business insights
I’m officially building my first Al app. No code. No hoodie-wearing co-founder. Just me, my idea, a no-code tool called Lovable.dev, and two years of quietly training an Al on everything I know about marketing, messaging, and digital products.
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100 Profitable Digital Product Ideas
Plus, a totally free challenge to kick you into action and get this baby launched.
So You’ve Booked Too Many Clients: Here’s What to Do
We think congratulations are in order! Since you’ve come to this blog post, that must mean you’re doing something right with your marketing, so we’re proud of you for getting to the point where you’re now officially overbooked. Although it’s stressful, this is a stage in your business that can open so many doors and opportunities that you’ve probably only been dreaming about until now!
First, though, we need to deal with the overwhelm and figure out how you can free up space on your calendar so that you can give your undivided attention to your clients, plus what to do with new leads. Keep reading as we cover all of these things and more in this blog post!
Use Dubsado Subcontracts to Create and Send Proofs!
In our humble opinion, subcontracts are the underdog of Dubsado forms. Most of the love is given to proposals, questionnaires, and lead capture forms, but subcontracts can also be an amazing asset to your business! If you’re a photographer, wedding planner, brand and web designer, stationery designer, or florist, for example, it’s likely that you need to send proofs of your work for clients to approve.
What better way to do this than to have the legal backup of a subcontract? Since clients need to sign off on them, trust us when we say that this will save you a ton of headache in the future. So, if you want to learn how to create a proof from a subcontract, keep reading!
How to Stay Motivated by Making Your Goals Visible
The month of December (a.k.a. the month of goal-setting) is one of our favorite times of the year. Nothing fuels us more than to sit down with each other and discuss our aspirations for what we aim to achieve in the new year. For some reason we’re especially fueled this month, probably because we can’t wait to leave behind the chaos that is 2020 (or soon to be was).
However, a struggle for many of our fellow creatives is actually staying motivated all year long. We know the feeling– you’re pumped to crush your goals while you’re planning them, and you still have the ball rolling through Q1, but then.. it slows down.
And it keeps getting slower.. and slower.. and slower until you reflect on your year, realize how shitty it’s been, aim to change that in the next year, get all pumped up again, and the cycle repeats.
So, how do you break the cycle?
Why Reflecting on Your Goals is Vital to Your Business Growth
With the new year right around the corner, you may already be thinking about all of the things you want to accomplish in 2021. Will this be the year you launch that new product or service? Will this be the year you bring in enough revenue that you can hire a web designer? Will this be the year you reach 6-figures?
It’s so fun and refreshing to list out all of the goals we want to accomplish in the new year. The thing is, cooking up new goals and ideas is easy, but unless you’re reflecting on your past goals, you’ll have a harder time bringing them to fruition, if at all.
We think one of the biggest mistakes you can make in your business is not dedicating recurring time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished (or not) in the past. It’s imperative to look back on previous years before jumping the gun and setting new goals, and here’s why.
How to Automate Your Client Testimonial Process
We all know that testimonials are a crucial part to a functioning business. Unfortunately, many of us are met with fear and anxiety just from the thought of having to ask clients for testimonials/feedback.
“What if I’m actually not doing a good enough job to warrant a great testimonial?”
Thinking of actually bringing it up to your clients almost makes you want to run away or barf (or both). It can even seem like a super awkward conversation, like you’re saying, “Hey, I know we’ve working together for a while, and I think I’ve been doing a great job, but can you just confirm that by writing a testimonial that will potentially be shared with thousands of people depending on how good it is?”
Okay, so you won’t actually say it that way, but it can seem like it! So today, we’re going to walk you through how you can put this task on autopilot so that you can avoid the testimonial-asking anxiety. Or if you’re just simply the worst at remembering to ask for them, these tips are also for you!
25 Tips to Take Your Business Seriously
When you begin to treat your business like a business, things start to shift. It’s really simple. If you’re still treating your business like a “hobby” or “side hustle” it will only ever be one of those things. Even if your business isn’t exactly where you want or need it to be today you can still treat it like it’s on its way to getting there. Just because your business hasn’t reached the figure you want it to (yet!) doesn’t mean you can’t treat it like it’s the next best thing since the dollar section at Target! Here are the ways we treat our jobs like the big biz they are.
The Secret to Success is Smaller Than You Think
Success itself is arbitrary. It doesn’t mean you make a certain amount of money or have reached a level of fame. It is self defined. Success to me may not mean what success is to you at all. The thing about success, however, is that regardless of what you are seeking, there are always people seeking answers. “How do I get there?” There being the magical location where it all seems to fall into place.
People tend to ask those they view as successful, “How did you do it?” They assume that if they take the same steps, or follow the same path, they too will get there. Well, I am about to tell you that there is no answer, and there is no magic pill or pre-charted course. Success is made up of all the minute decisions that begin to add up. The small choices that make a radical change.
July 2017: Income Report $18,496
Ready, set, wait! Yep, July as much as it was prepping our signature course content and launching an affiliate program, it was really about working really hard to wait for results later. Not that over $18k is anything to cough at, it was just residual income off our previous launch and evergreen course sales. The BIG surprise doesn’t come until September, in the meantime check out all the details that made July the success that it was.
