entrepreneurship - Express Writers

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Succeeding as a Creative, Introverted Entrepreneur with Kim Beasley

May 7, 2021 by Rachel Moffett

For this month’s chat, we wanted to do something a little different to our normal topics. We decided to chat about what it means to be an introvert and a business owner. After all, it seems so many people in the entrepreneurial community these days are actually introverts. Knowing it was something many people could relate to, we had to talk about it on #ContentWritingChat. We talked about struggles that introverts face, how they can effectively use social media, and even how they can build a thriving online business. Let’s dive into the tips! #ContentWritingChat Recap: Succeeding as a Creative, Introverted Entrepreneur with Kim Beasley Hey, everyone! Welcome to this month's #ContentWritingChat! Our guest host is @KimBeasley, a coach who helps others grow their online businesses. ? She's joining us to talk all about succeeding as a creative, introverted entrepreneur. A topic she's written a book about! pic.twitter.com/dfnykgzBNB — Express Writers | Your Content Writing Partner (@ExpWriters) May 4, 2021 Our guest host for this month’s chat was Kim Beasley. Kim coaches fellow introvert entrepreneurs and guides them to growing their online businesses to success. She’s actually written a book all about the topic, called The Creative Introverted Entrepreneur. Q1: What do you think it means to be both a creative and introverted entrepreneur? Before we dive into all the awesome tips, let’s first covert what it means to be creative and introverted as an entrepreneur. Here’s how some of our chat participants defined it: A1a: It is when you have a creative mind and you are an #introvert and you have chosen to turn your passion into a business. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/dmhaCI66Oy — ??? ???????❦ (@KimBeasley) May 4, 2021 To put it simply, it’s someone who has a creative mind, identifies as an introvert, and has a business of some kind. A1: I think it's about using both your creativity and your personality as an introvert to build and run a business in a way that feels good to you. #ContentWritingChat — Rachel (@rachmoffett) May 4, 2021 When you’re an introverted entrepreneur, you need to consider how that comes into play in your business so you can plan your day-to-day and run your company in a way that feels good. A1: That you can create but still need your own personal space. I am just like this. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/1OjE1S8CiC — Carlarjenkins (@carlarjenkins) May 4, 2021 As Carla said, having that personal space is key when you’re an introvert. You’ll need to make sure you prioritize time to yourself to rest and recharge. Q2: What advice would you personally give to those who are introverts and running an online business? It’s important to make your business work for you, so you’ll want to factor in your unique personality when it comes to how you’re showing up online. Here’s some advice for all those introverts out there: A2a. When #introverts become comfortable with being seen online and using social media it helps you grow your business online. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/5qJbpZm1QS — ??? ???????❦ (@KimBeasley) May 4, 2021 A2b. Incorporate email marketing so you can stay connected with your target buyers. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/5qJbpZm1QS — ??? ???????❦ (@KimBeasley) May 4, 2021 Kim encourages introverts to become more confident in putting themselves out there online through mediums like social media. It’s key in generating more exposure for your business. She also suggests utilizing email marketing. That’s a fantastic way to stay in touch with your audience over an extended period of time, always bringing them back to your work and what you do. A2: I think digital marketing makes it maybe a bit easier for introverts to get the word out about their businesses. If you don't enjoy networking in person, you can do it online (and that's actually been an important skill this past year or so…). #ContentWritingChat — Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs) May 4, 2021 Michelle feels that networking online is really beneficial for introverts. Instead of attending in-person events, they can make connections without ever having to leave the comfort of their own home. Not only that, but when they’re ready to step away, all they have to do is shut down the computer. A2: I think the online nature of things now allows people to be brave! You can put yourself out there in small doses, show your face at strategic times (for trust), and provide information in a conversational way — allowing your personality to come through. #ContentWritingChat — Rachel Wendte (@rkwendte) May 4, 2021 Rachel knows that there are so many ways to put yourself out there and show your personality online. As she said, you can do this in small doses, which is perfect for those just starting out and getting comfortable with being a public figure on the web. A2: Find the safe place in conversations quickly. Where you are most comfortable is where you shine the brightest. #ContentWritingChat — SPW ✍️? (@ShawnPaulWood) May 4, 2021 Shawn’s advice of finding safe places for conversations is spot on. Figure out where you’re comfortable and make that your priority. After all, it’s your business and you get to do what feels right to you. A2. Stick with your priorities, recognize what works for you and what doesn’t. As an introvert, you’ll need to budget in down time. Don’t feel you have to justify that to people. #ContentWritingChat — Dana Lemaster (@DanaLemaster) May 4, 2021 At the end of the day, it’s all about doing what works for you and saying no to what doesn’t. Just don’t forget to factor in that all-important downtime to recharge. Q3 for Kim: What is the focus of your book, Creative Introverted Entrepreneur? For everyone: How does being an introvert or an extrovert factor into your business? For this question, we asked Kim to share a little bit about her book. And we invited all of our other participants to share their thoughts on how being an introvert (or an extrovert) comes into play within business. Here are some responses: A3a. The focus of my … Read more

