4 Ways Failure Led Me to Become a Solopreneur

“Had I ‘succeeded’ in my past endeavors, I’d probably be sitting in a corporate office racking my brain over some superfluous comment my boss made in our morning meeting.” 

-Sarah Lempa, Writer, Entrepreneur, and Creative Media Strategist

I used to crack jokes about being the black sheep of my business school in college. Mingling with corporate recruiters, relentless internship hunting, networking events that were more awkward than an eighth-grade dance—none of them were quite my forte. “What am I even doing here?” I’d ask friends with a sheepish grin, in between classes where I wrestled to keep my focus. Under the jokes, however, there was a gnawing fear that I wasn’t good enough.

Me and failure? Oh, yeah. We go way back.

We’re old pals, really. Between wiping tears on the sleeve of my Ann Taylor suit (that I loathed) after career fairs and feeling like I got punched after yet another job rejection, we’ve gotten to know each other painfully well. What I didn’t know back then was that failure had a secret agenda the entire time: To align me in a direction congruent with who I really am.

Two-and-a-half years, one self-designed career, and 40+ countries later, I couldn’t be more grateful for my so-called failures. Without them, I’d probably still be taking lunch break naps in my car at an office job. Here’s how each blunder and botch catapulted me into becoming a solopreneur.

1. Each rejection prodded me to try something new.

Early in college, I chased big-name corporate internships. I never received a single offer. Taking everything far too personally at age 19, I’d stew in the sullen sting of failure, agonizing over why I didn’t make the cut.

After moving on to pursue advertising agencies, I was beside myself that I had ever attempted working in corporate America. My personality wasn’t suited for a “normal” office, I thought. I should work somewhere with colorful bean bag chairs, a place where people swear in their emails, I convinced myself. While it was comparatively better, the agency world offered little improvement when it came to freedom. Not even all of the Friday office beers in the world could make up for that. As fate would have it, none of my job prospects materialized anyway.

With each perceived screw-up, I gained insights about what would actually make me happy. It wasn’t freedom within the office—it was freedom from the office. I wanted to travel the world like a crazy vagabond, not spend 97% of the year daydreaming of a meager 10-day vacation. That revelation was scarier than any rejection, as I knew it would be much harder to achieve.

2. I learned exactly what I didn’t want for my career—much faster.

A fancy name tag, gargantuan skyscraper office views, glossy high heels that echoed in hallways... I used to think I needed these things to be successful. It turns out that was only what other people around me wanted at the time. Failure bopped me on the head like a Whack-A-Mole, time and time again, saying you don’t want any of that anyway. I lusted after their approval, mirroring others’ dreams that weren’t suited for me. I can only imagine how much longer this realization would have taken had I not gotten turned down from the start. 

In a last-ditch effort to get a job that provided some semblance of freedom, I applied to be a flight attendant. I wanted to try freelancing while flying for a living, hoping I could figure out self-employment while on-the-go. I made it to the third round of the interview process and never got a callback. I sobbed at the news, thinking I had officially lost all chance at freedom in my career. Little did I know that crushing letdown would later lead me to take a leap into freelancing full-time, something I’d later look back on with immense gratitude.

“I wanted to travel the world like a crazy vagabond, not spend 97% of the year daydreaming of a meager 10-day vacation.”

-Sarah Lempa, Writer, Entrepreneur, and Creative Media Strategist

3. It made me a more resilient and courageous person.

Reminiscent of first heartbreak, those initial flops in your professional life can leave you feeling like you got dumped on Valentine’s Day. To make matters even worse, there probably isn’t any leftover chocolate laying around either. I used to put so much emotional stock into each application, meeting, and interview — forming lofty attachments that would only come back to bite me. As the years passed, I eventually learned to peel myself out of the pity zone a bit faster. 

Don’t get me wrong: Sometimes I still feel heart-sinking pangs of disappointment when things don’t go how I’d like. I’m only human, after all. The difference nowadays is that mishaps feel less apocalyptic; resilience has taken the stage. I started to accept (and even embrace) the unknown. Risk-taking became commonplace when I realized I wouldn’t get high rewards by staying comfortable. Failure is the devious cousin of risk, and you have to invite ‘em both unless you want your party to be painfully boring.

4. Without other options, failure forced me to try that one “crazy idea.”

Jobless as a fresh graduate, I couldn’t find a single reason to hold back. Without these bumps in the road, I would’ve never hopped on a one-way flight to Vietnam in pursuit of building my own location-independent career. I would have never felt the goosebump-raising thrill of building something that felt so authentically me in all ways. And I certainly wouldn’t have been able to manage the tumultuous roller coaster that comes with paving your own way as a solopreneur. 

Had I “succeeded” in my past endeavors, I’d probably be sitting in a corporate office racking my brain over some superfluous comment my boss made in our morning meeting. 

Like a friend dishing out tough love after a breakup, failure yanked my hand and swung me exactly where I needed to be. And while we’ve come a long way, this is a lifelong journey.

Photo: Courtesy of Sarah Lempa

About the Author: Sarah Lempa is a writer, entrepreneur, and creative media strategist covering the joys (and challenges) of freelancing, travel, and solopreneurship. Her work has appeared in Business Insider, Fodor’s, and SUITCASE Magazine, among others. Currently based in Indonesia, she’s called multiple countries home and has ventured across 6 continents along the way. When she’s not chipping away at a piece, you’ll find her jamming out to groovy beats or riding a motorcycle. Keep up with her on Instagram @travelempa.

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24 Hard-Working Womxn Share The One Productivity Tip That Truly Changed Their Life

Regardless of your industry, job title, or goals, you probably have a to-do list that seems never-ending. Yet, with so many tasks vying for your attention, it can be easy to get to the end of the day and feel as though you really haven’t accomplished anything.

To help, we tapped into the brilliant minds of 24 female leaders to learn the one productivity tip that has changed their life and freed them up to work on what matters most. Try one or try them all! The real impact comes from finding what works best for you.

Sarina Virk Torrendell

Founder & Career Coach of withSarina

1.Get an Early Start

I am most productive two to three hours before my day actually starts. Even if I woke up at 8 a.m., I always found myself feeling rushed and scattered throughout the day. The moment I started waking up two to three hours earlier, it gave me the quiet time and space I needed to build out lists and goals for my day and get work done without any distractions. Even if the rest of my day turned out to be unproductive due to things outside of my control, having those hours in the a.m. within my control has been a game-changer for my productivity. 

