Simplify, Organize and Beautify Your Business

As a lover of organization, I’m looking for ways to optimize, e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e.

Yeah… honestly it might be a bit of an obsession.

Just me?

Who else is plotting out the road and the stops that need to be done, to make sure they are completed in an order that saves the most time?

Who always has a donation box available, to remove anything extra they don’t need?

Who is looking for pieces (or clothes) that have multiple purposes and is also visually pleasing? When that something is found, do you also feel like you are winning?

Today, my friend, I’m going to give you a dose of my obsession to optimize your business. You might not need to reinvent the wheel, but we all want to run our business smoother, that I am sure of. Besides, oil keeps the tires from squeaking.

More time, less money spent – Yes, please!

 

I have 10 slightly random things coming your way that will follow my mantra of Simplify. Organize. Beautify.

Email templates – I can almost promise you, you write the same notes multiple times, in a week or maybe in a day. If you do, turn them into templates and organize them in a safe place for when you need them. However, always read through them and customize your note for each person you are sending them to.  That creates a personalized experience.

 

Tools – We all have a lot of these, I’m fairly sure, but I just had to share my favorite one: Asana. I live in that application.  It’s a project management tool that has all you could ever need to satisfy your organizational desires. Where you can drag and drop projects, assign due dates and task owners, see a timeline, prioritize your tasks, communicate with your team or client on each separate task to… keep organized 😉  If you have not used a tool like this, I say stop reading and check it out.  You can start for free! Oh and this is not an ad, I don’t have any affiliate links or anything, it’s’ just genuinely my ride or die.

 

Stay up to date on security.  Not as sexy, but whoa it simplifies life. Tremendously.  It’s the whole thing of being proactive vs reactive. That means making sure your site is up to date, protected and backed-up before something ever happens.   That means having a tool like LastPass that will keep your password secure and also help you utilize optimized passwords and (big) bonus it also simplifies (and organizes!) life at a different level. If your site or account gets hacked, you wish you had just done the basics on this one, because the alternative is not close to being fun and can get really expensive fast. Pro tip 😉 put your domain and hosting on auto pay.

 

Your offering.  When was the last time you took a closer look at your offerings? Is everything running smoothly in your process, onboarding, during and after your projects or if it’s ongoing?We have a habit on our team to always look for opportunities to optimize. If something is taking too long with no great value – we look for ways to optimize it and use our time in a better way.

 

Hire a person or persons to help you. As soon as you can, hire help. I know you are skilled, but I bet you there are things in your every day that you really don’t enjoy.  There are people out there who do.  Hire them. More importantly hire the right people who align with company vision and values, who are working to improve their work environment and make the business run better, enjoyable and more profitable.  The best employees are looking for exciting challenges, room for growth and a pleasant work environment.

 

Clear rules and expectations.  At one point in my business life, I thought going with the flow was really nice… and it might sound nice but when you take a step back, it’s really not. It creates confusion and misunderstandings, which we don’t need anywhere and absolutely not in business. I am constantly working on defining rules and setting proper expectations which simplifies things and makes the business run much more beautifully.

 

Legal stuff. Certainly not fun dealing with legal stuff, if you are not prepared for it. If you have run a business long enough it’s not if, but when.  Having your ducks in a row can feel like a pain in the rear but when done, just like a good workout, it feels so dang good.

 

Let go of clients. This may sound a bit arrogant, but it’s your business, you can let go of clients who don’t serve you well. The ones who when you see their name in the inbox, you cringe. It will either cost you money, or time. You pick which one is most valuable to you.Work is a lot of your day, I vote for enjoying it as much as possible.

 

Ditch tools you are not using. Are you the type of person, who signs up for the latest tool or programs….and then just lets it sit there doing no good and basically just costing you money? Cancel your subscriptions, purge unnecessary tools. Find a great multitool that can cover different tasks, and simplify.

 

Last but not least. Clean up your work environment. Both on the desk and the desktop! File papers properly, or better yet opt out of papers. Keep your desk in order and clean, it’s so much nicer to come to work when it’s all set up and ready for you.  Same with electronic files, create a system of folders so you don’t have a desktop that is just filled with a million icons. I’m sure there are folks out there thinking it doesn’t matter…but subconsciously it does, there will be less things “pinging” at you stealing your attention and again, coming to a clean workspace is much more enticing.

Here's to simplification, organization and beautification.

Because organized and simple solutions also need to look good.

Are You Thinking About Giving Up On Your Dream?

Entrepreneurship can be such a rollercoaster.

