The rules you’re following are NOT yours. I promise. You THINK you’re making the rules because they support likes and dislikes you have about your body. Or they support the beliefs you have around what is available to you in stores and what is not. And most importantly, you THINK they support you being liked and accepted out in the world.
But what if YOU MADE THE RULES about what you wore? And what if based them on what you’d wear in the comfort of your own home with no one around to potentially judge you*.
This article was originally published on Sol Reflection.
If you love conversations like this, join us Backstage…it’s free! And it’s the most important place on the internet for women who want to see the world change!
Christian Evelyn Dean is our next guest discussing MONEY, and what it means to her. Christian is a passionate, financial services professional with 9 years of proven experience in financial, operational, and customer service management in the Retail Branch environment. Christian is both committed and dedicated to assisting her community to excel by identifying opportunities and developing customized financial solutions for her clients. She is passionate about Financial Racism, and educates on the topic to stop the cycle! Christian holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Holy Names University in Oakland, CA, and a master’s of science degree in Organizational Leadership from Nyack College in New York. She is also a huge volunteer in her community in her free time!
You can find Christian Evelyn Dean on Instagram @Christianevelyn__ and on LinkedIn Here.
“I have sat in rooms where I was the only woman and I was the only woman of color. And I did not come into these rooms to sit. ” – Christian Dean
On the LBI Backstage Pass Podcast , we talk all things Money, Sex & Politics as they pertain to women thought leaders, industry disruptors, and business activists.
In this episode, we are talking MONEY
But don’t worry, we promise to keep it very light and bright, f-bombs only delightfully placed 🙂 Seriously, it’s mostly comedy & errors with suggestions on how we can maybe, probably do better & asking leaders if they agree!
Join host Rose Kaz, serial boat burner, humanist & social entrepreneur as she digs into conversations with various female-forward visionaries who actualize their big visions into real-life actions. These leaders push forward to a world where women are equal to men, underrepresented skin tones find safety, and folks who identify as theys and thems are valued.
We know that a women lead world will be better for us ALL; particularly when we look at how the power inherent in Money, Sex & Politics are accessed.
JOIN US BACKSTAGE
Our talks here point to the shift we are building digitally to build a better world by doing social media differently. See what we are building behind the curtain and come Backstage!!
Contact us at SayHiLBI@gmail.com for inquiries and questions. We love to discuss Money, Sex, and Politics!
My favorite sticker comes from a Chicago-based company you-are-beautiful.com whose mission is to “be a positive force and transmit a simple idea: Everyone deserves to feel good with who they are.” I give these stickers as gifts and have stuck it on my laptop right over the computer’s brand logo because it’s a powerful message in three simple words.
And I believe it. ABOUT YOU.
You ARE Beautiful, I Promise!
It’s easy for me to see the beauty in ALL my clients. But people often come to me with feelings of low self-esteem or worth. My clients talk about comparing themselves to friends, family, public icons and more.
We’re all sent the message that there’s more we could and should do before we’re deemed good enough to belong or to be loved just as we are. It’s harsh and not only are we sent these unkind messages, sometimes we send them to ourselves.
I want you to know that it is critical that we dismantle these thoughts & ideas from our society and from our souls. We do it for ourselves, our friends and our kids. Our brains know the message that our body is bad isn’t real and yet we freely think that and even double down when challenged by others to feel differently about ourselves.
I want you to imagine your best friend in the whole world. Would you tell them they aren’t pretty enough – that their arms, bellies, chins or thighs are too big? Would you tell them that they don’t measure up to their cousins, sisters or y’all’s other best friends?
I ensure you know your beauty, your worth and remind you every day to treat yourself the way you’d treat your own best friend – with love, kindness and the ability to see the beauty in them the way I see it in you.
Try it for one day. Be kind to yourself and when messages that you are not enough come up in your head, resist them. Say, “don’t talk to my friend [insert your name] like that!”
This article was originally published on Sol Reflection.
My name is Ber-Henda Williams, I am a life + biz coach who supports other empathic and creative visionary entrepreneurs and leaders in places of leadership to harness their voice, embrace their feminine power, and build mission-based businesses in service of social transformation, justice and equity.
Inclusivity is of utmost importance to me and the mission of my business.
It’s important that we all have a space to feel heard and seen for who we are and what we are moving through on this crazy, intense, vibrant journey we call life.
Each week in my newsletter I highlight a Woman of the Week from all different backgrounds and walks of life and the work that she is doing in the world.
Today, I’d like to share some of those voices and faces with you. If you feel inclined, click their links and see what they’re up to!
Born and raised in Southwest Detroit, “mother, daughter, sister, creative,” Amelia has been active in her community for over 17 yrs. through her professional experience in “brick & mortar” non-profit development and as a community organizer in arts/cultural work.
Creating and executing workshops, community events and large-scale mural productions.
Proud of her Chilena-Latina-American heritage and language, she strives to use them as inspiration to continue developing her skills as a creative.
Her passion as an activist is rooted in movements that are founded on popular education and creative expression, working towards creating outlets that encourage us to collectively challenge the current norms and structures of mis-education which keep communities disenfranchised.