TeLisa Daughtry

Founder & Chief Technology Officer of FlyTechnista

2. Utilize Automations

People might think that I’m a superwoman, but my real super power is utilizing automations. I started building them when I was working in Corporate America to help me and my team complete repetitive and mundane tasks more efficiently and accurately.

As a solopreneur and consultant, I've integrated bots and automations whenever and wherever possible for the things I don't like doing and don't want to spend my time doing. I love using automation software like IFTTT for my emails, social media posts, contact forms, automating responses, and beyond. Specifically, it has been a game-changer for managing my calendar and my emails. 

Melinda Wang

Founder of MWProjects

3. Focus on the Big Picture

With dozens of active projects, at any given moment, across different industries, I found that the most important thing for my productivity and effectiveness has been to set aside time to take the big picture view of those projects as well as how I would like my businesses to grow.  

At least once a month, I schedule a three-hour appointment with myself! My appointments have allowed me to review the wins, challenges and forward paths on active projects. They also give me space to be intentional about my goals for my companies, and not only business growth, but also how we can contribute to our communities and foster equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Lori Mihalich-Levin

Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Mindful Return

4. Do Your Most Important Task First

Learning about Daniel Pink's "Most Important Task" has been a game changer for me. The idea is that you pick one most important task for the day, and do that first thing in the morning. Particularly during this COVID work-from-home era, distraction is so prevalent that it's tempting to dig into the easiest task when I sit down to work. This isn't, however, always the most important task. 

Now, I pause before I go to bed at night and write tomorrow's most important task on an index card. I put that card on my computer, and that's the first thing I do when I sit down to work.

Trisha Okubo

Founder & Creative Director of Maison Miru

5. Prioritize Tasks With High ROI

Focus first on the tasks with high return of investment (ROI). This simple philosophy governs how you would invest your money, and you can do the same thing with your time. Focusing on tasks that give you high returns, like automating processes, will allow you to reinvest your time and energy to give you even more "bang for your buck" so to speak.

When I first started my company, it was just me at my kitchen table doing everything from product design, finding manufacturing partners, branding, photographing, setting up my e-commerce site, emailing and social marketing, etc. I learned to focus on tasks with high ROI first as a matter of survival. I'm a former product manager, so I learned early on the importance of prioritizing tasks. Between having my priority list and focusing on tasks with high ROI, I was able to get the company off the ground and find the product/market fit I needed in order to be able to start hiring.

Victoria Repa

Founder & Chief Executive Officer of BetterMe

6. Practice Breathing Exercises

While I like meditation and think it does a lot of good, personally, I’ve been an adherent of practicing pranayama (breathing exercises for relaxation and focus) daily for years. I find that pranayama is more effective at clearing your mind and preventing your emotions from interfering with your decision-making.

Managing my team remotely, while staying inside during quarantine, I’ve noticed that people have started paying much more attention to their inner state. In fact, I feel like our awareness and attitude towards mental health is experiencing an important global shift overall. 

Anna Gabriella Casalme

Chief Executive Officer of Novelly

7. Meditate in the Morning

The first thing I used to do in the morning, even before getting out of bed, was to check my emails and other notifications. I found myself getting stressed and overwhelmed from the moment I woke up, and this set the tone for the rest of my day. 

Now, I disable my alarm and immediately hop into a 10-minute morning meditation using the Insight Timer app. A daily 10-minute morning meditation in bed has never asked too much of me in terms of my time and effort. This habit kicks off my day with grounded and peaceful energy which has actually helped me be more productive at work.

Mary Clavieres

Founder & Chief Executive Officer of The Transitions Collective

8. Plan Your Day the Night Before

After having kids, my mornings felt hectic and disorganized. So, I plan my week on Sunday evenings, and then each weeknight, I review and prepare for the next day. I’ve found it game changing to review the next day’s activities, identify priorities and pack up any items the night before.

When I wake up the next morning, I feel organized and ready to start the day. It helps to save time and also allows us a little extra time for the unexpected things that can happen in the morning. 

Brooke Taylor

Founder of Brooke Taylor Coaching & Consulting

9. Practice Essentialism

I practice Essentialism: it is the rigorous prioritization of only the most essential projects in my business. Any business opportunity that does not forward my three priorities for the quarter gets deprioritized or delegated. 

When I was experiencing entrepreneurial scatterbrain, I quickly pivoted to Essentialism which increased my focus and my bottom line. When I coach female executives and leaders, the first practice is to the three most essential business priorities to communicate to their team and three other essential life priorities to communicate to their family and manager. The process of choosing which three initiatives to prioritize in and of itself is clarifying and strategic. 

Rahama Wright

Founder and CEO of Shea Yeleen

10. Take Short Breaks Often

I started taking breaks every two hours even if it was just for 10 minutes. I used to work non-stop with little breaks thinking I could get more done. The problem was most days I was working 12 or more hours resulting in major burn out. Taking short breaks every two hours has been a game-changer because it allows me to rest my eyes, take a few deep breaths, or get a snack, giving me a needed boost.

Jes Osrow

Co-Founder & DEIBA Specialist at The Rise Journey

11. Utilize Gmail Tools

It is a combo of two simple Gmail tools: the scheduled send and the snooze. I'm a very action-oriented person. and if I don't take action quickly, things can fall by the wayside. The scheduled send allows me to write that followup email ASAP after the call, but plan it to go out at a time that is appropriate. The snooze feature is a fantastic way to not let emails get lost in your inbox and even let you file them away and pop up when you need a reminder.  

It has been a staple of my work to stay organized, on top of my work, and feel confident that I'm working on the right pieces at the right time. There is very little that makes me feel worse than accomplishing something, feeling great, and then realizing that I had missed much more impactful and bigger priorities on my plate.

Nikki Goldman

Chief Executive Officer of I/O Coaching

12. Force Yourself to Brain Dump 

Before diving into anything that requires creativity or thoughtfulness, I put a four-minute timer on the clock to free write about it. I force myself to use the entire four minutes and just write whatever comes to mind. Lots of it is gibberish, but quickly, once I get through that, I end up surfacing thoughts and ideas I otherwise wouldn't have if I had just dove right in.