Last week was hard, really hard…like collapse on the floor kind of hard. 

It had me wondering, “Why the heck did I make this choice of running a service-based business? Was I totally bananas or just straight up crazy to think that was a good idea?”

I had not signed up for incredibly-difficult-clients-who-no-matter-what-you-suggest-think-you-are out-to-get-them… I’m still slightly in shock.  I like to think of myself as kind, fair, straight-forward, collaborative and extremely patient… or am I not?!

Am I losing my mind?  

Maybe my way of asking for feedback is totally wack-a-doodle?

Do I really know how to communicate clearly?

Do I know how to design stuff?

The doubts came raining in like a tropical rainstorm.

You know the feeling, I bet.

Negative bias. Is. No. Joke.

“The negative bias is our tendency not only to register negative stimuli more readily but also to dwell on these events. Also known as positive-negative asymmetry, this negativity bias means that we feel the sting of a rebuke more powerfully than we feel the joy of praise”

This can be hard to handle on your own. Having a community of entrepreneurial friends is essential. Luckily, I have a group of them.

A logical mind, that is objective, can do absolutely wonders to help you get out of that state. 

The best thing with these not-so-fun situations, is that if you look at it from the perspective of learning and opportunity, and taking an honest look at how you handle it, the better you will be at handling it next time. Growth opportunity. I’ll take two, please!

There are a whole lot of different situations that can get to us. I don’t know what it is for you… but for me, I struggle with people not seeing me for who I am, not being able to communicate how things work….I mean the stuff I do for a living, day in and day out…the stuff I get paid the big bucks for.

Well, such is life. Onward upward.

My takeaways:

  • Stronger boundaries – keep an eye out for orange flags, and don’t let them turn red.
  • Sharpen the process, always.
  • Some days I design, some I do research, some I guide clients, some days I deal with lawyers. It all is just part of running a business.

 

And Negative Bias, is just that… and I get to choose every day, on my own, what to focus on.

So today, I’ll read the sweet, appreciative messages a couple of extra times.

Always be better,

Using the Present to Boost Productivity

Be present to boost production

This morning I woke up and just laid and looked out the window at the clouds moving by.

Sometimes life feels like you blink, and it just happened.

I hope you find time somewhere in there to just watch the world go by and listen to your thoughts.

This mind-space is such a delightful place to be able to just slow down, with no distractions or notifications. 

Today, I’m grateful for the slow down. There are so many have-to’s, so much stress and anxiety filling our days… a consistent competition wherever you go, to make more, to save more, to look this way or that way, to be in places and really all we have is here and now.

Heck, let’s you and I take just one minute or so to breathe together. And after I’ll meet you back here.

Grab your phone, I know it’s right next to you. Set a timer for 1 to 3 minutes.

Turn off all notifications, start your timer and close your eyes.

Still reading?… Come on, try it… just take a deep breath and feel whatever you are feeling, wiggle your fingers, your toes, feel how your belly goes in and out with each breath…let the thoughts come and go and just be in it.

 

How did it feel?

Were you able to not think of your to do list? I know it can be hard to turn that hustler off sometimes, but when you are able to, it is such a peaceful place.

I love to think about what I want to do with my business, life or what I’m working on physically. This technique takes me to a place to fantasize about my dreams and when the same things continue to come up it becomes clear what I want to materialize.

Make space for being still, it’s transformative.

Have a beautiful day!

A Summer Filled With Remote Work in Europe

I have been talking about blending work and life lately.

This summer I truly did that.

My man works from Europe a bit, so since my team and I are virtual, I get to work from Europe too! We spent time in my home country Sweden and in his home country France.

For me, that works really well.  I do my hours in the morning, while the USA is sleeping and then we head out to play during the day and then back to connect in the evening when the USA is in full swing, before I close out the day.

I scheduled my meetings as normal (well, later in the day / evening) and didn’t think anything of it until one of my clients told me he had told his colleague how inspired he was by how I work. It is the life you see on TikTok, and dreamily desire, and the crazy thing is it’s my reality! I realized after this chat with that client that I had a true opportunity to help people move their work-life into the remote realm, especially since all my experience predates lockdowns.

I have always worked remotely with my company. I believe this was one of the exciting things that came out of Covid, that people & companies realized you are way more mobile than perhaps you thought and some work you can do from anywhere and meeting “in person” works quite well on Zoom. (Or maybe the Zoom marketing team really wanted to see a jump and orchestrated this whole thing…😉 kidding!) It is exciting because we are seeing more and more people who are able to work where they are most comfortable while also living their best lives!

