The Time Is Now

Is the ‘clutter’ in your business draining your energy and stealing your time?

And I don’t mean the piles of paperwork on your desk!

If you want to be able to slow down and beat overwhelm, you need to address your mental ‘clutter’ and the tasks in your business that just aren’t serving you.

Getting rid of this clutter will help you get greater clarity about your priorities. This sort of ‘spring cleaning’ will also help you align your business to your lifestyle and slow down when you want or need to and still keep your business running.

The clutter is more often in your thoughts than your desktop. Simplify your thoughts to feel more ease in your business.

To create a business that is aligned with your lifestyle, be able to slow down and avoid getting overwhelmed with your business, you need to eliminate all the things that are cluttering your mental bandwidth and sucking up your energy.

What you will learn:

Why it is important to spring clean your business to be able to slow down while keeping the business running

What the key principles behind spring clearing your business are

What the three steps to spring cleaning your business are

Click here to find the article

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Creative people are commonly known for thinking that they can’t make money from their creativity, but is this belief true? Is it possible to transform a craft into a passion and then into a business?

Miche Scott knows it is! Not only is it possible but it’s also completely transformative personally. In this episode Miche reveals how she changed her self-limiting beliefs into ones of abundance to create a business that sells high-quality handmade soaps. She shares the importance of unlearning what she thought she knew, embracing self-kindness and why understanding the soul of your business enables you to create truly quality products for your customers. Her insights about seeing money as just a tool will inspire artistic listeners to transform their passions into successful businesses.

Have a sexy intimate affair with your business because you want to make sure you enjoy spending time with it.

Rooted in the Philippines, Miche Scott’s handcrafted soaps reflect the stories, aesthetics, and influences curated while she was an expat in the Middle East, India, and now in the US. She launched Miche Scott Handmade in 2021 as a small purpose-driven business starting solely retailing online. At present, you may find her handmade soap retailing in 16 different stores across 6 states and 4 specialty curated subscription boxes. In her spare time, you will find her tending to her roses accompanied by her beloved dog, Bagel.

What you will learn:

Why kindness to yourself matters so much in entrepreneurship

How to shift your thinking to see money as just a tool

The power of storytelling when selling products

Resources and inspiration:

Looking for the right business idea for you? Check out the Portable Business Idea Accelerator program

Find Miche Online:

Website: https://michescotthandmade.com/

Instagram: @michescotthandmade

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Wouldn’t it be great if you could have a business that brings you revenue, joy and fulfillment and not spend all your time working on it? Your business should be working for you, not the other way round!

One of the great advantages of a portable business is that you can have a successful business that also allows you to take life at your pace and have time for the things that matter to you. But this doesn’t happen by accident. You need to be intentional about how you create and manage “seasons” and time within your business.

Make your business work around your life, and not the other way around.

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing what I have learned from my own experience of building my business in a way that allows me to continue to show up for my community and have time for the things that matter most to me.

What you will learn:

What trap to avoid as a solo entrepreneur to create a business that works for you

How to proactively align the seasons of your business with your lifestyle and wellbeing

Click here to find the article

Resources and inspiration:

Listen to episode TN233: Beyond Portable: build a business that is sustainable through any transition

Listen to episode TN109: Is your business aligned with what you really want to achieve?

Listen to episode TN244: Planning in uncertainty and complex transitions

Listen to episode TN253: Breaking the glass ceiling without being broken

Listen to episode TN243: 3 simple questions to reflect on your business before you plan your goals

Listen to episode TN225: How can I plan and predict my revenue goals?

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Entrepreneurship is certainly the ride of a lifetime. It demands a lot from a person. How do you ride the wave of running your own business with outside influences ever present, large workloads, limited hours and a desire to stay on purpose?

And what if you are interested in more than one thing and are competent in various different areas?!

You listen to Amanda Bates! In this episode Amanda talks candidly about being an entrepreneur and delivering her purpose through multiple avenues. She offers a wide variety of tips about the importance of your mission and purpose, why working to your strengths increases productivity, and critically, why it’s not only okay to fail, but vital for the evolution of you and your business. Her insights into the diverse layers of entrepreneurship are not to be missed.

“If you can’t delegate, you need to break up your day to make sure that the things that make your business run are absolutely done.”