I am a speed demon and a task master. I grew up in start-up land, so "done today is better than perfect next month" has been the name of my game. I think it's a strength of mine, but it also lends itself to multi-tasking which just isn't productive. By spending four minutes to slow down and just think about this one task, I'm able to speed up in the end because my ideas are much more developed and baked.

Jessi Greenlee

Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Good Impact Network

13. Start With Delegation

Start your week with delegation instead of action item overwhelm. As you write out your to-do list for the week, think critically about every item on the list and if it is critical that you be the one doing it. If you don't have a team to help absorb tasks, look into virtual assistants and interns that can take over your more time consuming, recurring tasks. This will leave you with more time and energy to focus on important tasks that relate directly to your big picture strategy.

This has been revolutionary for my business by giving me back time and mental space to focus on strategy and prioritize tasks that directly result in forward movement. Delegation has directly led to increased revenue by allowing me more capacity to take on additional clients.

Willow Hill

Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Scout Lab

14. Invest in a Meditation Practice

Daily meditation has transformed my life and allowed me to be more focused, more calm and able to get much more done. I started meditation because I have ADD which, as an entrepreneur and creative director, is both my superpower and my achilles heel. I draw a lot of creativity from my natural energy but it can leave me scattered as well. 

Implementing a meditation practice has allowed me to slow down and approach my work with calm intention. It is a practice that must be cultivated constantly but it has been worth the investment in time because it ultimately saves time when I am not rushed or forgetful.

Tamara Laine

Chief Marketing Officer of A.Lynn Designs

15. Walk and Jot

I call it the Walk and Jot. I am sure it is not the formal name, but for me, it stands for walking and dictating the majority of my writing work into my phone. 

It started by happenstance; as a field reporter, I was always running from story to story and needed to write in-depth articles on the go. I found dictating my first draft into my phone, not only saved time, but it allowed for a better free flow of thoughts to shine through. Now, most mornings I walk and dictate into my phone pieces and creative inspiration that I am working on. First drafts are always hard to get on paper, but this way, I don't waste time thinking of the perfect word. This process has enhanced creativity, time management, and productivity all at the same time.

Callie Schweitzer

Senior News Editor, Marketing at LinkedIn

16. Prepare Well For Meeting Someone New

When meeting someone new, prepare well; the conversation will feel more like a second than a first.

Time and attention are precious, and meeting fatigue is a very real thing. When you're meeting new people, it can be exhausting to spend 15 minutes on each person's backstory, and you'll find your 30-minute meeting is over before it feels like it really began. When I meet with someone, I want to be able to jump right into why we're connecting instead of spending the majority of the conversation telling each other things that would surface in a quick internet search. I do a lot of research before I meet with people: I look at their LinkedIn, what they’re posting and engaging with on social media, things they’ve written, and recent news about them or their company to get up to speed on what’s out there. You might find a mutual friend or something you have in common and be able to connect on a deeper level.

Nina Kong-Surtees

Founder and Chief Art Advisor of smART Advisory

17. Devote Time to Critical Tasks

Blocking at least one 90 minutes session in my schedule per day to devote time on the most critical task has been a game-changer for me. I've implemented this new productivity habit as I used to feel overwhelmed by never-ending to-do-lists, and I was always juggling multiple things. On the contrary, multitasking actually slowed me down and hindered me from achieving something that really mattered. During this 90-minute session, I am laser-focused and able to finish a project ahead of schedule.

Miraya Berke

Founder of Dessert Goals

18. Utilize Asana

I use Asana to project manage all my tasks, both for personal and work. At any time I can be planning 3 or more events, so each event has its own project with sub tasks. I can easily share the tasks, communicate with people I work with, and everything is tracked. I have all the tasks archived for years of events!

Kari Clark

Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Breakout

19. Create a “One Day” List

I created a “One Day” list : a place for me to put all of the great ideas that I wanted to do “one day.” Every few weeks, items from this list graduate to my actual priority list. I am an idea person which can be a huge distraction because working on a ton of ideas means you don't make meaningful progress on any. Having a place to store the potential distractions allows me to stay focused on my priorities while still capturing the new directions.

Lauren Tanaka

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Global Garbs

20. Focus on 1-3 Big Tasks a Day

I only focus on 1-3 big tasks a day. I used to have a never ending to-do list, but instead of writing out a million things for each day I only focus on 1-3 big things. It's been a game-changer for me because I am pretty much a full-time mom running two businesses and have very few hours a day to get things done.

I had to figure out a better system to feel less overwhelmed and also help me feel like I've actually accomplished something. Sometimes I also write a "done" list at the end of the day rather than "to-do" list which feels like I accomplished even more - even if it's simple tasks like ordering more business cards.

Kristy Runzer

Founder & Chief Executive Officer of OnRoute Financial

21. Remove the Pressure to be Productive

The more I remove the pressure to be productive, focus on my biggest priorities, and trust that I'm moving at the right pace, the more productive I become.

Putting pressure on myself left me feeling rushed and behind like there was never enough time to get things done. By shifting my energy to trust that everything will get done and to focus on what's actually important, I can go through my day with more ease while still moving forward in a meaningful way.

Dominique Mas

Director of Coaching at Medley

22. Be Aware of Your Level of Energy

The most valuable thing I've learned is to build awareness around my level of energy in different domains and consistently take tiny steps to replenish it throughout the day.

I started doing this after doing research for a client. As a coach, I'm always trying to understand what's best for those I serve. When I tried it for myself, it was life-changing! It allows me to feel much more present and intentional with everything I do which means cutting out distractions and therefore working much more efficiently. In addition, it's a perfect way to feel aligned with my values of positivity, simplicity, growth, and challenge. 

Kori Estrada

Co-Founder of RiseWell

23. Utilize Time Blocking

I am a firm believer in time blocking my calendar for both work and personal tasks. Scheduling chunks of time helps me to keep focused during tasks and block out distractions. This ensures I don’t spend too much time on one thing and can get to everything I need in a day to feel productive. 

You can also easily get into a routine with daily time blocks and better manage your time as you learn how much time it takes to get certain tasks done. Calls are at my desk in the morning, all meetings are made mid-day, and afternoons are spent with branding opportunities and catching up with the team.

