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6 Recommendations When Starting a Business

October 12, 2014 By Stephanie Leave a Comment

12 Oct

6 Recommendations When Starting a Business

I remember when my husband and I were starting our business. We wanted to move on from our full-time jobs. So, we jumped right into starting a business and just learned as we went. This was good for some reasons (I could have spent years “researching” to avoid taking the leap), but bad for other reasons.

I was thinking earlier about all the things that I learned from our first business that I will do differently with the next business. Here are 6 of my recommendations if you are looking at starting a small business:

1. You need to invest money into your business from the start

This was a big problem for me because I don’t like spending money. Spending is necessary in several areas:

    • Legal fees – It is well worth spending the money to meet with a business lawyer and accountant right away. It will give you peace of mind to know that you have the correct forms and documentation in place and that you will be handling tax situations correctly. If you don’t already have a CPA or attorney, ask people you know for referrals. Call around to compare prices. Try to find an attorney that will charge you a set price per project. I once paid a lot more than I wanted because the attorney charged me for every email she sent me and for the time her partner spent when she asked him to be involved. And, I was also charged for the work she did Googling an answer for me. Don’t let that happen to you.
    • Marketing – This includes things like business cards, promotional items, website, etc. Be careful about printing your own business cards. Unless you have the right equipment and some design experience, they will not look professional. We did this at first but quickly realized there is a difference in quality from print yourself cards to professionally printed cards. If you have employees who are going to someone’s home or business, shirts with your business logo are a professional option you should consider.
    • Networking – After several years in business, we joined a local BNI group. After a few months of attending the meetings, we had lots of referrals and grew like crazy. Don’t be afraid to spend on networking events.

2. Write out your procedures

When we first started our business my husband and I did all of the work ourselves. We both knew how to do what we needed to do so it didn’t seem important to write out step-by-step procedures. Once we started adding employees we were so busy that it was hard to keep up with the work, and writing out procedures wasn’t on the top of my priority list.

The further away we got from having them the harder it became to sit down and write them. And, not having written procedures made it difficult to train our employees and keep everyone on the same page. It is important and helpful to write out detailed procedures from the start and then review them annually.

If you want more information on this, I highly suggest reading The E-Myth by Michael Gerber.

3. Set some working hours for yourself

It’s easy at home to be distracted by personal matters and not spend enough time on your business. On the other hand, it is very easy to work all the time. If you don’t set hours for yourself then you set yourself up to be available to your customers 24/7. Not setting aside personal time for yourself will lead to burnout (notice I said “will lead” not “might lead”).

You need time to rest and not be working. You need to take vacations (even small ones). And, you need time for your family. The nice part of this is you can determine these hours for yourself. We never scheduled anything for ourselves on Sundays. That way we could attend church as a family and enjoy the rest of the day together and we could allow our employees to do the same. Find what works for you.

4. No matter how large you grow you need to treat every customer like they are your first customer.

When you have one or two customers it’s easy to give great customer service and respond to customer concerns quickly with lots of attention. Once you grow steadily for several years, you have to work a lot harder and be a lot more intentional about keeping a high level of customer service. We tried our best to give our customers a small “thank you for your business” treat (usually homemade cookies) once a quarter and always a plate of cookies and Christmas card in December. And, our customers ate it up (literally and figuratively).

5. Be organized and stay organized

It is important to be organized regardless of the type of business you want to have. When you are organized it helps you be more efficient and have less stress. I love having actual paper files (I know I’m old-fashioned), but if I have random piles of papers strewn about my desk my quality and quantity of work goes down. Things need to be in the right place whether you have physical or electronic files.

And, even though I love paper files I have learned to love Evernote and Asana to eliminate my paper clutter. They also make me a lot more efficient.

