Back-to-School Evaluation for your Freelance Business

Using School’s Start as a Cue in Your Business

You can’t miss it.  Back to school ads for clothes, school supplies and dorm room needs have invaded many retail stores.  Even grocery stores hawk back-to-school lunch and snack supplies.

It’s a time of transition.  The weather doesn’t feel like it’s truly changed yet.  Even so, it feels like there is a shift.  An awareness that fall is just around the corner and winter shortly after.  Do you feel it too?

Freezing and canning produce will give way to getting ready for winter.

Though my kids have finished with school, I still find myself refocusing this time of year.  I do that in several ways:

• Reorganizing my desk
• Decluttering wherever I can
• Reviewing projects and life in general

It feels good to consolidate. Refreshingly, clear spaces open room for clarity all the way around.

Just as summer’s end brings a shift, our businesses also need attention.

Benefit from a Refresher

We grew up accustomed to a fresh start when school started.  Working for ourselves, we don’t have the benefit (or curse, depending) of quarterly or annual employee reviews.  School’s start is an excellent cue to review our businesses to make sure we are on track with our short- and long-term goals.

It’s been over eight months since New Year’s goals were earnestly written down with a generous dose of optimistic inspiration.  You may be on track to accomplish your goals.  You even may have conquered your list already.   Or you may be like me:  very little has gone according to plan.   

Decisions need to be made to consider next steps from here.

Realigment Questions

Perhaps these questions I’m asking myself will help you get back on track as well:

General

1. What are my core values? 
2. What are the New Year’s and current goals?
3. Are my actions reflecting those values and goals?
4. Am I doing things that take me away from actions that move me forward?

Business

1. Is my record keeping ready for taxes?
2. Do I like how my business is going?
3. Is it time to shift gears?  New project or focus?
4. What should I do to update my website?

Marketing

1. How is my marketing going?
2. Do I want to do some special projects like an ad in a yearbook?
3. Do I need to make some shifts to accomplish my goals this year?

Expenses

1. Do I need to acquire electronics right now during the sales?
2. Do I need to take advantage of office supplies on sale?
3. What do I want to do for Christmas for client appreciation?

Personal

1. How do I want to plan for the holidays on the home front?  Travel?  Do less?
2. What sort of yard and building maintenance should be done before winter?

Not Too Early

I know it feels way too early to think about holidays and end-of-year tasks.  Yet if you aren’t on track, early consideration may be the difference between smooth accomplishment, neglect, or outright failure.   

  

As my business grows, I’m sure some of my questions will change.   Perhaps some good questions about clients and workload, as Tom Ewer asks would benefit you.  They are not a big enough deal for me yet as I’m not sure I’m ready to outsource. 

Either way, getting back on track when school starts is much better than waiting until New Years.  Wouldn’t you agree? 

Will Your Business Be Crushed By THIS Emergency? Ignore at Your Own Peril.

Ways to Safeguard Your Freelance 

Business from Natural and Man-Made Disasters

Please don't blow this off as something that doesn't matter.  If you are in business, it matters.

In 2012, a derecho hit our area.  The area had widespread power outages.

We were fortunate our power was back within three days.  Many people went five to seven days before their power returned.  People in outlying rural areas spent up to three weeks without power.

I didn’t have a business at the time, but not knowing how long until the power returned was a big deal.

What is your most likely natural disaster?

At least one of these is a possibility in your area:

• Hurricane
• Lightning strike
• Tornado
• Wildfire
• Earthquake
• Mudslides
• Flooding
• Extreme winter conditions
• Wind blowing trees down

 Other Situations to Consider

• Nuclear power plant disaster
• Rioting
• House fire
• Pipes burst

We know emergencies happen.  We just don’t know how or where it will show up. 

Our businesses don’t need to take a heavy hit from “surprises.”  To that end, here are some areas for you to consider.

Data

Your email list, client contact information, and your vendors are the life-blood of your business.  You need two things to protect your data:  a safe place and a way to get to it. 

External hard-drives are good, but not so great in water or fire.  Either you need a water and fireproof safe to store it in, or a bank vault. 

Cloud storage is good.  You will need a way to remember the password, assuming your computer must be replaced.

Clients

Assuming you have clients not affected by the disaster, you’ll want to get in touch with them as soon as you reasonably can.  They need to make an informed choice to wait or find another vendor, even if temporarily.

Savings

You may need to replace key equipment and consumables as soon as possible.  Insurance money may not kick in for weeks or months, depending on the scope of the disaster.  What do you need to operate your business?  Developing that list now, before disaster strikes, will help you bounce back with less effort.

Where to Go for Access

You’ve heard about not letting your gas tank get too low and keeping some cash on hand in case of an emergency. 

One of the most urgent things I can think of would be a car charger for your cell phone and laptop.  Depending upon the severity of your emergency, impassable roads may cause gas shortages, so a charger might not take you very far.  

On the other hand, if roads are clear, it will allow you to drive somewhere where power and Wi-Fi lets you carry on with business almost as usual.

Have maps printed in advance.  Some directions could be impassible, so options are nice.  Knowing contacts you can visit outside of the zone may prove invaluable.

Bottom Line

There are many sites dedicated to the art of emergency prep (with or without the political fear mongering accompanying some prepper sites.)  Those will give you a lot more tips and tricks for the physical aspect of dealing with the emergency.

The bottom line is this: simple preparations ahead of time reduce the stress of a disrupted routine.

Most Realistic Emergency Likely

In all reality, minor, but equally disruptive emergencies like a computer or modem breakdown are more likely.  It all goes back to your preps.  Do you have the savings in place to run down and replace your equipment immediately?  Is your data backed up in a safe place you can easily access?

If you missed last week, here's the link where I talked about personal emergencies.  Next week, I'll be talking about preparations to make life a little easier on your family, in case of the ultimate emergency.  

