When starting a business the only thing you can think of is….$$$. How will you pay bills? Hire employees? Feed your dog?

Fast forward and you are now a relatively stable company (I mean are small businesses ever really stable?) and you are struggling with clients, you’re exhausted all the time, management of employees is clearly not your strong suit…and you’re wondering how this phase of your business could possibly be harder then when you were broke?

I’ll tell you why. As your business grows, your mindset needs to change. How you run your business needs to evolve and that means some serious non-negotiables.

1. Stop competing on price. At some point you have to stop taking on every Joe Blow that walks through your door with a wad of cash (ok…it depends on how much cash is in the wad). Ask yourself what makes a good client and who can you helo? Break it out by industry, services you want to provide and what your price model is. Concentrate on making your company stand-out through exemplary results, great client relationships and a phenomenal culture.
2. You cannot please everyone. This goes back to the price piece, if someone doesn’t see your value, then don’t work with them. No business should have to spend time constantly convincing a client they are worth the cost of the service. Although, if this is the majority of your clients, then you need to spend sometime thinking on why that is. If you see your value, so will your clients.
3. You are not a friend. Running a business, means hiring the right people. Employees are not your friends, sure you can go out and have a drink or chat about personal lives (to a certain extent), but you are their boss. Do not cross that boundary, it will only spell trouble for your entire business.
4. Spend time on the business. So often we are working in the business, we don’t step back to and strategize ON the business. Pick up the book Traction, once you read it, have your leadership team read it, then tell me what you think.
5. Stop with all the late nights. Regardless of what you think, you cannot work all the time. Stop pretending like you can or you do, because we all know you sleep. You’ve heard of the “busy disease;” I like to call it the small business owner competition…and the funny thing is we think we are competing against each other but really it is all in our head. I am always comparing myself to other owners and how they run their business, which leads to me inevitably finding something wrong with myself…just stop! Do what is right for you and the business.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the business habits you had to break to take your company to the next level. The growth stage is one of the hardest to guide your business through.

Yesterday, 8THIRTYFOUR officially celebrated 11 years with our community, clients and staff. While our anniversary gave us an excuse to throw a party, our intent was much more powerful than that. Our message for the evening was the “Power of Small Business,” which we highlighted with a superhero theme. To me, small business owners are superheroes. They tackle challenges and failures on a daily basis while continuing to push forward. We have a vision in our head of what we want our business to be and who we want to help and we refuse to give up.

As a member of the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM), I am surrounded by super heroes every day. Associating with these badass business owners has lead 8THIRTYFOUR to truly embrace what makes us a great company. Our dedication to our community, clients and culture are what separates us from the rest. It is hard for me to embrace kudos and show pride for 8THIRTYFOUR and all we have accomplished in the last 11 years, however, it is necessary.

When we choose our clients, we do so knowing we can help them meet the integrated communication goals they have for their company. We won’t work with businesses we don’t believe in and we won’t take you on if we can’t help you. Our clients trust us and recognize our value and for that I am damn grateful.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for trusting 8THIRTYFOUR with your brand and for believing in the power of small business. We didn’t just throw a party, we threw a message and I hope it resonated with those that attended.

Apparently 11 years is a milestone for a small business, or so I’ve been told. This week we are throwing a party to celebrate 8THIRTYFOUR’s eleventh anniversary, while also highlighting all things small business.

As a business owner, you tend to be pretty pessimistic, you are always waiting for the other shoe to drop; for the next big surprise. Money, employees, bills, invoices, contracts, taxes, culture, clients, failure, mistakes – if you could see my brain as a word cloud…all of those items would be in it (along with dogs, dogs, dogs and more dogs).

It is hard for me to accept a congrats or way to go when I can’t see past the mistakes and hurdles. How do you feel successful when there are so many things you have messed up? So many things you could have done better?

The lesson in all of this, is that it isn’t about me. It is about those that have supported, worked for and embraced us in the community. This anniversary is about you, just like everything we do. I don’t think any business owner is ever truly satisfied where their company is and maybe that is what makes us keep striving to better ourselves, our company and those we serve.

If I were asked to list the lessons I’ve learned in the past decade, it would include the below.

