Prosperity Magazine Vol.2 (Q2_23)

Prosperity Prosperity

Old Dogs, New Tricks!

Learn from our experts how to form good habits that last

Mid Century Modern

Meet Della Hansom a My Prosperity Tree client. Learn about what she loves about being an entrepreneur!

Planting Seeds

Owners! Tax Time is Officially Over and We Made It Through!

Now that we've taken care of our financial obligations, let's shift our focus towards the future. It's time to get back to doing what we do best - grinding and growing our business!

Speaking of which, check out our featured article, "A Thoroughly Modern Entrepreneur" and find out how Della Hansmann, founder of Mid Mod Midwest, is building a business we can all aspire to and a lifestyle that works for her! It bears acknowledgment, the hard work, and dedication it takes to run a successful business. Now let's channel that energy into planning and executing for 2023!

We have the power to shape our future and achieve greatness. So take a deep breath, enjoy this accomplishment, and let's get back to hustling and making our goals a reality. Here's to a bright future for all of our small businesses!

Until next quarter, please enjoy the fruits of our labor!

The Empowered Entrepreneur: A Business Basics Deep Dive

Creating Good Habits

Last month we discussed time management and how proper time management can reduce stress, create boundaries, and give you a healthier lifestyle. What I didn’t mention was that a key to good time management is creating good habits

We all have habits, whether good or bad, that shape our daily lives. Some people have mastered the art of forming good habits and breaking bad ones, while others struggle with making any type of lasting change. But we all know that our habits have a profound impact on our overall success and happiness.

1. Set a Specific Goal: One reason people struggle to be consistent is that they don't have a clear goal in mind. Make sure you clearly define what you want to achieve with your new habit. Be specific about the habit you want to form and the results you hope to see.

3. Start Small It's easy to fall into the trap of trying to overhaul your entire life all at once. But the truth is, big changes rarely stick. Instead, focus on making small, manageable changes. For example, if you want to start exercising, commit to just 10 minutes a day. Once that becomes a habit, you can gradually increase your time.

4. Make It a Daily Practice: To form a new habit, it's important to repeat the same action every day until it becomes automatic. Doing it daily also helps keep you focused on the goal and builds momentum.

5. Use Visual Cues: Place visual reminders where you can see them daily to keep you reminded. For example, sticky notes around your work area or phone reminders that will pop up frequently.

6. Track Your Progress: Regularly tracking your progress can help you visually see how far you've come and how much closer you are to your goal. Keep a daily or weekly record of your habits.

7. Be Accountable: Find someone to check in with you regularly or join a support group of people sharing the same goals. This adds the added sense of commitment and accountability that will keep you motivated.

8. Celebrate Small Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate progress, no matter how small it is. Doing this will help you stay motivated and make the entire journey enjoyable.

9. Cut Yourself Some Slack Remember that failure is inevitable, especially when trying to establish new habits. But don't let that discourage you. Instead, use each stumble as an opportunity to learn and grow. Don't beat yourself up when you slip up. Just get back on track as soon as possible.

In the end, adopting positive habits is all about being intentional and staying committed. It won't be easy, but with the right mindset and approach, we can all make lasting changes and live our best lives. Good luck!

Being consistent is crucial when trying to establish new habits. Here are some tips to help you stay on track and be consistent with your habits:

My Prosperity Tree Staff Highlight: Heather

Hernandez

Our team members are the backbone of our company. That's why every quarter we choose a team member to celebrate. This quarter we'd like you to meet Heather Hernandez! Heather is our junior bookkeeper.

As someone who is new to bookkeeping, what do you find has been your greatest challenge so far?

My greatest challenge has been learning how to effectively manage my time Especially as a new bookkeeper who works from home. If I don't allot the proper amount of time to handle each task throughout the day, it can often become stressful for me. Using lists, reminders, and schedule planning has proven invaluable as a strategy for handling my work days efficiently

What are some things you do to stay on task and meet deadlines while working from home?

I took the initiative to create a weekly plan In this calendar, I dedicated each day to work on clients I identified and wrote down reminders for upcoming projects This meticulous preparation ensures I keep up with tight schedules and accomplish all that I set out to do each week

"While my children are small I want to watch every moment."

What are some things you think every business owner should know?

Effective communication is a crucial skill. As a bookkeeper, our role is to provide helpful guidance and support Knowing how to accurately convey information is so foundational that without it, we will not be able to shift beyond the basics and deliver superior support to our clients

What are some things you think every business owner should know?

Effective communication is a crucial skill. As a bookkeeper, our role is to provide helpful guidance and support Knowing how to accurately convey information is so foundational that without it, we will not be able to shift beyond the basics and deliver superior support to our clients.