Kimberly Brizzolara

Founder of Brands That Get You

24. Try the 33-Minute Trick

The most legendary, crazy, prolific, productive copywriter of the twentieth century, Eugene Schwartz, would set a timer on his desk for 33 minutes and 33 seconds. During that time, the only thing he could do was the task at hand.

This 33 minute trick really forces you to focus on what you're doing by—removing any and all distractions—and breaks up your day into digestible chunks. Plus, it turns out to be a perfect nugget of time pressure: long enough to get something very meaningful done but not so long that it feels like a chore. 

About the Author: All womxn featured in this article are members of Dreamers & Doers, a private collective for extraordinary entrepreneurial womxn supporting one another in achieving audacious dreams. Dreamers & Doers mission is to catalyze the success of womxn leaders and their ventures through community and mutual support.

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How to Negotiate Benefits at Work

Photo: Christina Jones Photography

We all know that job hunting can feel like a full-time job. So when you finally get that offer letter? You start celebrating.

But as exciting and enticing as it can be to just sign on the dotted line and go buy yourself something nice, this is actually exactly the moment you need to take a step back. Before you reply to that offer letter, you have to make sure it’s the job you really want. And to do that, you need to take a hard look at the fine print.

Considering a company's offer is like dating—it’s all too easy to focus on whether they like you and want you while losing sight of whether you like them and want them, and just as importantly, whether this could be a partnership that's reflective of your goals and philosophies. That's where communication (in the form of negotiation) is fundamental.

When you open an offer letter, the salary jumps off the page, but what about the benefits? The thing many of us don’t realize is that a company’s standard benefits package is usually negotiable. Perks play a surprisingly powerful role in how you'll feel about the job—in the end, they can make a seemingly average salary offer quite tantalizing.

It’s crucial to take the time to understand the scope of benefits and then to tackle negotiating them wisely and strategically. Here are some tips to help you better negotiate benefits to your advantage.

Don't Be Afraid to Ask

Here’s a simple tenet but one you should never forget: It never hurts to ask. When you’ve received an offer, you have the upper hand. While you may not get the requests you make, this is the one time that your prospective employer is ripe for negotiating. Plus, you may find that while there’s no leeway for negotiating a higher salary, benefits adjustments are easier to accommodate.

Think Outside the Box

Benefits are more than just health insurance and 401K plans. These days, they include perks like extra vacation days and the opportunity to work remotely. Now’s the time to get creative.

When I negotiated my benefits package, I landed a complimentary gym membership and a cell phone. Apparently, I was the first employee prospect to negotiate a free gym membership, but because wellness is important to me, I thought it was a reasonable benefit to request. Interestingly, within a year, my company started offering complimentary gym memberships to all employees. A little part of me hopes I paved the way for others.

“Benefits are more than just health insurance and 401K plans. These days, they include perks like extra vacation days and the opportunity to work remotely. Now’s the time to get creative.”

Also, look closely at your paid time off. Whether it’s vacation, personal, or sick time, you might be in for a surprise if the offer includes fewer days than what you’d expect. Make sure to ask for more if you know that downtime is essential to your mental and professional well-being. No one likes taking a vacation day to cover strep throat.

Make It Titillating With a Better Title

If you really want the job but there's a salary cap, how about asking for a better title? It may be a perk you can’t really quantify, but it can help you in many ways. Having a more marketable and impressive title means you’ll have something to lean on when the time comes to ask for a promotion or when you’re moving onto your next company.

Seek Out Learning Opportunities

Asking about educational opportunities not only makes you look intellectually aware and motivated to your future employer, but it also opens the door for potential opportunities for personal career growth, like conferences, seminars, certifications, and even degree programs that you may not otherwise have access to. If there's a specific conference you want to attend the first year you start, call it out specifically as a negotiation tactic. You'll be surprised at how much asking for professional development will garner you respect and also incredible career and travel opportunities—an education on both fronts.

Get It in Writing

When all is said and done, make sure to take the time to read and understand the offer and agreed-upon negotiations. To that end, save all communications, including emails. This will avoid any after-the-fact misunderstandings and ensure that you're able to enjoy the benefits you worked so hard to negotiate.

By putting aside fears of rejection, negotiating benefits can be an enlightening and fruitful process. Armed with these tactics, you should be able to negotiate the kind of job package that you feel comfortable knowing that you sought out the kind of benefits that will serve you and your future. 

An original version of this article appeared on Career Contessa. 

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This story was originally published on April 29, 2019, and has since been updated.

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You Made a Mistake at Work, Now What?

Photo: Christina Jones Photography

We've all been there. That moment when you realize you've made a huge mistake and get that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. 

Everyone makes mistakes. It's human nature. what matters isn’t that you made a mistake, but how you handle it. If you are perpetually making errors because of a lack of attention to detail or carelessness, that is a separate issue that should be addressed. However, making a rare mistake is totally normal as long as you handle it properly. What does that mean?

Handling a mistake properly means taking the high road, taking responsibility, and making the situation right. Below is a list of steps to take to ensure that you handle your mistake professionally and with poise.

You made a mistake, now what?

TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY

The moment you realize that you've made a mistake is the moment you need to take action. Sitting around and dwelling on your error won't make it better, and depending on what the mistake is, moving slowly could make it worse.

In some instances, taking immediate action could actually help you reverse the mistake. For instance, if you realize that you just sent something to print with a typo in it, call the printing press or whoever is in charge and explain the situation immediately. If you get to the right people in time, you may be able to stop the problem before it starts and get them the correct information before anything gets printed incorrectly.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ERRORS AND FESS UP TO THEM 

There's nothing worse than a person who won't take responsibility for their error and instead tries to place blame on someone else. When you don’t take responsibility and try to blame the problem on others, it becomes a bigger deal, involves others, and can turn into an office-wide issue.

If you handle your mistake appropriately, you will often be recognized for your quick thinking and your ability to jump on a situation. In this case, the mistake could end up working in your favor in the long run. Most people understand that mistakes happen, so they pay more attention to the aftermath than the mistake itself. Make your mitigation process memorable, and people will remember how you remedied the situation instead of created it.

WORK QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY

It’s important to get things sorted out as soon as possible, but if you're not working strategically and efficiently, it's not worth it. No one will care that you're working fast to remedy the situation if your fast work is riddled with errors and carelessness. Quality trumps everything in business, so make sure that your work is efficient and free of errors, especially when you’re trying to fix a mistake that you made. 