6. Hire employees before you desperately need them

We waited to hire our first employee until we absolutely needed someone. We waited because I didn’t want to pay an employee when I could pay myself. By doing this, I made my schedule so tight that once the employee started it was hard to get them trained properly. I needed them to know exactly what to do and do it in the time that I could do it in. I might have paid out more money if I hired someone sooner, but I would have had a LOT less stress. It also feels like a catch 22 because sometimes you reach the point where you need more business to pay employees, but you need employees to grow your business. Have a plan for this before you reach this point and save yourself some stress.

Most importantly, I learned you need to like what you do. If you are going to start a business don’t waste your time with a business that you aren’t passionate about. You are going to invest a lot of time in your business day in and day so choose something you want to do. Before you turn a hobby you enjoy into a business, make sure you will still enjoy the work once it becomes a job. Once you decide to start a business do the necessary research and take action. It’s easy to get stuck in the “research” phase of a start-up and never push past to take the necessary steps to move forward. Make a plan and jump in!

 

 

Filed Under: Business

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Stuck in Your Rut - Stephanie


Have you ever thought about how a click of a camer
Have you ever thought about how a click of a camera button has the ability to capture a moment in time? Pretty amazing!

We always make a point to take pictures of the big moments or the things we do when we travel, like our day trip to Nashville yesterday.

But there are so many day-to-day moments that make my heart happy too, like seeing my daughters cooking dinner (which they choose to do a lot - blessed mom right here!) or when my husband is helping the girls build garden planters for our veggies. I need to make an effort to take pictures of these moments more so I can be reminded of these simple joys. The days seem long but the years are going fast!

What is something you see in day-to-day life that brings you joy?

How do you talk about and think about yourself?

Y
How do you talk about and think about yourself?

Yesterday I had the pleasure of chatting with several different women. I'm getting ready to write website profiles for them and wanted to learn more about them.

I noticed something that got me thinking during one of the calls. 

I asked the question "Who do you enjoy working with?"

The woman gave me a long list of the people she didn't feel qualified to help. She shared her heart for people but would then explain the areas she felt she was lacking. 

I'm sure she didn't realize she was doing this. I know I struggle with doing the same thing. It's so easy to spot in other people what we miss in ourselves. 

So, how do you think and talk about yourself? Do you focus on where you are lacking and where you don't feel "good enough" or qualified? Or, do you acknowledge your skills and strengths? 

We all have areas we can grow and improve but we are unproductive when those are the main areas we focus on.

#focusonyourstrengths #thoughtlife #positivethinking #buildconfidence


I was reading the book Friendship - It's Complicat
I was reading the book Friendship - It's Complicated by @andiandrew this morning and came across the saying "healed people heal people." It really struck me.

I've heard many times the old saying "hurting people hurt people" but this simple switch made it so different. 

It made me really reflect on my actions, words, and behaviors to see if I was helping or hurting others. It made me think about what areas of my life I needed to walk in healing so I could help bring others along.

I also love the way this shifted from the negative to the positive. "Hurting people hurt people" can be used as an excuse if you've experienced pain in your life. "Healed people heal people" is so much more of a calling to rise up out of painful situations to make a positive difference. It gives your hurtful experiences and pain a new purpose. 

Just something to think about.

#encouragement #movepastyourpast #womensupportingwomen

Let's talk about meerkats for a minute—stick wit
Let's talk about meerkats for a minute—stick with me here.  
 
On Thursday, I took my kids to the zoo for a few hours. We've had an exhausting couple of weeks. Things haven't gone as planned. Work has been hectic and I've been working long hours. We're in the middle of trying to make some big life decisions again (which seems to be the constant state of life).  
 
Can you relate?  
 
The zoo is one of our happy places, so we picked the warmest day of the week and took some time off to get outside and enjoy ourselves.  
 
Some of my favorite animals to watch at the zoo are the meerkats. 
 
If you ever watch a gang of meerkats, you'll probably notice that there is almost always one meerkat that is standing up checking the skies and looking around while the others are off doing their thing. Why? 
 
That meerkat is watching for danger. They are checking the skies and surrounding areas for predators. They remain alert in order to allow the others to find food and do what they need to do. 
 