Working Less and Making More: A Practice in Patience, Systems and Trust
You’ve heard it a million times. “I want to work less and make more.” But do you actually know what it takes to make this happen? The entrepreneurs who are making bank are NOT lazy. They are strategic, methodical, and extremely patient.
Do you think Pat Flynn went from being laid off to earning over $100k per month revenue overnight?! Are you kidding?
Do you think Oprah went right from waitress to world-recognized thought leader?! Heck no.
Do you think Marie Forleo rolled out B-School her first year in business?! Absolutely not.
Their careers didn’t fall out of thin air. They spent years perfecting their craft, tweaking their processes and making shifts towards their big dreams.
We’re no different. We absolutely want world domination (for all female creative business owners). But we know the tide won’t shift overnight.
What is Relationship Marketing: 5 Ways to Create Lifelong Customers
In this day and age of hot trends that dissipate just as quickly as they come, the backbone of marketing tends to be forgotten about: relationships. In every social media strategy, you’re trying to post the things that will build a better relationship with your target audience. When running paid ads, you’re picking and choosing who you want to display the ad to so that you can nurture those relationships. But when you strip away whatever conduit you try to mask it in, relationship marketing will bring so much more reward when implemented as the real, raw thing.
We’ve been able to successfully sell our services over the years mostly thanks to relationship marketing, and we can’t wait to share with you 5 ways to create lifelong customers and clients.
The Best Way to Streamline Your Client Projects as a Service Provider
Managing your client experience is one thing, but managing and streamlining your client projects is a whole other beast to tackle as a service provider. You might be wondering what the difference is, so when we talk about managing your client experience, we mean all of the communication, appointment scheduling, sending forms, proposals, contracts, getting paid, and all that jazz. (Dubsado’s our trusted CRM for that– here’s why.)
On the other hand, you also have to deal with the actual tasks that come with fulfilling a client project for both you and your team. For this, we recommend using a project management system like Asana. It’s robust enough to handle even the most complex projects, yet simple enough that if you don’t need to use all of the fancy-shmancy extras, you don’t have to.
Today we’ll be diving into the best way to streamline your client projects using Asana!
How to Fire a Client (Without Ruining Your Reputation)
As dreamy as it would be to only ever work with clients we love, we know that isn’t always the case. There are even the few that put on a good front and seem like they’ll be a really great fit, but something goes astray during the relationship. It could be an issue as simple as miscommunication, lost expectations, scope creep, etc.
No matter the root issue, it’s hard! It may even be so hard that you’ve come to a point where you’re ready to fire a client and finally part ways for good. Before you let anxiety get the best of you, keep reading as we dive into how to determine if you actually need to say goodbye, some other ways to get back on track, and– if it comes down to it– how to fire a client without ruining your reputation.
The 3 Best Scripts to Use With Existing Clients to Increase Revenue and Get More Leads
You probably hear ten new sexy strategies to increase revenue every single day. But, if we’re honest, at the end of the day there are TWO main routes you can take.
One is with brand new, cold leads that you nurture and hope that you can convert into a client. The other is to take what’s already available to you with your existing clients to generate more revenue and super warm connections (that will take a heck of a lot less time to convert.)
Why don’t service providers do this more often? From what we see time and time again, it’s because you’re scared or just don’t know how to start those conversations with your clients. Introverts thrive on avoiding as many uncomfortable conversations as possible, but they don’t have to (and shouldn’t) feel that way. Here’s why.
This Simple Title Shift Can Drastically Increase Your Average Client Value
It’s a no-brainer that if you really pay attention to the language and messaging you use, you start to attract your ideal clients. As a niche service provider, you know that you have the power to change lives and businesses with your service.
But one of the most important pieces of messaging that, with a simple shift, could change how you feel, your lead generation, conversions, pricing, and how you show up as an expert is what you call yourself.
We’re inviting you to try a new phrase to use outside of the usual “one-to-one service provider,” “creative entrepreneur,” “small business owner” terms that are so common in this tightly knit space.
Instead, what if you called yourself a “consultant” (whether that’s a marketing consultant, operations consultant, or [insert industry type] consultant)?
5 Apps We Use to Keep our Team Happy and Productive
We’ve been outsourcing for a while now and have always had some sort of team regardless of the size. Over the years, we’ve had various highs and lows with our team, and team members have come and gone. However, now we’re at a place with our current team where we feel really good about the energy and cadence we’ve built in the workplace, no matter the fact that we’re virtual.
Our team members are happy to come to work, they know that this is a safe space, that we value life first in our business, and that they’ll be recognized for their achievements. We’re able to keep them happy and productive using 5 apps and tools, which we’re going to share in this blog post!
Welcome to My Blog
Hey, I’m Abagail Pumphrey!
You know when you are so deeply passionate about something you can’t help but share it? That’s how this blog has felt for the last decade. I’ve written about my latest strategies, tech how-tos, experience with scaling and so much more. I hope you find just what you’re looking for. We’re here to help!
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