by Natasha | Jul 21, 2015 | Essential Business Systems, Organizational Tips
Any relationship requires an exchange of time and information.
In order to cultivate a deeper friendship, you tell each other stories about your past and swap dreams for the future.
When you have a blog, cultivating a relationship with your audience happens in a similar way.
The content that you put out is a form of relationship building.
Each article, podcast episode, or video helps you connect with your audience. It adds value to their lives which builds trust.
by Natasha | Jul 14, 2015 | Delegation Fundamentals, Secrets from the Systems Chick, Women Only
You just found out that you are pregnant. You are elated. Afterall, this is something you’ve always wanted. But once the excitement of bringing a little one into the world settles down, a slew of concerns begin to pop up.
How will I manage the business when I have a newborn?
When will I come back?
How will my business change?
These are just a few questions that may be running through your mind.
The good news is that as long as the baby hasn’t already arrived, you still have time to prep so you can feel less stressed about the business and allocate your energy toward the new addition to your family.
For this to work, it is essential that you have a team in place because as much as you may have been holding down the fort solo, it takes more than one person to build a business and raise a child.
by Natasha | Jul 7, 2015 | Essential Business Systems, Organizational Tips, Set Up Your Business
Since I am constantly recommending tools like Asana (Got Asana? Make the Best Use of It), Trello (Unconventional Business Uses for Trello), and Evernote (Could You Run A Business Using Only Evernote?) to run a small business, I get asked pretty regularly which one would be right for you and your business – Asana, Trello, or Evernote.
Unfortunately, the answer isn’t straightforward.
First thing’s first, if you’ve never tried either Asana, Trello, or Evernote, play with each one in order to see which layout feels more intuitive to you and your business.
Also, don’t forget to check out my easy tool comparison chart….
by Natasha | Jun 30, 2015 | Delegation Fundamentals, Optimize Your Business, Productivity
So you’ve hired your new assistant and assigned her first few tasks. She’s completed them, and when you review them, you can’t help but feel disappointed with how they turned out.
You wonder to yourself, “Did I say something that didn’t make sense or did she just not know how to do what I was asking?”
It could be that adequate information wasn’t provided or that she got confused during the process.
Instead of letting this happen over and over again or letting your assistant go and reverting back to doing everything yourself, experiment with these three effective strategies for working with your new team member.
by Natasha | Jun 23, 2015 | Delegation Fundamentals, Grow Your Business
You’ve put together your job description and potential candidates have started submitting applications for your open position.
Now that you have applicants, what are the next best steps for ensuring that you pick the right team member?
by Natasha | Jun 16, 2015 | Delegation Fundamentals, Organizational Tips
You’ve decided to start building your team and delegating some of the tasks you have on your plate, but you’re not exactly sure where to begin.
When you’re looking to hire help, the more specific you are, the better fit you’ll find for exactly what you need.
These steps will help make your hiring process easy and delegate effectively!
by Natasha | Jun 9, 2015 | Delegation Fundamentals, Optimize Your Business
Is the pain from watching the many balls you’re juggling drop to the ground starting to get to you? Start delegating! Use the resources you already have to systemize and streamline your processes to save you time without hiring an assistant.
Don’t shy away from delegating just because have a small budget.
You could delegate many of the tasks you do every day without spending more than $50 a month.
Delegating, using the resources you already have, is possible. It doesn’t have to be as complicated as you may have previously thought.
by Natasha | Jun 2, 2015 | Essential Business Systems, Organizational Tips, Social Media
When was the last time you really listened to your customers?
I’m not just talking about passive scrolling around on Twitter, but REALLY listening.
If you’re like many business owners who get overwhelmed by their daily to-do lists, it’s probably been a while.
That being said, you know listening to your customers is key. You care about what they’re saying.
But where should you start? How can you listen consistently instead of just binge-listening once a month?
Your first question to answer is: “Who are the people I should be listening to?”
by Natasha | May 25, 2015 | Essential Business Systems, Optimize Your Business, Social Media
Do you have a love-hate relationship with social media? Does social media feel like quicksand?
How many times have you gone on social media for just a second to post something related to your business, but then ended up wasting hours jumping from one news feed item to the next?
Do you belong to lots of private groups you don’t have time to keep up with?
Have you ever felt so overwhelmed by everything associated with staying in the loop that you’ve declared it’s time to go on a social media sabbatical?
We’ve all been there!
Stay sane with this system that I created.
by Natasha | May 19, 2015 | Delegation Fundamentals, Organizational Tips, Secrets from the Systems Chick
With summer upon us, it’s more challenging than ever to manage our ever-growing to-do list.
Fears are creeping up on us, waking us up in the middle of the night:
I’m the only one who can keep things running smoothly…
Everything’s going to collapse if I’m not completely in control…
Can I really go on vacation without ruining my business…
Maybe I should just keep working….
Is your head spinning?
Let me lighten your burden with one free tool and 5 tips.