On this trip, I could relate to that poor little meerkat standing up, not enjoying herself in order to try to protect her family—not realizing they are safe from predators. As a wife and mom, I think that instinct comes pretty naturally to us women. I've been so caught up lately in trying to figure out how to balance what the different members of my family need that it's been harder to enjoy the good things in each day.  
 
But I'm not a meerkat. There really aren't predators circling around me, trying to get my family. Yes, there are dangers in this world, but when that's all I focus on, that's all I see. I miss all of the good things that are taking place and the positive moments I could be enjoying. 
 
So, if you can relate to that little meerkat too, here's your reminder to take a break. Be present in the moment.

There are hard parenting days - which we've had qu
There are hard parenting days - which we've had quite a bit of lately - and then there are the days when your kid surprises you with a homemade card. 

The world is full of scary, hard things right now and it's easy when you focus on those things to forget all the good that is right around you.

Sometimes we feel stuck in life because of things
Sometimes we feel stuck in life because of things that are within our control.

You can't control what others do to you... but you can control what you choose to do after that. If you're holding onto unforgiveness towards someone, it's going to seep into all areas of your life.

Being easily offended and staying offended and angry gives things outside of your control power over you, your day, and your attitude.

If you're tired of not making progress in life and often feel angry, I encourage you to look inward. Sometimes I'm caught off guard by the things I thought I had dealt with and moved on from that I didn't.

#movingforward #dontbeeasilyoffended #inspiration #armorofgodstudy

There are few things I find as beautiful in nature
There are few things I find as beautiful in nature as a tree with fall colors on a bright sunny day. ❤️🍁

#fallcolors🍁🍂 #louisvillezoo

It can be so hard to ask for things that we want.
It can be so hard to ask for things that we want. The fear of the "what ifs" always want to get in the way. But what if we change our thoughts and expect the best instead of assuming the worst?

My dad has been an incredible example of just asking. He doesn't overthink asking questions to people and because of it, he learns all kinds of cool things. He doesn't worry about if the person says "no" or responds negatively. He doesn't let fear stop him. 

Over the years, my husband and I have learned to ask for things we want. We asked for work from a church without knowing if they would be interested. We asked to barter handyman services and home repair in exchange for lower rent. 

We've asked for some weird things that don't seem like they should have worked out, but they did. And we would have never had those opportunities if we hadn't been willing to ask for them.

Are there questions you've been avoiding asking out of fear?

This.

It's so easy to avoid growth and change bec
This.

It's so easy to avoid growth and change because it's uncomfortable and painful. But so many times the life we want is on the other side.

#motivation #thursdaythoughts #growthmindset #growingpains #pushpastthehardthings


What if you don't wait to get started until everyt
What if you don't wait to get started until everything is perfect? What would that look like? 
 
I'm giving you a sneak peek into what my incredible workspace looks like today 😜 
 
Today I have a few calls so I'm working with my messy bed as my desk so I can have a quiet space. Sometimes I work from my kitchen counter. My family of 5 lives in a small rental house right now. I don't have any space for an office, but I'm running a growing business by working like this. 
 
If I had waited to get started until I "knew everything" or had the perfect setup, I would have wasted the last 5 years. If I had waited until I "knew just a little more" or felt a "little more ready", I still wouldn't be doing anything. Even after 5 years, I still have LOTS to learn but I'm so much further along because I took the step of getting started.
 
It sucks to hear, but you have to get started before you're "ready". That's just the way it works. Don't let your circumstances get in your way. And - this might sound tough but - stop making excuses. Look for a way to make it work as best you can right now. 
 
 
 
#getstarted #femaleentrepreneur #makeitwork #midweekmotivation #takeachance #mompreneur #homeschoolingentrepreneur #overcomefear #buildyourconfidence

This quote rings so true to me. A little over 4 ye
This quote rings so true to me. A little over 4 years ago, I had such little confidence. I let fear control so much of what I did.