Lenise Rose helps individuals from all different walks of life achieve financial wellness and create a path toward building holistic wealth.
Lenise earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and Psychology in 1995, her Masters in Community Health Services and Counseling in 1999, and has obtained several certificates, licenses, and awards throughout the years since.
As a Holistic Wealth Building Coach, Lenise has experienced success and mastery in her personal financial wellness and is blessed to have the opportunity to support others on their wealth building journey.
As a Social Entrepreneur, she is dedicated to supporting her clients to achieve financial peace of mind and the ability to positively impact our world through purposeful giving. She specializes in helping social service professionals maximize the value of their skills and talents and become social entrepreneurs.
Clients say that Lenise has a unique skill in helping you build a healthy relationship with money and holistic wealth by lifting your consciousness into an abundance mindset.
Supriya has been a part of the metaphysical world since she was 12 years old when her own mother had a spiritual awakening.
Ever since then she started to make sense of what she has already been experiencing most of her life which was her spiritual gifts.
She’s a clairvoyant, claircognizant, clairaudient and clairsentient or otherwise known as an empath!
She has spent the last decade working in some of the biggest companies around the US and in the world.
After getting tired of the corporate BS she decided to start her own business which was originally a social media marketing agency.
She later found that her clientele was leaning towards a certain type of industry, holistic health wellness, and spiritual coaches.
After leaving her job in January of 2020 she renamed her business to The Spirit Digital and started coaching people in the spiritual world which included yoga teacher mindset coaches, and ayurvedic shop owners.
It wasn’t until she took a trip to Mexico that she got the idea for Business Chakras, which came as a download on the beaches of Tulum!
The Business Chakras is a system where the chakras in your body represent each part of your business.
Today, Supriya is known as The Energy Healer for Businesses as she uses her business chakra system to heal businesses all over the world on a spiritual and technical marketing level.
Is inclusivity an important part of the business you’re building and the work you are doing out in the world? I’d love to hear about it! Leave me a comment below and tell me more…
I am a life + biz coach who supports other empathic and creative visionary entrepreneurs and leaders in places of leadership to harness their voice, embrace their feminine power, and build mission-based businesses in service of social transformation, justice and equity.
The latest buzz word to, seemingly, have taken center stage is ELEVATE and it comes in many forms in the online coaching industry–from business growth to personal transformations.
But instead of telling you how to elevate your sales copy to increase revenue or leveling up on life so you can have the freedom to live as you desire, I want to show you the effectiveness of elevating the overall client experience.
Let me start by saying that I advocate hard for the integrity of the online coaching space because Coaches are so important, especially in today’s world. All of the upheaval and change in the past few years has really gotten people wanting (and needing) to do life differently.
And you’re just the person for the job. But, you already know that.
You’ve probably been told your whole life that you’re emotionally mature, a great listener, super understanding, and your heart is bursting with love and compassion for others.
It’s only natural that after some time researching your options you fell in love with the idea of being a coach and helping others succeed at their goals.
Maybe you’ve had your own experience and a personal journey that’s led you to the call. Maybe you’ve had professional training and are adding coaching as a resume enhancer or opportunity for you to branch out from the corporate career.
Whatever the reason or catalyst for choosing the path of helping others, you’re ready to help make dreams come true.
That said, you’ve got the soft skills, and you’re continuing to learn the hard skills, but to offer your clients what they need, want, and deserve, you’ll benefit most from learning to structure your time with them.
There are three simple things you can do to elevate your coaching and give your clients the experience they’re desperately seeking.
ASK POWERFUL QUESTIONS, but not hard ones.
The power of a good question resides not in its length or complication, but in its effectiveness to get your client talking. The more they talk, the more you’ll discover together–and suddenly…a lightbulb moment will rise out of uncertainty.
Here are some examples of questions that are small but mighty:
“How are you feeling right now? (followed by) tell me about that.”–this question and follow up explores emotions and allows expansion into a problem they are experiencing.
“Why do you think that’s so?”–this offers them a safe space and permission to be honest while also exploring their thoughts on a deeper level.
“And what else?”–the AWE question is the one that also requires pause for reflection, use this when the client believes they’ve told you everything, but you know there’s more information that hasn’t surfaced.
“What would letting go of that feel like?”–this question is great because it offers the opportunity for them to explore a new life scenario. Even if the answer comes from fear, doubt, or worry, it opens space for deeper exploration.
“What’s your next move?”–this question is action oriented and allows the current breakthrough a chance to be acted upon immediately and in the future. This is important because this is where change truly begins.
USE MORE SILENCE, but with purpose.
Silence can be intimidating whether you’re the coach or the client making it one of the biggest challenges to overcome in a session because you’re conditioned to fill gaps and lulls in conversations. But when you introduce purposeful silence into the situation you allow your client to fill the space with the words and emotions they need to bring to the table.
Practice getting uncomfortable for the sake of transformation. Here is an example of how silence can be incorporated in a healthy way:
When using a question such as “And what else?” follow it with your silence and wait for their response. Maintaining eye contact by looking at them expectantly and leaning in toward them indicates a safe and understanding space for them to let go and say what’s on their mind. Allow 5 or 10 seconds to go by so that your client can contemplate their answer.
