Your Life Sparkles

Once you have been working at your business, it can start to take over. The daily tasks and how busy you actually are can really hit! 

Getting the word out about your business is constant. Planning is key for me. I MAKE time to plan my next month ahead- this planning includes the next growth steps. Marketing dollars are often small when you start, you don't want to overextend yourself too soon. But there are plenty of ways to market your business and get the word out. Here are 4 ideas to start with: 

1. Facebook Group - use your group to leverage friends, ask for invites BUT make sure your group is providing value in your posts. People will not care if you are just selling. You have to engage them - use creative questions, share jokes, ask yourself, 'What would I want to follow in this group?' 

2. Talk about it! This seems simple, but we often miss chances at the coffee shop, grocery store and soccer night. You have a business you are excited about- let other know. If they are really interested, they will continue the conversation. If it ends up being 'polite small talk', that is just fine! YOU still did it. You shared it. 

3. Put up posters in local coffee shops- lots have community boards- put up a poster or postcard. People parouse them when they get their condiments and it's a low-cost way to get the word out. 

4. Join the Conversations- find other businesses like yours on social media. Follow and engage with them. Create a support network of like-minded professionals. Most people want to help. We like offering advice and supporting one another. 

5. Facebook Page- post daily. Make a plan to do 1x a day. Vary your post, but keep it going. 

My first business was an event business. I launched my first event and felt like a champion. THEN I realised it was one event in one month. I knew I would have to do more, a lot more, to make it an actual income- earning business (and not just a hobby). 

Doing my first event gave me courage and confidence... but it also made me worried. Could I do it again? What if it didn't sell out? Stop. Right. There. As soon as you are asking questios like this, stop... and rephrase. Ask, 'How can I do this again?' and 'How come my event is sold out'.. because the brain is seeking solutions... so if you pose good questions, your brain will find good answers. 

I kept momentum going for my next events: 

1. Choose 6 dates in the next month for events. DATES: 

2. Shared on Facebook photos from first event. DATE of posting: 

3. Shared on Facebook memes/sayings that were related to my business: DATE of posting 

4. LIVE on Facebook with me - talk about my events, tell people to get their tickets: DATE of LIVES

5. Make plans for website and online store 

6. Find new venues for events 

When I started, I accepted e-transfers and cash. It WAS difficult to ensure people would attend and in the early days, I had a lot that said, 'Oh, I'll just pay cash' and then they would not show up. Lessons learned. If people have a paid ticket, that is best. 

I am such a believer in setting dates, taking steps towards what you NEED to do to keep momentum going. Set a date, write it down and then work towards it. And remember, just keep going! 

Hugs from Kris  

You want to start a business! That's great!

It's exciting, overwhelming, nerve racking, wonderful... so many things. 

So, once you've decided...where do you start? 

There are many paths to choose, trust me. And there is not neccesarily a 'right way'. The key thing is to lay out a plan, with specific starting points, lay out a date for launch and then make it happen. Dates are very imporatant for accountability. If you don't set a timeline for yourself, it's easy to push it back, procrastinate and wait.. for just this one more thing to happen.. or whatever. 

Here is how I started my first business: 

1. CreateFacebook Page AND Group. Create by DATE:

2. Invite 50 Friends. Invite by DATE: 

3. Book 1st event. Event DATE:

4. Goal of participants at event. Participants: 10 (this is what I started for) 

Once I set those dates, I wrote them on my calendar (desk calendar, pen and paper!) 

Then I worked towards them... I wanted to succeed. Number 3 was the hardest because that would be out of the comfort of my own home. That would be me actually doing it. That would be me starting... but I did it. 

And for me, Facebook was the social platform that I felt *most* comfortable with. Nowadays, you have your choices! Start where you feel good, where your friends and community are. Over time, I added instagram, twitter, an online store and a website (Remember, this was my first business- more to come when I started my second business- youtube, merchandise, large scale events and launches). 

But in your very first endeavor, makegood plans, make them happen and as always, just keep going. 

Hugs from Kris