Self Care for the Self Employed

Running a business is a rewarding and challenging experience, but it can also be stressful and time-consuming. As a business owner, it's important to maintain a healthy work-life balance to ensure long-term success and personal fulfillment. Here are some tips on how to live a well-balanced life as a business owner:

1.

Set clear boundaries

One of the most important aspects of maintaining a worklife balance is setting clear boundaries between work and personal time Set specific working hours, and make sure that you stick to them Avoid checking work emails or taking calls outside of these hours. It's important to make time for family, friends, and other activities outside of work to recharge and maintain a healthy perspective.

2. Prioritize self-care

Taking care of your physical and mental health is crucial to living a wellbalanced life as a business owner. Prioritize regular exercise, healthy eating, and adequate sleep Make time for activities that bring you joy and fulfillment, such as hobbies or spending time with loved ones. Incorporate mindfulness and relaxation techniques into your daily routine to reduce stress and improve mental wellbeing

3. Delegate tasks

It's important to recognize that you can't do everything alone. As a business owner, delegating tasks and responsibilities to trusted employees or contractors can help you free up time and reduce stress. Focus on your strengths and delegate tasks that are not in your area of expertise. This will not only help you maintain a better work-life balance, but it will also allow your business to grow and thrive.

4. Use technology to your advantage

Technology has revolutionized the way we work, and as a business owner, you can use it to your advantage to streamline processes and save time. Automating tasks such as invoicing, inventory management, and social media scheduling can free up time and help you focus on more important aspects of your business

5. Learn to say no

As a business owner, it's easy to fall into the trap of taking on too many projects or commitments However, saying yes to everything can quickly lead to burnout and stress Learn to say no to projects or requests that don't align with your business goals or personal values. Focus on quality over quantity and prioritize the tasks that are most important to your business and personal life

In conclusion, living a well-balanced life as a business owner requires discipline, prioritization, and selfawareness By setting clear boundaries, prioritizing self-care, delegating tasks, using technology to your advantage, and learning to say no, you can maintain a healthy work-life balance and ensure the long-term success of your business Remember, a well-balanced life is not just good for you, but it's also good for your business.

A Thoroughly Modern Entrepreneur

Meet Della Hansmann, the founder and lead architect of Mid Mod Midwest, a business that specializes in remodeling mid-century homes to fit modern lifestyles. With her Mid-Century Master Plan Method, she guides homeowners through the essential steps of remodel planning, from gathering information about the family's needs to establishing a style vision for the remodel. Della's passion for the industry started when she bought her own modest mid-century ranch house and saw how often people struggled to update their mid-century homes. She now leads a team of four, helping homeowners appreciate and personalize their midcentury homes. Despite the challenges of working with individual homeowners and contractors, Della is dedicated to finding a work/life balance and building a business where her team can meet their financial and creative needs in under 35 hours a week.

Mid Mod Midwest helps owners of mid-century homes to plan remodels that fit their MCM homes to their modern lives. I’ve developed the Mid-Century Master Plan Method to help walk people through the essential steps of remodel planning

A Mid-Century Master Plan begins in pre-design by gathering information about what the family needs in their dream home to support their lifestyle, learning what’s necessary about the structure, condition, and layout of the home, and establishing a style vision for what they want their remodel to look and feel like Then we continue to the design phase and draft multiple layout options for the different spaces in the house We always show one option that is more minimal - how to get the most change for the least effort - one that is more mid-range and one that offers a more dramatic vision.

Finally, we develop one schematic set of floor plans and perspective sketches, paired with a materials style guide for the project - that the homeowner can use to work with contractors or to guide their own DIY home improvement project for the next year or years to come.

We help people get to their Master Plan in several ways. We offer a flat fee masterplan service where we walk through those pre-design phases WITH the owner and then do the design thinking and drafting to provide them with the solutions to develop. And we have a homeowner design program where I teach the master plan method steps and provide ongoing support to people who want to make their own plans.

What drew you to this industry? What about it keeps you in the game after all these

years?

I’ve always been fascinated by how important and distinct people's homes are In every part of the world, a house looks and works differently but they all also have things in common

When I bought my own modest, mid-century ranch house I became fascinated by how pleasant, livable, and right-sized this type of house can be And how overlooked they are as a distinct style. I got frustrated watching people fumble updates of their ranches. They’d too often take advice from contractors more familiar with the current HGTV trends than with what is great about a mid-century design. I wanted to help people appreciate and personalize their mid-century homes.

I started with my own home, consulted with friends, and friends of friends on their homes and soon had a small freelance business. Now we have a team of four and every day is an exciting chance to help someone new to make great choices for their mid-century home!

What do you like to do outside of growing your business?

