Thinking of Turning Your Hobby Into a Business? Read This First

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Many people have hobbies they believe could be successful business ventures. Dreaming big is great, but sometimes we have to be practical. Starting a business is harder than it seems and requires lots of planning and risk-taking. Lots.

Unfortunately, no matter what products you create or services you can offer, you can’t predict the future. Before turning your hobby into a business, it’s important to sit down and think about all of the things that go into creating a successful company.

Here are a few things to consider before starting your own business…

Funding

Before you begin your business, you have to think about how you’re going to fund it. While you may not need lots of money right away, you need to be prepared for growth and potential emergencies. Whether you have investors or you’ve saved your own money, you’ll need to have funds readily available for anytime you may need it.

You can keep your day job in the beginning. This will ensure you have something to fall back on should your endeavor not pan out as you had expected.

Motivation

You have to be able to take the initiative and keep yourself motivated every single day if you’re going to turn your hobby into a business. Expect daily work and long hours—building a brand is hard work.

You’ll also have to learn the ins and outs of business—from account management to marketing initiatives. If you’re starting with less funding, you’ll need to teach yourself all of these different aspects. You might even consider taking a business course at your local college to get started.

If you can afford to hire a professional team, first hire people who can help you with marketing. Then, hire people to help you with whatever your weak spots may be or the areas where you have the least experience.

Branding

Your brand is what will make your products stand out from the crowd. Who you are is important to the public. It’s what helps them decide whether or not to work with you and buy your products. This is where your company mission is important. It shares your goals and values with prospective customers and employees.

Branding is also what helps people recognize and remember you. The images and designs you use on your products, website, business cards, and other marketing materials will make people recognize your brand. Be consistent in designing your website, marketing collateral, and other representations of your brand.

Networking

It’s important to network and meet people in your industry. These people will help you strengthen and expand your business.

While networking, you can find public relations contacts and media professionals to help market your business and manufacturers who can help you develop your products for less. You can also meet buyers face-to-face, which is always an advantage for fostering new wholesale relationships.

Networking takes communication skills, so it’s important to work on getting comfortable with public speaking and to learn how to talk to other professionals. If you’re initially uncomfortable in social situations, don’t worry. It gets easier. The more experience you have, the sooner you’ll develop these skills.

Professional Support

You’ll probably be working alone when you launch. However, as you expand and start to make a profit, it will be time to hire professionals like lawyers and accountants to help keep your business afloat.

Your attorney will be one of your most important resources in business. Your lawyer will help with trademarks, contracts, copyrights, incorporating your business, and more.

An accountant will also be vital, especially when tax season comes around. Your accountant can help you save money with exemptions and make sure all of your accounts are up to speed. He or she can also provide solutions should any financial issues arise.

Patience and Commitment

You have to be committed and patient to sustain a successful business. You can no longer treat your new business like a hobby- you have to work every day. Once you’ve launched, you’ll be working on this business full time, every day… for years. You have to be excited, prepared, and completely devoted to find success.

That said, we’re human! It’s normal to get frustrated sometimes when you’re running your own business. Stay level-headed when issues arise and remember success doesn’t happen overnight.

About the Author: Syama Meagher is a CEO and retail strategist who works with startup, growth stage, and enterprise retail businesses. The Scaling Retail founder has worked for Gucci, Barneys New York, Macy’s and more. For more information, visit Scaling Retail or email hello@scalingretail.com.

This post was originally published on May 18, 2019, and has since been updated.

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You Have 2.7 Seconds to Grab Someone's Attention, No Pressure

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Forget gone in 60 seconds, when it comes to a cold email you have a teeny tiny fraction of that time to grab someone’s attention. Think of the amount of time it took you to read the title to this article—about three to five seconds. Most likely you knew within those first precious moments whether you were going to click through, or peace (rude). 

Now imagine that you are a high-level executive who is bombarded by thousands of emails a day. The amount of time you have to read through unsolicited emails is limited. Lucky for you, according to a study conducted by Staples, high-level executives read an average of 575 words per minute (take their test here, it's fun, and let us know in the comments how you did), which means you might have a slightly longer shot at impressing them. But it's still a flash. Let's call it three seconds. 

So what do you do? Here are six steps to ensure that your recipient reads all the way to the bottom. 

1. DON'T CLICKBAIT YOUR EMAIL BUT...

The subject line is an underused resource. It should be succinct and informative. Unless you're trying to get a job at Buzzfeed, “17 Reasons I Will Make Your Company Successful,” is not the way to go. Also avoid "cute" or "quirky" or telling someone you have a quick question—no such thing. The best subject lines don't try too hard, but rather let your reader know exactly what they are opting into. Name-dropping is not horrible, but make sure you have a relationship with the person you reference. 

Every subject line should be different and tailored to whom you're addressing. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and you don't want to have a subject line that mirrors or matches ten other emails their inbox gets that morning. If you can tailor the subject line to a project the recipient is working on, that's even better. For example, if I'm writing an editor or fellow writer I might say: Brainstorming How I Can Speed Up Your Editing Process. 

That's an email I would open. 100%. (Someone please send me that email.) 