1. Failure is part of running a business, so you better get used to it and you better figure out how to learn from it and move on.
2. There is no professional and personal work life balance.
3. Spoil the ones you love, always be overly generous. Send thank you notes, celebrate milestones with them, let those you care about know you are thinking of them.
4. Surround yourself with lots of dogs, in fact six seems like a great number.
5. Go on adventures with your life partner, whether that is an eighteen hour car ride with six dogs or a trip to Spain with your best friends.
6. Spend time in the woods, nothing puts things in perspective like trees, water, bugs and your furkids.
7. You are going to piss someone off. You can’t keep everyone happy and at the end of the day you have to do what is best for the business.
8. Hire people that possess skills you do not and will take the company where it needs to be.
9. Never stop reading and learning.
10. Take the time to think big picture and don’t be afraid of change.

Thanks for supporting 8THIRTYFOUR on this journey and thanks for always being there for me. It does not go unnoticed.

“Leadership that is not deeply rooted in a foundation of truth is leadership destined to fail.” – Mike Myatt of Innovation Excellence.

As a leader, you are only as good as your word and how you live out that word. The most successful business leaders of our time have built their personal brand through honesty, making the right decisions and perhaps most importantly – admitting when they have it wrong. Success, in my opinion, is dependent on a leader’s moral compass.

A recent Forbes’ article had this to say about leadership, “True leaders don’t have the luxury of blaming others. Instead, they own every failure and work tirelessly to fix problems no matter the source.”

A good leader…

• is selfless.
• brings people together.
• owns failure.
• makes sacrifices.
• pursues the greater good, often at their own expense.

As we are inundated with news of the latest scandal caused by 45, it is imperative that we remember what a leader truly embodies.

My top blogs of 2017 were incredibly personal and a bit painful to write. I narrowed last year’s blogs down to the top 5. In each of these my passion and commitment to small business is evident, as is the sacrifice and growth that comes along to it. So, take a gander and if you would be so kind…let me know what you would like me to write on in 2018.

Why you should quit your job
I got a bit of blowback on this one, apparently I shouldn’t be encouraging people to quit their job (they hate) to do something they love. I started 8THIRTYFOUR when I was in my mid (okay late) 20s and my age played a major factor in the beginning. As we age we become more risk adverse and this was something I most definitely didn’t contemplate at the time. Your happiness is more important than your age, so make the leap, be happy.

It sure is lonely
I wrote this blog when I was dealing with employee issues and I was at my wits end. I was frustrated, felt abused, disrespected and hurt – the outpouring of support that resulted from this blog, seriously restored my faith in humanity. It was obvious I wasn’t the only one experiencing these feelings.

❤️

Motivation in loss
This blog still gets me choked up. Losing Murphy, was and is one of the hardest life moments I have had to overcome. He was with me during my divorce, bankruptcy, move, multiple jobs, the start of 8THIRTYFOUR and more. He was my constant companion and he loved me when it felt like no one else did. Finding the lesson in the loss was difficult, but this blog and the responses from it…made all the difference.

Dress to impress
Let’s be honest, we are all judged by our appearance and in the professional world you can’t afford to be lazy about it. I was inspired to write this after we passed a dress code policy at 8THIRTYFOUR. I want my employees to be comfortable but first impressions are everything. Adding some wardrobe staples to your closet will make all the difference…and stop using the excuse you can’t afford it – I showcase multiple affordable options.

How to give a memorable interview
For anyone entering the workforce or those that are looking for a refresher/tips, this blog hits all of the key points while also being wildly entertaining…ok, mildly entertaining. After our second or third intern interview, my managing director and myself looked at each other and said “what just happened?” How could simple etiquette not be applied to all human interaction, much less an interview?

I really, really, really want to get your feedback on the Small Biz Musings blog. As much as I entertain myself with my own writing…I hope it gives you some worthwhile information and tips.

Feel free to email me directly, kim@834design.com.

Strategies are hard.

Where the hell do you even start? Whether you are the one responsible for creating a marketing plan or you are working with an agency, you need to understand the components.

The following outline is what I start with when crafting a strategy and then I customize based on the client, industry and overall goals. This will give you a starting point, and you can then add and subtract from there.

Marketing Plan Overview:
This is just a paragraph or two of what is included in the plan. What are the components and sections that are outlined in the strategy.