As a third culture kid Amanda’s interest in navigating cross-cultural spaces and identity started young. Her American born, African-raised perspective continues to influence her as she leads the creative direction of The Black Expat, a multimedia platform dedicated to changing the narrative on Black international mobility. She also hosts the Global Chatter podcast which takes a humorous deep dive into these conversations from underrepresented perspectives. When Amanda’s not talking the mobile life, she is a student affairs professional at North Carolina State University and a career counselor, with her brand, Bates At Work.

What you will learn:

The importance of knowing your strengths when choosing your mission and purpose

Why the structure of your week improves your productivity

How to embrace failure and when to pivot in your business

Find Amanda Online:

Website: www.theblackexpat.com

Facebook: The Black Expat

Linkedin: TheBlackExpat

Instagram: @theblackexpat and @theglobalchatter

Twitter: @theglobalchatpod and @theblackexpat

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In episode 259, we discussed how it would be very difficult to grow a sustainable and successful portable business without all the great online tools available to us nowadays. I shared the top 5 online tools that I swear by to grow my own portable business.

However, if you are not particularly “tech savvy”, going through the process of learning how to use these tools can feel very frustrating. For that reason, many solo-entrepreneurs give up and lose their opportunity to scale their business and take it to the next level.

The learning curve with tech tools can feel so overwhelming. Your whole attitude and results will change when you realize how much time and energy you will save, and how much growth you will experience once you push through your comfort zone.

There are ways you can overcome this challenge and turn it into major growth opportunities.

What you will learn:

What mindset shift you need to make if you are not “tech savvy”

How to learn about tech tools and get familiar with how they work

How to trouble shoot and fix the tech issues you might have

Click here to find the article

Resources and inspiration:

Listen to episode 259: 5 online tools I swear by to run my portable business

Listen to episode 257: How to hire the right virtual assistant and grow your team

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You’re a female entrepreneur and you’ve just found out you're pregnant. You’re also probably thinking, I’m now going to have to stop or pause my business. Very few ‘mom-preneurs’ think it’s possible to take maternity leave, let alone make it happen, but is that really true?

Melissa Parks has really defied that misconception. In this episode Melissa shares frankly how she managed to take maternity leave and focus on her child, while also keeping her business running. In fact, she says that having a baby has made her a better business owner! Melissa talks in detail about the importance of planning, how to remain flexible and why it is important to evaluate your purpose for the long-term benefit of you and your business.

I show up more as a leader in my life and my business since I became a mom

Melissa Parks, PhD is a former therapist (PhD in Clinical and Health Psychology) who provides mindset coaching for entrepreneurs struggling with imposter syndrome, overwhelm and procrastination. She helps her clients increase their confidence and productivity and learn to navigate the emotional rollercoaster of entrepreneur life so that they can make the impact (and profit!) they dream of, without sacrificing their well-being or relationships in the process.

She's also the co-founder of the Location Independent Therapists (LIT) Community and author of the upcoming book, "Making My Way Home," her story of finding self-acceptance during the 10 years she lived abroad. You can learn more at her website www.melissaparks.com

What you will learn:

How to evaluate the timing of your maternity leave

What you can plan ahead of time and adjust along the way to keep the business sustainable

How to stay motivated, find the time and the energy to get back to business

Resources and inspiration:

Listen to episode 138: What can you do when it is not the right time to launch your business? – With Gertraud Eregger

Listen to episode 144: Is imposter syndrome holding you back in your business? – With Melissa Parks

Time tracking tool: Toggl Track

Find Melissa Online:

Website: www.melissaparks.com

Facebook: Melissa Parks, PhD - Mindset Coaching for Entrepreneurs

Linkedin:Melissa Parks, Ph.D.

Instagram: @melissaparksphd

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Making your business portable depends on a few factors - one major one is technology.

We are so lucky to live in a time where highly sophisticated technologies are not only affordable but also user friendly so people with no tech background can use them easily.

If you think you are not “tech savvy”, I urge you to not let your insecurities stop you from taking full benefit of the amazing opportunities available to you. Nowadays you have access to the most advanced and user-friendly technologies, at an affordable price, to grow a successful portable business.

In this episode, I will share with you the 5 online tools that I swear by to run my portable business.

If you consider yourself not “tech savvy” make sure to tune in!

What you will learn:

What mindset shift you need to make if you think you are not “tech savvy”

What 5 categories of online tools I recommend to grow your business

Why I recommend each one of these tools

Resources and inspiration:

Get your FREE guide: 5 online tools I swear by to run a successful portable business

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Do you get over stressed about writing good content for your website and blogs? What happens when your audience’s language ability is not the same as yours? Do you know how to communicate with them? While it can feel tricky to write effectively and inclusively for a global audience, it doesn’t have to be.