2. DEAR SIR OR MADAM...DELETED

Same goes for To Whom It May Concern. Sorry, but if you don't have the right name, find it. The internet is a trove of info and sometimes you have to take a deep dive into its caves to get the right intel, but much like the truth, it's out there. If countless people are sending generic emails, be the one who sticks out by figuring out the right person to send it to. Everyone (seriously, everyone) appreciates being addressed by name, and this shows that you went the extra mile to figure it out. And by all means, TRIPLE CHECK that you spell the damn thing correctly. We've all made that error and it's a surefire way to get ignored.  

3. HI, MY NAME IS...DELETE!  

Skimming is a practice that we all use. What you need to use are standout words that grab the reader's attention as they are hopping quickly over what you've written. "Hi, my name is," is a waste of a second. Your name is in your signature, if they like what you have to say, they'll find it. Instead opt for action sentences, like: "In the next two sentences, I will break down how I can grow your social media presence over 6 months." 

4. GIVE CONCRETE EXAMPLES... OK, LISTENING

No matter how many times this info gets repeated, people still refuse to do it. An email that has no useful information is a waste of everyone's time, including yours. If you've managed to hook the recipient with a great subject line, calling them by name, and a first sentence that slays, follow it up with info they can take to the bank. 

5. TO ATTACH OR NOT TO ATTACH 

If you're sending an email to a potential employer, and there are no instructions as to whether they prefer resumes in the body of the email or as an attachment, do both. Some people hate opening attachments, others want the option to download and print it out. So, convert the file to a PDF (it should always be a PDF), insert it below your signature and also as an attachment. 

6. TAKE THE STEPS TO CUT OUT UNNECESSARY CORRESPONDENCE  

In a way, this might feel like putting the cart before the horse, but it's a wild rat race out there. When someone writes me an email hoping to write for me, it never ceases to impress me when they say, "I've attached a piece I believe your readers will find interesting." That cuts my time in half. I don't have to write back and say, "Can you send me samples?" Even if the piece isn't the right fit, or we've covered it already, I have the sample I need to move forward.  

You wouldn't call someone to say, "I'm calling to schedule a time to talk." You call to talk. Apply the same premise to an email. The takeaway should never be that you want to tell them what you can offer: show them. 

This story was originally published on February 16, 2016, and has since been updated.

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Email Etiquette 101: Just How Many Exclamation Points Is Too Many?!!!

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If you've ever caught yourself wondering what people did in offices before the advent of the internet, you're not alone. 

They hung out by water coolers. They answered phone calls. And, if we are to take away anything from TV, they drank. And though boozy martini lunches may be a thing of the past, etiquette isn't.

Email etiquette has taken the place of phone Ps and Qs, but there are still some rules to follow. You don't need to censor yourself, but unlike a phone call, emails (and diamonds), are forever. 

Ahead, we investigate whether or not you should use exclamation points in business emails.

THE EXCLAMATION POINT & THE XX

We're not talking about the band. We're talking about the need to make sure everyone knows you're nice—sooo nice—via email. 

Tone is hard to judge, and email is a brilliant way to miscommunicate how you feel and misinterpret what others mean as well. So we seem to have gone the way of over-intoning. How many of you have started off an email with the following: "Hi [insert name here]! It's so nice to e-meet you!!" It's kind of the equivalent of hugging someone in a meeting. Which, isn't standard biz practice.

Your first email should feel like a strong, on-point handshake, not a slumber party hug. 

We are all guilty of it, but it might be time to take it down a notch. It's not just women who are guilty of the over-exclamation. Men have fallen into the exclamation trap as well. 

If you want to go all X and O crazy after that... you have that email love fest. 

RESPONDING TO A NOT-SO-NICELY WORDED WTF EMAIL

We've all had horrible bosses. We've also all been on the receiving end of some email vitriol from an angry client or colleague. The kind of email that either makes your heart race or your eyes roll. (The kind of email that can lead to tears on the job.) Before you respond, take a minute. Literally, count to 60. Some people say an hour, but that's too long and gives that email too much room to fester. Here are a few good phrases, that show you're willing to compromise without shouldering all of the blame. (Note: if you actually are in the wrong, fess up, move on, and do better.) 

"Let's figure out how we can come to an understanding." 

"Let's work together to solve this." 

"I have some ideas as to how we can make this better."

Phrases like "I'm sorry you feel that way," or any kind of personal attack, come off condescending, rude, and unprofessional. What you're trying to do is put out a fire, not set the office ablaze. The fastest way to take the oxygen out of a fight is to not point fingers and keep it BIFF (Brief, Informative, Friendly, and Firm).  

And remember, being diplomatic in the face of drama is a skill. Hone it and own it just like any other professional trait.   

THE NUDGE-NUDGE, FOLLOW-UP

You're sitting there. Refreshing your inbox. Your boss down your throat, wondering where what you've promised is, but you don't have it—because you're waiting on someone else. This is the simplest, easiest way to email elbow. 

"Hi X—Checking in on the below. Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help expedite this process. We are really looking forward to working with you." 

Simple. Brief. Not annoying. You want it to convey a sense of friendly urgency—because most of the time, that's the feeling you have.

If you get ignored again, and it happens, the third follow-up should put more of the responsibility on the recipient. 

"Hi X—Please let us know if you are still interested in (insert opportunity here). This could be a great opportunity for both of us." 

If they don't respond, there's a fairly decent chance they aren't interested, and at that point, you need to head back into the kitchen and whip up something else and make it work. 