Goals & Objectives:
It is imperative that you map out measurable goals, break it out into internal and external goals. Below are some examples:

• Increase leads through website by 10 a month.
• Map out internal processes to streamline the customer service experience.

You will also want to outline how you plan to measure each of these goals. Obviously with the website lead generation, it will be how many forms are filled out, calls made, traffic on page, etc. For the internal processes, you can set a timeline of when each section will be completed.

SWOT Analysis:
SWOT Analysis is a tool for examining the current status of a company in a particular marketplace. This is not expected to be timeliness, but to give a snapshot of the company and the market forces at this point in time.

Competitor Analysis:
This may seem redundant year after year, but it is important to revisit ever year. Look at what your major competitors are doing well or not so well in the marketing realm, so look at their website, social media, search rank, blogging, email marketing and more. Learn from what they are doing well and avoid what they are not doing well.

Research:
This section will vary based on your industry. However, if you have done surveys or client interviews in the past, that is a great starting point. You can also indicate in the strategy that surveys are going to be implemented as part of the strategy. By gathering as much intel as you can on your current and past customers, you can effectively plan out tools and tactics within the plan. This section is also where you map out buyer/audience personals. Below is an example, if the client was a home builder or realty company:

• Millennial Couple with Young Kinds, a Dog
  • Clear pricing is important for this group so they can manage budget, although they are often willing to stretch.
  • Space is important for kids to be close and have places to play, desire to entertain family and friends is also important.
  • They research every buying decision online before moving forward. This is often done on a tablet or mobile phone.
  • They are avid watchers of HGTV, especially Fixer Upper as they can relate to Chip and Joanna Gaines.

Messaging:
Clear and consistent messaging is a must for all brands. By maintaining consistence across all communication mediums, you ensure that everyone is receiving the right message. In this section outline your brand attributes, positioning statement, elevator speech, tagline, tone and voice and sample language.

Tactics:
This is the section where you map out how you are going to achieve the goals you mapped out early on in the strategy. Depending on what the research, competitor analysis and other sections reveal this can include, but is not limited to:

• Community engagement
• Digital – SEO/SEM
• Email marketing
• Social media
• Video
• Advertising
• Public relations
• Blogging

The next section is implementation. I recommend breaking this out first quarterly, then monthly, then weekly and finally daily. Be sure everyone on your team knows what they are responsible for and revisit the strategy often in bi-weekly meetings to adjust as needed.

At the end of every year, people lose their minds and make a bunch of resolutions they are never going to keep. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results – it’s time for a different approach.

What if we all learned from the prior year, took note of what was great, what wasn’t and what was a gigantic waste of time? Before you move fully into 2018, reflect on what was great about 2017. It is human nature to dwell on the negative, so we have to force ourselves to find/remember the positive.

If you don’t follow Tim Ferriss, do yourself a favor and do it now. Ferriss suggests doing the following in place of making resolutions.

1. Map out 2017’s pros and cons. For example, a pro for me was my trip to Ireland and a con was losing two of my dogs (sorry to be a bummer). If you take stock in what was great in the past year and what sucked, you will have a much clearer picture of what needs to change in 2018. And no, the answer isn’t less dogs…it is more dogs (obviously).
2. Go through your calendar week by week and take note of the people and activities that had a positive impact on you and the ones that didn’t. Who and what made you feel great? One of my biggest supporters is Sue Tellier of JetCo Solutions, whenever I need a swift kick in the ass, she is the one I call or text. I know for 2018 to be truly great, I need to make more time to connect with Sue and the other powerful women in my life. Something I want to cut back on is eating out, I did that a lot in 2017 and it was impossible to stay on a healthy diet.
3. Now that you have the positive and negatives mapped out by week, schedule out time with the activities and people that make your life better. Rid yourself of the B.S. and fill that time with the great stuff. Is it morning meditation versus a breakfast meeting? Is it hosting friends for dinner at your house versus going out? Whatever it is, get it on the calendar now. The longer you wait, the less likely you’ll stick to it.

Screw the resolutions, you won’t keep them anyways. Try this approach and let me know your thoughts.

The holidays are a great time to sit back and strategize on your business for the coming year. The weeks leading up to Christmas are a great reprieve from email, meetings and conference calls.

