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Emily Journey

How to know when you are wrong

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Emily with face mask
Yesterday was rough. It started with an anxious conversation in my own head about whether the Surgeon General was lying to us about the effectiveness of face masks.

Did the shortage of medical grade face masks justify lying about their effectiveness?

That was enough stress before 8 AM to get me amped up for the day.

I decided to wear a face mask to bring groceries to my elderly mother. A real-deal, medical grade, anti-viral, properly worn face mask.

If you know me, then you’re not surprised to hear I have a couple of these stowed away in my linen closet for air travel during cold and flu season.
So, there I am, at the grocery store checkout. Looking stupid. Face mask and all. A fellow shopper, also wearing a face mask, commented,
“People are giving us strange looks.” [Read more…] about How to know when you are wrong

Learning WordPress changed my life

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Learn WordPress

I’ve been questioning my decisions about things that I never imagined I would need to question. Suddenly, just going out my front door seems complicated.

I am reminded…

Every decision we make has consequences.

I own an agency that I started in 2012 when I was unemployed and 42 years old.

Behind me was my experience as a social worker, retail shop owner, textbook salesperson, and vending machine sales manager. [Read more…] about Learning WordPress changed my life

Build a business that can weather a storm. Why you need to look at more than profit and loss.

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ducklings following mama
Get your ducks in a row.

I used to measure my business success and financial health by looking at my checking account balance. If it was above a certain amount, then I was OK. Otherwise, I felt nervous.

That meant I felt nervous a lot. But this approach to measurement worked for me for a couple of years.
I didn’t even know what a bookkeeper did. Then, I met with a member of my networking group who offered bookkeeping services. She explained to me that an organized monthly record of my sales and expenses would be important if I were ever audited by the IRS.  [Read more…] about Build a business that can weather a storm. Why you need to look at more than profit and loss.

Should you give discounts to nonprofit organizations?

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Confident Feathers
How to get confident about your pricing.

As my company grows, so do the requests for nonprofit discounts. If you are in the business of digital content creation, then you probably get a lot of requests for free and discounted services.

At my agency, requests for discounts based upon nonprofit status are always met with “no”. We even get ahead of this question by answering it in advance on our FAQ page.

I’m confident about that decision, but I didn’t always feel confident saying “no.”

The first time I heard the words, “Do you provide a discount for nonprofits?” I thought, “Why on earth would I do that?”  Then, I wondered, “Am I supposed to be giving nonprofits discount pricing?”  [Read more…] about Should you give discounts to nonprofit organizations?

Communication! Now with 50% fewer fingers

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rough draft
Rough draft.

I had shoulder surgery last week. My left arm is in a sling and I am limited to using only my right hand. Before the surgery, I knew I would be using a sling for four weeks.

As the CEO of a website consulting agency, I’m typing on my computer all the time. I thought, “It will be no big deal. I will be 50% slower at typing on my computer.”

Big discovery: typing with 50% fewer fingers is not 50% slower. It’s 90% slower.

I’ve had to brush up on my communication coping skills. For example, take this blog post you’re reading. [Read more…] about Communication! Now with 50% fewer fingers

Be willing to sell

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pick me signs

I returned to my office this week to find a resume waiting on my desk.

It’s one of the best resumes I’ve ever reviewed. It makes me wonder, “Why does this person want to work for me?” and, “Why isn’t this person working for themselves?”

In fact, this person does cite experience as a Freelance Website Developer. Why did they quit doing that? Do they have two heads?

So, of course I immediately email this person to let them know I will definitely be contacting them when I have an opening.

Because, you know, I want to meet the person with two heads. [Read more…] about Be willing to sell

How I get the big stuff done

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Stack of post-it notes
I check my email too often.

I crave the opportunity to provide and receive instant answers. Instead of chipping away at larger projects, I look for the quick reinforcement I get from resolving the smaller issues of the day.

Even so, I am probably the most productive person I know… I achieve big hairy goals and small daily goals.

First, the small daily goals. On any given day, I easily empty my email inbox. I use a specific method to manage my emails, calendar, and tasks. Using this method, the inbox clears, and I’m rarely uncertain about what I should be doing next.

Now, to the big, hairy goals. Even though I have a system that works great for daily time management, it’s not very helpful when I insert a task such as: move heaven and earth. [Read more…] about How I get the big stuff done

Be ready for great clients

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Beautiful chocolate cake with berries
Are you ready for this?

