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Dec 07 2017

‘Tis The Season

The holiday season is upon us and there’s no better time to thank both the regular readers of the Canadian Small Business Women blogs, and the many talented and thoughtful guest authors who produce them.

Most CSBW bloggers are small business owners in a variety of fields who take the time to share their knowledge and expertise for the benefit of others. If you’re a small business owner you don’t have an HR department, legal or even a Finance or Accounting person. You are the HR Manager, the head of accounting and you’re the custodial staff too! So having a ready pool of resources available, offering free advice on a variety of topics is a wonderful thing.  Mutually supportive fellow small business owners are like friends who have your back, no matter what. I have often found helpful advice on this site and it’s my sincere hope that I have provided helpful information too.

However you celebrate this holiday season and whatever your faith traditions are, I wish you all the best now and for 2018.  I hope you spend some precious downtime away from your business, with family and friends – those folks who really have your back, every hour or every day of every year! Rest, rejuvenate and come back, fired up ready to take on the challenge of successfully running your business in 2018! Resolve to make it your best year yet!

Happy Holidays. I look forward to welcoming 2018 with loads of fresh writing, blogging and editing advice. We’ll be talking LinkedIn profiles in January. Stay tuned and remember, as it says on my business cards:  “If you’re at a loss for words, I can help you find them!

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

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Written by Dwania Peele · Categorized: Sheralyn Roman · Tagged: bloggers, celebrate, holiday, tis the season, tradition

Dec 21 2016

Is your business ready for 2017? 5 Social Media Predictions for the New Year

Kelly Farrell - Teach Me Social -headshot (2)

Wow! 2016 has flown past, and the changes in Social Media have been absolutely mind-blowing! Live video streaming has completely exploded, new apps have come and gone while Facebook has grown to over 1.7 Billion users worldwide and is now thinking far beyond the “like” with multiple “reactions” available now to respond to posts on your newsfeed.

Keeping an eye on the trends can really help us pinpoint where the world of social media marketing is headed as we get ready for 2017. Below are my top 5 things to keep in mind as you are planning out your social media strategy and budget for the next year.  

1. Video

Don’t ignore the rise of video as the world continues to get smaller, information is being consumed faster and in visual formats. Find new ways to engage your followers with exciting videos featuring behind-the scenes interviews or previews. Most video is watched without sound, so take the time to add captions to your videos (either yourself pre-upload, or using the built-in caption tools from Facebook or YouTube.

2. Private Messaging

Consumers want direct access to brands and they want it now! Keep an eye on evolving options on private messaging apps to help you business connect directly with your followers. Facebook Messenger is becoming increasingly popular with both customers and brands for on-demand customer services. Twitter and Instagram also have direct messaging features that allow followers to ask questions. Keep in mind that social media users expect a reply in less than an hour – so make sure you have someone on-call to answer those inquiries when they come in!

3. Mobile First

With over 76% of Canadians owning a smartphone and over 50% of Google searches happening on these devices, make sure your website and social media are mobile friendly! If you aren’t sure if your website is mobile-ready, you can run a quick check at https://search.google.com/search-console/mobile-friendly . For social media, you will want to make sure your links and images show up nicely on mobile phones. On mobile, videos are usually viewed without sound, so be sure to add captions!

4. Pay-to-Play

Advertising space online is limited, and organic reach on all social media platforms is decreasing daily. Be prepared to spend more $$ to get your products and services in front of the right audiences. Social networks are meant to be social, so it makes sense that promotional content needs to be paid for, just as it is on any media publication. Small businesses can still afford to pay-to-play on social though, providing enough time is spent to set up proper targeting and content for social ads.

5. Focus & Plan

Don’t try to do everything. Focus on where your target market is most likely to consume your content and engage with your brand. Spend your time developing content that reflects your brand message and adds value to the social network where you spend your time. If social media plays a large role in your marketing plans, it may make sense to outsource the community management or advertising on social to an expert that can achieve higher results in less time, thus leaving you with more time to do what you love!


To learn more about how to maximize the effectiveness of your Facebook marketing efforts, schedule a complimentary consultation with Teach Me Social. Teach Me Social owner Kelly Farrell has been helping empower Canadian Small Businesses through social media since 2012. Teach Me Social offers effective social media services which include training sessions and consulting as well as full-service social media account management.

