The Truth About Entrepreneurship

Honestly, entrepreneurship is what you make it! The secret is knowing your worth and setting boundaries. You’ll learn lessons in entrepreneurship on a consistent basis which will allow you to adjust accordingly. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to experience things the hard way but, it made me a better person and taught me a lesson in the process. There’s always a misconception that entrepreneurship is easy and looks glamorous from the outside looking in.

Let me stop you right there! Entrepreneurship is countless hours of pursuing your dream. You’ll put more hours into your own business than a full-time job. You’ll be a living, breathing advertisement for your brand. The benefit to be an entrepreneur is that you can make decisions based on your terms. If you want to travel, you can schedule time to travel and decide whether it will be leisure or work and play. I will say that organization and time blocking is major for me.

I travel frequently for business and I have a schedule that I stick to. I’ll also share, full disclosure that I work a full-time (remote) job in addition to managing my lifestyle blog, being a social media influencer, running an online boutique, promoting my e-book and consulting business with brands and business owners. A lesson that I am currently learning is that, I CAN’T do it ALL! I’ve outgrown being a one woman show. I’m in the process of outsourcing specific tasks that I want taken off my plate and I’m happy to pay for the services.

The pros of being an entrepreneur is that you can fulfill the vision you have set for your business. Time is so precious, and you have total control over it. Take advantage of the flexibility you have and use it wisely. You’ll always have an opportunity to learn. I try to attend networking events and conferences regularly. It’s all a part of continuing education in our ever-changing world of social media and technology. You always want to stay on top of what’s new and what’s trending.

What goes up, must come down! There are pros and cons to self-employment. So, even though you may exceed a previous salary… There are good income months and bad income months. I’ve personally been in a panic when I had a slow month. This is when I didn’t have a job and was solely relying on my business income to survive. That situation pushed me to get two part-time jobs because I panicked and didn’t like the uncertainty of income from month to month.

Even though I had consistent work… I also had to deal with 30, 45, 60, and 75-day payouts. Those sent me in a tizzy to know that I provided a service but, wouldn’t see that money for a month or two. I worked part-time for almost a year and was offered a full-time position that still allows me to pursue my passion. I have a set schedule, so it makes it easier for me to plan my tasks accordingly. I really love consulting and sharing my knowledge with others.

Are you an entrepreneur why or why not?

Entrepreneurship: Taking Time for You + Hacks

Being an entrepreneur can take its toll on you. You’ll have good days and bad days but, the most important thing to remember is why you started. Remembering your “WHY?” will always put things back into perspective. It’s easy to get burned out and you don’t want that! If you can outsource some work that you don’t necessarily need to do yourself, do it! If you have specific tasks that aren’t a strong point for you and you know someone who specializes in it, delegate that task.

As entrepreneurs we also need to take strategic breaks! I’m notorious for taking mental health days when I know I need them. It’s okay to unplug and renew your mind so that you can be productive. If you have too much going on, it can keep you from completing projects and that can be a setback. I’m usually online most of the day several days a week and it’s essential that I step away when I feel the need to. I do better work when my mind is clear and I’ve taken a much-needed break.

Technology is at our fingertips with so many apps and software programs to help us with our productivity. Take advantage of apps that will keep you on track and make the entrepreneurial life easier for you. I use a planner to schedule out my days and deadlines. I use a traditional planner that I write in as well as digital calendar with alarms and scheduled reminders. Alerts keep me on my toes and I rarely miss an event or deadline. You can also use a timer or stop watch feature when time blocking.

It’s good practice to set amounts of time aside to complete tasks on your to-do list. If you are anything like me and get side tracked easily, this will help. Try it! It’s great to work from a list and see that you’re marking things off as you complete them until you get to the end of it and everything is done. I work with social media consistently and use tools to help me schedule content. I love scheduling tools because I can just schedule content and not think about it again.

Adrian Rubin has a variety of articles that can help with your business productivity. You’ll find topics on the latest tech to incorporate and share with your customers. There are also articles that will share trending apps that can help with your day-to-day tasks. Sometimes software and apps can be a great solution when you don’t have the manpower to physically complete a task. Overall, entrepreneurship is no walk in the park. It takes hard work and dedication.

I don’t think I’ve heard any entrepreneur say that they had overnight success. You have a passion that drives you to do what you love and be consistent. Being an entrepreneur can be very emotional and that’s why it’s so important to pace yourself so you don’t get burned out. Like I stated earlier, it’s okay to unplug and take time for you. That will just make you a better entrepreneur. Also, if you have the flexibility to work from anywhere… choose your favorite places and spaces. I do!

What entrepreneur hacks would you add to this list?

Data Rules the Business World

What is data and why does it matter? Data is facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis. In business data is processed information that is used to help businesses stay on top of what’s working and what isn’t. Also, used to collect information on their clients and create lists to help them analyze information and make decisions for the future. Some data that is recorded may be more in depth than others based on your business.

As an entrepreneur I can tell who my ideal customer is by information that is collected through some of the software and apps that I use. I know where my online audience is located and the ages of people that see my content. I can also see the ratio of men to women that follow mw online. This is great information to have. I can share it with other businesses that I may want to partner with and share the demographic of my audience.

If you are a business owner business owner with a product or service, data is essential to helping you know your ideal customer and what they are looking for. You can also capture your customer information and keep a log so that you can email them a newsletter or upcoming promotions. It’s also great to send out surveys and get a sense of what your customers want from you. There are so many ways you can collect data and use the information to help move your business forward.

