Chic Biz Academy
Enroll today to learn how to streamline your biz & maximize your profits.
Chic Biz Academy is now LIVE!.
It is a FREE 14 day Profitable Biz Academy to help you grow your biz.
I created Chic Biz Academy to help chic + savvy solopreneur women to automate their businesses + increase their profits.
It includes 3 Modules:
- MONEY GENERATION
You want to make money, and lots of it? Of course! I'll spill my best tactics to maximize your sales funnel from every angle. - MO' MONEY, LESS PROBLEMS
I will teach you how to track & budget all that money that will be rollin in once you maximize on your money generation efforts. - CREATE YOUR OWN BEYHIVE
No matter how strong your sales funnel is or how smart you are with your money, if you aren't treating your customers better than gold. I will teach you how to build a biz with buzz from your incredible consumers.
I can't wait to help you grow your biz. Enroll here.
xo,
Kimber
Biz Report Cards are in...how did you do?
Just like in school, businesses have report cards. When each quarter ends, you are left with a business report card. How well did you?
Welcome to Quarter 3 (Q3).
Q3 shows you how well you've done in the last 6 months. Depending on circumstances that could be amazing or a little disappointing.
The beauty of it...you have 6 more months to put a big dent in your goals.
Are your goals written on paper? Join the 3% elite.
Systems can increase your profits.
Systems can increase your free time.
Systems can get you more clients.
Systems can get you more referrals.
Systems can get you more naps.
Are any of those your goals?!?
Don't leave me hanging on the naps. I swear they are a sweet delicacy mid day.
Next week I'm facilitating a FREE systems academy: Chic Biz Academy. And I don't mean one or two worksheets and videos. A full blown academy. As full blown as three modules (client management + customer experience, financial systems, and a surprise module) can be.
Keep your eye out.
Just like in school, businesses have report cards. When each quarter ends, you are left with a business report card. How well did you?
How were sales in Q1? How were sales in Q2?
How was profit in Q1? How was profit in Q2?
How profitable was each product or service that you offered? Break this down by service.*Hint evaluate what to reshape and what to get rid of*
How is your aged accounts receivable? Process of determining which customers are paying on time, which are not, and how far they are behind the payment date.
What changes are you going to make?
The best way to make changes that actually push you towards your business goals is to develop a strategy.
3 Chic Strategies for Mastery:
Refine your autoresponder.
Evaluate your sales funnel.
Evaluate & refine your marketing systems.
Bonus 3.1 Social Media: Social Media is big for most online solopreneurs. Let’s look at this real quick. Likes do not equal success.
Let’s repeat together, likes don’t mean a dang on thang!
Break down your strategies down per platform. Each platform is to be treated with love and care or you will not gain traction. Ads (facebook, twitter, pinterest) are your friend.
CREAM- Conversion Rule Everything Around Me...CREAM...Dollar Dollar Bill Yall.
Systems Sunday: How to use Google Chrome Extensions
Google Chrome Extensions will change your internet experience...let me show you how. Along with my favorite extensions.
Systems Sunday, I'm sharing with you systems and tools I'm using to automate my biz and (or) my life.
Gigi better known as Google is my best friend which means of course I use Google Chrome as my browser.
The best thing about chrome is extensions. That and Facebook power editor, but we'll talk Facebook ads soon.
Per Gigi extensions simply put are :
- Extra features and functionality that you can easily add to Google Chrome. By using extensions, you can customize Google Chrome with features you like, while keeping your browser free of things that you don't use.
Some of the extensions I have:
What are your favorite extensions?
Hacks on hacks on hacks
Hacks make the world go round. Hacks on hacks on hacks will get your business automated.
The first step to automation is finding out how to maximize the use of your time and the tools that you're using.
Second would be to figure out which tools you love.
Almost every tool has a blog. (Snooze fest..right?!?) some are better than others. The blogs are full of hacks and the best ways to use the tool and other tools that work well with it. Reading the comments are icing on the cake. Typing this, makes it sound really lame and uninteresting and it just may be. However, a 5 minute scan has the potential to change your life.
