Hey there, my amazing listener, welcome and thank you for tuning into episode 291 of the Small Business Made Simple Podcast.

Welcome to April! This month, the theme is business basics. The basics things you need to know about business, to be successful. Maybe you’ve been in business for a while, but don’t be fooled sometimes going back to basics is exactly what you need to do to move forward.

But before we get into today’s episode, I just wanted to talk about how I can help you in business. Whether you’re after an Hour of Power – just need my brain for 1 hour to get answers to questions or get some accountability or refocus, or you’re after some one to one coaching or perhaps you need a keen marketing eye to look over your socials, your website, your email marketing strategy and so on and need an audit with suggestions and ideas – then I’d love to help!  Of course I also have my Nine Week Marketing Transformation Program and don’t forget the book – Small Town Big Impact! All these ways to help you with your marketing and more are available on my website www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au

I’d love the chance to work with you because I know you are an action taker because you listen to this action-taking podcast! Reach out and let’s chat about how I can help you move your business forward even faster.

So, as mentioned April is about business basics and today I am going to share with you some answers to a Facebook post that asked “What was the best advice you’ve been given in business to help you grow?”. This wasn’t my post, but given we are talking business basics, sharing the answers seemed like a fabulous idea for a podcast to help you get back to basics with some great advice, that’s not all mine, but coming from your peers in business.

So, what were some of the answers to the best advice you’ve been given in business to help you grow – by the way, I love the bit at the end – to help you grow …..

Answers:

• Treat your business like an actual business – not like a hobby. I love this one – so simple and yet so often missed. Whether you are full time or part time in your business, give it the respect of treating it like a business – brilliant advice!
• Hire a mentor or coach – this answer was definitely a theme and the same answer in different ways was given over and over again. I’ve always had a coach and mentor in my business for myself – it’s how I’ve got this far. The hard work was definitely all mine, but without a mentor or coach, I know I would have strayed off path or not got here as quickly as I have. This one is probably the most important piece of advice the post had. Do you have a mentor or coach?
• Invest in yourself – this was the next common answer and kind of relates to having a mentor or coach but also other investments – especially in your craft. Invest in tech that makes your life easier or simpler, invest in conferences to network with like minded people or learn from others and invest in things like retreats for down time. This is my second favourite response. I have probably spent well over a quarter of a million dollars over the years investing in myself, my knowledge and my business. It’s been totally worth it.
• Fellow rural mentor Amy Treacy wrote – get the basics right first to build a strong foundation and then went on to say that most businesses fail in the first 2-3 years because the foundations aren’t strong, the work wasn’t done – great advice my amazing business friend – great advice!
• Know your target market (ha – yes, go back and listen to last week’s ep on this!)
• Find staff and then open. Staff are hard to find these days. So interesting – I don’t have staff but certainly see many businesses closing early or not at all on particular days because of lack of staff. What’s your experience with this?
• Delegate, delegate, delegate
• Don’t let your business run you – you run the business.
• Put your efforts into growing your email list as it will convert the highest and it does! Now I didn’t write that but this person was definitely talking my language here!
• Be careful who you listen to …. Oh this one is so powerful. I often talk about be aware of who you are letting into your ears. One of my favourite sayings is “don’t let those in the cheap seats have an expensive opinion”.
• Understand the financial stuff. So very very important to know your numbers
• Be the change and make space for selfcare, you can’t help anyone else until you have your own oxygen mask on first
• You must know or learn how to sell. If you’re listening to this when it’s released, make some time next week to come and listen to my LinkedIn live with Frances Pratt as we battle out the “More Sales, Less Marketing” strategies in your business! We are live on Thursday 18^th at 12 pm on LinkedIn – it’ll be a great conversation!
• And the last one I’ll mention here is just because you have a great idea, doesn’t mean you have a audience that will buy. Test the market before you launch, make sure you have people who are willing to buy what it is that you sell and you really understand what you selling. This one is super powerful. Often we get caught up thinking we are selling X, when really we are selling Y. An example, at Christmas time people think they are selling Christmas presents to people, but what they are really selling is time – if done right. The people who realise they are selling TIME at Christmas will do the best. Why time? Because everyone is so freaking busy, there’s a billion trillion marketing messages out there and if you can make it SO easy for your customer to buy the perfect gift and save them time (time they can spend elsewhere) then, my friend, you have got yourself a loyal customer! In my business, I am not selling coaching, I’m selling my marketing brain. I am selling access to one of the best marketing brains in the country – if I do say so myself. That’s what you’re buying – some Jenn, not marketing.

If I asked you this question – what’s your best business advice you’ve been given to help you grow – what would your answer be?

What did you take away from today’s chat? Send me an email, a DM or jump into the Like Minded Business Owners Facebook group and let me know.

But that’s it for episode 291. If you loved this episode and found it valuable, please take 30 seconds out of your day to leave me a rating and review if you want where you are listening.

Do you have a friend who might like to listen in too? Can I ask a favour, and have you share this episode with them? I’d love that and appreciate it SO much.

Again, I’d love you to join in the community in the Like Minded Business Owners Facebook group. You can join the group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/LikeMindedBusinessOwners

See you next week on the podcast for episode 292.

But in the meantime, let’s hang out on social and get social on social – you’ll find me on Instagram, Facebook and my fav LinkedIn.

But whatever you do,

…….. remember small business peep, as my opening song says, there’s no point in dreaming small!