Rest assured that they will fill this space.
BE FULLY PRESENT, even when you aren’t together.
In the age of online coaching it’s not often coaches and clients meet face to face without a screen in between, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take steps to tune out all the external noise and be fully present for your client during your time together.
Doing so will allow you to know which question you want to ask next, when to be purposefully silent, and when there’s more they want to discuss but aren’t saying. Here are a few ways to prepare for your time together and maintain a healthy presence during the call:
Avoid back to back coaching sessions–it’s easy to feel exhausted after a session, be sure to maintain space between calls to get a drink, move around, recenter your focus, journal thoughts from the call, or meditate.
Become more mindful–be aware of what distracts and steals your attention and remove those things before the call. Take care of necessary business before or after your session times and turn off notifications so you’re fully available for the client.
Draw yourself back in–often your mind can wander, when this happens, catch yourself and draw your attention back in by leaning in more and making eye contact. It’s also important when the client is going on a rant that isn’t productive, that you stop them and guide them back with some simple questions. Allowing an unnecessary rant wastes time and causes lack of focus for everyone.
Being present helps you to move into active listening, one of the most important skills to have as a coach, because it allows you to listen for your client as they open their heart and mind and allow their thoughts and emotions to flow freely.
In a time of buzzwords, promises of massive wealth and transformation in 30 days, and ‘the best kept secret in the industry’, the real key to elevating the coach-to-client experience is to keep it simple and bring it back to the client.
Your client will reach their best results when you ask yourself what they need and how you can provide a safe space for them to receive it.
Kitty Kistler is an experienced Life Coach + Business Mentor.
Driven by a desire to see integrity within the coaching community she created Ready, Set, Coach Academy to teach aspiring coaches, course creators, influencers, and social marketers how to coach professionally and build sustainable heart + values centered businesses. Her goal is to expand and diversify the industry while helping more coaches become successful, profitable business owners as well.
If there’s a life changing lesson we’ve learned in the last decade as business owners, it’s this: Our business works best, when we’re true to ourselves.
We each developed and owned a few businesses, some of which we ran independently and others together; and to be completely honest (as it’s a part of our values), while some of those were funky flops, others were considered extremely successful.
True, there are many common factors involved in a business’s success; however, we believe that one of the most influential factors is who we are, what we bring to the business, and how we approach it.
For instance, as co-founders and two sisters, we each bring our individual personalities, emotions, values, and even coffee preferences to the table, which impacts in different ways the business that we run together.
If one of us is having a bad day, not to mention a lousy month, it directly affects our thoughts, actions & words, therefore our workflow. The way we show up on social media, our productivity, the results we get and the future we envision for the business, are all affected by who we are at this time being. Even if we succeed in covering it up—say, in front of clients—and minimizing the damage, it won’t go unnoticed. It works like magic the other way around too. If we’re having a great week, it will positively influence the business.
Let’s take a closer look at what makes us who we are…
When was the last time you stopped to evaluate or think about your values?
Don’t feel bad if you didn’t; most people don’t know how to make actual ‘stops’ during their day-to-day to evaluate their situation or think about their values. However, knowing our values is essential since they are what motivates our actions and makes us choose one path over another.
Simply said, core values are the standards we choose to live by. To put it another way, they are our personal guidelines. When we live by them, our life feels smoother, simpler and harmonious. Whereas when our actions, thoughts or even words are not following those guidelines – we tend to feel ‘off’, frustrated, uninspired and drained. This is true for our personal lives, and for businesses.
The idea that there is a one-size-fits-all approach to conducting business exists, but since everyone of us is unique, how can we all conduct business in the same way?
Just like many other entrepreneurs, we listened to many business experts, and opinionated coaches who told us what to do in order to achieve our goals. We also looked up at other businesses, without necessarily knowing what they’ve done and went through to get to this point where they inspired us. We tried doing what they do, using similar words, techniques and approaches, in the hopes that this would help us achieve their level of success. Unsurprisingly, it did not work. We’re not in the same industry, or at the same stage of business. Most importantly, we are not the same people, so we do not necessarily share the same values and beliefs.
No wonder that when we tried to manage and develop our business by following other people’s values, not only did it underperform, but it also made us doubt ourselves, our capabilities, and our business altogether. We weren’t living up to our core values and beliefs. We weren’t our true selves, and that had to change.
Then we figured it out!
When something isn’t working, the secret is to stop looking for solutions outside of yourself and instead get in touch with your core values.
Learning from others, being inspired, and adopting tools, abilities, and strategies that others have perfected is fantastic – as long as they match your authentic self. By doing so, you can be sure that your work will make you feel good, be more productive, and it will inspire you to keep going.
Here’s a couple of things you can reflect on:
The definition of success is your own.
You don’t have to aspire for a 7-figures business because others do. Perhaps your success is a healthy work-life balance, the freedom to exercise every morning, the ability to travel the world, or just working in something you love and waking up eager to start each day. Your personal notion of success has a direct bearing on how your business performs.
Each person has a different ‘true-self’.