4 Faves of mine:
Quick tip: Follow the tool on twitter and look at the most favorited and (or) retweeted tweets, because usually those are of importance to all. Asana & Slack both use hashtags for tips #asanatips #slacktips
Action Jackson moment:
1. Put an event in your schedule once a week to peruse one blogs a week for four weeks, then ACTUALLY do it.
Top tools I use monthly:
- Asana
- Evernote
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
- Slack
- Power Editor (Facebook ads)
- Hootsuite & Edgar (if they had a baby I would adopt it and name her Elle...the two combined are awesome)
- Google Chrome (Extensions are your BFF)
Tools I passively use*:
- IFTTT
- Zapier
- Typeform
- Bit.ly
*Passively as in the automation is already set and I don’t even log in or think twice about the tool.
Over the years I've learned hacks on hacks on hacks. These same tips and tricks have automated my businesses and the likes of my favorite lady friends.
Tools are not the reason why you aren't automated.
You probably waste a lot of time in business. Time wasted on things that don't matter, networking (aka social media time suck) with the wrong people, thinking more than doing and just wasting time just doing what you want. Research shows that people waste 60% of their own time, which only leaves 40% to be at maximum productivity. However, the 40% isn’t maximized because most don’t realize that the previous 60% was even wasted.
Be very conscious about concentrating on money generating activities. When you start your day, your three must do things need to be money generating activities. Once completed, move to the supporting activities.
You define what your money generating activities are. Make a list of how you make money and the things you do to support it, then create a hierarchy of what’s most important.
Does this mean all you need to think about is money? Not at all. My thoughts are usually how can I eat cupcakes all day and maintain a healthy tummy to hip ratio. #justbeinghonest
Just be clear on what’s money generating and do those things. Take action then assess.
What are your results from the first week or month of focusing on the money generating tasks?
Your competition isn't doing this, trust me, I've seen her in action.
Truly so many do the same thing over and over and get the same results and wonder why? Hmmm...that is the definition of insanity.
Research and testing can be bleh! There’s a reason companies are paying billions of dollars on research and development...it works!
So start today with a baseline (starting point) and pay attention so you can track what’s really working and what isn’t.
Recap of what you can start doing immediately:
1.Assess your schedule to maximize your time available.
2. Determine the tools you adore.
3. Stalk the tool’s blog and twitter for hacks to improve usage of the tool.
4. Create a list of your money generating activities.
5. Create a hierarchy of your money generating activities.
6. Take action then assess [a basic excel spreadsheet or notebook will do].
Yoga pants are deceitful...don't let your bottom line be too
Yoga pants and entrepreneurs become very close. The connection is almost as close as entrepreneurs and their financial systems.
Yoga pants are part of the work from home dress code. However, It's hard to notice that you've gained weight when yoga pants are your go to pants. Yoga pants are flattering and stretch like it's nobody's business. Even if you notice your yoga pants are tight when you first put them on, the power of Lycra makes you comfortable in minutes.
The reality is you know your yoga pants haven't seen the Yoga mat or the gym in a while.
Oh no she didn't.
& did.
Typically what we focus on is what grows.
However that isn't always true with thighs or booties. Or your business bottom line.
You know the income after all expenses (general, admin costs, interest charges, etc.) have been deducted from your revenue (net profit).
Focus and action are two different things.
Most entrepreneurs have no idea what their bottom line looks like, nor do they have a budget, or make time in their schedule to even review the financials. It's usually a quick look in PayPal- transfer to bank account and pay who and what is needed.
Boom! Financial System
When was the last time you looked at the numbers? The real numbers, not likes or follows, but conversions and expenses. What do you need to get where you want to be? Where do you even want to be?
In the beautiful words of my brother:
“Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t.”
You can ignore the numbers but don't be surprised when December comes and you haven't reached your money goals. Focus on your goals, take action, then assess how the action is doing, and take action again based on the assessment.
focus +Action + Assessment + action = Success
(the one formula you need to remember)
Can you imagine getting fitted for that little black dress for a holiday occasion and you didn't account for your new bottom? Every morning you pulled out a pair of yoga pants and Lycra worked its magic. You indulged in golden oreos, because they’re vegan so you might as well have the “healthy” snacks. You skipped meals because you were so engrossed in your business and weren’t really hungry. You skipped the gym because well...you wanted to and you’re the BOSS. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months and your focus wasn’t on your bottom line it was on doing the things you love in your business and life.
Yoga pants are deceitful. *sigh*
Business is a series of moving parts. There are some parts that you will adore and can’t wait to do (the fun and creative part of your expertise), and the other parts where you ignore until it smacks you right in the face and says:
If you have a business and want to make money, you need to have a solid financial system. Spoiler alert: PayPal is not a financial system.