This is the moment to make sure your next steps are near perfect. That means triple-checking the information you’re putting out and taking note of everything you do. Document your process so you have it on file should it ever come out in the future. That way, if someone does question the mistake you made, you can easily outline the process you took to fix it.

MAKE NOTE OF WHAT WENT WRONG AND TAKE PRECAUTIONS SO IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN

Part of making mistakes is learning from them, so it’s important that you assess the situation to figure out exactly what went wrong. After you’ve taken care of all of the cleanup and have gotten everything smoothed out, take a few minutes to reflect on what happened. Go through the steps in your head to see what went wrong, where it went wrong, and note how to combat this in the future. 

MOVE ON

Take a deep breath and move on. Once you’ve cleaned up the aftermath there is nothing else you can do. Try not to dwell on it, and do your best to move forward. This may be easier said than done, but it’s the truth. Take the high road, take responsibility, work efficiently, document your work, and make sure you don’t make the same mistake twice. After you’ve done this, you’ve done your part. Once it’s over and done, let it go. You’ll live longer.

About the Author: A native San Franciscan, Michele Lando is a certified professional résumé writer and founder of writestylesonline.com. She has a passion for helping others present the best version of themselves, both on paper and in person, and works to polish an individual’s application package and personal style. Aiming to help create a perfect personal branding package, Write Styles presents tips to enhance your résumé, style, and boost your confidence.

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This story was originally published on August 17, 2016, and has since been updated.

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13 Successful Business Owners Share the Best Money Books That Changed Their Bottom Line

In this age of information, we have everything we need to start a new business, create a website, or set up a budget right at our fingertips—Google is a powerful tool. But sometimes you need a deep dive into the topic to truly understand the scope of what’s required from every angle—that’s when we turn to books. In our new series, Turning a Page, we ask successful people to share their go-to tomes that helped transform their business. Whether you listen to them or need to physically flip the pages (and write notes or underline the text like us!), there is so much power in self-educating. Ready to turn a page in your career? These books will help take you there.

Photo: Christina Jones Photography

There are plenty of successful founders who don’t have MBAs or were college dropouts. Building a successful company takes grit, hard work, and determination, oh, and a serious love for what you do—and some are saying you don’t even need a college degree anymore. But the good news is we live in the age of information, so when you don’t know something, Google is your best friend. Or we like to go old school and turn to ye old books. It’s one of the easiest ways to self-educate and train yourself in an unknown area. As an entrepreneur, you have to be scrappy and in the early stages there really isn’t a lot of spare cash to go around—a lot of big companies started with little to no money. Until your business is at a point where you can afford to hire staff, you have to take on that work and wear multiple hats.

Money is one area where you need to be especially savvy. Get familiar with a P&L and make sure you’re not racking up debt that you can’t pay back quickly. If this is a sticky point for you, too then don’t stress, we got you. We asked 13 successful business owners to share the best finance books they’ve read and the financial lessons they learned.

Read on to find out and add them to your cart, stat.

Dr. Iris Rubin

Dermatologist and Co-Founder, SEEN Hair Care

The Book: On My Own Two Feet: A Modern Girl’s Guide to Personal Finance by Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar

The Financial Lesson: The book is written by my identical twin sister who is also married to my business partner Greg! Sharon is absolutely amazing, as is her book, which has had multiple printings and helped improve the lives of thousands of women. The best advice I got from the book was:

1. Financial freedom allows for powerful life choices. The strength of our finances impacts the jobs we choose and in some cases the relationships we stay in.

2. Save 10% of my money for the long term no matter what. The book talks about how that’s possible on a $30,000 salary and a $300,000 salary. It’s a state of mind that gets you there.

3. Having money in the bank is the ultimate freedom for when life changes—which it always does. And making choices from a position of financial strength is a power play. Own your finances own your life.

Tracey Hummel

Founder, Bee & Kin Smart Handbags

Book:  The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau.

The Financial Lesson: I read this book last year around the time I was starting to work on Bee & Kin. This book gives real examples, specifically documenting 50 individual entrepreneurs and how much money each of them started their business with and what they needed along the way to stay up and running.

These examples show that you don’t need a crazy investment to start a business that you are passionate about. All you need is an idea that provides real value to someone else. The two main themes he discusses throughout this book are freedom and value. Freedom is what we're all looking for and value is the way to achieve it.

Jordan Schenck

Co-Founder and CMO, Sunwink

The Books: Secrets of Sand Hill Road by Scott Kupor and Co-Active Leadership by Karen Kimsey-House

The Financial Lesson: Right now we are in the middle of fundraising and growing. The book that really changed everything for us was Secrets of Sand Hill Road by Scott Kupor. While there really is no one-size-fits-all roadmap for fundraising there are critical ways to position and sell yourself that this book helps illuminate. It has helped me and Eliza roadmap our future and strategize our raise/milestones accordingly.

For leadership and how to get through high growth in your business, I absolutely love Co-Active Leadership by Karen Kimsey-House. This was a transformational body of work that allowed me and my co-founder, Eliza, to understand our strengths and how to rely on others during a high-growth moment.

Drea Gunness-Groeschel

Founder and CEO, Beautiac

The Book: An Economist Walks Into A Brothel by Allison Schrager

The Financial Lesson: For anyone looking to make a change in their life, specifically career or as an entrepreneur, should read An Economist Walks Into A Brothel by Allison Schrager. My father, an entrepreneur himself, gave me this book and told me it would be relevant to my life in many ways. He was right! It’s about how we behave with risk and what assessment patterns we tend to fall into. The book shares how to gain financially, when to risk, when to remain in balance and when to push harder, risking more for bigger outcomes through proper mindful thinking about risk behavior.

Often we don’t realize what is truly at stake or what we ultimately want out of a “big risk.” Career defining moments, decisions to start a business, or how to plan for retirement are all important risk-based decisions. Defining goals financially and life balance is a must. I’ve applied this book to many areas of my life, specifically with Beautiac, my new start-up, and how we maneuver the company as we traverse the traction gap into a saturated beauty market. Learning how to properly assess risk is a valuable new tool in my toolkit.