I’m pretty focused on the business right now but I do a lot of reading and checking in with friends. I always take time to get outside with my active rescue dog. To take a break from designing houses, I also remodel my own house and design knitting and sewing projects. I guess I never get too far from my core interests!

At my Prosperity Tree, we talk a lot about pain points. These are the aspects of a business that cause stress for business owners, the things they worry about, what keeps them from succeeding, etc. Every industry has different pain points. What are some you encounter often in your industry?

The remodel planning space has a lot of variables. Working with individual homeowners means you’re deeply dependent on the personal lives of your clients. And working with contractors means you’re involved in supply lines, the economy, and labor issues. Balancing the workload of my small team means sometimes we’re rushing and sometimes dragging

"I am not very good at taking my mind off work but part of the fun of being a business owner is that there’s always a different KIND of work to switch to. Tired of solving design problems? Why not work on social media marketing for a while?"

Tell me about your business. What services do you provide?

We’re all about improving the lifestyle of the business owner. How do you feel like your work /life balance has changed since you hired a business growth coach?

This is a constant work in progress for me. I am not very good at taking my mind off work but part of the fun of being a business owner is that there’s always a different KIND of work to switch to. Tired of solving design problems? Why not work on social media marketing for a while? When that’s got me worn down, I’m usually happy to noodle on someone’s kitchen layout again.

I do have a huge benefit of running a fully remote team so, while we check in on each other regularly and communicate often, there’s always time to pause in the middle of the day to run an errand or get lunch with a friend.

Finally, what’s your idea of a wellbalanced life?

I’m working toward building a business where I, and everyone else on my team, can get our financial and creative needs met at work in under 35 hours a week in a calm and predictable way. What a dream!

the A D Space

Time for a Technical Intervention

Buying a social media management platform can help you market your business in several ways. A social media management platform is a tool that allows you to manage and schedule social media posts, analyze engagement metrics, and monitor social media mentions and conversations all in one place. In this article, we will discuss how buying a social media management platform can help you market your business.

1. Streamlines Social Media Management

A social media management platform streamlines social media management by allowing you to manage all your social media accounts in one place. This makes it easier to create and schedule posts, respond to comments and messages, and monitor your social media accounts' performance.

This can save you time and effort, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business.

2 Increases Social Media Engagement

A social media management platform can also help increase social media engagement by providing insights into which types of posts and content resonate best with your audience. With this information, you can create more engaging content that resonates with your audience and drives more engagement. This can lead to increased visibility, more followers, and ultimately, more customers.

3. Provides Valuable Insights

A social media management platform provides valuable insights into your social media accounts' performance, such as engagement rates, follower growth, and reach. This information can help you identify trends and opportunities to improve your social media marketing strategy. You can use this information to make data-driven decisions about your content, posting frequency, and overall social media strategy.

4. Enables Collaboration

A social media management platform can also enable collaboration among team members, allowing multiple people to manage social media accounts from one centralized location. This can increase efficiency and ensure that all team members are on the same page when it comes to social media management It can also help ensure consistency across your social media accounts, which can improve your brand's overall image and reputation.

5. Facilitates Customer Service

A social media management platform can also facilitate customer service by allowing you to respond to comments and messages quickly and efficiently. By monitoring your social media accounts for mentions and conversations about your brand, you can address customer issues and concerns in real time This can help improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, ultimately leading to increased sales and revenue.

Buying a social media management platform can help you market your business by streamlining social media management, increasing social media engagement, providing valuable insights, enabling collaboration, and facilitating customer service. By investing in a social media management platform, you can elevate your company's exposure to thousands of new clients overnight!

Into the Woods

The Prosperity Tree Mature Plan isn't for the faint of heart. It's for those willing to go the distance and take the extra step for their business.

Operational and financial reporting

Overworked Business Owner

Cost and cash flow management

With the fractional CFO Services provided by the Mature Plan any business owner can navigate the twists and turns of entrepenaurialship

Profit Analysis

Metric and KPI (Key Performance Indicators) tracking

Establishing Deep Roots

Choosing the Mature plan offers much more than fractional CFO Services. It offers you a partner that's with you every step of the way.

MPT Mature Plan

Bookkeeping (Weekly Reconciliation + 2 Week Close)

Business Tax Return

Sales Tax Filings

Year-End Financial statements

Preparation

Government Tax Assistance Supper.

Coaching Calls (Monthly)

Cash Flow & Budgeting Services (Monthly)

Tax Planning Calls (Monthly)

Payroll Services

Bill Pay Services

Custom KPI Dashboard

CFO Support (Unlimited)

Bookkeeper Support (Unlimited)

Tax Audit Support

Response Time (Same Day)

Accounting Technology Subscriptions for QuickBooks Online or Xero

Not sure which kind of Business Growth

Professional fits with your lifestyle? Take the Quiz!