Business, Holiday
Having a side hustle is very common now. I know dozens of people that are working their 40 hours a week job and then they go home to work on their side job. It is a lot to do and while it is fairly easy to take a break from a “normal” job – what about taking a break from your side hustle? How do you take a break when you are the person that does everything?
It is possible and it is needed. Taking time off allows you to recharge and come back refreshed. The plan for taking time off is also a great way to plan for emergencies. Here is how to take the time you need.
Plan it out.
Personally, each “work” day I want to take off, I start planning that many weeks out. So, if i am taking 4 work days off, you plan 4 weeks out. I had planned to take a 3 week international trip that would have been happening now but due to travel restrictions and the COVID-19 crisis the trip was canceled. I had been planning content and other items at least two months in advance with my customers having known for a year.
Front Load All Work
Have all social media, blog posts & other work done and scheduled out. There are dozens of scheduling apps you can use. I like to schedule things at least a month in advance during normal times. I will also schedule at least two weeks after vacation. This allows me to come back, breath and then dive back into everything.
Have a Backup Person
If you are wanting to completely disconnect and not check anything while on vacation – something I highly recommend for at least 3-4 days a year – but are worried about what you will miss you can hire someone to help you. Virtual Assistants (VA’s) are a great hire for this. You can give them a playbook and your emergency contact if things spiral too out of control. They can watch your emails and social media for you. Hiring a VA for the duration of your vacation allows you to relax and be in the moment. Your traveling companions will thank you.
You need to take time to disconnect. The break will help you recharge and come back to attack your business with renewed enthusiasm. Where is your next vacation?
Business, Events, Holiday
Hosting events outside of your cultural norm can be difficult. If you do it wrong, people will drag you through social media and scream about cultural appropriation. But as the world becomes evermore multi-cultural, hosting cultural events is a great way to get your business name into new communities and expand your own horizons.
So how do you host these events? Here are my tips.
Find a cultural expert
Find someone in the cultural community that you are wanting to host and bring them in as a co-host or sponsor. Run your ideas and planning strategy by them. Ask them for food and decoration recommendations. And listen to them. They are your life line, don’t throw it away.
Be Genuine
People see right through a marketing or sales gimmick. Do not throw these events just to get some quick sales. You need to be ready to start and create lasting relationships with the people you are inviting. This is a long term play, not a short term gain.
Share the Experience
Do not invite just one subset of people. Include your entire customer list if possible in these events. Help promote the community you are trying to reach to your current customers. Ask your expert to provide some educational materials or speakers for those who do not know what the Holiday is all about.
These events are a great way to expand your network and your brands reach but they need to be done correctly. Do not pander, do not host these events just to make a quick buck. Host these events to learn and build lasting relationships for your business.
Questions to Ask of your Cultural Expert
- What dates should we plan around or avoid?
- What colors should be used and avoided in the invite and decorations?
- What images should be used in the printed materials?
- What kind of decorations should we have?
- Who should we use for catering?
- Should we make this family friendly or a business mixer?
- Who else should we partner with?
Business, Events, Non-Profit
I have been very lucky in the last six months to enjoy some amazing experiences. It wasn’t the entertainment or the food that made them amazing. It was the service. It was how all the guests were made to feel special and the consistency of that feeling.
You can give your event or trade show attendees the same feeling as an all inclusive resort with these tips.
Ask for and use your attendee names.
People love to hear their name. You can give your event a high end feel with this simple thing. Have your servers ask for people’s names and then write them down. Each time they go to ask if they would like another drink or something else they can glance at the diagram to remember the names. Trade shows you can use people’s name badges as triggers. Personalization will make you and your event stand out.
Eliminate the wait where ever possible.
People do not want to wait in long lines for registration or any other part of your event. Streamline your registration process with technology. Get your guests into the event they are there to enjoy as soon as you can. The bar is the one exception to this but anything more than a 7-10 minute wait is too long.
Be consistent.
You need to put thought into every aspect that your attendees will come in contact with. From the entrance to the exit, have a consistent feel and service. One wrong move at the end of an event can leave attendees with a bad taste in their mouth and an overall bad impressions.
One glaring example I find at events is that the main ballroom is beautifully decorated and the bathrooms are a mess. A simple flower arrangement and some additional lighting can make a huge difference is almost every room.
Remember that service is not what you do for a person but how you make them feel. Great customer service is focused on making your attendees feel like they are the most important people in the room.