Michele Thomas

Co-Founder, AZIONE

Photo: Tristan Kallas

The Book: Cold Hard Truth by Kevin O’Leary

The Financial Lesson: I’m a big Kevin O’Leary fan. I’d always stumbled upon his articles in Inc. and Entrepreneur. Every time I would read one of them, his philosophy just made sense to me on so many levels. When I wanted to pick up a book last summer, I immediately sought out more of his writing. The Cold Hard Truth details his life and offers a dose of the actual cold hard truth. Kevin highlights numerous methods to run a successful business.

The best advice I gleaned was to know your numbers, how you spend your money, how you use credit, what your margins are, and if you’re spending money to make money. When you first get into business, you’re wearing multiple hats. For my partner and I, we were doing everything from bookkeeping and invoicing clients to payroll. As your company scales, you move responsibilities. However, it’s important not to lose sight of the numbers. Driving this home made me realize I need to painfully stay on top of the numbers.

He also draws a clear distinction when it comes to business, I’m not making friends; I’m making money. Although that sounds harsh, it’s something crucial you must learn early on. You can’t make decisions based on if you might hurt someone’s feelings, or if you really like them outside of work. This is something I learned and continue to remind myself and our executives of. 

Kelly Barker

CEO and Founder, Prep Your Skin

The Book: The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey

The Financial Lesson: I worked in mortgage banking for 15 years in the corporate B2B sector before becoming an entrepreneur. I oversaw large banks and independent mortgage companies, generating in excess of $15 billion in revenue. Throughout this time frame, I learned a deep understanding of each client's business model, sales plan, performance, risk, debt leverage, and cash flow. I took this knowledge and applied it to my business financial plan when creating PREP Your Skin. As a bonus, my husband is a certified financial planner and together we planned for the business years before the idea or the company was started. The company, PREP Your Skin, is self-funded and carries no debt.

For personal finances, I recommend The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey. I've helped several women get their personal finances straightened out with this book, along with my personal tips and experiences. Start with your personal finances and once you have those organized and in a good place, then you can focus on your business financial plan. 

Sarah Paiji

Founder and CEO, Blueland

Book: Lean Startup by Eric Riles

The Financial Lesson: This book really drove home the importance of and framework for fast, iterative product releases. This has enabled us to not only learn and improve continuously but also save money by not over-investing in features before understanding if consumers really value them.

Aly Korchemniy

Founder, Anfisa Skin

Photo: Cory Hultquist

The Book: The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

The Financial Lesson: My favorite quote from the entire book is: “Advice is one thing that is freely given away, but watch that you take only what is worth having. He who takes advice about his savings from one who is inexperienced in such matters shall pay with his savings for proving the falsity of their opinions.” 

The book was written a long time ago, so some of the language is a bit archaic. He is saying be careful whom you take advice from, take advice from those who have what you want, those who are smart with their own money, because you might end up just like them. In this day and age, the overabundance of information we have at our fingertips is actually incredibly overwhelming. Learning to decipher whom to take advice from is key to building a strong foundation for any business owner as taking advice from the wrong person/source can be financially detrimental to a business.

Amy Voloshin

Founder, Printfresh

The Book: Double Double by Cameron Herald

The Financial Lesson: This book has been one of my go-to’s during start-up mode. I used it in my first business as a way to have a clear vision and to double the business—during that time we grew it to our first million. Now in starting up our stationery and lifestyle brand Printfresh, I’ve gone back to using the system in the book. It gives a great outline of efficient meetings you should have, ways to maximize your time off (and that of your employees for better work/life balance), tracking KPI’s (key performance indicators) and creating a dashboard to share with the team of how we are doing with our metrics.

When I was first starting out I didn’t know what to track or why but taking the time to figure out what moved the needle was incredibly important. It helped us understand how many calls we needed to make to schedule sales appointments, how many sales appointments we needed to hit our sales goals, and more. By gathering data and reviewing it on a weekly basis it’s a lot easier to take some of the emotions out of the equation and focus on the facts and if we are tracking for success.

These days we fill out a dashboard weekly and share it at our weekly meetings and the team can view it from anywhere through Google spreadsheets. I love that I can be sitting on the beach somewhere but still know how things are going at a glance.

Joanna Lau

Founder, Designer and CEO, JEMMA

Photo: Lindsay Brown

The Book: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

The Financial Lesson: Many business and financial books I’ve read about entrepreneurs follow a common, and I believe misleading storyline. It goes like this: A sharp entrepreneur gets a world-changing idea, develops a clear business strategy, recruits a team of people, and together they rocket to fame and riches. No one ever talks about the climb, the brutal challenges in building something from nothing, and most importantly, the financial stress that comes with it all.

Shoe Dog, Phil Knight’s memoir about creating Nike (though not a pure financial management book), is a refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like. It’s a messy, perilous, and chaotic journey riddled with mistakes, endless struggles, personal and financial sacrifice. He was an accountant by training and skillfully demonstrated how to be scrappy in building a business—he paid only $35 to design the Nike swoosh and plowed every dime made in sales back into growing the business in the most strategic way possible.

This is the real deal and something I practice with Jemma as well. In this day and age, it is easy to think that what defines a successful business is how big you look on the outside and that includes having a really large team, fancy office, and very expensive branding efforts. But in reality, is that a business that will stand the test of time or a business that will run out of cash in five years? As Phil Knight has shown us, it really has to be about being frugal, spending wisely to sustain yourself long enough to outlast everybody else, and truly win.

Courtney Claghorn

Founder, SUGARED + BRONZED

The Book: Entrepreneurial Finance by Steven Rogers

The Financial Lesson: I went to an Amex Open event for female entrepreneurs and attended one of Steven Rogers' (a Northwestern MBA professor) breakout session and I thought he was incredibly intelligent, interesting, and passionate about entrepreneurship. He mentioned that he had written a book and wrote it in a more casual manner (he literally said “I write it in the way in which I speak to you all in person”) and immediately I felt as though I had a lot more to learn from him and purchased the book later that day.

I wasn't ready to raise money at the time (this was in 2014) and learned a lot about debt financing from the book, specifically regarding SBA loans. We've taken 3 SBA loans to date, which really bridged the gap for us between constantly reinvesting our own profits and being ready to raise our first round of funding. The SBA loans helped us fund our build-outs for new store openings and grow faster than just reinvesting our profits would allow. I also learned a lot about raising institutional funding, (which was on a long-horizon) and it was extremely helpful to know the basics of raising money, including everything from the basic lingo to the pros and cons of taking on an equity partner.