Being your true self is also about respecting others for being their true selves, whether they are your client, supplier, boss or employee. Sometimes you’ll fit perfectly, and other times you’ll have to make some adjustments to get along. And, on occasion, you must let things go out of respect.
It’s not about competition.
A business is a personal journey; there is no need to waste energy comparing yourself to others. Furthermore, when you are true to yourself, you can never have competitors because you and your values are unique. You can be inspired, collaborate, and learn from others – there is a place for everyone, even in the same field.
Last but not least, our experience has shown us that we are more productive, confident, and capable of achieving the best outcomes for both our organization and ourselves when our values and beliefs are in line with our actions, thoughts, and words.
Take this moment, to stop and evaluate your core values and consider how you might align your activities with them in order to successfully run your own business.
Maayan & Gal are sisters, the founders of Smoozitive. They are guiding and supporting women living abroad using positive psychology and mindset coaching, to be their best selves no matter where they are.
Moms- we have all been there. Exhausted, worn down, hopeless, and it is not even 7am. For me, a regular morning starts at 5:15 because that is the only time I have before the kids wake up (most days). Then it is straight to the grind. We are the boss of our businesses, our careers, and our homes. No matter what we do, we are juggling a million things.
5:15 am turns into 5:45ish am when the kids wake up, breakfast time and getting dressed before the park, soccer, another play date, lunch, nap, and then figuring out how on earth to keep them occupied until bed. During their naps, it is all about writing, blogging, gaining publicity, laundry, cleaning, ordering groceries, ordering things for the kids, prepping dinner, and trying to sit down knowing it will be the only time of the day I get to do it. This is all on a non-work day.
How is it possible that we can do this? We, as women, put pressure on ourselves to get absolutely everything done on our own. We think our way is the only way. We do not ask for help, especially when we need it. We feel that we need to do it all.
What is Mommy Bossing?
Mommy Bossing is a new term that I have created. We not only are living our work lives, but we are mommy-ing. We are Mommy Bossing every single day whether we know it or not. Breaks are few and far between. All we want is some time to ourselves, but we are lost at how to find it. Just last night, I wanted to take a quick shower as it was my only time alone. All I heard were the kids screaming for me, refusing to go to bed. I had no alone time even though I was indeed alone in the shower. Juggling this all is so hard, frustrating, and sometimes seems downright impossible.
So what can we do?
Ask For Help!
Why are we so afraid to say “I need help.”?
It is one of the hardest sentences that one can utter. It feels like we are saying we are incapable of doing something or that we failed. This is absolutely the opposite! We are doing ourselves a favor when we ask for help. This is one of the best pieces of advice I got when I was pregnant. Someone told me to never worry about asking for help once the kids arrived (twins). I knew I would need it.
What I didn’t know was that my son would be born with a life threatening birth defect. I needed an entire village. And by asking for help, I got it. I was able to be less worried about tedious things like laundry or dinners. I was able to put the energy needed towards the care of my son in the hospital and my daughter at home.
Commit to at least 3-4 hours a week to yourself. Schedule it!
This could be a morning walk, meditation, time at the spa, or anything that makes you happy! You can do small things everyday or wait until you have a few hours to yourself on the weekend. I personally enjoy my time at 5:15 in the morning (even though that is so dang early!), and I have some time to myself every Saturday to get massages and do errands or other things. I enjoy this time so much; my husband knows he is in charge during that time. It is on the schedule, and it is something I look forward to every week.
Let go of expectations
I have a box where I put in all of the things I feel like I need to control, but in reality I cannot. It is called “My God Box.” It does not have to be religious, rather I think of it as spiritual as I believe in a higher power that some would call God. By putting these uncontrollable expectations in this box, I am handing it over to the Universe acknowledging that I no longer have control of the situation.
This box is full of things as simple as “I need to stop obsessing over how I expect my family to act,” or other things like “I need to stop trying to control the outcome of a certain situation (say applications for preschool for example).” I do not have control over how people act or how every preschool has a different application process. I do not have control on whether or not the kids will be accepted to certain preschools due to wait lists.
By handing these situations over, I am letting go of my expectations knowing that the Universe has control. Not everyone has to let go of expectations this way. It is simply the way I do it, but everyone is on their own journey and can determine the best way forward for themselves.
These are 3 main things all of us can work on. They may sound simple. But the Mommy Boss in all of us needs these tools in order to live a life where we don’t need to do it all, where we can have time to ourselves, and where we can thrive even more than we already are.
Ellen Elizabeth is an infertility warrior and recovery advocate who uses her skills as an author and sober mother of twins to coach women struggling with feelings of shame and inadequacy. These mothers feel powerless to quit drinking or unable to bring a child into the world. Through radical honesty and recovery principles, Ellen inspires moms and their partners in all forms to define who they want to be and transform their demons into dreams.
Ellen has been featured in publications such as Authority Magazine, Collective World, and Recovery Today Magazine, as well as several podcasts. To keep herself centered, she makes her home with her family of 5 (dog included!) in Colorado Springs, CO.
If you are a Boomer, (hey, I am😊!) this checklist is to help avoid the most common “potholes” on the always evolving LinkedIn platform. This vitally important business and professional networking platform has earned a unique role in the world and it seems poised to be a growth giant long into the future! Microsoft acquired it for $26.2 BILLION for a reason.