1-800-EMAIL-BLING

There is a disconnect between generations. Baby boomers and Gen Xers who think a phone call is better than an email. They aren't wrong. Sometimes it's a whole lot easier to jump on a conference call, suss out details, get rid of tonal confusion, and charge full steam ahead. 

But we live in an email-centric world and learning how to craft a good one is a key to business strategy. So here are five quick tips to making your email the blingiest it can be.  

1. Don't mass email. Make it professional but personal. 

2. Proofread. Especially how to spell the recipient's name. If you mess up before they even get to the body of the email, their entire reading will be colored by the initial whoops. 

3. Elevator pitch your email. Condense it. People like email because it's fast. If you need to delve into deeper convo after the initial email, that's fine. Don't start out that way. 

4. If you are sending business emails from your phone remove the auto signature. "Sent from my iPhone" is sloppy. 

5. Don't be afraid to be yourself. To a degree, email removes personality. You don't have to be a robot to be professional, and chances are, you'll never stick out, get ahead, make moves if you're acting like one. 

This story was originally published on December 8, 2015, and has since been updated.

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How to Be a Boss on LinkedIn

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Whether you’re fresh out of college or between careers, chances are you’re going to turn to LinkedIn for that next dream job posting. Companies spend a lot of money to promote their open positions, so it's imperative they find the right candidate for the job.

But with about 500 million users on the site, it can be difficult to stand out and make sure you’re noticed. Here are six tips to make sure your LinkedIn profile is on-lock, cuts through the noise on the platform, and grabs the attention of that potential employer.

Choose a photo, and make it industry appropriate

This one’s a no-brainer. According to LinkedIn’s site, a profile photo can lead to nine times more connection requests. Don’t stress about scheduling a photographer or studio for that profile pic. These days, more users are replacing professional portraits with more natural-looking outdoor shots.

Not sure what to wear? Think of the industry you’re applying to and wear clothes that fit. If you’re in a creative field, wear something that shows off your personality (in an appropriate way, of course). In business or politics? Stick to a classic suit that shows how much of a boss you are. More than anything, look like yourself!

Location is key

Just as important to your photo is disclosing where you are. Your profile is 23 times more likely to be viewed when your location is listed. If you live in a larger metropolitan area, select the option to for “Greater [City] Area” to cast an even broader net. There’s also an option to let potential employers know that you’re willing to relocate if you’re worried your location will deter recruiters in other cities from viewing your application.

Skills, skills, and more skills

While listed at the bottom of your profile, the skills section is just as important as your experience and education. LinkedIn states that listing five or more skills tailored to your intended industry will get you “17x more profile views and up to 31x more messages from recruiters and others who can help you get ahead.”

Utilize your coworkers, friends, and colleagues to get the most out of those listed skills, too. Kindly ask someone to endorse a skill for you, and make sure to return the favor.

Highlight relevant experience, then craft the perfect headline

While it may be easy to get carried away and list every single job you’ve ever had, remember that less is oftentimes more. Don’t oversaturate your profile with too much experience. Instead, focus on highlighting the most relevant experience you have to the types of jobs you’re applying to. Keep descriptions short, sweet, and to the point. It’s a profile, not a novel.

Now it’s time to write that headline. If you’re working on a degree, this is the perfect place to let recruiters know when you’ll be graduating. If you’re out of school, put your current job title or simple list the industry you’re hoping to work in.

Let recruiters know you’re open, with a simple button

On your profile, there’s a button to let recruiters know you’re open to finding a new job. By utilizing this feature, you’re essentially turning on your profile so recruiters can see it.

If you haven’t told your current employer that you’re looking for a new job, have no fear. LinkedIn protects your privacy and won’t show that you’re currently looking for a job to your current company.

Share your profile (you worked hard on it)

Now that your profile is as perfect as can be, it’s time to promote yourself! Don’t be afraid to link it to other social media accounts or even in your email signature. As the saying goes, it’s not what you know, but rather who you know. And with today’s digitally-focused society, you never know who’s looking at your social media accounts or where that next job offer could come from. Make it that much easier for that next job opportunity to find you.

About the Author: Aly Ferguson is a former editorial intern for Create & Cultivate and a graduate student at the University of Southern California studying Literary Editing and Publishing. When she’s not in the C&C office or at school, she can be found with a cup of coffee and a Stephen King novel.

This story was originally published on April 16, 2019, and has since been updated.

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Why "Just" Is the Most Unfair Word (Hear Us Out)

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Let me just say: if I had asked you what the most offensive four-letter word is—with “u” as a second letter—you might think of others that top the list. (Hint: it’s not “busy” and doesn’t start with “f.”)

Status update: the word “just” should be banished from your vocab. Too many of us use this seemingly harmless word in emails, in conversations, and even in our minds.

To be clear, there are still two instances where “just” is justified:

1. Just do it.

2. Just desserts (as in, “I am only eating desserts”).

You might feel that using “just” all the time is NBD, but once you realize how it undermines you when speaking and when rationalizing with yourself, you will cut it out—stat.

Here are the three scenarios where we tend to use “just”—and we’re not doing ourselves any justice at all.

IN EMAIL

“Hi! I’m just following up on my email from last week….”

“Hi! I’m just emailing to confirm our meeting next week.”

Now consider how much more assertive you would sound if you deleted “just” altogether and it went more like this:

“Hi! I’m following up on my email from last week….”