I get that you may not have the resources to make it all happen today.  However, you CAN make a plan and set timelines for reaching those goals.

Whether or you are preparing for big or small disasters, being prepared makes navigating the challenge a lot easier. 

Are there important preps I missed that you have done for your business?  Please share below!

Weekly Challenge

I didn’t finish my website.  I was busy with outside stuff.  I also ran into a technological hurdle.  I’ve dealt with that and am charging ahead full steam.  I have promised my accountability buddy that I’ll have my site live by 5pm on Wednesday – even if I don’t have graphics the way I want them.  Sigh.  Sometimes moving ahead is more important than having everything perfect.

After that, it’s on to getting my LinkedIn updated, which it sorely needs.  Then I need to review the plan and see what’s next.

What are you doing to build your business this week?

Avoiding Entrepreneurial Burnout

Why Your Personal Mission Statement is Critical

More often than not, you feel frazzled.  It’s hard to get through each day.  You are so busy with family and work and church and community and …  all sorts of good things.  Yet something doesn’t feel right. You wonder why you feel ineffective.   

Is a fulfilling life an unlikely fantasy to write off as impossible?

According to Brendan Burchard, your focus likely changed.

When you find yourself frazzled and going through the motions, you are just surviving.  You're just doing what’s gotta be done.  Yet what if you can do better?

I was going to talk about the value of your business mission statement today.  As I kept studying, I realized your personal mission statement needs to come first or your business might not survive.

When you drive yourself with a lot of “shoulds” in your business, you risk burn out.  You’ll go through the motions until you can’t keep fighting anymore.

Personal Statement Acts as a Compass

How does a personal statement avoid burn-out? 

1.  It forces you to define your core values.  Why are you here on this earth? Who or what is your center? It demands you look at the future.  You need to know who you want to be in five or ten years. 

2.  It clarifies your actions.  If you know what you are here to do, it makes it easier to say no to good things that aren’t related to your purpose.   Even if you aren’t aware of your purpose yet, chances are you have some goals.  But the next benefit is realizing this key point.

Saying Yes Can Hurt Everyone

Saying yes to things not meant for you robs three parties:  

·         It robs you of time to get involved in the project you were meant to do. 

·         It robs the person who was uniquely suited for the project. 

·         It also robs the person (who asked you) of the other person’s unique ideas/contributions to the project.

Why does it matter to your business?

Your business must be in alignment with your core values or you run the risk of burning out.  It’s easier to show you.

Imagine you have this great idea to put together some tours.  It makes some money AND you get to travel for free.  What’s not to love? 

 

But one of your core values is family.  This requires you to leave your family for a week at a time.  How long until the tours are frazzling due to your absence at home?  How long until it bugs you that your family can’t join you because of school or work obligations?

Either you do shorter tours more often (still loss of family time) or you realize that it’s a great idea - just not for you.  Loving something isn’t enough if it clashes with your core values.

Creating Your Statement

It’s easy to feel lost when starting.  What exactly is a “core value” and how do I know which ones are mine?  An easy way is to search for a list of core values. 

1.       Write down all values you like.

2.       Prioritize the values.  The ones on top are your core values.  They compel you.  You get stressed when you go against them in favor of a lesser value.     

  Write a sentence or paragraph stating the person you intend to be.

Finding Freedom

For some people, this exercise feels restrictive.  Yet it actually gives you freedom to operate as you are designed to function.  It helps you make wise choices with your time.  You move with purpose, rather than obligation.  This will go a long way toward avoiding entrepreneurial burnout.

The Mayo Clinic talks about various factors in job burnout.₁ “If your values differ from the way your employer does business or handles grievances, the mismatch can eventually take a toll.”  It makes sense this is also true for your partners and employees within your business as well as suppliers and clients.

Using Your Statement in a Meaningful Way

Knowing your core values gives you a framework for making goals and decisions.  How you spend your time and energy affects how you feel about your life.  We’ve all heard stories about people who are living fulfilling lives, in spite of extremely challenging circumstances.  We have also known people who are very able-bodied and can’t seem to get out of their own way.  I’ve been there.

Ultimately it boils down to mindset and purpose. You may know bits and pieces of it and struggle with putting it into words.  Maybe you never thought about a statement before.

Start by observing what you value.  See if you recognize the values that really mean something to you.  Then be deliberate about showing up the way you want to be.  Use the questions to see if you have room for improvement.  (Hint: if you are alive, you have room for improvement.)  You should see results from your effective focus.

Reviewing these frequently keeps you focused on living out your core values.

Expect to Tweak Your Statement

I have no doubt there are people who nail it the first time and never have to change it.  The rest of us mortals will need to adjust ours.   

Maybe family requirements shift as your kids move away and there’s more room for community. Maybe loyalty gives way to financial stability when you realize appreciating the people you work with isn’t enough and you must let an overly time-intensive client or employee go.

We will grow and values will change.  This isn’t a bad thing.  The thing is knowing who you are and living as authentically as possible.

Next week we’ll talk about developing your business mission statement.

Weekly Business Challenge

Looking back at what I planned to do this past week, I spent time chasing down issues with my internet provider (turns out it’s my machine) and researching solutions on my email provider.  I have developed a list of things to maintain my electronics.

As for marketing, I handed out my business card to several people and offered to do a web presence audit for someone else.

This week feels full.  However, I will continue working on my personal mission statement and my business mission statement to share with you next week.  I’ll defrag my computer.  I will spend some time getting more comfortable with Linked In and add at least one more contact.

What about you?  Do you have a mission statement that reflects your current values and who you are moving toward being?  What sort of business challenges are you going to tackle this week?  Post below.  Your idea will probably give someone else ideas!

₁ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642?pg=2