Financial systems include budgets, quarterly assessments, accounting program, sales funnels, and processes to manage invoices and returns.
3 chic tips to a basic financial system:
1. Write down ALL your business expenses and cancel any programs/tools that you aren't using. Even that gym membership if you aren’t going.
2. Create a budget for your business & STICK to it!
3. Sign up for Wave Apps to monitor your money.
VA's are NOT Band-Aids for your business
If you go into something as serious as surgery, you would want the doctor to be prepared with more than band-aids right? Of course! So just hiring a VA will not instantly transform your business.
Your income has been consistently increasing and you're ready to hire a virtual assistant (VA) for continual work.
Go you! It's your birthday! Go you!
In the online world this can be a badge of honor. You hire your first long-term assistant and you start to feel like a real GIRL BOSS. You have a team and are checking off your accomplishments for the year.
Then you meet with your VA for the first time, you feel like you were given a final exam for Neurosurgery 505.
She asked you for everything but your mother's maiden name and if you aren't using LastPass she may need your mother's maiden name.
You tell her you'll get everything she needs before she starts.
Now here you are this gorgeous GIRL BOSS trying to slap an ugly bandaid on your business and your lovely new VA calls you out on every inconsistency and flaw of your business. And if she doesn't say it to you, she's telling all her VA girlfriends about you.
From the outside looking in your business is ideal. You are the IT girl in your industry. And now you have someone looking at all your skeletons in your chaotic biz closet. This was not what you signed up for. Think about this, If you go into something as serious as surgery, you would want the doctor to be prepared with more than band-aids right?
Of course! So just hiring a VA will not instantly transform your business. There’s some prep work to be done on your part.
Help yourself and your future VA out today! Get your business out of your head. You do not want to be a one woman show.
I'll repeat you do not want to be a one woman show!
This will cripple your creativity and drain your energy.
Here's 3 things you can do today:
1. Sign up for LastPass, seriously it's $12 a year for the paid version and saves you the headache of changing passwords when you need to bring someone on.
2. Get a piece of a paper and WRITE down everything that you do in your business. Spoiler Alert: a business that lives in your head does not have the full capabilities to flourish.
3. On another piece of paper, fold the paper into fourths. Look at the previous paper and now put those tasks into the following categories:
- Tasks only you can do (your expertise)
- Tasks you are okay at doing
- Tasks that take you aren't that good at and(or) hate doing
- Tasks that take you forever and (or) you just don't know how to do effectively.
3.1. Add these lists to Evernote so you will have them on hand when you write up your job description.
Stop treating your customers like gold! Treat them like Taylor's Swifties (pop culture case study)
People will tell you to treat your customers like gold. Ignore them! Gold is so cheap these days.
People will tell you to treat your customers like gold. Ignore them! Gold is so cheap these days.
Instead treat your customers like Taylor Swift treats her fans. Taylor Swift is known for the love she pours into those that support her. She calls her fans "swifties" and they all receive bestie treatment.
Taylor sends thoughtful gifts to her Swifties. Recently she sent $1989 to pay for student loans after reading a Swiftie wrote on social media that she was struggling to pay her loans. Taylor has invited her biggest fans to pizza parties at her home AND she bakes them cookies. Yes, homemade cookies. Beyonce hasn’t made me cookies YET. Meanwhile, Taylor also has sent jewelry, bought lunches, written handwritten notes and homemade Valentines cards.
No more gold. You want to treat your clients like Taylor treats her Swifties.
She pays attention to her social media and knows who is talking to her. She engages authentically with her swifties.
So if you're still treating your peeps like dusty gold sitting around on your dresser or stuffed in the back of your jewelry box- dust yourself off and move in a new direction.
5 chic tips for giving your clients superstar treatment:
Buy your customers gifts
Send them handwritten thank you notes just because
Randomly send past customers love tokens
Engage with your social media followers (let them get to know you while you get to know them).
Run fun contests that gets them involved in your business.
Use Evernote or Trello to keep track of the ideas that you come up with for your client lovin system. Because of course client lovin’ is a system.
Come across a cute etsy shop? Save the link in your Evernote so you easily can access it.
Your customers will love that you took the time to show your gratitude (no matter how big or small).