Why Content Marketing is an Entrepreneur’s Best Friend

December 31, 2020December 28, 2016 by Adam Oakley

Today, we’re living in a time when entrepreneurs are everywhere, and it’s exciting. As we head into 2017, the rise of entrepreneurs is seriously growing. While starting a business used to be something reserved for those with extensive training or excess family money, just laying around and waiting to be spent, entrepreneurship has become something that everyone can access. As a result, companies like Facebook, Snapchat, Dollar Shave Club, StitchFix and – hey – Express Writers! – has popped up as a result. Today, however, people who are trying to get startups off the ground are struggling to figure out where to best invest their efforts, and which type of work will pay off most seriously down the road. Fortunately, the answer is straightforward: content marketing. Those doing the “side hustle” will SERIOUSLY benefit from a blog and a web presence (and social media), aka, content marketing. Think about it for a moment: content marketing is low-cost compared to traditional advertising, it’s meant for the social media age, it performs well with customers who want to develop honest and long-lasting relationships with the companies they frequent, and some of it can even be done yourself, within reason. Today, we’re here to talk about why content marketing is an entrepreneur’s best bet in terms of marketing, and how it can help new businesses grow from the ground up. Read on! Content: The Entrepreneur’s Lifeboat Content is the one thing that will work when virtually nothing else does for the entrepreneur. Think about it: most forms of traditional marketing are expensive and time-consuming. While large enterprises might have the budget and the in-house staff to accommodate that, entrepreneurs seldom do, and content marketing can be much more accessible. Although content marketing costs 62% less than traditional advertising, it generates triple the leads, which makes it an astoundingly perfect option for marketers who want to spread the word about their startups online. What’s more, since breaking into content marketing doesn’t require a huge staff, it’s easy to DIY some of it on your own, saving yourself money and learning something new in the process. By developing an online presence, entrepreneurs can build their brand story, connect with their customers, and set themselves apart from their competitors. A social media presence can also serve to expand your reach and make it easier for you to connect with your followers – both online and in person. 7 Ways Content Marketing is Perfect Marketing for the Entrepreneur Regardless of whether your startup sells tangible goods or services, here are seven incredibly strong benefits content marketing has to offer for entrepreneurs. 1. Content Marketing is Amazingly Cost Effective Entrepreneurs rarely have a ton of money to start out with–unless they walked into inheritances like the Rich Kids of Beverly Hills did. 😛 But truly: self-startups don’t usually have an unlimited reservoir of funds. It’s usually the opposite. Funds are low, time is tight, resources slim. I began Express Writers with $75–trust me! I know what it’s like to start with nothing. Enter content marketing as an effective way at building a brand and starting out when you’re doing the side hustle, trying to build your dream biz while you work on leaving your 9-5 that pays the bills. Check this out. From one blog post (roughly a $50 investment, between resources and my time), I gained $5000 back – a 100x return on investment. A warm lead walked in from my blog, and converted on our content services at that amount. Proof that content marketing can be a strong endeavor for startups and those trying to brand themselves with limited finances. To repeat the cycle that I created, you want to focus on these three things: Building your presence online (your website, starting a blog). Getting off the ground is key here! Consistency. Build up that presence, don’t just start it. Blogging at least 2x/week, minimum, and pairing up social media to your content presence, is a good consistency to start with. (We blog up to 5x/week for maximum outreach and SEO results.) Guest blog. Outreach and start putting together a list of key sites you’d like to blog on. Presence there is a tremendous key to the ROI of your content marketing. (My 100x ROI featured in the graphic above came from my column on SiteProNews.) 2. Content marketing helps you develop your unique brand voice Today, the startups that make it big are the ones who know how to talk to their audiences like nobody else does – in their content, bleeding all the way through social media posts, pulsing through video marketing, shining through blog posts. The voice you establish in your content marketing is key to helping you stand out online. Take, for example, Dollar Shave Club. Witty, a little edgy, and funny through and through, this is a startup that’s achieved billion-dollar valuation because of its content marketing. Without content marketing, it’s tough to spread your voice the way Dollar Shave Club has done. In fact, it’s tough to be heard at all. Content is the one central factor that allows marketers to be heard in various places across the web, and it’s the one guaranteed way for small business owners and founders to showcase their unique brand voice to all the critical customers out there who want to listen. To succeed with content marketing, founders must first have an idea of their overarching brand message and how best to leverage it. This will help people connect with the message and will make it easier for readers and customers to connect with online information. It will also help produce continuity in brand messaging, which will make it easier for a startup to grow in the coming years. 3. Content marketing can welcome people into your world As a founder, you live a life that people are interested in being a part of. Even if you’ve never met many of your customers personally, they want to know who you are, how you come up with your products, … Read more

#ContentWritingChat Recap: How Entrepreneurs Can Lead Awesome & Healthy Lives with Chris Nadeau

