The last few months have been “challenging” to say the least, whether you’ve been home schooling, full-time parenting little ones, or juggling a bit of everything. I think we can all agree it’s certainly taken its toll. For many of you (myself included), this probably means your business has taken a back seat.
With the lockdown restrictions starting to ease and many businesses back up and running, we want to make sure we are in a better position than when the pandemic hit. We want to be stronger, bigger, and better than before; we want to level up!
Here are six of my top tips on how you can do this:
Level up your virtual world – Are you online? If not, now is the time!
If you’ve not already dipped your toe into the virtual world now is your time to dive in The businesses that have done well during lockdown are the ones who have been offering their products or services online whether they were already doing it or pivoted their business to adapt to the changing needs of their customers. In this day and age if people can’t find you or buy from you online they are likely to go and find someone that can.
Level up your visibility – Stop hiding and get yourself out there!
Showing up and being visible in your business is how your customers find you. If you are hiding in the shadows afraid to come out then you need to step it up a notch and start telling the world about your business and how amazing you are.
We may be going through a global pandemic but you are still here for your customers? and, more importantly, here to help. How you choose to get visible is up to you. Find one social platform where your ideal clients hang out and start there, then build on that as your confidence grows (or hire a social media manager to do it for you). If your business is local join all the local Facebook groups, get yourself on Instagram, do stories, write guest blog posts showing yourself as the expert, contact your local paper/radio station and ask to talk about your business. My motto is ‘if you don’t ask you don’t get’, so aim high! Unless you have your own PR team then you need to be doing this all yourself, and trust me it can be done.
Level up your prices – Are you charging enough?
Don’t fall into the trap of pricing yourself too low. When we first went into lockdown many people panicked, lowered their prices, and over compensated for not being able to be there in person. Just because you are offering an online service doesn’t mean you should undervalue what you do. You are still putting in the hard work, time and effort so that needs to be reflected in what you are charging.
When was the last time you actually reviewed your pricing: 1 year ago, 3 5?? Never be afraid to increase your prices for fear people won’t pay. Your ideal customers will always pay for what you charge as they value what you offer, and your “not so ideal” customers will, so try and spend some time working out your real value and up those prices!!
Level up your market research – What do your customers want right now?
Things have changed, and more importantly, people’s spending behaviours have changed. Consumers no longer want what they did 3 months ago. The question is: do you know what it is they want? If not, then get to know. Engage with them on social media, ask questions, can you reach out to your email list, or even better, in person? Now more then ever, we need to be resilient, flexible and adapt to the changing needs of our customers, if we don’t then our competitors sure as hell will! so get in there first!
Level up your mindset & resilience – Challenge your belief system
Be honest, what did you think when we went into lockdown? “Oh no this is terrible how will we ever make money again” or did you think “Right Ok, this isn’t great, but what can we do to make it work, how can we adapt and move forward” To be successful in business (and in life) you need to have the right mindset and be resilient to cope with what life throws at you, to learn from your mistakes, grow from them and move on.
We don’t know what the future holds and we can’t control it, whether that’s a second wave or a zombie apocalypse, but one thing we can control is our mindset and how we think and react. Basically don’t be a negative Nancy and be a positive Polly!
Level up your support – You are not in this alone
If you are running a business by yourself you will know then it can feel really isolating and lonely at times, not having anyone around you to bounce ideas off of, talk about a particular challenge, or to simply ask advice from, and let’s be honest our family and friends are great, but they don’t always “get it”, so it’s vital you surround yourself with like-minded people who do.
We may not be able to network in person but there are plenty of online groups and communities you can join for that much-needed support, you just need to find one that’s the right fit for you.
Having a support network around you is one of the most valuable things you can do when you’re running a business, especially during these times when we need each other more than ever. So go forth and find your people!
Bio
Danielle is the founder if milknbizz, an award-winning community that supports mums in business stay connected, motivated, and inspired when working from home by hosting workshops, Virtual Co-Working, brainstorming sessions, and, social events.
‘I’m trying to fill a gap for people who are working on their own but still miss that interaction and connection with colleagues, a one-stop-shop they can go to for advice and support to enable them to grow their business.
Danielle is hosting a virtual retreat “level up after lockdown” for mums who are running their own business, who are serious about growth but over the last few months have maybe felt a bit overwhelmed, frustrated, flat and lacking time and clarity about how they can get a plan in place.
This free event will run across 5 days starting on Monday 6th July and finishing on Friday 10th July, there will be a range of expert speakers running live masterclasses on everything business and beyond to help get you back in the game.
For more information and to register your FREE place please click here: www.milknbizz.net/virtual-retreat/