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Written by Dwania Peele · Categorized: Kelly Farrell · Tagged: advertising, branding, holiday, Kelly Farrell, marketing, messaging, mobile, new year, promotion, social media, Social Media Marketing, Teach Me Social

Nov 20 2016

5 Step Holiday Business Challenge

Are you ready to boost your Holiday Sales?
 
Join us on our challenge as we guide you through a simple 5 step process to boosting your sales this holiday season. These simple steps we will enable you to leverage your network and grow your income during the holiday season.
 
Over the 5 days, we will guide you through a process that will grow your brand, connect you with your customers, increase your profits and grow your customer base.
 
Now, before you join us, there are a few things you will need to prepare:
 
1. Get organized and get clear and what would you like to promote.
2. If you are promoting a product or product line ensure that you have enough of the product in stock. Ensure that you have enough packaging components and staff to assist during the season.
3. Accountability: find a accountability buddy for this process.
 
 
You must register to join: HERE
See you at the start line on Nov 20th.
Sign Up Now

For Email Newsletters you can trust.

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Written by Dwania Peele · Tagged: business, challenge, christmas, Featured, holiday, promotion, small business

Nov 29 2015

3 Tips To Get The Most Out of The Holidays!

yvonne

It’s that time of the year where there is a lot going on that could so easily compete for our attention, or stress us out. Here are three tips to help you get the most out of the holidays and enjoy it as well.

  1. Set the Intention

Decide on what you would like to get out of the holidays; is it to spend more time with family and friends, is it to be stress free, is it to ensure you don’t overspend going into the New Year, or is it to reflect and plan for the year ahead. Whatever it may be, visualise what it is you want and create a clear mental picture of it. In “My Book on Mindset”, I talk about ‘Picture’ and the Power of Visualisation; the more we are able to clearly picture what we want, the more it becomes reality as our actions and thought process begin to align to the image we are holding.

  1. Stay Focused

Once you’ve set the intention on what you want out of the holiday, it’s time to plan and focus. With a lot of what I’m going to call holiday fanfare, one can very easily get distracted – family and friends wanting your time, giving of gifts, Christmas events, and retailers working double hard to lure you – hence the need to stay focused and have a plan.

Create a list of the top three items you want to accomplish, and constantly refer to it to keep you focused.

If your goal is to not overspend this season, set a financial budget and avoid the temptation to buy unplanned or expensive gifts, sales events, or splurge on outings.

If your plan is for a stress-free holiday, define what that means to you, identify those things that would usually stress you, and plan on how to avoid them.

  1. Plan to Enjoy the Season

I believe this is a season of love, joy, and good tidings. Make a decision to fill your mind and heart with gratitude, and choose to enjoy the season. Choose an attitude that in spite of what may be going on, and all of the hustle and bustle, you will be thankful and grateful for what you have. The more gratitude we have, the more we open ourselves for more – the simple Law of Attraction – what we are, we attract. Allow yourself to take in the Christmas music, the movies, and the good cheer.

The decision is yours to make on what you get out of the season. Set your mind on what you want, focus on what you set your mind to do, and open yourself to enjoy the season. Your mindset determines your attitude, your attitude determines your choices, and your choices determine what you get out of the holidays.

 

To learn about Yvonne’s latest book on Changing your Mindset for greater results, visit http://www.oliveblue.com/changeyourmindset/

Yvonne is an Author, Speaker, Change Consultant & John Maxwell Leadership Coach who is passionate about working with Individuals, Entrepreneurs and Organisations to help implement change they want and achieve their goals.

She can be reached at:  http://www.oliveblue.com/ . https://www.facebook.com/oliveblueinc . https://twitter.com/oliveblueinc. https://www.youtube.com/user/ChangeYouWantTV

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Written by Dwania Peele · Categorized: Yvonne Ruke Akpoveta · Tagged: 3 tips, accomplish, Book on Mindset, business, Canadian Small Business Women, coaching, expensive gifts, family, financial budget, focus, Focused, friends, holiday, holidays, mindset, new year, OliveBlue Inc, overspend, picture, Power of Visualisation, sales events, Stress, stress-free, women, Yvonne Ruke Akpoveta

Dec 05 2013

5 Holiday Tips for Entrepreneurs

Praveeni Perera

The holidays are a busy time for everyone but entrepreneurs have the added pressure of running their own business at the same time. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and inundated with work when you’re attempting to complete your Christmas shopping, entertaining family and friends and keep your customers happy simultaneously. Staying sane and keeping calm during the Christmas rush is crucial to getting through holidays with your personal and professional relationships still in tact.