December 31, 2020December 2, 2016 by Rachel Moffett

Do you want to get caught up on the latest #ContentWritingChat? Well, you’re in luck! We have a recap of this Tuesday’s chat ready for you to dive into. It’s filled with great tips you won’t want to miss! #ContentWritingChat Recap: How Entrepreneurs Can Lead Awesome & Healthy Lives with Chris Nadeau Join us for #ContentWritingChat on Tuesday, November 29th at 10 AM Central with @cnadeau! pic.twitter.com/KXRVc7RLYa — Express Writers (@ExpWriters) November 22, 2016 Our guest host this week was Chris Nadeau. Chris is the co-founder of Evolving Solutions. He is also the blogger behind Eat Greens Every Day, which is all about helping you lead a healthier life. That just so happens to be the inspiration behind this chat! Chris shared a ton of helpful suggestions so you can lead and awesome and healthy life. Q1: What are your key tips to balancing happiness and health with running and owning a successful business? Entrepreneurs lead very busy, and sometimes hectic, lives. It can make it hard to find a balance between work and staying happy and healthy. To create more of a balance in your life, keep these tips in mind: A1. The best tip I can share is “schedule time for yourself” Book 30-60 mins a day in your calendar for health. #doitnow #ContentWritingChat — Chris Nadeau (@cnadeau) November 29, 2016 Chris suggests scheduling time for yourself each day. After all, sometimes you need to make that appointment with yourself in order to fit self-care into that busy schedule of yours. He said to block off 30-60 minutes each day to focus on your health. A1) Scheduling time and making yourself a priority! When you take care of yourself first, everything else will follow #contentwritingchat pic.twitter.com/ThtzeTKAQL — HeyOrca! (@HeyOrca) November 29, 2016 Jamie from HeyOrca! agrees. Sometimes you just have to schedule in that time in order to actually make it happen. Find at least 30 minutes in your daily schedule to block off for a little self-care. A1: You HAVE to “shut down” the business at some point every day. Don’t answer client emails at 8pm while at home!#ContentWritingChat https://t.co/NewAxbiAwR — ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) November 29, 2016 Sarah from ThinkSEM is right! You have to know when to shut down. You can’t always pull those all nighters. Decide when you’re going to quit working each day and actually log off and shut down. Don’t fall into the trap of answering emails late at night. A1: Set boundaries early for yourself + clients. Also, schedule in time to learn new skills + build on skills you have. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/ltu8Dvkc6t — Web Themes Plus (@webthemesplus) November 29, 2016 Set boundaries for yourself and for your clients. If you are running a service-based business, it can be tempting to stay up all night responding to client emails. Don’t give in! You need to set boundaries so you don’t bring work over into your dedicated personal time. We also love this tip of scheduling time to learn new skills. That’s very important! A1. Unplug for a couple of hours when you get home to be with your family or enjoy your hobbies. #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/Lnqfc0NtRf — D2 Media Solutions (@D2MediaSLN) November 29, 2016 Because our cell phones and smart watches are basically glued to us, it can be hard to truly unplug. When you finish work for the day, log out of social media and your inbox. Silence the notifications and leave your phone in another room. Focus on the moment and be with family or take the time to enjoy your personal hobbies. A1: Time management is vital. Otherwise everything bleeds together and you become overwhelmed. #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/lBhxn4GD4e — Zachary Fenell (@zacharyfenell) November 29, 2016 Zachary knows time management is vital when it comes to balancing your personal life and your business. If you don’t manage your time wisely, you might find yourself working late nights more often than you’d like. Instead, make the most of your day by managing your time better. A1 You HAVE to stop & give yourself a break, daily. a) A lunch hour. b) 30 minutes for exercise/yoga/meditation #ContentWritingChat — Julia McCoy ? (@JuliaEMcCoy) November 29, 2016 The truth is, we sometimes get so wrapped up in the hustle that we forget to look up from our computers! Julia suggests stopping to give yourself a break throughout the day. Block off time for a proper lunch away from your desk. Take 30 minutes to do some exercise, have a yoga session, or do a little meditation. This can truly make a huge difference in how you feel and how the rest of your day goes. Q2: How can a morning routine help you start the day off right? Tell us about yours. Having a set morning routine that you stick to every day is essential for starting things off on the right foot. Check out what some of our chat participants had to say about the importance of morning routines and what they like to do to start the day: A2. Your morning affects your entire day. It will influence productivity, energy & how successful you are. #Entrepreneur #ContentWritingChat — Chris Nadeau (@cnadeau) November 29, 2016 Chris said your morning routine can have an impact on your entire day. How you spend your morning can influence your productivity, energy levels, and how successful you are. So, don’t you want to make sure you’re spending the morning in the best way possible? A2b I drink lemon water, wake up early enough to have time for myself, exercise, meditation and drink a green smoothie. #contentwritingchat — Chris Nadeau (@cnadeau) November 29, 2016 It sounds like Chris has a pretty great morning routine as well! He drinks lemon water (this aids in digestion), wakes up early enough to allow time for himself, exercises, meditates, and has a green smoothie. A2: AM is my productive writing time So, I eat a good breakfast & write, while avoiding distractions like Twitter chats! #contentwritingchat — Laura Powell (@dailysuitcase) November 29, 2016 Laura … Read more