Luxe Business Planning
Luxe Business Planning featuring the new 2017 Erin Condren Luxe Life Planners. Read up on how you can use an 18 month calendar to plan your business in style.
Planners make me happy. They do. They are right up there next to sparkly unicorns and new shoes. Seriously.
On June 1st Erin Condren introduces her new line of life planners. I was sucked into the glam planning world in 2015. Previously I just went to target and picked up a plain Jane planner. The traditional planners were a bit too profesh for me. One day some goddess introduced me to Erin Condren...thank you who ever you may be.
I do know you offered me $10 off my first purchase and for that I say thank you. No worries, I have that same code for your first purchase...just click here and create an account. Check your email that you used then boom...$10 savings.
Erin Condren peeps were gracious enough to send me some goodies before the launch to show my lady friends. I opted for the luxe planner because I'm fancy. The cover is a vegan faux leather. It's not removable, but why would you want to take off such lusciousness. To touch it's very soft and thick. The color is a deep plum purple which in person is just gorgeous. The coil is rose gold [matches the foil lettering perfectly] and very easy to move the paper through.
The updated paper is thick and has a nice feel. Paper quality is important, when you have important things to do! I opted for the neutral theme (black and white) and its simplicity is everything! It adds an extra bit of sophistication.
I have a business planner, a personal planner, a social media planner, a project planner, fitness planner and a ^i know I'm forgetting one^ planner. So I was just going to wait until January.
This planner starts in July. Only $5 more for the 18 month option [July start] . I've never started a calendar in July before and initially told myself I would just wait until January. That was until the Luxe Life Planner came.
18 month planning nice to meet you...I'm Kimber!
Previously I thought of 18 month calendars as something for the super [borderline obsessive] productive and "that" mom no one ever wants to admit to being. I digress...
I typically plan for business in quarters.
Q1 Jan 1-March 31st
Q2 April 1- June 30th
Q3 July 1 - September 30th
Q4 Oct 1 - December 31st
One big goal per quarter.
That means I have three months to break that goal down and make it attainable. Really pimp my productivity.
BIG Goals require BIG plans!
18 month calendars give you the opportunity to tackle Q3, Q4, Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 all in one book.
Doesn't sound like much until you are staring at the possibilities of your growth and success straight ahead. Growing to 6 and 7 figures does not happen by simply winging it. There has to be strategy and planning involved. In 5 minutes I can break down a business...5 minutes yo! That's my zone of excellence, but that alone didn't make me successful...strategy and planning did.
And if you enjoy life and being social as much as you enjoy work...planning makes it all possible.
At this point in my life my friends are marrying, having babies on purpose, turning 30, renewing vows, turning 40, divorcing, having more babies and just throwing amazing parties all over the world. Not to mention the social and school calendar of my babes.
This means I need to be able to take a real good look at my various work projects and these social events far in advance to make it work.
I usually don't start planning for the next year until October/November. Now I have broken the planner up into quarters, separated by these beautiful book marks.
I know how many clients I can work with individually per month and quarter. Depending on the other things going on in the quarter these numbers are adjusted. Quarterly planning helps me to know when I can release products and run groups. Planning is for bosses.
The month at a glance is the big picture for the month. A clear picture of everything that is going down and what objectives need to be met by what date in addition to the day to day work and life activities. You cannot negate the life. Seriously, it will pass you by, if all you do is work.
In the beginning of the life planner there is a section that says: "your greatest success is believing in yourself" with coordinating boxes. 12 success goals and a spot to break them down right in the front of your planner.
Save the best for last, my favorite accessory, which was updated is the insertable sticky note dashboard. I write quick notes to myself and ideas. It's incredibly easy to forget a million dollar idea...not with these babies.
Check out the video below to flip through the new EC Luxe Planner.
xo,
Kimber
Social Media Like a Boss
Are you using Social Media for your online business like a boss? Learn how to increase your social media for business with tips + strategy. | Kimberleeonline.com
Are you ready to boss up & social media like a BOSS?!?
Anytime you say "like a BOSS" it just sounds so much more official.
These tips my friend will up-level your social media marketing game.
First thing first. There are so many social media platforms out here. So be clear on your three.
Anything over three will be counterproductive.
Social media can be a MAJOR time suck. Even for the most disciplined lady. Willpower is a strength. Pick three platforms that work best for you. Factor in your personality, attention span, and overall enjoyment. Look, don't be on a social media platform just because you see everyone else on there. Likes, follows,and hearts don't pay for Chipotle, hydrafacials, or even Facebook ads.
Simple social media best practice:
Follow others and engage genuinely. If the celebs can follow back and comment, so can you. Lurkers are lame!