Profisee is a great website that can help you understand master data management tools. It gives you a breakdown of master data management and the different areas where it can help you in your business. Profisee shares while it is simple to enumerate the various master data entity types, it is sometimes more challenging to decide which data items in a company should be treated as master data.

Often, data that does not normally comply with the definition for master data may need to be managed as such and data that does comply with the definition may not. Ultimately, when deciding on what entity types should be treated as master data master data, it is better to categorize them in terms of their behavior and attributes within the context of the business needs than to rely on simple lists of entity types.

Profisee shares depending on the technology used, MDM may cover a single domain (customers, products, locations or other) or multiple domains. The benefits of multi-domain MDM include a consistent data stewardship experience, a minimized technology footprint, the ability to share reference data across domains, a lower total cost of ownership and a higher return on investment.

There are different software programs that can assist with collecting data that can help you collect the information that you need. You’ll also want to make sure that your software can merge duplicate information so that you don’t have a lot of duplicate records to sort through and/or merge manually.

Overall, you need data to collect important customer information that can help you in business.

Business: Mobile Advertising Best Practices

You have a business, now what? One of the lessons that I have learned from entrepreneurship is that you can’t be afraid to market your business. Be a walking billboard! People aren’t going to magically appear and start buying your products or services, especially if they don’t know you exist. It’s also fact that people need to see something several times before they commit to purchasing. Think about TV commercials and radio commercials. How many times do you see or hear a specific ad?

Advertising can be expensive, it’s good to have a budget and strategy in place before you start spending money. There are many different advertising avenues, which one makes the most sense for you? Do you know your target audience? Who are they? You’ll need to define your target audience and have a clear objective of what you are promoting. There’s print, radio and digital advertising. Today there seems to be more internet marketing and digital advertising. Most people are on-the-go and mobile!

We live in a society that is BUSY, so having ads that can be seen while people are browsing the web while on their phone or scrolling through their favorite social media platform makes sense. Facebook ads seems to be trending and they offer a lot of ways to create your ad on their platform and get it in front of the right people. You can even find a similar business to your own and create an audience like theirs for target ad campaigns that will optimize your conversion rates.

Measure your ad-hock reporting after a day or so and adjust as needed. On the branding side of things, be sure that you have a clear message and that your graphics are visually appealing. Whether an image or video, people click on visually appealing ads. Also, make sure your video and/or image is optimized for the correct platform for the best performance. Create a catchy yet authentic headline. People relate to other people. You want to personalize your ad and speak to your audience in a unique way.

Overall, make sure you are capturing your client’s information to build your customer database. You can send out newsletters when you have a new product, service or sale happening. Make sure you have a call to action so that you don’t lose a potential customer. Also, make sure your website is mobile responsive since most people are on mobile. LinkedIn reported that 70% of clicks to sponsored content happened on mobile and Facebook has 1.12 billion mobile monthly active users.

I’m not surprised that 80% of Twitter active users are on mobile. I’m on a smart device 24/7 and can agree that we live in a mobile technology world. Make sure your ads are in front of your target audience. Happy Advertising!

How do you advertise your business in today’s mobile driven society?

Introducing Personalitees-Plus Online Boutique

**POST UPDATED** New website link and Instgram handle. Rebranded to Personalitees By JenOni.

A couple of weeks ago I made an announcement on my Facebook + Instagram pages and totally overlooked two of my biggest platforms… My Blog & Twitter! Lol! So, I am re-posting my announcement and sharing in this online space with YOU! See that NEW Personalitees-Plus “SHOP” button on the navigation menu?

Birth Announcement: I had to UNplug, get my mind right and FOCUS! Today I introduce to you… “My Labor of LOVE!” Personalitees-Plus It’s my new online boutique sharing all the snark and petty on tees one has to offer. (There are some sweet quotes included) Tag Line: “Your shirt says it all, so you don’t have to.” The first and one of my favorite tees in the collection is… “Once You Get Past My Resting Bitch Face, I’m A Hoot!” Lol! Feel free to read the post, it’s a GOOD one!

If you read my blog post back in July about the Misconception of having “Resting Bitch Face” that’s where this line of graphic tees was birthed! I’m over on Instagram: @personalitees_by_jenoni & Twitter: @Personalitees_P! Website: Personalitees By JenOni. Great Snarky Gift Ideas… There are fourteen designs so far that will be released over time online. Personalitees will also be located in local NC retail boutiques! Connect with us on Social; these are brand new pages! #LetsConnect

I’m looking into local vendor sip & shop events in the near future to sell my products! I’m looking forward to this entrepreneurial adventure and will continue to blog as usual. Networking online and offline is a goal of mine that I keep at the top of my list so I can be consistent in my networking efforts. I will be sharing my journey with everyone so we can discover what works and what doesn’t when you dive into the world of entrepreneurship.

I’d like to thank my family and friends who saw my vision and pushed me to “JUST DO IT!” and not procrastinate the way I usually do with things! They believed in me when I doubted myself and I am thankful that I have people like this in my corner. Something that started as a mere thought out of frustration has turned into something fun. I am very passionate about this tee line and you’ll see that as more designs are released. Do you have RBF? What about Petty tendencies?

Products Offered: Graphic Tees, Snarky Tees, Mugs and Throw Pillows. More products will be added as we grow. We’re open for business… Come check out our website and get your Personal-i-tees!

rbf-hoot-tee

error: Ask And You Shall Receive!!