I was working to grow my freelance business and almost skipped an opportunity to take on work because the potential client wanted to schedule a phone call instead of just working through emails and messages. I broke out in hives just having to talk on the phone.

I couldn't handle ordering a pizza because I was too nervous about not knowing what to say. I overthought everything.

Fear controlled what I did and didn't do. It caused me to struggle in my thoughts and postponed my ability to go after the things I really wanted to accomplish.

Learning to overcome my fears took a lot of time. But slowly, I started to make progress. They were little changes at a time. I didn't even notice the growth as it happened. 

But then one day, that same client pointed out to me how much more confidence I had. And then another client mentioned how much I had grown in my confidence and ability to share my thoughts and opinions.

It ended up impacting every area of my life. 

But don't get me wrong, some days are still a struggle. Sometimes I still get hives when I have to talk on the phone or do a zoom call with someone I don't know, but not every time.

If you struggle with fear and confidence, know that you can improve and grow in this area. It doesn't have to be how you remain for the rest of your life. And so much of what you want is on the other side of pushing past that fear.

#overcomefear #buildconfidence #personalgrowth #growthmindset #motivationalquotes

Isn't it so easy to be happy and positive when you
Isn't it so easy to be happy and positive when you're on vacation? This picture is from over the summer when we did a mini vacation. It's easy when you get out of the routines of everyday life to start to think outside of the box and see new opportunities. 
 
But then we get back home. Clients need my attention. The house needs to be cleaned and dinner needs to be cooked. The kids have activities. And before I know it, I've fallen right back into going through the motions instead of really living each day. 
 
Here's your reminder for the day. I know it's Monday and it's easy to drag through the day. But choose to get outside of your comfort zone. Choose to look at things in a new way. Choose to start building the life you want to live, even if it's one tiny decision at a time. 
 
#mondaymotivation

Don't wait for the fear to go away. It's not going
Don't wait for the fear to go away. It's not going to. Choose courage and push past it and just watch as your confidence starts to build.

This is a constant area of struggle for me. I've a
This is a constant area of struggle for me. I've always struggled with being an "all or nothing" kind of person. I'll go all-in on getting my life in order to work on all the areas at once. I overwhelm myself with too much and before I know it, all the wonderful things I decided to do fall by the wayside. Anyone else?

My eyes were opened to this when I was working with a coach, Suzy Wraines, last year. Since then, I've been a lot better at picking one thing to work on and focusing on it until it became part of my routine. Then I add in a little more. 

Am I always awesome at it? Nope. But I've made a lot more progress in my personal life and business by focusing on one thing at a time. 

What's the one thing you can start to focus on today? And what can you let go of for a time while you focus on something else? 

#itsnotallornothing #onethingatatime #youcandoit #motivationforwomen

Sometimes I fall into the trap of waiting for fear
Sometimes I fall into the trap of waiting for fear to go away before I do the things I want to do but am scared to. But it never happens.

Every time I do something big and exciting, or take a step in obedience, there is fear. And it doesn't go away, you just have to learn to push through. Sometimes it means taking a small step and sometimes it means taking a big step. But either way, it REQUIRES taking a step. 

What is fear stopping you from taking action on? 

#overcomefear #doingbigthings #youcandoit #onestepatatime

Every good experience and time of growth in my lif
Every good experience and time of growth in my life has come by forcing myself to face fear. It doesn't feel good in the moment. In fact, it feels really horrible sometimes. But if we let our feelings control our decisions, we'll never reach the true potential that we have. And we'll always be left wondering "What if I had...". 

#faceyourfears #inspirationalquote  #christianwomen #getreadytogrow

Easier said than done. The more I talk with women,
Easier said than done. The more I talk with women, the more I hear the stories of hidden dreams and ideas that are not being worked on. There are all this hidden potential within these women and they long to go after that thing that they really want to do, but they don't. They let the fear, the doubt, the feeling "not good enough" get in the way and hold them back.