The biggest takeaway from Rogers' book was that raising money is most certainly not the only option while you're growing a business, which the buzz in the marketplace often suggests.  SBA loans have allowed us to grow our business and maintain 100% of our equity until we felt as though it was truly time to raise money and find a strategic equity partner to provide advice and expertise, rather than just capital.

Amy Lacey

Founder, Cali'Flour Foods

The Book: Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller

The Financial Lesson: This book was a game-changer for Cali'flour Foods. I truly believe that when we made the conscious decision to make our customers the hero, our business boomed in e-commerce. This book focuses on building relationships that laid a strong foundation for us both internally and externally. We focused on the customer and our ‘why’ and the finances took care of themselves. We did exactly what the book said in regards to clarifying our message so that the customers will listen, and boy did they. Our sales skyrocketed in 2017 and have continued to grow ever since.

Alix Peabody

Founder and CEO, Bev

The Book: Principles by Ray Dalio

The Financial Lesson: This book has helped me the most as an entrepreneur. It’s full of helpful guidelines in building and running your business, and Ray's view on money is particularly helpful. Numbers are important, numbers are information but they are not objective. What is most important is the application of those numbers, the insights behind them, and how (and when) you let them guide you. 

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This story was originally published on August 29, 2019, and has since been updated.

Find Your Fire: How to Trust Your Gut and Let Your Instincts Lead the Way

It starts off as a faint feeling deep down in your belly. You acknowledge it’s there but you don’t listen, putting it off as butterflies or as a mild case of nerves so you ignore it. But it comes back and this time it’s stronger, deeper, and it rumbles, vibrating through your body. This is your intuition trying to speak to you, signaling that something needs your attention and it won’t go away until it gets its way.

Have you ever experienced this? We all have, whether we recognize it or not. Terri Broussard Williams knows that feeling well and she wants you to trust it too. It’s what led her to write her new book, Find Your Fire —a tome of powerful stories and no-nonsense advice from extraordinary changemakers on a mission to create social good. The groundbreaking lobbyist (and the voice of the popular MovementMakerCollective blog) hopes that the book will kindle more #Firestarters—aspiring politicians, activists, nonprofit professionals, social entrepreneurs, visionaries, and movement makers—to trust their gut and turn their vision for their own movement into a reality.

“The world is ripe for Movement Makers,” she tells Create & Cultivate. “If you feel a calling to help lead change for your community, just jump. Without people who are willing to lead, so much of what we love about the world today is at risk. Even with the obstacles that we face, I remain hopeful. I know that there are Movement Makers ready for the task at hand. I’m honored to be among their ranks.”

Read on to hear more about how this author trusted her own gut to write a book about it and then keep scrolling to read an exclusive chapter from Find Your Fire.

On the process of writing a book….

The process of writing the book was very different than I expected. I went back and forth on whether I wanted to self-publish or traditionally publish. So I interviewed women that had done both—two women that self-published and two that traditionally published. 

I wanted to write my book for two reasons. One, to simply inspire and to let people see that they could actually create movements. The second is I want to establish myself. I worked for 16 years at a large organization and created a lot of best practices while I was there. However, people still coupled those ideas, and the execution of those ideas, with the organization, when they were mine. So I wanted to really exhibit what I knew and establish myself as a thought leader that could stand on her own two feet outside of my organization. 

When I decided to self-publish, it was a priority to work with as many women as possible. So my entire team was women—with the exception of one, my book coach, Scott. But he was locally based. So I was still contributing to my local economy. Everyone from the cover designer to the editor to the person that helped me write, some of it were women. It was a magical experience. 

The book took longer than I thought it would. Everyone said that it would take one to two years from idea to being published, but I thought that because I was self-publishing that it would happen faster. I work really quickly, but what I did not fully account for was just life. I had a concussion during the process. I started graduate school. I switched jobs. Thankfully, everyone on the team was really helpful in telling me that I could do it or in helping me get things done when I didn't have the energy or the bandwidth. 

It’s really important that you build a team that will help you through the process. Even if you're self-publishing, invest in that team, because they will become your family and they will make or break the project. For example, I did not want to make the last round of edits to adjust the font size. It would delay my project for two more weeks, as well as cost a substantial amount of money. And someone on my team was like, "Suck it up, buttercup. Spend the money and you will be happier with the product at the end." They were absolutely right. 

A book is a huge investment of time and money. You don’t want to waste either of those things. I would encourage authors to think about their book as part of a three-legged stool while writing. Each leg of the stool: 1) brand, 2) lead magnet, 3) brand mission should help you accomplish both your personal and professional goals. I did this throughout the book writing process and it led to new and bold ideas. 

On the biggest challenge and the greatest joy in writing this book… 

The biggest challenge was really opening up. I cried while writing the acknowledgments. The first time I wrote them, they just weren't enough. My team pushed me to dig deeper while writing. I’m always an open book while blogging but when I began writing my book I found that my default was set to safe. It took a while to rewrite them. And now I cry every time I read them because they capture the spirit of my soul. 

Another challenge I had to overcome was questioning why was I the person to tell this story—and in a book. We see people with books as authorities. But sometimes you might not even stop to think that you are an expert. For so long, I was watching other people implement my ideas and say that they were their own that I forgot that power in me. I forgot that I am the expert. So that is the greatest joy: These are my thoughts. These are my ideas. It's a book that was born from my head and my heart. And I can't wait to hear people's thoughts as they read it. 

On the message she hopes to convey to readers…

You do not need a pedigree to start a movement. You do not need a pedigree to become a lobbyist. You do not need to come from money to achieve your dreams. Anyone can do these things. Hopefully, by introducing them to changemakers who have done the work and then me explaining how to use the Firestarter Formula, people will begin to say "Yes, I can do it." And they'll raise their hand and say, "If not me, then who?" 

On the biggest takeaway…

That they actually put the ideas of the book into practice. That they're not afraid to fail forward and fast. I hope they have the faith every day to believe that is something that is achievable and the fortitude to push through, to get it done. And lastly, leaders turn moments into movements. 

On advice for new authors…

Use your Spidey senses. Trust your gut. Your instinct will lead you along the way. I like to do everything with good intentions, a good heart and good work ethic. And putting out that vibe and those sentiments into the universe made them come true. 