For years, I was hesitant to offer any sort of done-for-you search engine optimization (SEO) services.

People want to hire me to do this work because they know I am an expert in SEO. But, up until almost a year ago, I wouldn’t do it.

Instead, I limited my SEO services to a single product: a 2 ½ hour SEO training.
I had dipped my toe into the “done-for-you” SEO waters and found it frustrating.

When I did the work for them, my customers didn’t have the patience to wait three to six months to start seeing a return on their investment.

Other SEO agencies were whispering in their ears.

They had only their fragile faith in me as a defense against false information. Before long, they would be emailing me 30-page SEO reports generated by bogus companies, asking me to interpret the nonsense found within, and to explain myself. [Read more…] about Be ready for great clients

What to do with fear of failure

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Safety Cushion
Safety Cushion

I am a terrible employee.

I come in late, leave early, use company time to work on personal projects, and watch the clock. I quit before I get fired because I know it’s coming anyway.

In employee-land, I don’t fit very well. But, that didn’t stop me from trying to make myself fit.
I told myself I just needed to find the right JOB.

A job with the right amount of mental stimulation, pay, and flexibility. I had all of those things with my last employer. Still, I did all of that same bad acting and quit short of two years.

You know. Before I got fired.  [Read more…] about What to do with fear of failure

Mind your own business

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line in the road
Whether or not you can afford my services is none of my business. Your wallet, your budget, has no impact on my pricing. Oh, I can hear it now, “But, my customer isn’t willing to pay that much!”

So get new customers.

Sounds heartless. I understand why this concept is difficult for so many business owners to get. It comes down to fear. Fear of never getting another paying customer again. Fear of all of your existing clients abandoning you and not liking you. Fear of having to go back to that full-time job you just quit.

I get it.

Here are the changes I made in order to start minding my own business with confidence: [Read more…] about Mind your own business

How I started getting what I want

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Sunrise
Sunrise from the International Space Station

“Have a blessed day!” I used to cringe whenever I heard these words. They felt oppressive, like somebody trying to push their religion on me.

I had some serious baggage around religion. And I had a big chip on my shoulder that made it impossible for me to receive the goodwill behind those words.

Today, I recognize these words as a straightforward expression of goodwill. I respond with “Thank you.”

“Have a blessed day” is now a reminder of a dramatic shift in my mindset.

A shift to seeing the intentions of others as positive—not oppressive.

So, how did I go from mentally pushing away that goodwill to receiving it graciously?
I didn’t change out of the kindness of my heart. Or even out of a desire for personal improvement.
The change in my mindset began with my desire for business success. I thought that if I could just be successful in business, then improvements in personal relationships and physical health would naturally follow.

I know you’re expecting me to tell you that’s not how it happened. [Read more…] about How I started getting what I want

Manage your time like a psychopath

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Bookshelf of bad words
I took this photo at Barnes & Noble yesterday. Bookstore staff curated collection.

I was planning to write about the importance of outsourcing and delegating tasks for successful time management. But, I got bored.

I was thinking, “You can read about this stuff anywhere.”

But it did get me thinking about how time management used to be difficult for me. I struggled to follow through on commitments related to my business growth. I just kept running out of time.

I used to work with a business coach. Each week, we would have our coaching call and I would proceed not to do all of the things I said were important for me to do for my business.

I would blame circumstances and people beyond my control.

She eventually fired me.

Yes, my coach, whom I was paying, fired me.  [Read more…] about Manage your time like a psychopath

How to avoid lousy clients

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Old time sea monster
A former client did a chargeback on my company this week. I cannot stand looking at his website and seeing the work we did for him. Right there for all to see! Still, he claims we did nothing.

I’m tempted to whine about him and blather on about how unjust the chargeback process is for small businesses.

But, I won’t.

Instead, I want to talk about how I could have avoided taking on this client in the first place.

In the 8 years I’ve been delivering my services, I’ve had very few lousy clients. But, when I do get a lousy client, they wreak serious havoc. Not only have they robbed me of my profit, they have stolen my peace of mind and messed with my sanity.

In 8 years, I’ve figured out one essential element to barring the door and keeping out these potential energy drainers. [Read more…] about How to avoid lousy clients