Facebook is for friends and people we don't really remember from high school and maybe elementary school if their profile pic is cute. Yes, the algorithms change, but the thing that remains: Facebook is for friends. Position your content as helpful [educational/informative], funny & encouraging [inspirational]. And it doesn't hurt if you package all that up beautifully.
Facebook is also for ads. Forget those that complain about paying to play, because ads can grow your business and Paypal substantially. I have a biz bestie who has a $12 per month Facebook ad budget and doing big things with a little spare change. Research has shown time after time, that majority of Facebook users are online consumers. So many people opt-in to majority of their online profiles using Facebook, which provides even more information about their buying habits and lifestyle...things that you would never know on your own. In addition to marketing companies selling your information to Facebook for marketing experts to enjoy. Pinterest and Twitter ads can't compare to Facebook ads.
Twitter is the place to share timeless content over and over. Remember show and tell? Twitter is the adult version of show and tell, only your teacher isn't making your class pay attention to you. When the quiet girl who never spoke up brought in the new baby alive, you paid attention. Unless she was your friend, you would pay attention to her anyway. Twitter is all about connections and sharing.
Find dope people and create lists so you can keep up with them and share their content. Just don't be spammy and stalkerish.
That will get you noticed, just not in the she’s super awesome let me tell all my biz besties about her kind of way.
BEING spammy will get you....BLOCKED!
The best part of twitter is Kanye's rants. Everyone loves a good Kanye West twitter rant to take away the stress of the day. In between the randomness, he leaves a business gem, for us to reflect on.
Instagram. I love Instagram. Beautiful pictures, inspiring views and quotes. The trick to Instagram for business is to share your behind the scenes, personal shenanigans, breakfast lunch and dinner. I kid, but have you seen the lady that eats grapes every day and nothing else?
Pique your audience’s interest and make a true emotional connection. If you’re only posting that you sent a newsletter...no one cares. Don't post the same things you post one your other platforms here and vice versa. Switch it up!
I actually wrote this post, months ago and my new favorite is snapchat. I’m using it in the same fashion as I would Instagram. Behind the scenes, personal shenanigans and random biz tips on the go. More shenanigans than anything else.
Periscope. Pinterest. Meerkat.Google +. YouTube. LinkedIn. Am I missing a platform?
Content sharing tips:
TA McMann recommends the 5-3-2 rule
- Five posts should be content from others that’s relevant to your audience.
- Three posts should be your own content, again relevant to your peeps, but isn’t a direct pitch.
- Two should be non work related...things to humanize your brand. Hello funny viral videos on Facebook [increases reach too - I share them twice a week]
What’s the 411? Mary J tried to tell you…
The 4-1-1 on twitter is sharing 4 relevant pieces of content [not your own], and retweeting others for every 1 piece of self- promoting content.
Curating and finding content to share:
Content curation is when you share someone else’s content [note share & not steal] that you receive value from. You are doing the hard work for your peeps. You are saving them time from having to find the information.
Curate like a boss:
Share your takeaway for an added gem.
Share a quote from the article.
Give credit where it’s due, tag the business the first time you share.
Save time curating:
Sign up for Pocket and get the Pocket Chrome Extension : on a website and see something you want to share with your peeps that you aren’t ready to schedule yet, save it to pocket. Get fancy and link your Evernote to Pocket, so the article will be sitting in Evernote waiting for you. Or you can you use the Evernote Web Clipper.
Ready to share:
Use Buffer or Buffer Chrome Extension to either share the article immediately or schedule it out.
If you are signed up for Edgar [amazing tool to manage your social media with a FULL library of stored content] you can use the Edgar Extension.
Wordpress users can use Coschedule.
Stop searching multiple websites on the trending topics: Check out Buzzsumo they have a variety of topics covered from 24 hours up to 2 hours.
Or you could go old school and use Feedly [an RSS reader where you can have your favorite blogs go] and save it to pocket or evernote for later access.
Instagram Tools
Check your Instagram Stats with Iconosquare it will help you with the times that your followers are most engaged [to help guide you when to post], your most liked and engaged posts, and your most engaged followers.
When you know the perfect times to post to your peeps, use latergramme to schedule the post. It will PUSH to your phone and then you will push the post through. Instagram wants to keep the platform mobile so most tools won’t post it through for you. Be clear of those that do, your account can be flagged to be deleted.
Instagram + Twitter Tools
Crowdfire manages your relationships on Twitter and Instagram - see who is following you and who unfollowed. Another Instagram and Twitter goodie is Hashtagify to determine which hashtags are popular and relevant.
IFTTT has a recipe to post your Instagram picture to twitter as a native picture [so no link & the actual picture populates].
Pinterest Tools
BoardBooster was created for bloggers to schedule their pins at optimal times.
Tailwind is another pin scheduler.