So my question to you:

  • Are you working how you want to?
  • Are you dreaming of or setting up your life to blend life and work?

Running your own business allows for just that. Chances are you have the skills and talent to run your own. You just need a little push…so consider this that nudge. You can do it. If you are confused I recommend you check out my course Website K.0, where you can work directly with me to get your business branded and online while having access to me for any questions!

I hope I can Zoom with you while you enjoy a nice glass of wine at a small Parisian cafe!

(Or wherever your new business and happiness takes you!)

My “WHY” in My Career

Do you feel like everyone talks about finding your “why” or that you have to figure out your purpose and in all honesty it feels like you don’t know, and it’s sort of stressful to not be clear on that?

I knew, it could't just be me.

See, for me it has just in recent years become clear.

And I want you to know, whoever has their why and/or passion clear, at one point didn’t.  

It’s part of the process. The fact that you are hearing the conversation means you are starting to open up to it or maybe you are open but, still not really sure what it is or why you need it.

I, for example, went the back-way around it. When I started my business, I didn’t know you could work doing something you loved, actually enjoy your work, and get paid for it. My business was a side gig and I definitely did not have a “why.”

Design, was and is one of my big passions, there is just something about putting things in the “right” place to create a certain feeling, it’s pure heaven to me, it makes me excited and gives me peace all at once.

So, there I was with a design degree, and a computer starting a business on the side, because I had to get a “real” job and nobody had told me (nor had I looked it up) that you could actually do design (my passion) for a living.

Instead, I was out there in the wild looking for a j-o-b.

Until I did so much designing “on the side” it took over the looking for a job part, which led to pursuing my work full-time.  However, it took me quite a while to really own that I was a business owner, doing what I love and actually that I wasn’t looking for a j-o-b.  It just seemed so surreal to do work I truly enjoyed. Wasn’t work supposed to be something you dread come Monday morning? Um nope, instead I landed perfectly in the world of being passionate about your work. And I could not have landed a better job. Thank you!

Who knew? All I did was listen to my gut, (get a few no’s) and it kept pushing me back to focus on my own firm.

It took me years to define my “why”, which is;  support clients to define their unique skills, thrive and make a greater impact with their business. I had to evolve, really hone in what makes sense to me, figure out who I enjoy working with and immerse myself in books, podcasts, networking, anything I could think of to learn more of what to really do.  

In addition, a few years ago I added a layer to my “why” after taking a course that really changed how I looked at business, it opened my eyes to giving back. The course explained how you could build in giving back into your service, it was like angels came down from the heavens and sang to me. Holy cow, I can do that now?! So I did.

It changed how I approached business and beyond getting to work with my passion, supporting a team and paying my bills, I got to make a greater impact… I couldn’t and can’t think of anything more beautiful.

My hope is that my story inspires you to find what really makes you tick or if you already found that, to perhaps look at what you can give back.

Greatness is not what you have but what you give.

Ps. If you are still freaking out about the idea of finding a “why”, start by going towards something that you are curious about, it just might lead you there.

Biggest Lessons I Learned Starting a Business

Starting your own business can be exciting and scary all at once.

Yep, but I think all the best things have an aspect of excitement and a dash (or maybe even a heap) of fear. 

I heard somewhere you should follow your fear, as long as it’s not an attacking tiger…seems like wise advice. (Okay this is a cheetah, it would seem videographers never see tigers running). 

 

The fear is just there because this “business-thing” is new. You most likely have no idea or little idea of what you are doing. And you know what? It’s ok! Actually it’s more than just ok, I tip my hat to you. You are doing something that not a lot of people dare to do. And on top of that you are doing the right thing by being out here looking for ideas and guidance on how to doing business on your terms. 

Yeah, I know, it’s time to run business the way you want to. I mean, running a business should be enjoyable, inspiring and challenging

You, my friend, are an inspiration to others.

With the hopes that I can remove some of that fear and support you in starting or growing your business, I have gathered some of the things I have learned along the way of growing my own business.

Besides paying the bills, I truly believe building a business should be for a greater cause like; giving back to the community, giving people jobs, creating a community, having fun at work, or creating a product or service that makes people’s life better.

Not only does that make life exceptional, but when you do that, getting up in the morning sure is a whole lot easier. Because let’s be real, sometimes it’s hard, like really hard. So, sometimes you just have to “go” even if you are not motivated.

By the way, motivation comes from action, not the other way around.

