Professional on the Go

This week we talk about solutions for fitness trainers, yoga & pilates instructors, and any service provider in the health & wellness community. How are these independent professionals unique in what they need to work with clients? We explore:

- How well are health & wellness service professionals’ needs met by general business & accounting tools like QB, Freshbooks, Wave, etc.?
- What do industry-specific solutions like Mindbody, Vagaro, and Booker do very well for health & wellness service professionals?
- What are must-have features for health & wellness service professionals?
- How do service professionals’ needs change as they scale their business? What’s different about their day to day as they grow and what do they need to help them make the transition?

We also take a deeper dive into MindBody by talking to Lauren McAlister, a marketing content specialist and MindBody customer, about what MindBody is, who it’s for, why it focuses on the health & wellness field, how it helps business owners and managers, and what size of company it’s for.

Many small business owners and independent service professionals are comfortable using Excel spreadsheets to manage their business finances, but is this really the best way?

On this episode, we discuss when using Excel for business finances works great and when using Excel falls short. Excel can be time consuming and end up creating a lot of unnecessary work, so it’s important to know when it’s time to ditch Excel for a proper accounting tool.

Here are some of the questions we answer on this episode:

- Can independent service professionals use Excel spreadsheets for their business to keep track of their finances?
- What other tools can keep track of small business finances and money?
- Are there Excel small business templates?
- What data should service professionals look at each month to see how their business is progressing?
- In what areas does Excel fall short in helping businesses manage their finances?
- What are some ways small businesses can save time and money managing their finances?

In the previous episode, we covered how to get your website to rank high in Google's search results organically by building your website with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. Now, we talk about paying to get your website to show up on Google. Is this a good idea for small businesses? Google employees and Google Adwords experts Michael Martina and Denise Jayne are here to answer:

- When should a small business owner use Google Adwords?
- What are the best practices for small business owners using Google Adwords?
- Should service professionals target keywords or audiences in their online advertising campaigns?
- How should you treat prospects who are in different places in the purchasing journey?
- How should small businesses think about whether their investment in Google Adwords is worth it? What metrics should they monitor and evaluate?
- What is re-marketing and how does it work?
- What resources are available for small businesses and independent service professionals who are looking for help with Google Adwords?

Michael Martina is Technical Solutions Manager for Google Adwords and Denise Jayne is Head of Technology Partner Implementations for GoogleAdwords.

The SBA says 35% of small businesses don’t have a website. On this episode, we dive into the question: Do independent service professionals really need a website? If so, what needs to be on it and what’s the best way to start one? We cover:

- What should be on the homepage of a website?
- What are a lot of service professionals missing from their website?
- Many independent service professionals have never set up a website. Where do they start? Which website provider is best to start with?
- How do you measure the success of a website? How do you know whether your website is helping your business?
- Who can help service professionals create their website?

We also speak with Branden Laske, Marketing Lead at PocketSuite. He has built and scaled websites for both e-commerce companies and service companies on the local and global level. He shares why independent service professionals should care about search engine optimization, which tool service professionals should use to build their website, and how to figure out how much functionality the website needs to be successful.

Many independent service professionals use social media sites like Instagram and Facebook for their personal lives, but how can they effectively be used for their business?

On this episode of Professional on the Go, we cover common questions business professionals have about using Facebook and Instagram for business, such as:

- What is the difference between my personal brand and my business brand?
- How do I make the transition from personal to business?
- Do I need to start a separate profile for my business? What do I post? How often?
- Should I try paid advertisements on Facebook and Instagram?
- Should I be talking about politics?
- How do I determine which social media tool, Facebook or Instagram, is best for my business?

We also speak with solopreneur Robert Forto of Alaska Dog Works. He shares about his business as an independent service professional, why he chooses to use Facebook versus Instagram as his primary social media tool for his business, what types of content he posts to spark engagement, and how he turns social media engagements into business.

When things get busy, the first inclination of many independent service professionals is to hire an assistant and why is this a bad strategy.
Does this mean without an assistant you need to work harder?
What can I do instead of have an assistant? What technology can help?
Do assistants as gatekeepers take away from the personal connection you need with clients?
The latest trend of professionals hiring virtual assistants?

Why is it important to get repeat clients?
What do you do to get them to come back?
How do you keep clients for a long time?
When you get clients from existing client referrals versus through paid advertising, do you see a difference in your retention rate?
How to stay connected with clients who have only ever booked you once?

The 3 key things independent service professionals need to succeed are clients, getting paid, and keeping your clients. In this episode we discuss:
1. Relying on marketplaces like eBay or Amazon for #1 is not a #winning long term strategy."
2. One of the things that prevents business from actually getting customers is scheduling them.
3. Do people still want to talk to the service provider when booking or just do it online?
4. How do you ensure clients keep appointments?
5. What is the best way to manage all your appointments?
6. What can I learn by having all this data on the computer?
7. How can you use social media to book clients?

Many independent service professionals are focused on providing their service and not on collecting payment. In this episode we talk about:
1. Why the biggest problem for most independent service professionals is getting paid and what the best solutions are to solve it.
2. Why is getting paid so important to the cash flow of your company.
3. How to deal with dreaded chargebacks and disputes from credit cards.
4. How to track where your payments are at all times.
5. How to combat loneliness as an independent professional.