Why not pursue the thing you want to do? Why not you? Why should it always be someone else that's going after what you want to do. Why can't today be the day that you decide to take that first step forward? 

You can do it. 

#motivationforwomen #inspirationalquote

When I was growing up there were these books that
When I was growing up there were these books that I loved—Choose Your Own Adventure. The book would start telling a story where you were the main character. Throughout the book, you would be faced with decisions on what the character was going to do. 

You would turn to a certain page number based on your decision and then continue reading. It was like you were making the story happen as it went, even though the author actually had it all pre-mapped out for you.

I believe that's how life is supposed to be. It's an adventure with many winding paths and choices along the way. If you're bored with your life, if you feel that there is more that you're capable of than what you're doing, if you feel you settled somewhere along the way—you're not truly living that adventure. 

I share more about this on the blog today, but here's a story for you to write....

"One day I read a blog post and it really got me thinking. There was an idea that has always nagged at me. An idea that I should do this certain thing. Try this certain thing. A feeling within me that there was more to life than just going through the motions. I wanted to believe that it was possible for things to be different but I had a choice to make. "

• Keep life the same as always - (Continue doing what you've always done)
• Head out on an adventure - (Take that one small step today that's going to get you started.) 

Now you've got to ask yourself: What page are you going to turn to?

I'm a huge sucker for the sky. I love beautiful su
I'm a huge sucker for the sky. I love beautiful sunrises and sunsets. I love big white puffy clouds. I love the stars that pop out one by one at night and then just fill the entire dark canvas. 
 
I think it's that it reminds me of how small I am and how big God is. It's SO, SO easy for me to get caught up in the busyness or troubles of my daily life. I've been realizing more and more lately how much I focus on myself without really realizing it. And when I remember to shift my perspective back on God, it really opens my eyes up to all that is happening that is bigger than me and bigger than what's going on around me. 
 
The events of the past year have been a rollercoaster. And I listen to some of the people in my life who are so consumed by it all. The politics. The virus. The division. Sometimes I want to get all caught up in it too. 
 
But lately, my focus has shifted. God is so much bigger than the events of our day, our year, our lifetime. History has been filled with so many traumatic events. And unfortunately, we know the future will be as well. But as a Christian, I know that this is not what it's all about. There is something greater yet to come. And no matter how bad things get, God still wins in the end. 
 
I'm not sure how people get through difficult times if they don't know Jesus. I've seen the difference in my life from when I make God my focus vs focusing on the issues around me. The difference is astounding. 
 
If you're struggling today with all that's happening around you, or has in the past, I encourage you to shift your eyes toward Jesus. Look up at the heavens and know there is a God so much bigger than all of your challenges that loves you regardless of anything that you've done for Him. 
 
#godisgood #anxietyrelief #findingjoy #findingpeace #floridasunset

This past week I got back to having a morning rout
This past week I got back to having a morning routine. I woke up at 5:30 each day and I restructured how I spent the first 90 minutes of my day. 
 
I got into reading the Bible and praying. I exercised and drank water, and spent 30 minutes on doing something for my blog. 
 
It has been amazing. 
 
The stories of the Bible have come alive as I read them. I've felt better knowing I'm taking the step  to get in better shape. And I've wanted to spend time on my blog for so long but haven't made the time. 
 
My business as a content writer for mental health professionals, helping professionals and coaches has been slammed lately. It's a great blessing but it also makes time management crucial. 
 
To be honest, I've been burnt out and overwhelmed. My goal for this year was to focus on being intentional but I was failing at doing it. The changes I made this week are helping me get back to where I need to be. 
 
Self-care is so important. I write about it all the time for my clients. But here's the thing - it only helps if you do it. Knowing something and doing something are two different things. 
 
What are you doing for self-care right now? 
 
#selfcare #femaleentrepreneur #christianwomen #morningroutine #burnout #overwhelmed #intentionalliving


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