Here are some actions to get you motivated 😉

  • Not very much comes from comfort, growth is hiding in the uncomfortable.
  • There are so many people that have gone before you, doing the same or similar thing – asking for help.
  • Done is better than perfect.
  • Have the right people around you, it’s insanely important.
  • Find a mentor, give to your mentor in different  ways than they are giving to you and you will create an amazing relationship. 
  • Get organized from the start. Take the extra time to do it now. The longer you wait the more you have to untangle, go through or backtrack on to get up to speed. 
  • Be agile, change is part of the process. It’s not ugly, it’s most likely an opportunity.
  • It takes a lot of work. The thing is, the work is the goodness of it all. Enjoy the work.
  • If you do things with the intention to serve others, you don’t ever need to feel like you are “selling” just sharing how you can make their lives better.
  • Take your downfalls as opportunities to learn.
  • You don’t need to do everything yourself. A few hours of assistance a week can be  transformative.
  • Be yourself and embrace your unique skills.
  • Clarity is a life saver, if you are not clear just keep moving, clarity comes with action.
  • Technology will constantly change, you might as well see it as a good challenge.
  • Simplify where you can, people don’t think less of you/your business because you don’t have the latest tool, just believe in what you do and do it well.
  • Confidence comes from doing it well over and over again.
  • You always have a choice, it might not be the choice you are looking for right now, but you always have a choice.
  • Choose a great attitude. Choose opportunity. Choose to do the work.

Let's Go!

Choosing the right partnerships

Do you listen to your gut when you choose who to work with?

I do (most of the time).

The “most of the time” part is connected to the times partnerships turn tricky or not as pleasant as they should have been.

Listening to your gut might sound a little fluffy, but in my opinion that is one of the strongest tools for guidance you have. If you are not sure what I’m talking about, or maybe not relying on it so much, it can be hard to “hear” your intuition. But the more you pay attention and follow it, the better choices you will make.

Listening to your gut isn’t the brain analyzing, it’s nonlinear knowledge. It is like a second kind of intelligence, and you want to use both.

So, if you are more the analytical kind, no fret, your intuition is something you can train. Our intuition is activated by messages from the right side of the brain, and all of us have one of those.

Here are a few things you can do to train your intuition when you are partnering up with somebody. Ask yourself:

“Does this person make me feel uncomfortable, or do they make me feel excited and at ease?”

Pay attention to the energy this person gives you:

“Do I feel drained or energized?”

Then a general practice; go out in nature (or just walk around the block) or mediate.

As you take a moment to slow down practice listening to your intuition, hearing your thoughts, and being conscious about the decisions you make.

The thing is, if you train your intuition and get better at picking partners not only will you be more happy working together, but your client will also enjoy the project more.

Being conscious about picking clients is also something that is a big part of your brand. 

It is important to be honest with who we want work with and who we do not and consider the gut feeling when making this decision. When you are honest and trusting of your intuition the connection and honesty will correlate to your brand voice and message

I’m sure you have worked with someone who did not align with your values.

Why? Well, maybe because it paid well, you wanted be kind, or you had availability.

I have certainly worked with someone who I did not see eye-to-eye with and at the beginning of building a business that is what you must do to learn who fits and who doesn’t. 

It is important to pay attention during these times, not only to learn who you want to work with but also to train your gut instinct.

before you know it, you will be able to pick out your perfect client within seconds.

Planning for the future in the present

Do you have a clear process?

As a creative, I used to have this idea that I should go with the flow, create when creativity hits me, when motivation strikes…

Yes, I’m a creative who solves problems with design, and that may not be your creative way, but whatever way you are creative, with numbers, knowing laws, creating content etc., it works the same.

If you are waiting for motivation or creativity to come to you, you will most likely que the crickets or be frantic scrambling to get things together as time runs out. 

What I have learned is: you can train your creativity, it’s just like any other muscle.

Oh processes, it’s like angel music to my ears! The more I can streamline and create processes, the easier it is to both create and plan for the future. It also makes handing off tasks to others or new members of your team much easier, especially as you grow (or are planning for it to grow!).

If you don’t run your business with different processes, start by writing down what you do step by step, like you were teaching someone else to do your job.

When you have that list, you can start optimizing that process by removing things you might not need to do or perhaps you combine things, creating more time for yourself.

You can have processes for just about anything, such as onboarding clients, different projects, scheduling, receiving feedback, how you build a website, information collection, the list goes on.

Then, when you need to do a task, you pick up a process and start with step one. No need to wait on any creativity or motivation.

