June 16 iBlog magazine

Page 47

virtually or locally. Choosing to have a team as part of my business has been the best decision I’ve made. My team has enabled me to focus more on growing my business while they took care of the day-to-day tasks and completing client projects. Because I have a team, I’ve been able to delegate content management, graphic design, email list management, and many other business tasks that help to grow my business. If you don’t have a team yet you want to build one, check out Upwork.com to find people who could help to share your knowledge and get your message out. It’s definitely something that you should start doing on a regular basis if you aren’t already. Why? Because blogging is one of the easiest ways to share your content online when you share via social media.

Misconception # 3

Mentoring Isn’t Necessary for Small Business Management Running your business without a mentor is like trying to take a road trip without a map. Mentors can help guide your business and give you coaching that will assist you in growing your business. When selecting a mentor, there are three simple things to keep in mind: • Check their track record to see what type of success they’ve had mentoring others with their small business management. • Make sure they understand the vision and goals you have for your business. • Ensure they have a clear plan for mentoring their clients, which includes accountability.

I’ve gone through several coaches or mentors who didn’t work for me. My current mentors have been a big blessing because they see my vision and understand my goals. With their assistance, I’ve been able to set up a highend subscription program that’s bringing in several thousand dollars per month. Having a mentor is a very important part of growing my business.

Misconception # 4

Continuing Education is a Waste of Time This misconception is one that can cause you to stagnate in your business. Continuing education can include things like workshops, webinars … even listening to/reading books. Participating in continuing ed is also a good way to be a great boss to your employees/ contractors too. One of my favorite ways to continue education is through listening to audio books. It helps me visualize what I’m learning while I’m taking notes – or in some cases, applying what I’ve learned.

Misconception # 5

Social Media is Only About Posting A big misconception about social media is that engagement means you’re just pushing out content. However, when you share your messages or content on social media, it’s a great idea to interact with your online connections. Engaging them is a great way to build up your community, too. The best way to incorporate engagement into your social media efforts is to comment, reshare, or like/+1 because it shows you’re supporting the message you’re interacting with. As you engage, think about building long-lasting relationships. Whether it’s with your peers, target customer, or your industry leaders, build engagement into your activities on social media.

business for your team members to grow. Examples of team building can include being open to business feedback, creating opportunities to have fun, and allowing team member to have input into business direction. One of my favorite things to do is to celebrate International Virtual Assistant Day, which happens in May. I celebrate this day as part of team building and to let my team know how much I appreciate them.

Misconception # 7

Lists Don’t Help Me Complete My Goals Lists can help you define your goals and accomplish them quickly. Creating lists that you update as you complete a task is a great way to stay on target. Having a general list has helped me to stay focused and keep things organized.

“ … as you get past the misconceptions, you can get started with reaching your vision and goals.” What’s Next? Hopefully this article will help you with your small business management. Realizing that misconceptions can be a hindrance to business growth, you now have a head start to getting past these hindrances. And as you get past the misconceptions, you can get started with reaching your vision and goals.

Misconception # 6

Teambuilding is a Myth First, having a team in place is essential to small business growth and then building your team is important, too. Teambuilding happens when you have various opportunities in place within your

Kim Beasley kimbeasley.com @kimbeasley

BUSINESS


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