One thing we all want as business owners?
More and better client testimonials.
And with good reason…
88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
68% of buyers read reviews as they’re building their short-list of purchase options.
71% of people agree that consumer reviews make them more comfortable that they’re buying the right product/service.
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I have this 10-minute rule.
As someone who feels chronically busy and someone who really likes a tidy house, I need to play mind games with myself to stay on track.
The rule’s simple: If a household chore will take me under ten minutes to complete, I just do it.
These micro-bursts of tidying make a huge difference to achieving my life goal of having a home that’s always surprise-visitor-ready.
As a big fan of the micro-burst of effort, I incorporate the same practice into my business.
Whenever I find myself with just a couple minutes to spare in between bigger tasks, the first place I go to fill that time is with small acts of client love.
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Setting boundaries in your business.
We know we could do it. We know we should do it. But it’s not an easy thing to do.
Especially when you’re a people pleaser or you just really like to make your clients and customers happy…and nothing makes someone happy like hearing a “yes”.
I heard a story the other day about Dr. Dre’s right-hand business brother Jimmy Iovine that made me see red, all because of business boundaries.
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One of the best parts of being an entrepreneur is the work.
Unlike your friends with a j-o-b, you get to decide which projects you take on, which challenges will stretch you creatively, and which tasks are the best match for your skill set.
One of the worst parts of being an entrepreneur? Finding that work.
When you dreamed of being your own boss, you didn’t fantasize about sweaty palms at networking events. Awkward sales conversations. Struggling over how the heck to install a Facebook tracking pixel.
And hey, networking events and social media can be great ways to find new clients. But there’s also a beauty in getting back to basics.
Finding clients doesn’t have to be complicated or anxiety-inducing. It can really be as easy as sending a few simple emails.
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Wanna know a secret?
I started my Instagram challenge a few months back totally by accident.
I work on my blog content about a month in advance. And I’d actually written the blog post declaring my start to the challenge weeks before and scheduled it when I was feeling bold.
So when I saw my weekly email in my inbox that fateful Friday morning saying, “daily Instagram posting starts today, y’all!” my heart sank a little.
I didn’t feel “ready”. But I had no choice at that point. It was GO TIME.
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I’ve had veggies on my mind a lot lately.
With farmers’ markets in full force for the season and a teeny little herb garden growing on the patio, we’re enjoying a plethora of fresh produce in good ol’ NJ.
It’s really amazing what a difference a freshly-picked ingredient makes.
I mean, when you cut yourself a bite of bright red tomato over a thick slice of fresh mozzarella drizzled with thick, syrupy balsamic vinegar? Omg HEAVEN.
You just can’t fake the freshness. No matter how tasty your cheese or how many years your balsamic’s been aging, if the tomato’s underripe, you’re going to have a pretty lifeless bite on your hands.
One of the most common problems entrepreneurs face is not generating enough sales with their launches. And tomatoes are to blame.
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Who doesn’t love a good life hack, right?
We could all use some easy shortcuts now and again.
You know who didn’t have the luxury of a shortcut, though? A very insightful dude you’ve probably never heard of called Kazimierz Dąbrowski.
A little background: Dąbrowski was a Polish psychologist who studied coping skills — specifically, how people recover after traumatic experiences by researching WWII survivors.
His subjects had watched cities crumble, survived bombings, lived through the Holocaust, witnessed torture, lost family members — in short: some of the worst things a human could possibly endure.
Yet Dąbrowski noticed something really interesting among the survivors: their suffering led them to be happier.
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Everybody loves a classic combo.
Macaroni + cheese.
Ripped jeans + a white tee.
Harry + Ron.
Fast food drive-thrus and…ATMs?
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With dominos — as with writing — everything hinges on the start.
The first domino is your headline. If you can’t catch someone’s attention, you’re done before you begin.
The second domino is your introduction. And that’s the crucial domino we’re focusing on today.
Domino numero dos needs to pull readers in, piquing their interest juuuuust enough to keep their eyes moving down the page.
So how do you knock that second domino over?
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I’ve always had a thing for anniversaries.
I remember a classmate in high school whose parents, according to the Bridgewater mom gossip network, were still crazy in love like teenagers. And, according to the moms, the couple also took a decadent, lavish trip — sans children — every year on their anniversary.
I stopped listening when the mom squad shared their opinions on how this puppy-dog-style love affected their kids. They lost me at the “lavish anniversary trip” part.
I LOVE the idea of honoring milestones, both big and small. Taking time to reflect and celebrate an anniversary is an awesome idea, in my book.
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