Business, Events, Non-Profit
Volunteering for nonprofits is fulfilling and fun. I love helping and seeing the impact that I make. I have helped many nonprofits with their benefit events and over the years (many, many years) have created a way to streamline one of the most tedious parts of the events – the planning meetings.
I have been in many meetings that devolve into gossip, this is how we have always done things, and getting nothing done. Bad meetings waste time and demoralize your volunteers. Here are my tips to run an effective meeting.
Have an agenda.
I know this sounds rudimentary but so many people do not take the time to put together an agenda for their meetings. I also add check boxes next to the topics so people can check off what we have talked about. You are also able to keep people on topic by pointing out that you will cover that idea later in the meeting. If you are on a time crunch, put times next to each topic and move on when you hit your time.
This requires a leader that is willing to keep people in line and volunteers who are willing to subvert themselves for the greater cause. If you have a lot of leaders, rotate who leads the meeting and continuously point out that you have not gathered for you but for the cause. This can help curb hurt feelings and power mongering.
Set a Time Limit
A good meeting time frame is 1.5 hours. First 5 minutes is introducing new members to the group and the last 10-15 minutes is going over the tasks that everyone has been given and ensuring all are on the same page. How you carve up the rest will determine at what stage you are in your event planning.
A trick that an organization used in college was 3 pros and 3 cons. When discussing a motion or vote, the group as a whole was only able to voice 3 pros and 3 cons. People become more thoughtful and recognize that they cannot speak just to have their voice heard. It helped us cut meetings almost in half.
Host meetings at a neutral location
There are plenty of co-work spaces, libraries, and office buildings with open conference rooms that you can book and use for free or a nominal fee. Having your meetings at a neutral location keeps people from stressing over cleaning their homes, allows all parties to leave when needed, and keeps the subtle power plays to a minimum. You can often bring in water and snacks to hold people over as you chat.
If you know of a semi-quite restaurant that is willing to host you, this allows people to order food and drinks as they want. Stay away from the major holidays and most restaurants are very happy to have a low-key group of people come in.
Have a scribe for the meetings
A lot is said and a lot of ideas are thrown around, having someone take notes is a huge help. You can vote on positions or you can rotate them around. The scribe owns the last 10-15 minutes of the meeting to do a quick refresh of what tasks were handed out and when they need to get done. These notes are put into a master calendar that tracks the task, the owner, the due date, and the progress. This helps keep everyone accountable and allows the event to move forward at a good pace.
I know that with these tips you can keep volunteer frustration down, engagement up, and money rolling into your nonprofit event.
Uncategorized
Webinars are a great tool for small business marketing. You can reach a very broad audience for very little cost. You can then use the webinar as content on your website and break it down to post short form content on social media. The trick is getting people to attend your webinar – because then you have their name and email to send more marketing to them.
Here are some quick tips to host a webinar that people want to attend and will keep people coming back.
Pick a Topic and Stick to It
Last year I signed up for a webinar and was mortally disappointed. All the advertising talked about how the speaker was an Instagram growth expert and how she had grown her business on that. She spoke about how to create an online course – a course that was provided to 90% of the attendees for free. You want people to trust that you will talk about what is advertised. Let people know what you plan to discuss. Don’t pull a bait and switch – you will loose credibility.
Talk for Half the Time, Answer Questions for Half
People are joining your webinar to have their questions answered – not listen to you talk. If you give you attendees a chance to ask questions you will see a larger return audience. If you are looking to sell a product or service after the webinar – you do not need to give away your value proposition. Know what you are comfortable revealing before you start the webinar and don’t be afraid to state that certain questions are answered in your consulting, book, online course, or whatever it is you are selling.
Use Graphics
Gone are the days of long bullet points or paragraphs on a slide. Give your attendees graphics that show what you’re discussing and will trigger their memory later. You want people to listen to what you are saying – not be reading ahead of you. Most people will read the text on their screen and then focus in to what you are talking about.
Ensure You have Quality Audio and Video
People will quickly log out of a webinar that has more than 3 technical issues. Do a test run at the time and place you will be hosting your webinar the day or two before to ensure your systems are working. Have a back up plan for your internet connection and audio options.
Provide Value
Your attendees are giving up their time and their emails to you. Provide them with value in return. I know that most webinars are hosted so that a company can sell a product or service but make that the last 5 minutes of your webinar. Make sure your attendees can walk away with at least one tangible action item – not just your sales pitch.
This will encourage people to come back to your other webinars and gain you better leads down the road.