“Hi! I’m emailing you to confirm our meeting next week.”

Stronger, right?

The truth is, when we add the word “just” it’s usually innocent and serves as filler to make an email flow better.

But when we take a closer look, it sounds apologetic. It reads like this: “I don’t mean to bother you, I’m really just contacting you again to [follow-up/confirm/check-in].

Tara Mohr, a career and personal growth coach who teaches women worldwide how to step into their power, covers this in her book, “Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead.” According to Mohr, women are “playing small,” so she shares the tools she’s used to help women take big steps forward in their lives and careers.

Mohr dedicates a chapter to “Communicating With Power,” and the words women tend to use that undermine them. These words are “the little things we do in our speech and writing that diminish our impact.” After all, Mohr reminds us that “our words are our opportunity—and using ‘just’ is a 'shrinker’ because it lessens the power of what we have to say.”

Because we want to be apologetic for asserting ourselves, we lean on words like “just” to ensure we don’t sound aggressive or harsh. This is no way to lean in, ladies.

So next time you’re drafting an email, strike out the word “just.” It will make you sound confident, strong and assertive. Just. Like. That.   

“Using ‘just’ is a ‘shrinker’ because it lessens the power of what we have to say.”

IN MEETINGS & CONVERSATIONS WITH COWORKERS/CLIENTS

"I just want to explain…”

“I just think…”

“I just want to make sure I understand your point of view here..."

Why are we asking for permission to validate our understanding of others’ P.O.V.? Or worse, asking for permission to explain our own stance?

The “I just want” and “I just think” needs to stop right here, right now. To be fair, these are likely harder to control, because speaking with confidence and assertion can be more challenging in person. Email and social media allow for the kind of anonymity that make it easier to speak your mind since you’re not face-to-face—whereas you might feel more insecure or feel the need to please in a meeting or client call.

So here is your mental reminder to kick “just” to the curb. If you’re worried about coming off as too harsh, Mohr recommends remaining kind and diplomatic with your tone of voice, choice of words and body language.

You can slay those meetings without using “just”!

TO OURSELVES

(*Says to self)

"I will let the client get away with it, just this once."

"I will say yes, just this time..."

"I will just get over this crazy period, and will then get myself more organized."

Whatever kind of boss you are, the excuses need to stop. In this scenario, “just” is the word that’s hindering your progress.

By allowing yourself to take on a project for less than your usual rate, accepting to be treated disrespectfully, or not pushing back on requests, you are setting yourself up for failure.

Show your clients that you have limits and that it’s not okay for them to [insert shady verb here] you over.

When you’re “just-ing” all over yourself, it becomes an excuse to put things off -- like taking control of your life and saying no.

The “just” is a Band-Aid solution. It makes you feel good in the moment and makes you feel like you’ve got this. Because it’s just one all-nighter. It’s just one week of putting off the gym to make it through this crazy period. It’s just one week of being tied to your laptop and not talking to family or friends. And it’s just a month of asking yourself, “How did I accept to take on this project—for this deadline—for zero pay?”

But in reality, it’s all a distraction—and it’s preventing you from moving forward.

JUST THE FACTS

For a small word, “just” can cause some real damage—to your reputation and your reality. Banish this word from your repertoire altogether and be fair to yourself.

About the Author: Karin Eldor is a coffee-addicted copywriter, with a long-time love for all things pop culture, fashion and tech. Ever since she got her first issues of YM (remember that one?) and Seventeen in the mail, she was hooked on the world of editorial content. After earning her Communications degree, she spent 6 years honing her craft as a senior editor for AskMen.com. More recently, Karin enjoyed ‘gramming and strategizing as social media manager at ALDO. Today, she is chief content writer at 818 Agency and a social media consultant. 

This post was originally published on August 16, 2016, and has since been updated.

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13 Things You Didn't Know You Can Write Off

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The world may be turned upside-down right now (thanks, COVID-19) and Tax Day has been moved to July 15, but we suggest you make the most of your quaran-time and get those taxes done!

We’re here to help ease some of the stress before you start scrambling to collect receipts and scour all your bank statements from the past year. Sure, taxes can be a drag (or something to look forward to if you know you’re bound to get a tax refund), but if you’re like most independent contractors or freelancers, you might owe a hefty amount of money to your state and the IRS.

However, there are so many things taxpayers fail to claim on their yearly taxes that could definitely help ease the fees that you owe back. To help you get a tax break, we’ve made a list of tax write-offs that many of us fail to claim and you may be overlooking, too.

Out-of-Pocket Charitable Deductions

If you contribute to your community and help with charitable work, or give charitable donations that include out-of-pocket costs, your good deeds may be rewarded with a tax write-off. If you’ve donated food to a soup kitchen, bought clothes for a women’s shelter, or even driven your car for charity, make sure to keep those receipts as they can work as a great tax deduction.

Home Office Costs

Now that we all WFH this deduction may be more useful than ever. So, your bed may not count, but if you use part of your home regularly and exclusively for business-related activity, the IRS lets you write off associated rent, utilities, real estate taxes, repairs, maintenance, and other related expenses. So if you are one of the lucky few working in your pajamas in the luxury of a home office, this year is to make the most of this write off.

Moving Expenses for Your First Job

Once you’ve moved past the job hunting phase and have landed your dream job on the other side of the town, or even the other side of the country, you’ll need to move closer to your job. If you’re moving farther than 50 miles away, you can write-off your moving expenses this season, including transportation.