So make the most of it and set your goals for 2018. Grab the spiked Eggnog, a cozy blanket, your laptop and lets get to work.

1. Before you get started, take a look at what you accomplished in 2017. Focus on the positive, what did you do well? What was the most profitable part of your business? For example, 8THIRTYFOUR grew our digital division while we saw a steady growth in public relations services as well.
2. What didn’t work this past year? Make a note of the issues the business encountered. What did you do to correct it? Do you need to add this to your plan for 2018? This past year we tackled strategic planning, which resulted in some really tough business and staff decisions. What this did, was set us up to hit our revenue goals in 2018.
3. Ok, now that you have taken stock of the past year, it’s time to look ahead. What is outside your control that can affect your business? Just recently the GOP passed their tax plan, what does this mean for your business? Will this impact your revenue? What can you do to offset it?
4. Let’s talk numbers. What are your revenue goals for 2018? Setting this will determine your plan of action, which is the next step.
5. Great, we got numbers…but how are you going to achieve them? Might, I suggest looking at the digital realm? Whatever your business might be, your potential clients are more than likely looking online to find you offer. If lead generation is a goal (isn’t it for everyone), then marketing must be a priority. And yes, it takes money to make money.
6. Good, we all agree – marketing is super important. With your tools and tactics mapped out, you need to create a roadmap or timeline. Pull your leadership team together and set the milestones to reach your goals – break it down by week, month, 90 days.
7. Looks like you are all set for 2018! Wrong. You need a ‘oh shit’ plan, because nothing ever goes according to plan. If you suddenly lose a major client, what will you do? Outline the steps you will take to protect your business.

Now that you are thoroughly buzzed up from your Eggnog…pat yourself on the back for taking this slow time to plan for the coming year. Oh, and call 8THIRTYFOUR so we can launch that lead generation strategy.

2018 is going to kickass.

The holidays, am I right? Just typing that I am exhausted. What is it about them that just mentally exhausts us and makes us ridiculously emotional?

For a lot of us, it’s family dynamics and figuring out how to cope with them or not…might I suggest the latter?

Whatever it is, cut yourself some slack. This time of year is hard. If Christmas cheer isn’t radiating off of you, who cares? The expectations we have for the holidays, sets us up for disappointment.

Might I suggest that instead, pour that glass of wine, turn on Elf and be kind to yourself.

Remember, you are not alone (no one is really that happy).

The use of social media is a hot topic around our office lately. We have a social media policy at 8THIRTYFOUR, it is all of one paragraph and states that employees are expected to engage with our brand, share our content and be good ambassadors. What it fails to get into is the type of content, posts, expectations, etc. to ensure the company brand is protected.

It is important to me that each employee feels free to express their opinions, share their personal stories and utilize social media how they want. However, as a business owner, I also have to manage and protect my brand.

When I rewrite our policy, I will be sure to include the following and I encourage you to do the same.

1. Indicate what is confidential to the company. For example, sharing information on a RFP response, client work, financial information, etc. Make sure an employee understands what content they need to ask approval on before sharing. A good rule of thumb is mirroring the content shared on the company social channels.
2. What are the consequences? It is fascinating to me the stuff people will share online without considering the ramifications. Social media does not happen in a vacuum, something you share with a few hundred friends can easily go viral. Be sure your employees are clear on the repercussions. Firing? Suspension?
3. Encourage an open dialogue. As I said earlier in this blog, we are having this discussion internally. Employees have to feel they can come to you with questions as it relates to social media.
4. Social media is a reflection of your culture. I ask employees to use their best judgment and to remember they are ambassadors of our brand. We are a progressive agency and do not shy away from uncomfortable topics, that being said inform, educate and share. Use the platform to appropriately and stop with the damn selfies.
5. Avoid the illegal. Nothing much to say about this one, except don’t do it. It is necessary for a company to state “don’t use social media for illegal activities.”

A company’s social media policy should educate employees on usage and give examples of what is and isn’t acceptable.

My advice to employees is, anything you put out there to be seen should be intelligent and well-thought out. Too often we use social media as a passive aggressive way to share our opinions. How about writing a blog and then encouraging the discussion to happen there.