Let’s look at what the Boomer group values, as a whole and these common pitfalls in branding ourselves become pretty logical. Here is a quick summary below.
What are the characteristics of the Baby Boomer generation?
Independent. Baby Boomers are confident, independent, and self-reliant. …
Strong Work Ethic. Baby boomers aren’t afraid to put in a hard day of work. …
Self-Assured. This generation is independent and self-assured. …
Competitive. …
Goal-centric.
LinkedIn has become a complete personal branding vehicle that works with its own set of rules. LinkedIn is a showcase opportunity for you to illustrate your professional reputation (aka – personal brand).
So, let’s get to a list to check below to ensure you are making or sidestepping these crucial mistakes that are common for Boomers:
Emphasis on years, rather than impact and results
Treating the profile as once and done
Under thinking images (e.g. profile & LinkedIn banner)
Default headline
Outdated “about” sections
Treating the experience section as a resume replica
Ignoring online personal branding realities
Let’s explore these crucial mistakes; why they need to be avoided and what to do instead.
.
Emphasis on Years, Rather than Impact
It’s tempting to lean into the tons of experience and lead with that, thinking it automatically qualifies for a win. Big emphasis on years sends the completely WRONG MESSAGE. Expertise that stays current in today’s fast moving marketplace is what does matter.
Lead with statements that focus on results you’ve delivered for clients and customers.
Include bottom line impact and transformation your efforts delivered. Think along the lines of “what have you done for me lately” or similar. For a profile to get found in the busy marketplace that LinkedIn is today, think about making the profile very clear in speaking directly to the ideal client and their “pain” points.
It’s useful to take the approach of thinking “why does the reader care?”. If your profile doesn’t provide a strong and compelling answer to this question, they won’t care and keep on scrolling by.
Entrepreneurs, your profile needs to communicate value in a “client-facing” style business language.
Include distinct, measurable deliverables, efficiencies, impacts, and clients wins. Be personable, relatable and invite connection. It takes effort to quantify results, but think of your overall profile as a mini marketing brochure and make sure the language resonates in today’s market in a crisp and compelling way. Your profile should not sound or be like anyone else’s out there.
Once and Done Treatment
Remember that your profile should tell the story of where you’ve been, where you are now, and where you want to be in the future. LinkedIn works best if you treat it as a living document that should be updated and refined on a regular basis. Us Boomers grew up in an era where documents were made “picture perfect” and then remained static. Social media is anything but static and LinkedIn is a social platform. Continuing to evolve and iterate new elements is expected now (and the algorithm will respond favorably). Make sure to set aside time to review and update about once per quarter. LinkedIn is making constant changes, so there may be new features you discover when you do a quarterly or bi-annual check up.
Keep your LinkedIn profile current. Don’t let it go stale. Make sure your profile reflects what you do now, not what you did five years ago. Update your headline, summary, work experience, education, skills, and interests. Add new information about yourself and your career. Include any awards, honors, publications, and certifications. Share photos of yourself doing things you enjoy. Be sure to include links to your website, blog, social media profiles, and any other online presence you have.
Relevant Professional Images
Your headshot IS essential. Think of it as a virtual handshake. It lasts a lifetime. Okay, I get that. While we may not feel as comfortable in front of the camera as today’s digital natives, it’s important that we get professional and thoughtful images taken in the profile space and in the banner image behind it, so that our clients know who they are dealing with. Please do not crop a group photo from any wedding. If you make this mistake, it communicates volumes about how you view yourself professionally. Here is a great guide article on how to get a professional looking headshot without spending a fortune.
Banner images are often an underused space with images that are simply not reinforcing the brand message. It is such a highly impactful space. Think of it as a complimentary “billboard” opportunity. It literally is. Choose, create or have a customized banner image created for you. Doing so helps clarify your professional expertise in a way that nothing else can.
Here are some examples worth considering. The images you choose for this worldwide business professional and networking platform are high impact. The customized banner or “cover image” creates a first impression for the reader with direct reflection and implications to your personal brand. Ask yourself, “What is the first impression of your business leadership worth?” Don’t skimp here. Here is a Forbes article that shares other ideas to consider.
Default Headline as a Job Title – Don’t Do It: Get Targeted Instead
If you focus only on the current role and things change in some way (acquisition, merger, etc.), the mountain to climb is huge. While it can be overcome with an intelligent strategy, gaining momentum becomes harder than it should be.
Don’t default to a current job description or use buzzwords like “guru” or complex sounding titles. The “thing” you do and who you work for should be understood in under four seconds. Create an effective headline that summarizes your specialty, results and ideally who your target audience is (if you’re targeting a specific group). Your headline is also the most keyword sensitive part of your profile. You might wish to reverse engineer this concept, and think about if someone was looking for the exact results and expertise you deliver – what title or keywords would they enter into Google to find you? Consider your headline as some words plastered on a billboard, passing by in just a few seconds as you drive along the highway on a 12-hour cross country journey. It needs to be succinct, clear, and compelling!