Child Care Credit

If you have to leave your child, who is filed as your dependent under 13 years of age, with a sitter or at daycare while you’re at work, your child care expenses can serve as a tax credit, up to $3,000. 

"Smart" Tax

If you are going back to school to sharpen your skills, are taking special courses for work, or have bought literature (books or magazines) that are relevant to your field of work, make sure to mark these as your “smart taxes.” Which, goes to show that any money that you spend on your education is always an investment. 

Baggage Fees

Did you know you can get those annoying baggage fees right back into your pocket? Save the airline receipts from any checked baggage that you had to pay for, and mark them as a deduction when you file. 

Energy-Saving Home

If you’re eco-savvy and have turned your house into an eco-friendly home in the past year, you can be rewarded with a great tax credit for your improvements. We know you went for paperless last year, but in this case, you might want to keep those paper receipts. 

Financial Advisor/Accounting

If you have a financial advisor, tax preparer, or even paid to use a program like Quickbooks or Intuit to manage your finances and taxes, you can deduct those fees for the year in which you paid for them. If you still have your receipts from paying your preparer or the programs that you bought, make sure to include those in on your deductions!

Healthcare for Self-Employed

If you’re a boss lady of your own and are paying your own bills, like your own healthcare, then make sure to include your medical and dental bills in your deductions, as well as those bills for your family and dependents. 

Phone Bill

If you’re always using your phone for work and have not yet put your phone bill as a part of your deductions, you have been missing out on getting some money back! Make sure that you keep track of what calls are work and which calls are personal as those will be very important to differentiate when it’s time to file.

Fostering a Pet

Some people can’t commit to adopting a pet, but if you were able to foster a pet in the last year, you can include expenses from the pound, vet, and even food when you’re filing for taxes. A good tax deduction can come from your charitable work. 

Jury Duty

Jury duty may be a drag, but the pay you get from the court is tax-deductible if it was turned over to your employer. It all comes full circle! 

Bad Luck, Accidents, and Damages

There are things that are simply out of our control, like your car breaking down, your roof caving in after a storm, or even you actually breaking a leg after your colleagues told you to break a leg at your client meeting. If you don’t have insurance and you have to pay out of pocket for repairs and medical bills, you can include them when you’re filing for taxes as a tax deduction. It’s not all bad luck after all!

This post was originally published on February 11, 2019, and has since been updated.

How the Right Website Copy Is Like Having a Sales Team

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So you've got a new business. You've developed a crazy-good "why hasn't anyone invented this yet" product. Or maybe you're delivering an "oh-my-goodness-what-did-I-do-without-you" service for clients. Either way, you're clear on what you're selling, you're clear on who needs your business, and you're clear on how you want to come across to your customers.

Now comes the part where you've got to make your business profitable. So you buy your domain and set up your email accounts. You get a business bank account. But then you're faced with a series of dilemmas:

• Do you hire a graphic designer to make your site look like a million bucks?

• Do you need new brand photos every month to keep up with the changing seasons?

• Which of the software solutions your trialing deserves a subscription fee?

• What add-ons will actually help your bottom line, and which ones will just drain your profits?
  

In the rush to create a brand that looks beautiful, with just the right fonts and colors, copywriting often gets overlooked.

Once your site is ready to go live, only then are those placeholder blocks of text addressed. But here's the thing: just writing about your company isn't enough, just coming up with a cute tagline won't get you any additional customers, and just describing your products and hoping photos convert buyers... while you might get some buyers, a lot more would-be customers will leave without a compelling written message.

The superpower of copy is that it isn't just text.

In fact, it isn't even just marketing. Well-crafted copy is an online salesperson who works around the clock for you. Even better, copy can have 1:1 interactions with hundreds of prospects at once. All while you sleep. Or work on R&D. Or actually get to the gym for once this month.

It works its magic by entering the conversation already happening in the mind of your customers

What are people worried about? What's a pain your product could solve? Great copywriting goes way beyond analyzing search terms. Because behind every feature of your product or service, there's a deeper benefit: something unique about your offering that will make your customers' lives better the moment they open your box.  To find those key benefits — the things your customers are truly looking for — you've got to do some digging.

Start with customer surveys. Ask your customers why they purchased from you at this time - what they needed, and how you've solved their problems or brought more happiness into their world. Then write copy that addresses those very problems and frustrations head-on. Get specific with them. Finally: take those messages and put 'em on your site!

With copy, one round of investment means you're getting a 24/7 global salesforce

How's that for scale? Oh, and the other thing: Once you've established a strong message about outcomes and benefits that resonates with your market, you can stick with it for a long time. Meaning, you get long-lasting ROI, and that’s something any business owner can celebrate.

About the Author: Anna Bradshaw is a conversion copywriter for happy brands. She helps businesses find their core messages and writes data-backed copy that's packed with flavor. She writes from Southern California where she lives with her husband.

This story was originally published on June 1, 2019, and has since been updated

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Why You Should Follow Up Your To-Do List With a “Ta-Da!” List

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Setting career goals is like climbing a mountain. It sounds exhilarating and achieving it will be an amazing accomplishment. Yet there's that point in the middle where it feels like... well, work.