Having these processes also means starting to get a great grasp on how long something takes, giving you an opportunity to plan ahead.

One important tip: These processes need to be reviewed frequently, as your business is a living and breathing entity and things constantly change as you grow.

Do you have something that you can turn into a process and be more consistent and effective with?

A big bonus: I don’t know how often I get clients pointing out how they appreciate and value our process, how they feel inspired by it, and some even mentioning they are “stealing” ideas for themselves.  So, it’s not only good internally, but also a tremendous benefit for who you work with as well!

Are you planning for growth? Look for things you can simplify and turn them into optimized processes.

How to personable without taking it personally

With growth comes more responsibility. This one hit me hard this year.

At every stage in business you run into problems, just at different levels and price points.

I got the opportunity to look over all my contracts, and it wasn’t just for fun, it was because they were being challenged this year.

When it was first being challenged, I went into a dark place wondering,

“How the heck did this even happen? How can somebody misunderstand me so much?”.

Sure, I could have handled things better as there is always an opportunity for improvement. I couldn’t help but think, “How can somebody be so incredibly unkind? How do I show this person how to be kind? How do I “raise the tides” in this situation?”

I care deeply about my work, my team, and my clients. I believe this dedication largely contributes to where I am today. When somebody thinks the opposite of my intentions, it is extremely challenging, one I took it personally.

And to add onto that…you know how bad things come in three? Yeah, might as well do it up right 😉

I was in this dark place for a couple of days until one of my mentors hit me over the head and woke me up. It’s not for me to teach somebody who is not asking for advice, rather I need to show up as the person I want to be. This is something I know but somehow, I got side swiped and lost footing.

When out-of-character things happen, often it is not about you but the other person

I reflected on this experience by looking at myself and how could I have done better, focusing on how I can practice on responding in the healthiest way rather than reacting. I believe in treating people with firmness to not let them walk over you yet treating everyone with kindness. Maintaining your confidence and kindness shows others that you can do strong business in a kind way.

Although in this situation I honestly wanted them to “eat glass” most of the time, it was not an easy feat! Kindness and gracefulness is much harder than lashing out at somebody. That is probably why I think kindness is so badass!

Problems are growth opportunities.

How can I do things differently and better next time?

I came out of this with clearer boundaries and guidelines around all we do.

I don’t need to go to their level, a dark place, nor is it on me to teach them unless they ask for advice.

With boundaries and guidelines, I can still be my personable self without taking it personally.

Although I must admit I’m not super excited about having so much legal stuff, I prefer the good ol’ handshake, but as I say when it comes to branding – clarity feels so good, and it really does in legal situations as well. It removes questions and confusion.

We all win.

Having clear boundaries and a lot of personality within that space works like a charm!

How failure leads to success

Were you taught that failing was a bad thing?

For me, as an elite athlete, it was all about winning. I was very competitive (and still am! Any kind of challenge or race, I can’t contain myself 😉 )

Keeping winning or succeeding in the forefront of your mind is certainly important but failing is never a bad thing.

Failing or messing up, first off means that you have the courage to try something you are not so good at, yet…something you may be able to win/succeed at one point. Having that courage to try, and possibly fail, is a pertinent ingredient for success.

I wish I could remember where I read this, but I don’t… so unfortunately, I can’t give the author credit.

The author wrote about making a point to ask his kids at dinner if they had tried something new, rather than just asking how their day was. If they had and it hadn’t gone so well, he still congratulated them!

I love that mindset, to train your kids that it’s okay to fail and keep trying.

Adults need to remember to do that too, especially if we are going to win in this entrepreneurship rollercoaster ride. This experience is all about being uncomfortable, trying new things, messing up, and trying again.

Talking about challenges or racing… do you want to do a 30-day challenge with me?

30 days of trying something that you might (in your opinion) not be good at. Do something bold or outside your comfort zone every day.

Your challenge can be anything from making that nervous phone call, letting a stranger know about your services, following your workout schedule to a tee, or dancing in public ;).

Whatever it is that you tend to procrastinate on will push you a bit more than normal!

I did this with a friend a couple of years ago, it was one of my favorite 30-day challenges I have done.

Do you want to do it with me?!

Hit reply if you are in and we’ll keep each other accountable.

Ready to be bold, try something new, be okay with failing so you can get to where you want to go? 

Well, if you are in for the challenge, you know I am.

Do yourself a favor and hit reply. It will be fun!

(Yeah, maybe a little uncomfortable but when done you are going to feel great!)