Budget
and income: Making enough money to make
a living, whilst still growing and developing your business.
Time
& the lack thereof: As one person
what and how much can you take on while still having a balance and managing
expectations? We hold back on doing
certain things because we think we don’t have time, but in turn our business
suffers and sometimes we are none the wiser to missed opportunities.
Here
are five things that take minimal time and no budget that can really help grow
and improve your business: No more excuses!
Online
Presence:
We Google things and want
online contact with people all the time!
If you can’t afford a website or blog – make use of Facebook. It is free, millions of people use it and it
needs little to no design skills.
Facebook is useful as you can have product pictures, contact details, an
about section and people can make instant contact. Until you have evolved to the next step of a
blog or website use your Facebook page constructively. Have all the necessary details listed. I so often need to get hold of people and
their info is out of date or there is no information at all. Keep it current and updated.
Professional
Tone, Grammar & Spelling:
You need to
use a professional tone, whilst still being true to your own voice.
> Remember
the basics of good grammar and punctuation.
> Use
capital letters for proper nouns (name of people, places etc.)
> Check
your spelling.
Take
Better Photos:
You
might not have a state of the art camera and that is okay! Good lighting and a clean background will do
wonders for your shots. White cardboard
which is easily available from craft shops is ideal as either a background or
reflector. Create a small shoot area and
move it around to find the best light.
Direct sun is not always good rather try to be in a space with good natural
light. Test your shots and styling for
the best results.
Make
Lists:
I often hear things like ‘I am
not a list person’. Trust me you need to
become one. Unless you have the most
amazing memory you will never remember everything that needs doing. Keep a dedicated notebook or online / digital
list to keep track of things. Five
notebooks with 50 different lists in are just as bad as no lists at all. For my personal life and different accepts of
my business I have separate lists which I actually run off one central Excel
document. The lists are broad and even
include things that I know I won’t get to this year, but I have a tab for that
called Goals. When I have a gap I look
at my goals and see which one I can take on next. I then make small daily lists in a dedicated
notebook and divide it into personal, work and emails. My listing helps me to know what I need to
do and it also frees up brain space in order to think ahead. It means I don’t forget that I promised
certain people certain things. So if I
can’t get to it all I can at least tell them that I will be in touch and that I
won’t forget about them. My life is by
no means perfect, but I can get a great deal done in a day. Listing will also allow you to keep track of
orders and possible deliveries.
*These might get you inspired for list making - lovely notebooks from Typo.
Customer
Service and Managing Expectations:
It
doesn’t matter how big or small your business is, this essential. If you commit to orders make sure you can
deliver on your promise. Set times and
dates that are manageable. This ties
into your list making and planning. In
most cases people are happy to wait an extra day or two for something, but
perhaps check when they need it by, is it a gift for a birthday or for
themselves? Email them in advance if
there is a problem and offer a solution.
If you have done something wrong fix it or offer them something to say
sorry like a discount, a small free item or even just a sincere apology.
I
hope these help you to grow and ‘graduate’ to that next big thing like a
website or professional photo shoot. I
offer assistance with websites, blogs, shoots, branding and have a dedicated
and talented team to help prosper your business. In the meantime get going and make the most
of the tools you have!
Additional Resources:
PicMonkey: A wonderful online (free) picuture editing service which also allows you design a Facebook Timeline banner.
The Etsy Seller Handbook: Full of handy tips on being a seller, crafter and maker.