Ema Naito joins us in this episode to talk about the importance of writing for people whose language levels are different to your own.  She breaks down the barriers that we create for ourselves about how to write well. As an advocate for plain language, she also offers tips and advice for simple, effective and inclusive communication in your business.

Writing in simple plain language is the best way to be effective with your content, but it is also a movement to be more inclusive of people who have different reading and language abilities.

Ema Naito, founder of The Clarity Editor, is a bilingual scholarly editor who loves clear, plain English. She edits for social science academics and international development organizations. Ema grew up between Tokyo and the US East Coast and is now based in Bangkok. In her past career, Ema was a project manager for organizations like UNICEF and the International Labour Organization.

What you will learn:

Why writing in plain language is better for your clients and audiences

The importance of how you represent your writing visually

How to write inclusive content for differing language abilities

Resources and inspiration:

Read the article: Plain language is a civil right

Read the article: Plain language: Using design elements for clear communication

Plain English Campaign (including “The A-Z of alternative words”)

Plain language guidelines (US government)

Inclusion Guideline: How to Write Inclusive Copy

PRCA Accessible Communications Guidelines (spring 2022)

UK Gov - Dos and Don'ts of designing for accessibility

Find the book here: Robin Williams. 2014. The Non-Designer’s Design Book (4th ed.).

Fundamental design principles for non-designers

Typography elements everyone needs to understand

Find Ema Online:

Website: TheClarityEditor.com

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: Ema Naito

Twitter: Ema@The Clarity Editor

Blog: www.theclarityeditor.com/blog/

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The earlier you start delegating the mundane tasks in your business the more bandwidth you will have to focus your energy on the revenue generating activities of your business and take it to the next level.

However, finding the right virtual assistant (VA) or building the right team can become a daunting journey when you don’t have the right searching, hiring and onboarding methods.

Finding the right assistant and building the right team takes some errors and trials, be patient and strategic through the process.

In this episode I will share with you some guidance on how to hire the right virtual assistant(s), and build a great team for long term growth, while taking into consideration your available budget.

What you will learn:

How to define the criteria and questions for hiring a good VA

How to be sure that this person is the right fit through the onboarding process

Where to find virtual assistants

Resources and inspiration:

Listen to episode: TN231: When should I make the jump from wearing all the hats to creating a team?

Asana

Fiverr

Upwork

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As solo entrepreneurs and small business owners, it is easy to feel intimidated and overwhelmed by data. Tracking data is only for big companies, isn’t it?

What if we told you that tracking your numbers is for every business owner and can actually be fun? Contrary to popular belief, tracking data also enables you to protect your audiences and customers in line with GDPR regulations whilst working smarter, not harder.

In this episode, Jeff Sauer offers constructive straightforward advice to demystify data and the common fears around technology. He explains why it is important for every entrepreneur to start early, which parts you should know about and how you can embrace them wholeheartedly.

Listen in to let Jeff challenge your views about data, how it can work well for you and why you need it in your life.

If you're an entrepreneur everybody tells you that you need to know more, more and more. You have permission to do fewer things but do them well to guide you forward.

Jeff Sauer is the Founder of Data Driven, business coach, blogger at Jeffalytics, lecturer, and a Five-Time Inc 5000 award-winning agency owner. A firm believer in data-driven marketing, Jeff was named as one of the top 25 most influential PPC Experts and his work has been featured in many industry publications and "best of" lists.

He has trained 19,000 students in the art of data driven marketing, building up his fully-remote business over the past 6 years while on the road across 50+ countries. He is ready to continue sharing unique insights on data in the marketplace, micro-investing, and the digital nomad world.

Jeff wants to help people realize digital marketing could be their strength and something they enjoy doing whether they are entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, or freelancers on the road interested in learning how small data works in order to build profitable businesses.

What you will learn:

What is small data and why is it important even for solo entrepreneurs

What key data you need to track in your business without getting overwhelmed

How to overcome the fear of technology and demystify data to take your business to the next level

Resources and inspiration:

THE BEST ECOMMERCE KPIS & REPORTS WORKBOOK

Online marketplace for freelance service: www.fiverr.com

Find Jeff Online :

Website: www.datadrivenu.com

LinkedIn: Jeff Sauer

Facebook: Data Driven U by Jeffalytics

Twitter: Jeff Sauer (Jeffalytics)

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