 

Here are 5 tips for getting through the holiday season:

 

1. Get organized
As an entrepreneur it’s important to be organized. If you don’t already have one you should invest in a day planner. In our technologically driven world many people rely solely on their iphone or ipad to store all their data and schedule appointments, but investing in a good old fashioned paper day planner has its advantages – it doesn’t need to be charged and it never crashes so all your appointments and data are accessible all the time.

 

Plan out your time during the holidays and make two to-do lists – one for yourself and one for your business. This will help you determine what your responsibilities are on a personal and professional level.  Remember to update your to-do lists as task are completed and  keep track of your progress. Make a genuine effort to get through the list and you will feel a sense of accomplishment as you check off completed tasks.

 

2. Keep your clients in the know

If you are planning on taking time off during the holidays let you clients know ahead of time. Simply having an out of office reply added to your email does not suffice, you need to inform clients individually. Let them know how long you will be away, what services if any will be limited, and who they should contact in your absence.

 

You should also inform clients of your availability while you are away, how they can reach you in case of an emergency as well as how often you will be checking your email.  Although you are taking time off from your business you never want to tell clients that you are fully disengaged as this will make them feel abandoned.  It’s a good idea to set aside specific hours each day during which you can be reached and will be checking email. This way clients know when they can expect an answer from you if indeed they do need to converse with you over the holidays.

 

3. Show your appreciation

The holidays are a perfect time to show your appreciation to clients and suppliers. A handwritten Christmas card or note is a great way to thank clients for their business and let them know you appreciate them choosing you as a vendor. If you have special clients who have been with you for years or clients who’ve just offered you a large order or contract you might want to show a bit more appreciation and send them a corporate gift. However, be careful with gifting and check the corporate policies of their institutions as some companies do not allow employees to accept gifts irrespective of value.

 

Don’t forget about your suppliers, although you pay for their services they do help you run your business by providing you with the materials and supplies you need to service your clients.  So remember them during the holidays and show your appreciation.

 

If you have come across some potential clients at networking events or corporate gatherings sending them a holiday card or note in appreciation of their time and conversation is a great way of staying on their radar. You can also send your business card along with you note and pass on your contact information for future reference.

 

4. Take time for yourself

As an entrepreneur it’s often hard to schedule in ME time but it’s something that has to be done. Take time to power down during the holidays and make a conscious effort to put your cell phone, ipad, and computer away. This does not mean lock them in a drawer and forget about them, it simply means setting them aside and using them only in moderation.

 

Set rules and boundaries for yourself such as no cell phones at Christmas Dinner or no checking emails during family gatherings, and stick to them.  You can organize your time effectively and schedule in time to check emails and get back to clients  but do not engage in work related activities outside of this time period (unless ofcourse it’s an emergency). If you can, delegate tasks to your team or assistant and let  them handle things while you are away.

 

5. Look at the big picture

The end of the year is a good time to take a step back and look at the big picture, basically look at your business from the outside.  As entrepreneurs we are constantly re-inventing ourselves, making changes to our business models, the way we do business and even the products we sell. You need to be able to see what’s working in  your business and what isn’t.

 

Make a list of accomplishments, failures, and works in progress. Take some time to think about each accomplishments and failure individually, and examine what you did right to achieve your success and what went wrong when you failed: what would you do differently? You will be able to see your business in a new light and apply the knowledge and insight you gained from looking at successes and failures to created a new strategy for your works in progress.

 

Looking at the big picture will also help you set goals for the coming year and identify what areas of your business need to be improved upon and which areas are performing well.

 

Praveeni Perera is the CEO and co-founder of Professional Edge Consulting a corporate training company based in Ottawa offering training and coaching services to clients around the world.  She can be reached via Website, Twitter, Facebook or her Blog.

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Written by Dwania Peele · Categorized: Praveeni Perera · Tagged: Appreciation, business development, Business Woman, Canadian Small Business Women, Christmas Card, entrepreneur, Get Organized, holiday, holiday season, Ipad, Iphone, Me time, Praveeni Perera, Professional Edge Consulting, To-do lists

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