10 Reasons You Need to Use Evernote In Your Business
Are you using Evernote in your business? You definitely should! Here are 10 reasons why!
Evernote used to have a tagline: remember EVERYTHING!
And because of that most people get overwhelmed with Evernote. They aren't really sure what to do or where to put everything.
Here are 10 reasons to use Evernote in your business:
1. You can store EVERYTHING related to your biz in one place. Think of Evernote as your business hub.
[This alone should be the reason you start using Evernote in your business today...but I will proceed.]
2. You can access your business' everything from the cloud via computer, iOS or android device. So whenever you have an amazing idea open up Evernote, wherever you are.
3. Don't feel like typing out thoughts, use the talk to text option...boo yah! Feeling like a girl boss yet?
4. Sign up for a challenge, but don't have time to do it live. Email it to your Evernote and get to it when it's more convenient. Saves space in your email + you can even set up a reminder of when to go and look at the email you forwarded.
5. The Evernote web clipper is exactly what you need when you're ready to steal like an artist or keep up with the Kardashians.
6. Keep track of all the post-it's, business cards, handwritten notes and brain dumping notes that you have lying around your desk, that you can never seem to find, when you need them.
7. You can encrypt text, that you don’t want a “random” person reading.
8. Connect IFTTT to save your favorite things across the web into specific folders automatically. [Even everything you screenshot on your iphone...say what? Yes girl, even screenshots!]
9. Unlike other cloud storage applications, your upload MB resets every month.
10. Communicate and share notes and notebooks with your team, clients and biz besties.
Are you ready to master Evernote for your business? Click here to be notified of when Evernote Mastery goes live. That's right an end to the backend chaos! 8 modules teaching you the ins + outs of Evernote. PLUS swipe files to get you started. Oh my!
Systems Sunday: Mailchimp Snap App
Mailchimp Snap App is amazing for content marketers on the go. Get with the innovation.
Ever been on the go & you really wanted to send something out to your peeps? Of course there’s social media, but depending on algorithyms and your consistency...you just might not be able to get in front of them.
Email marketing is still the Queen B. Just ensure you are using it correctly.
I’ve been using Mailchimp since 2011. In internet years that seems like 456,890 years.
They have introduced a savvy on the go app: Mailchimp Snap App
It’s available for Android & iPhone, so everyone can join in the fun.
It’s very similar to Instagram. You can take a picture on the spot, pull one from your photo library or pull from your Instagram feed. Unlike Instagram, you can link the picture to the link of your choice. You could be ORIGINAL and just add your website or you could be innovative and send them to another link (still could be on your site, but a bit more specific & related to the picture).
Watch this quick video tutorial:
xoxo,
Kimber
Meet Sunrise Calendar App
I introduce to you, Sunrise. Say hello to a gorgeous calendar app. Sunrise doesn't discriminate, it is here for all platforms. #allplatformsmatter It's truly the calendar of all calendars. Let me show you it's newest feature and how it's going to change how you work and play.
UPDATE: SUNRISE WAS BOUGHT OUT & DISCONTINUED
A few months ago I started using Sunrise. It's a very pretty calendar app created for Google Calendar and iCloud users. Sunrise is for iOS, Android, and you can access it via the computer. Sunrise doesn't discriminate, it is here for all platforms. #allplatformsmatter
Sunrise is the calendar of all calendars. Serious innovation.
Sunrise features over 25,000 interesting calendars. Never miss an episode of Scandal or Game of Thrones.
Oh yeah!
TV networks have calendars to add the show times to your calendar in addition to following your favorite sports, with the scores updated in real time.
Sunrise connects with the following applications:
- Evernote
- Asana
- Trello
- Eventbrite
- TripIt
- Google Tasks
- Producteev
- Basecamp
- GitHub
- Meetup
- Songkick
- Foursquare
Microsoft recently purchased Sunrise App and is already making changes. All for the better. I got an email last week that made me fall in looooooove with Sunrise. The app has an add on: Meet. It's an amazing quick scheduler.
Another scheduler?
Yes, I know, I know, but this rocks and integrates with your already streamlined life. No more emailing (or texting) back and forth to schedule one on one meetings, consults, bestie dates and coffee meet ups.
As quick as you can access your favorite emoji, you can schedule with Meet in Sunrise.
The other party doesn’t have to sign up for anything or even have Sunrise. They click the link and pick a time that works for them and BOOM! they are scheduled. You get notified once they confirm.
Watch the videos below:
How to use Sunrise with Meet on desktop:
How to use Sunrise with Meet on iOs mobile:
Finding ways to save time and schedule things are two important factors in streamlining. Are you ready to automate your business? Think of the extra time automation will give you for leisure lunch dates, shopping for dresses, and early morning runs or naps (I promise I won't tell).