Outdated About Section
LinkedIn is a social platform, so it’s best to use “I” in an informal tone. No third-person references anymore. If you are not clear and specific on the pain points you have solved for your company and clients, then it’s simply not serving you well.
As a reader peruses your profile, provide a compelling collection of details that create a mental picture of the specific problems you solve. In the About Section, it’s helpful to use a structure, or it can seem overwhelming to begin.
One quick format outline that you can use as a beginning point is:
What you do
How you do that
What makes you unique
What others have said
Services provided
What results you have delivered
You can start from that format with a relatable, logical flow of sentences that blend in a bit of your personal style, whether it be humor, community involvement or anything that fits your individualistic way.
A well crafted “About” section in your profile will cause someone to actually feel like they got to know you somewhat. That unique combination and blend of knowledge and experiences will never fit anyone else. Keep that in mind.
Treating experience section like a resume replica
As an entrepreneur, the ideal use of the experience section is to also make this a client facing read, with details of results you’ve delivered for past clients and employers.
The experience section is best done with a firm focus on what you’ve achieved and results delivered. Include distinct measurables and quantify whenever possible. Perhaps share details of interesting projects and key accomplishments.
You want to have it serve you well as you leverage all aspects of your profile, including publications, volunteer work, perhaps hobbies that showcase your dedication, or if it’s one that relates to your profession in some way (aka, mechanical engineer who rebuilds classic cars, etc.).
It is easy to notice how up to date (or not) you are in using LinkedIn. That awareness or lack of it, speaks volumes. There is interest to see how professionally engaged and current you are within your industry. Most often that is done via LinkedIn today.
Ignoring the reality of Online Personal Branding
As mentioned above, the rules of engagement have changed and while a resume is still important in its own right, the LinkedIn platform has become like the “Amazon of the B2B” (business to business) space.
Most Boomers are not fond of personal branding. Generally, discretion, aka not attention-getting, has pretty much been our credo, right?
Don’t want to have an online brand? Too late, you already do.
Google yourself. You have a brand, though it may be an unintentional one. Well, that type of thinking is a big mistake today. Don’t allow your online image and brand to be a conglomeration of what others compile, or what you haphazardly posted on LinkedIn a while back.
You have an online brand, whether intentional or not. It’s now pivotal for your business and you to thoughtfully develop a cohesive and compellingly written personal brand message. Click Resources to help you get started with building that brand in an authentic way that fits your approach.
Let’s take a look at just a few reasons why your brand matters:
64% of consumers would buy from a brand or boycott it solely because of its position on a social or political issue. (Source)
89% of customers stay loyal to a brand that shares their values. (Source)
Consistent branding can boost revenue by up to 33%. (Source)
89% of marketers say that brand awareness is their top goal. (Source)
77% of leaders say that a strong brand is critical to their growth plans. (Source)
60% of millennial consumers expect a consistent brand across all channels. (Source)
91% of consumers express preference to buy from an authentic brand. (Source)
82% of investors desire to invest in a firm with a strong brand. (Source)
Summary
Take time to review and update your profile regularly. Think of who would be looking for your expertise and be certain to use those keywords liberally throughout your profile. Linkedin works on keywords, so be certain to strategically include those throughout your profile to make it easy to find someone with your expertise. Make certain you don’t step into the stereotype of being out of touch on the most important business networking platform in the world. A complete, up to date, engaging profile tells the world that you’re doing business and open for opportunities.
Iris Culp is the Principal at IC Growth, a marketing consulting and business growth firm. She has more than a decade of marketing experience and has helped clients double their top line revenue in less than 24 months.
Prior to the current focus of marketing strategies for solopreneurs & micro-business owners, she worked professionally as a writer, as well as 20+ years in Human Resources with a focus on organizational communication.
She worked in HR leadership roles at American Airlines, Sabre where she led several nationwide initiatives. She earned a master’s degree in adult education and holds multiple HR certifications.
Currently her firm, IC Growth is focused on helping small business owners leverage the power of LinkedIn to organically grow for a consistent and full sales pipeline. She has developed a signature program in that space titled, “LinkedIn for Business: 6 Weeks from Questions to Confidence”.
She describes herself as a “creative analytic” who loves research and data and blends that with a creative twist. She finds it particularly fun to support entrepreneurs who happen to be “fellow introverts” “find an authentic way to tell their own story” and find their ideal audience. In her spare time, she loves to dig in her flower garden, create landscapes, ride motorcycles, and read.
We already know how huge Instagram is, It is a social network which cannot be ignored by business owners. Having Instagram as a part of your marketing strategy is becoming non negotiable, mainly because of the power Instagram holds to help business connect with their ideal clients all over the world.
Why Instagram?
Instagram has 1 billion active users out of which 500 million are active on the platform on a daily basis. With that many eyeballs, a business can achieve great success with a dedicated Instagram Strategy. And with a lot of businesses now going online, the power of Instagram Marketing is only going to increase.
Below we will discuss how you can market your business in the efficient manner.
Optimizing your Bio
First things first, your bio needs to be optimized because it acts as a first level filter to attract your ideal audience and also makes you and your brand look more professional. It plays a key role in converting your profile visitor into a follower.