What ways can you woo your customers and make them feel better than Taylor's Swifites?
Break the Internets...I double dare you + a worksheet
A few weeks ago I deleted 100 people off of facebook. I unfollowed every group that I'm in and left a few that I don't participate in. I deleted my biz facebook page with over 4k people. And guess what happened?
A few weeks ago I deleted 100 people off of facebook. I unfollowed every group that I'm in and left a few that I don't participate in. I deleted my biz facebook page with over 4k people. And guess what happened?
I broke the Internet.
Facebook's algorithm didn't know what to do with all of that info at once, so it shut me down.
I would only see 4 posts from the same 4 people. That really deters the urge to log in. So I didn't. When I would post, no one would like it. Okay yeah maybe it wasn't entertaining or maybe no one cared.
But I knew that wasn't the case. You know we all that one person that you can count on to like your posts so don't drift into self imposed loser ville. Mine is my sister-and she lives on facebook. So when she didn’t like the posts, I KNEW something was up.
So I wrote this post:
Do you see how many people liked it?
I didn't say anything revolutionary, funny, comforting, or inspirational. Yet facebook took me out of timeout.
Sometimes, you have to break the internet. Make your own waves.
Whenever you notice things aren’t going the way you want them, make a ripple of change, and switch things up.
If you have a social media system that isn’t working for you, play around with it until you see traction.
For instance on Instagram I use hashtags like it’s no one’s business. At one point my instagram numbers were increasing rapidly but with spammers. Likes mean absolutely nothing to me.
Seriously, try going to Chipotle and attempt to pay with a few likes.
So I revised my hashtag system. Instagram allows you to use 30 hashtags at one time. I later figured out you can use a different set of hashtags up to three times. So that’s 90 hashtags that I’m able to use to get reach on a picture. Each week, I get a minimum of 10 people who sign up to my email newsletter from Instagram. Annually that’s 520 people added to my brand just by a simple system. I have an evernote folder with 3 sets of hashtags, a leadpage and domain set up specifically for Instagram peeps to sign up. Did I mention this is one picture per week? When I increase my Instagram tactics, it increases.
Systems should always be evaluated as they are here for your greater good. Quarterly evaluate what’s working and not working for you. That’s right, so next week, I challenge you to review what’s working and not working in your business.
Ready to break the internet and crush your goals? Start tracking your efforts with this worksheet
Mo Money...Mo Problems
Everyone online wants to make six figures. It's the Solopreneur dream.
My goal is multi-millions but that's neither here nor there.
From January to now I've seen 6 figure promises everywhere.
E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E!
What I haven't seen is what happens once you start making the money.
Everyone online wants to make six figures. It's the Solopreneur dream.
My goal is multi-millions but that's neither here nor there.
From January to now I've seen 6 figure promises everywhere.
E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E!
What I haven't seen is what happens once you start making the money.
DUH, Kimber you spend it…(I know you were thinking it.)
How do you handle all the new business? How do you have time to spend this money? How do you serve each client as if they are the most important person in your life?
Please believe that when at minimum of $10,000 a month finds its way to your PayPal, you are working hard for it.
Truly an extra two clients a month can turn your world upside down if you aren’t ready for them.
You get the first paypal notification. Happy Dance!
Second paypal notification. Oh yeah, I’m in the money!
Third paypal notification. Okay. I got this!
Fourth paypal notification. W-H-A-T I-N T-H-E W-O-R-L-D
By the sixth paypal notification that day, you’re already on your third Kombucha sipping it as if it were wine. You need the energy to ensure each client is scheduled, receives the pre-service paperwork, and all the admin work that you need to complete in order to get the client processed. Let's not talk about all the other stuff you still have to do.
The first few days of being in demand are ah-may-zing.
The second week: your days and nights are merged into one.
The third week: you’re scheduling showers in your phone so you won’t forget to get up from your computer.
The fourth week: you add a new alert- “queue dance for you by Beyonce,” because you are tired of your honey side eyeing you as he walks past your office as he heads to bed alone.
More money shouldn't mean more problems.
Potential problems that come with business growth are:
PayPal holding payments for an extensive length of undocumented time
Forgetting to complete important tasks for one of your many superstars
Being attached to your smartphone and computer 24-7
Not spending time with your family and friends
You're part of team #nosleep
Experiencing money blocks
New friends (trust me when I say this is a problem...hello Collabs)
Not having time to spend the money
Despite being able to afford an assistant, your chaos is to the point where an assistant cannot even begin to fathom how to do anything
Fraud complex comes and goes
I can go on for days with the issues that occur when your business grows. There's an easy fix- plan for the growth!