There’s a crucial point of difference between the daily grind and mountaineering, though. Taking a hike offers the benefit of your line of sight and a GPS. Even if you can’t see the destination, you can likely track exactly how far away it is. Whether you’re a tenth of a mile or 10 miles from your landing spot, you can expect to arrive at a certain time. It gives you the opportunity to see—and celebrate—your progress.

Reaching the peak of your career is a little more ambiguous. While you may be able to guess at an amount of time necessary to complete your goals, there are a lot of factors at play, and you may meet resistance along the way. The daily grind can feel repetitive and even discouraging at times. One way to stay on track and be ready to face whatever setbacks you encounter is to keep the right attitude. Mindfulness is a critical component to creating and keeping your goals. This is why you should follow up your to-do list with a “ta-da!” list.

Making a “ta-da!” list isn’t an exact formula, it’s more of a reminder to cultivate joy around the process of achieving your goals. It’s about acknowledging the small steps you’re taking and praising yourself with a pat on the back (or a whipped coffee). Practicing gratitude is commonly associated with better physical health, mental well-being, and increased happiness, according to a recent white paper from Berkeley. Quality of life is a huge component to the emerging field of gratitude research, and work is a big part of how we spend our lives!

Follow these three steps to create effective to-do and “ta-da!” lists, while keeping a positive attitude in the process.

Clearly define your goals, but be willing to go off-course

Putting words to what you want to achieve will help you make an effective to-do list. Whether you’re working a 9-to-5 or trying to build a side hustle, writing out a list of goals and tasks is essential to getting stuff done. However, be willing to pencil in a little room for the unknown. Just as the best view of the mountain might be slightly off the beaten path, the most successful individuals plot out a course and know when to pivot. Maybe it’s an unexpected job offer that will allow you to gain valuable experience, or an opportunity to collaborate with someone you could learn from. Reevaluate your to-do lists regularly to make sure they’re still working for you.

“Making a “ta-da!” list isn’t an exact formula, it’s more of a reminder to cultivate joy around the process of achieving your goals.”

Write it down

There’s a famous study from Harvard Business School that followed their MBA graduates for 10 years, and the grads who had physically written down their goals had earned ten times more than the others. Your goals and daily “to-do” list will keep you on track to achieving those mountainous goals.

But don’t underestimate the power of your “ta-da!” list. According to the Berkeley white paper, a study found that workplace-specific gratitude was negatively associated with burnout. Just like goals and to-do lists are more effective when you write them down, gratitude works the same way. Write down encouragements for yourself and even positive mantras rather than just drawing a line through the things you’ve achieved. You worked hard, celebrate it!

Celebrate it all

While it’s easy to pop champagne for those huge milestones, the whole point of this exercise is to infuse more joy into the day-to-day. When you look back, most days aren’t memorable on their own, but each one makes up the seasons we’ll someday look back on as stepping stones that led us to the next. Focusing on the wins—however small—will make you less likely to get burned out on the journey. And we’re all here to reach the peak, aren’t we?!

About the Author: Ana Elliott is a writer, photographer, and small business owner residing in Springfield, Missouri. In her free time, she can be found seeking out a good honey latte and/or just trying to keep another houseplant alive. You can find more from her on her personal blog: She Learns Things.

This story was originally published on May 23, 2019, and has since been updated.

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4 Ways to Prevent Work Burnout

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Free time is costing us more than it seems. Drake knows. And so do we. 

In part, this is because all of our illusory free time has been sucked into the vacuum that is the all-encompassing work life. 24/7 availability is the norm. You aren't taking a mental health day because your car-peer (AKA your career peer) hasn't taken a single sick or vacation day. And you're answering emails from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep. But no one, not even your boss, is immune to burnout. 

So if you're smiling on the outside, crying on the inside, we feel you, and we don't want you to get to that point. We know the usual steps to avoiding burnout (grab a coffee and go for a walk around the block, make sure to fit in a workout, and take your lunch breaks), but there has to be something more, right? There is. 

Here are four ways to keep your mind healthy in the midst of the career grind. 

1. Identify What You Need From Your Career

We have various needs when it comes to work. There are some employees that excel in high-pressure situations. Others need a much more consistent day to day. However, six virtues have been identified as important to keeping our headspace happy at work: 

1. You can be yourself. Enough said. 

2. You’re told what’s really going on. Transparency within the workplace makes you feel like you belong and matter to the company. You want to feel like you're an important 

3. Your strengths are magnified. If you're constantly being told what you're doing wrong, without doing tasks or being given the option to show your strengths, you're going to feel like a failure all the time. And your star is going to burnout when it enters the work atmosphere. 

4. The company stands for something meaningful—to you. Think about what is meaningful to you. It matters when you hit the hay if you feel like this next point…

5. Your daily work is rewarding. Feeling discouraged day in and day out is one of the biggest contributors to burnout.  

6. Stupid rules don’t exist. 

2. Focus on the Rule of Three

To-do lists are as never-ending as the stream of information. If you feel the heat of burnout on your back, narrow your focus. At the beginning of the day, aside from your to-do list, write down three things that you want to accomplish before the moon takes its spot overhead. When you set small challenges that are within reason, you will feel purpose heading into the following day instead of discouragement. 

Aristotle wrote about the rule of three in his book Rhetoric. To simply the concept, the philosopher said that people tend to more easily remember things grouped by threes and that threes are funnier, more satisfying, and more effective. It's a writing rule that you can apply to work. 

