besides, mistakes are proof that you are trying. No need to beat yourself up about it and let them be a reason to stop and give up.

If you want to connect with other like-minded women who are also trying to do amazing things in the world, join my Facebook group for women entrepreneurs. It’s a place for lady bosses to share ideas and cheer each other on. Hope to see you there!

To your success!

Marta