Steve Jobs created Macintosh (Apple) in a garage. That cute little phone that you scroll with would have never seen the light of day without real preparation and thinking forward.
Thinking small is more than just a money goal, begin to run your business today as if it were where you dream of it being. Walmart, McDonalds, Dell, and Apple started with one person wanting more than what they had at the moment they began. They created systems and processes to automate the things they hated doing. They hired on others who they were able to teach to recreate these same processes. However, you can’t teach what you are unaware of and afraid to address.
If you are afraid of systems and processes or the more so common “I just don’t have time” excuse, you are deciding that you are okay with not growing your business to its highest potential. Because it’s impossible to maintain more money without structure. Your business system cannot simply live in your head.
The ball is in court, are you ready to change your song to More Money, Less Problems? More money shouldn't mean more problems.
You're Not Using Your Newsletter Right...
The experts told you that you needed to blog. Check.
The experts told you that you needed a mailing list. Check.
The experts told you that you needed a newsletter. Check.
You're doing everything the experts told you to do, but you just don't see the power of the almighty email list.Your subscribers are not converting.
The experts told you that you needed to blog. Check.
The experts told you that you needed a mailing list. Check.
The experts told you that you needed a newsletter. Check.
You're doing everything the experts told you to do, but you just don't see the power of the almighty email list.Your subscribers are not converting.
Email marketing is still Queen:
- 91% of consumers check their email daily
66% of US online consumers make purchases based upon email marketing
My guess is, you just aren't using your newsletter in the right way. You know the way that you entice and engage with your readers so that they fall deeply in love with you and your brilliance and want to buy up all of your services. It doesn't just happen for the big dogs or her, your business crush, you can do the same thing starting today.
Are you sending a whole week's worth of posts in one email?
Stop doing that! It's too much to read and your potential customer has no idea what you want her to do. Make the decision for her. This is called the Call to Action (CTA), give her one post that you know will rock her world per email.
Decide if you want her to read it all in the email, if not give an intro of the post and a CTA where to go.
Have a product/training/link you know that will benefit her and you want her to check out? Tell her with the CTA >>>GO HERE AND READ THIS >>>
Are the emails scannable?
Attention spans are short and most emails are opened on mobile and in passing, so ensure the copy is narrow. Bold the important takeaways.
Are you sending out your newsletter only when you have an offering?
*le sigh* This is an insta-recipe to being unsubscribed from. I always giggle when someone pops in my inbox and I forgot I was even subscribed to their newsletter. Make an effort to stick to a weekly to bi-weekly schedule for sending your newsletter.
Are you providing value?
Your readers don’t care that you’re busy. We’re all busy. You want to share things that people want to read and are interested in, not just want you want. It is your business, but it’s really not about you. Before hitting send, ask yourself “Is this going to provide value to her life?” If not, look how you can add value. Give her a reason to like and trust you.
Are you crafting good subject lines?
Approximately one third of peeps open e-mail based on subject line alone. Subject lines under 10 characters have the best open rate. You do want your lady friends to open up the goodness that you are sending. Take time to craft these to be compelling. Subject lines that do well: jokes, asking questions, giving demands, teasers, saying the unexpected, lists and giving deadlines. Avoid spam words throughout the newsletter, but especially in the subject line.
Are you checking your newsletter stats?
I know I know, numbers are boring and can get overwhelming quick. However, you have to gauge how you’re doing, so you can know what to keep doing and what to stop doing. Numbers don’t lie. Check out your email marketing ROI here.
Ultimately you just want to run your business, and be amazing, I get it. Turning your readers into buyers is the mission. And it’s even easier when it’s streamlined.
Chic Tips to Mastery:
- After you edit your blog post, create two short compelling email subject lines.
- Use both with an A/B test.
- Copy and paste the post into your email marketing system.
- Ask yourself:
- Is there one article or message for the reader to consume?
- Is there a CTA?
- Is the email narrow and easy to scan through?
- Have I provided value this week/month or is this just solely pitching?
- Would I read this?
5. In a few days, check your stats. Check which subject line was most compelling. Do more of those.