A single glance on your bio and your profile visitor will decide whether or no to hit that follow button. So having a clearly written bio is crucial step to begin with.
Here is the step by step guide to optimizing your bio.
Profile Picture: Your profile picture on Instagram is not expandable, which is why it is important to use an image which is clear and taken from smaller distance, preferably a headshot of yourself, otherwise you can use the logo of your brand as well. Don’t use pixelated or blurry images.
Username: Your Username should be simple,readable and easily memorable. Don’t use complicated words, symbols,spaces etc in your username.
Name: This field on Instagram is a searchable one. Using keywords that define your niche perfectly in this section can be a great way to make your profile appear in the searches. You can also write your name here if at all you don’t have it in the username, but also include keywords by using a emoji or a symbol as a separator between your name and the keywords.
Short Bio: This section should be about who you help, what you help them with and a call to action to click the link in your bio. You can also use this space to showcase some credibility building factors such as any features ,awards or titles you have received.
CTA/ Website/ Link in Bio: You have an option to include a link in your Bio.Add your website here. Make sure to fill this with the latest thing that is going on in your business. Maybe you have a free workshop/sale coming up, include the link to that. If you have no website then at least include the link to your calendly where people can book a free discovery call with you/Whatsapp link etc If you have multiple links to add then use app like Linktree.
Contact Options:In the edit profile section of your bio, under profile information you have contact options. You get to add Email, phone number, Local Business Address(if you have one) and Whatsapp Business Phone number.
Action Buttons: Instagram allows you to add buttons in addition to the contact options. These will help you connect your profile to other online services that your customers can use to interact with your business.
Content Strategy:
When it comes to marketing your business on Instagram, content strategy is the most crucial part. Your content should be doing the heavy lifting for you. It should help you appear as an industry expert, bring in new followers, nurture the existing followers and take them to the next step in the customer journey.
And how can you do this?
By creating content with purpose.
And the purpose is not only to get likes, comments and followers but also to get more sales, leads and inquiries in your DMs.
What does creating content with purpose mean? There are 3 main purposes your content should be fulfilling.
1. Bringing in new followers/ increasing reach
2. Likes, comments, shares, Saves / engagement or building a community.
3. Bringing in Leads, inquiries, generate leads and sales.
Don’t get stuck in the content creation loop trying to create content one after the other without any intention or purpose behind it. Have a content plan which will help you stay consistent and also intenmtional.
Here is how you can create a content plan:
Decide how many times in a week you want to be posting.
Let’s say you want to post 5 times a week. Now decide what type of content will
it be.
Ex: 2 Reels + 1 carousel + 1 post
3 Reels + 2 Post
Now you know exactly how many reels, posts, IGTV videos you need to be
planning and shooting for an entire month /week/3 months .
Depends on how ahead you want to plan and keep the content ready.
Instagram Stories:
An Instagram story is a feature which allows you to post photos and videos which are archived after 24 hours unless saved as a highlight on your profile.
It’s a great feature which helps you to connect with your existing audience and build the know like and trust factor which will help you turn them into a warm audience.
Stories have incredible options like engagement stickers, on screen texts, music, stickers which all makes it very intearctive and fun.
Engagement Stickers are the best when it comes to engaging with your audience, taking their opinions, involving them in any decisions and generating leads as well.
It is a great way to give your audience a sneak peak into behind the scenes of your business too.
If you want to find out more about the kind of story formats you should be using to generate sales from Instagram stories then you can watch my Free Training “How to sell using Instagram Stories” here. Watch the Training.
Engagement Strategy:
When it comes to Instagram, if content is the king then Engagement is the queen. Engagement is nothing but the interactions, the likes, comments, saves, shares, story replies, DMs you leave on other people’s profiles.
They help you get traction to your account provided you are engaging with the right accounts.
So here is what you can do:
Identify 5-10 accounts in your niche who are already established. Turn on notifications for their posts. Start leaving meaningful comments on their posts.
Identify the top engagers on these profiles from their comment section, the profiles who are engaging with their content on a regular basis and engage with them too.
Identify Hashtags that relate to your niche and start engaging with the top and recent posts.
Respond to the comments you get on your profile.
Pick out 5 of our followers each day and engage on their content.
What this will do is, increase your reach and traction and also train the algorithm on who it should be showing your content to, and with recent SEO developments on Instagram this will also train the algorithm to categorize your content with all of these similar profiles in your niche.
Pro Tip: Fix a time for when you would be doing this engagement and be done with it once the timer hits, otherwise you could be doing it all day.
Instagram DMs:
DM’s are on of the most powerful tools on Instagram. It helps you connect with anyone, anywhere in the world. If used to it’s full potential DM’s have proven to be a very effective sales strategy. Consider DM’s as a tool to take your customer through their journey from Visitor to a Buyer.
There are 6 types of DM’s you can send.
1.Text Based
2. Pictures/Images
3.Videos
4.Video Chat
5.Voice Notes
6.Group Chat.
Use DMs as a part of your funnel when you redirect people from your content and your stories in your DMs where the conversations begin.
If you have nailed down your content strategy, your DMs will be flowing with Inbound leads who will want to know more about your services/ products.