3. Switch Up the Order of Your Day-to-Day

We get into the habit of answering emails in the morning, brainstorming in the afternoon, and taking meetings in between. The monotony of doing the same thing can wear on the mind. If you think of your brain like your body, you know that you have to switch up exercise routines to see a difference and avoid adaptation. Your brain is the same, and if you want to get out of a creative rut, or move away from the burnout cliff, make simple switches that workout different parts of your brain at different parts of the day. 

Brainstorm creative ideas in the morning. Creative thinking is facilitated by the interaction between the left and right interior frontal gyri. 

Answer emails around 11 and give your temporal lobe a workout. The temporal lobe is the part of the brain that controls reading and visual recognition. 

4. Take a Break From Tech

I think about Don Draper a lot. And not because I have a thing for Jon Hamm or want to drink at work. Rather, I think about the days he spent sitting in his office, brainstorming ideas, his imagination unrestricted and unfettered by tech. 

When I find myself stumped, I'll scroll Instagram. Mistake. This usually makes the problem I'm stumbling over worse, I get more frustrated and less able to concentrate. If you feel like you've landed in the same brain-melting position, it's time to do what I call "the Draper." 

It's kind of like work meditation. Turn off tech. Hone in on that beautiful brain of yours and don't get distracted by the pinging and the dinging. 

This story was originally published on April 19, 2019, and has since been updated.

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How to Build an Amazing Brand When You Have Zero Budget

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When you're first launching a business, it can be difficult to know where to spend money, where you can save money, and how to get a little scrappy. Do you invest in that pricier domain name? Do you hire a designer to create your logo? Is it really necessary to consult an SEO pro to hone your content strategy?

Thankfully, the folks at GoDaddy know all about building a brand (and websites). So we picked their brain for insider tips and tricks that will pay off in the longterm, including some freebies you should 100% take advantage of. Keep scrolling for 10 zero-dollar ways to get your brand off the ground RN.

Treat your domain name like an investment. 

The longer you have it, the more value it holds. Links pointing to your site are a major factor in ranking on search engines. As you accumulate more links over time, your credibility improves, and so does your search ranking. The age of your domain is also a ranking factor.

Changing your domain name has serious implications; it’s like changing your business name. If you change your domain, you’ll need to rebuild the credibility with search engines (which takes time), and reach out to all of the sites that linked to you to get the links updated (which they may not do).

Register a domain name early on in your business and stick to using the same domain name as your business evolves.

Use the same username/handle everywhere. 

These days, your username is a core part of your online brand. Your business should be using the same username for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest, Etsy, and so on. This demonstrates a strong, professional brand that’s integrated across all channels. As with your domain name, choose your business username early on and treat it like an investment—you’ll earn links and mentions over time, all of which contribute to your business getting discovered.
 

Deciding on a name for a new business? Google it. 

See what comes up. If there are existing businesses using the name you want, or even individuals who have a similar username for their social media accounts, try a different name. One of the perks of starting from scratch is that you can see what’s available and lock in your usernames across multiple platforms before your new business has even launched. Tip: Namechk lets you quickly figure out if a name is available across different domains and social media platforms. 

Use consistent branding everywhere. 

Aim for as much brand uniformity as possible everywhere that your business is present online. Use the same profile pictures, colors, fonts, image styles, etc. If you’re doing offline marketing, like flyers or business cards, your online branding should be consistent with that. An easy starting point is to lock in your brand color guide. Find a set of colors that reflect your business. Coolors is a free tool for generating color schemes.

Invest in design. 

Visuals matter more than ever. If you’re not artistically inclined, hiring a designer can do wonders to give your online presence a professional boost.

If you’re just starting out and have minimal budget, sites like Fiverr or 99Designs can connect you with designers in your price range. If you can afford local market rates, look for designers in your area, especially if you have an arts or design school nearby!

Start off with something small, like images for your website or social media, to get a feel for the relationship. Once you’ve found a designer that you’re comfortable working with, start exploring bigger projects, like branding or site (re)design. (Have zero budget to work with? Canva is a great DIY tool for putting simple visuals together.)

Invest in photography. 

The need for strong visuals carries over to photography. Poorly-lit, low-resolution snapshots are good for authenticity on social media, but you still need crisp, professional imagery for other purposes. If you’re putting photos of yourself, your team, your workplace, or your customers on the web, take photos specifically for that purpose. Smartphone cameras have come a long way, so if you prefer to go the DIY route, read some introductory tutorials so you understand the basics of lighting and composition.

Use simple, clean templates and layouts for your website. 

Too much visual clutter distracts and overwhelms. A simple website layout, combined with strong design (fonts, colors, branding) and strong visuals (images, photographs) works wonders. Plenty of margin and whitespace between elements lets the page “breathe” and makes it easier for site visitors to skim over your content. Speaking of content…

Use your website to answer questions before they’re asked. 

When someone hits a website for the first time, they start judging it very quickly, taking everything in at once, trying to determine if the site is relevant to them. When you review the content on your site, put yourself in the shoes of someone who doesn’t know a thing about your business, and think of the questions they might ask.

How do you introduce yourself? How do you prove that you know what you’re talking about? What are the benefits of the things you’re trying to sell – why should the visitor care? Why should they trust you? What are others saying about the products you sell, or the services you provide? What about other FAQs, like return policies, or customer support? Use those questions to guide your site’s content.

Collect email addresses. 

An email mailing list is one of the greatest assets you can develop through your website. And you can segment the list based on your relationship with the person.

Are they someone who follows you on social but hasn’t bought yet? Are they a customer? Are they a loyal customer who’s repeatedly bought from you? Maybe they’re an influencer with an audience of their own?

You can send out highly relevant, targeted messaging that’s unique to each segment. And the more targeted and relevant your messaging is, the more effective it will be. We’ve got a bunch of tips on email marketing in the GoDaddy blog. 

Measure everything. 

Sign up for Google Analytics. Google Analytics will give you visibility into where visitors are coming from, and what visitors are doing once they’re on your site. This guide walks you through the process, including setting up goal funnels. Review your Analytics reports at least once a month, alongside your email mail list reports and other reports, to inform your planning.

We’ve incorporated all of these top tips into the new GoDaddy GoCentral website builder.  It includes clean layouts you can customize for your business; a library of beautiful photographs to pull images from; support for a wide range of content types; integration with GoDaddy Email Marketing to build your email list; and support for Google Analytics to monitor website usage.

About the Author: Andy McIlwain is a member of the GoDaddy blog team looking after content & resources for web designers and developers. You can connect with Andy on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and his personal blog.

This story was originally published on April 30, 2017, and has since been updated.

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6 Ways to Reinvest Your Tax Refund and Make Your Business Profitable

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If you're investing in yourself this year, you should take a minute to think about what that means for your taxes. Don't fret, this is the good kind of tax post. Early bird catches the IRS worm, after all.  

And with tax season just around the corner, it's never too soon to give pause on how you're going to spend a refund.  While everyone will tell you that year one of being a small business owner is the hardest, during tax season, there are multiple credits you can take.

If you’re in the position to get refund from the IRS, the best decision you can make as a business owner is to put that money to work.

Here is how to reinvest your tax refund. Use these six ways to make sure that year two is golden (or at least in the green). 

You’re only as good as your team.

You hear this again and again because the numbers do not lie. It costs you time and money to employ workers who do not work at optimum capacity. According to a study conducted by ADP, engaged employees are 57% more effective and 80% less likely to leave your company. Employee turnover or a disengaged employee can cost you $2,246 per year. To power your bottom line you need to make sure your team is happy and appropriately paid. It might be hard to see the payout to pay your employees more, but it is a long term investment. 

The goal shouldn’t be expansion (unless you really do need to add to your team), but reinforcing the team from within. 

Know When You Need to Delegate and Let Those Reigns Go 

If your tax refund gives you the flexibility to outsource tasks that are eating away at your time, it might be the right time to consider doing so. For instance, if as a business owner you’re attempting to cut corners for the sake of funds, but you’re wasting time in the office sorting, organizing, answering customer support emails, or you’re losing hours in QuickBooks, figure out what you’re costing yourself. 

An easy way to do this is decide what (if you were profitable) would you be paying yourself. If paying someone else is cheaper hourly than what you are worth, you’re losing money. Delegate and open up your schedule to focus on other parts of the business that only you can handle. 

You’re a valuable asset to yourself, don’t diminish that by refusing to hire or delegate.  

If You're Doing It Good, Tech Will Help You Do It Better

Are you a small business without a website? Do you need to update your photography equipment? Investing in foundational elements of your business is key and will take you to the next level. 

Beyond the basics, there is life-changing tech for every business. The primary reason most new small businesses fail in the first two years is generally attributed to a lack of marketing savvy. 

Companies that make it past the two year mark have found a way to streamline marketing and social media experience- it’s nearly impossible to engage customers without them. And for a time-strapped new business owner

Investing in the right automated marketing tools is one of the best decisions you can make. Research the different options that best fit your business. 

Simply Measured, Keyhole, and Sprout Social are three great options worth looking into. There are multiple plans that offer everything from brand monitoring to reporting tools. This tech will also help you analyze where you’re performing best, so you can direct attention into areas that make the most sense to make that money.

Pay Off Business Debt

If you’re racking up points on that AMEX, you might be tempted to take a vacation, but what you should do is pay off your bill. When you pay off your credit cards you are basically making at 13 to 20% ROI, depending on your APR. 

Become a Lean, Green, Tax Rebate Machine 

If you have the ability to install solar panel, you can lower your future tax bill. The government offers tax incentives for businesses that invest in green technologies.

Businesses can deduct 30% of their solar install cost on their federal taxes. Not a bad break for giving Mother Nature one. 

Don’t Be a Drip, Invest in One

One of the secrets of wealthy people is that they don't expect to make all their money in one place. They have multiple investments that bring them cash. If all of your 2018 ducks are in a row, you might consider an investment as a way to double down on your financial security. 

A dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP) allows individuals to buy shares directly from a company and to reinvest dividends from those shares automatically. It’s a plan that takes advantage of the power of compounding. Simply put, compounding is the process of earning dividends on reinvested dividends.

With a DRIP, instead of receiving cash from a declared dividend, participating investors receive shares and fractional shares of company stock of equivalent value. 

It’s sort of the magic wand in finance, because it is one of the easiest ways to build wealth with a small amount of effort. Check out what DRIPs might deserve your investment dollars here. 

This post was originally published on April 5, 2018, and has since been updated.

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