With the introduction of features such as saved replies, ability to flag and mark chats as unreada nd unanswered the management of messages in the Instagram Inbox is also becoming very convenient.
Analyzing Instagram Insights:
Instagram Insights will be available to every business and creator account who has above 100 followers. You can use these insights to analyse how your content is performing, your reach, knowing more about your audience, your engagement rate and also when is the time your audience are most active.
Use Instagram Insights to analyse which of your content is resonating well with your audience and which is not and make changes to your content strategy accordingly.
BOTTOM LINE:
By now, you already know that using Instagram as a part of your marketing strategy is a no brainer. With it’s amazing features and content formats the possibilities to market your business on Instagram are endless.
I am a social media-obsessed, content-creating Nerd who turned her passion into a career. I started Anjum Bhandari Marketing with the sole purpose of supporting businesses to leverage the power of social media to help them grow and make their mark in the digital world
I have worked and guided 30+ businesses, helped them nail their social media strategy, focusing on increasing metrics such as lead generation, inquiries, and sales.
The #1 reason why women in online business should stop chasing work-life balance, and what to do instead.
There is a lot of pressure on women in business to manage their work-life balance and even improve it. Dividing their most precious resources – their time, energy, focus and attention, equally between work and private life.
For women in online business it’s said to come a little easier since they have freedom of time and location to work whenever they want, wherever.
A pitfall for online women entrepreneurs however is knowing when enough is enough and not working long hours to the point of burning out. And having clear, healthy boundaries around work and life.
What is work-life balance in online business?
Work-life balance in online business is the (false) notion that there is an equal amount of time spent on work and in your private life.
Even when running an online business – which gives you more time freedom and work mobility, it’s still important to safeguard time and energy spent on work and not pull 12-hour work days. That can be tricky especially if you work from home.
How does work-life balance affect business?
Many believe that if you have a good work-life balance, that will make you a better entrepreneur, CEO and boss lady.
You’re happier, more energized, motivated and focused. You get more done in less time which makes you productive and efficient. It goes without saying that these qualities are supportive when it comes to generating results in your online business if you want to make it profitable. Your wellness being a key piece of your strategy for sustainable success.
Can women entrepreneurs have work-life balance?
A common question that pops up is if women can have work-life balance, and how to manage or improve work-life balance as a woman in online business.
There is a lot of societal pressure and expectation being put on women to have, be and do it all.
Many women entrepreneurs choose to have an online business because it allows them to be even more flexible with their time and have more freedom to work from anywhere, anytime. But trying to juggle it all and be “perfect” at it, is nearly impossible without feeling pulled in different directions.
Why women in online business should stop chasing work-life balance.
The answer to that is simple; because balance is an illusion. And there is no such thing as work-life balance. That would imply that we see those areas as separate from each other. One of my core beliefs, ever since I was 8 years old, has been that everything is intertwined. Each area of life is interconnected.
Everything is a relationship.
What’s thriving or lacking in one area of life, tends to overflow into another.
How you do one thing, is how you do everything in life.
Think about it.
Do you have a tendency to procrastinate in your craft? Then procrastination is surely to show up in another area of your life, like putting off looking at your bank account or paying your bills out of fear of not having enough.
Do you show mastery in your romantic relationships? Then chances are you’re good at building and maintaining a professional network of authentic connections too.
Would you like to be more consistent in your meditation practice? Look at something you’ve been super consistent at for the past year – a thing you do on autopilot without giving it any thought, and just copy/paste that attitude to your meditation practice.
And knowing that every skill in life is transferable, means that when you are confident in one area of life, you can copy/paste that onto another area. It’s all about living that One Big Live, without feeling pulled in different directions.
Balance is an inner state
Knowing how to show up in each area of your life as ALL of you so that you can live that One Big Life comes from balance as an inner state. Whilst also knowing that balance is fleeting – there one moment, gone the next. The more you practice prolonging that state of being, the easier things flow. You experience more spaciousness, more time freedom and an abundance of energy at your disposal. You tend to get less overwhelmed when life throws you a curveball.
This means it’s not about finding equilibrium between two or more things.
Balance is an inner state. You take yourself with you everywhere you go.
So create inner peace, calm and stability for your creativity and actions to flow in any and all important areas of your life – including your online business.
It’s less about trying to balance the scale and dividing your time and yourself equally between all these life areas, rather, it’s more about giving yourself permission to feel into which area has more priority over another at any given moment in time. Sometimes, you might want to pour more into your online business. And other times, you might want to focus on your dating life. There may be times in your life when your partner needs a little extra TLC so you pour more into your romantic relationship. Or, you might want to be out and about with your friends a little more. It all just depends on what you feel you want. That shifts and changes as you evolve and grow as a human being, and you get to pick and choose what nurtures you so that you can pour more of you into each area of your life that you deem important. And you get to choose what that looks like for you. And you get to change your mind. Never forget that!
I’m the captain of this Ship, and a warrior, healer and compassionate leader. As a holistic coach, speaker and soulpreneur, I am passionate about guiding creative wisdom seekers to unlock epic communication + create deep connections so they can have sacred relationships and live their most abundant life.