People that don't respond to your email in a timely manner, as you would? They are not your people. If you meet someone face to face and you don't feel them? They are not your people. 

I did originally work with someone that did not share my same core values. We did not have the same spirit and many times I felt they were dishonest. And so I had to end that relationship. It set me back a good three months. But it was the right thing to do. Don’t be afraid to move on when that happens as it is more important to stay true to your project and its mission. 

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The below passage is an exclusive excerpt from Terri Broussard Williams’ new book, Find Your Fire, available now.

The Activist: Angie Provost ‘We belong to the land here’

A Firestarter’s Beginnings

Angie Provost's movement is one that hits close to home for me. Really close: Angie and I are cousins, twice removed on my mother’s side. Like me, Angie was born in Louisiana. But her path took her to Texas sooner than mine did. She moved from Lafayette to Houston with her family when she was 3. As young, single twenty-somethings, we always told Angie that she would grow old in Louisiana. We knew she was destined to marry a Louisiana man.

While she grew up in a big city, it never felt like a fit for her. Angie always considered the Bayou State to be home. "We belong to the land here," she says.

She spent summers there on her grandfather's farm. And she returned to Louisiana when she became engaged to her now-husband, June Provost. June's family has a long history of sugar cane farming, just as hers did. But her grandparents were forced out of farming around the civil rights movement era of the mid-20th century.

"When I met June, I found it so fascinating that his family was still upholding that legacy," Angie says. "I became really involved in studying what he was doing."

The more she learned, the more she felt drawn toward becoming an entrepreneur and being connected to the land, just as June was. She even created her own farm.

Finding Her Fire

But even as Angie and June worked to uphold their families' legacy in agriculture, others were working just as hard to tear it down.

"We really started experiencing some harsh reprisals and harassment," Angie says. They also had to fight back against institutions. They filed a lawsuit alleging unfair treatment by their bank and another suit against a prominent local mill for breach of contract.

All of this took a heavy toll on them. June and Angie's home was foreclosed on in September 2018. Angie knew that they were hardly first farmers of color to go through an ordeal like this. Such treatment had driven her grandparents and many others from their land.

"You love Louisiana, you love the small town, you love the people in it," she says. "But there's very little opportunity and equitable relief if you are a person of color trying to advance your portfolio or your livelihood."

Amid everything going on, the Provosts were approached with an opportunity that they knew could do good but that was still pretty daunting to consider. A writer who had found out about them through Farm Aid, Center for Community Change and the Economic Hardship Reporting Project asked them to tell their story for an article in The Guardian, a British daily newspaper with a strong international readership.

"We were afraid to speak up and say what was going on with us," Angie says. They felt victimized, violated, and vulnerable, and that was hard to talk about. But they trusted the writer, Debbie Weingarten, and decided to move forward.

The extensive story in The Guardian in October 2018 details the Provosts' long nightmare: Vandalized equipment. Surveillance. Dead cats left on a tractor. This will all sound familiar to fans of the TV show "Queen Sugar," which is about a sugarcane farming family. (It's based on a novel by Natalie Baszile, who has become a friend of the Provost family.) But the mistreatment of the Provosts has actually been worse than what was portrayed on the show, Angie says.

After the article appeared, they were nervous. "We didn't know what the response would be," Angie says. But while there have been ups and downs, the article has led to many blessings for them.

"There are people out there that there are progressive voices,"' Angie says. "There are those who support change and know that change is for the better for everyone."

After the article, she and June became more active with groups such as National Family Farm Coalition, National Black Growers Council, and Farm Aid. And they created Provost Farm LLC, with the two of them as co-owners.

"The mission of that business is to preserve and advocate for the legacy of African-American sugarcane farmers and black farmers in general," Angie says. "We want people to be aware that, as African Americans, we own less than 1% of rural land in the U.S. It is steadily declining; it's been declining since Reconstruction."

Angie draws on deep knowledge of history to put their movement into a larger context. They want to raise awareness of the links that black rural land ownership has to other issues, including criminal justice reform, food equity, voter suppression, and redlining.

As they've grown their moment, they've had more opportunities to share their story. The Provosts were even featured in The 1619 Project, a major initiative by The New York Times to explore the history and consequences of slavery.

“Participating in The 1619 Project was an honor,” Angie says. “June and I believe our voice to be echoes of our ancestors — as if they spoke through us. Their triumphs and defeats, but most of all their strength. I think what (journalist) Nikole Hannah-Jones has accomplished with The

New York Times is equivalent to the tales my grandmother told me as a young adult about our family history: the tales that pull you in, paint a picture, and change your life.”

Besides fighting for their own livelihood, Angie and June are using their visibility to bring together other black and indigenous farmers in Louisiana and strengthen their sense of community. They're heartened by the other farmers who are speaking up, too — "the sugarcane farmers of the past who want platforms but have lost them."

Spreading Her Spark

Angie knows that she and June are taking on a lot, but that's because they know we're at a critical juncture. "We're in a time where we could either go backward or we could move forward," Angie says.

One way the Provosts are moving forward is by training with the Propeller accelerator program. This a New Orleans-based nonprofit supports entrepreneurs who are taking on social and environmental disparities. Propeller found out about the Provosts from The Guardian article and reached out to them to participate. Their lead mentor is Richard McCarthy, creator of Crescent City Farmers Market and former director of Slow Food USA.

Angie and June see something that others have ignored: a need to tell the story of black farmers in Louisiana in the form of a museum. Propeller is helping Angie and June with plans for a nonprofit that would include a museum or memorial to black farmers. The biggest challenge is securing funding. Angie also envisions an educational center where schoolchildren and others could come and learn more about farming. That’s the kind of field trip that I wish I could have taken as a young child. My father’s family is from the area Angie and June call home, yet I have never walked the fields that June so often mentions.

"We need to start educating more about rural life and the benefits of maintaining that rural life," she says. That connection with our rural history is vital.

"If you strip someone of their legacy and their history, if you don't educate a community on how that township or area was developed, you're leaving an entire group of people in an insecure position," Angie says. "And that community becomes vulnerable to oppressive tactics."

She knows that there are people who will say "I didn't own slaves" or "I wasn't a slave" and question why we still need to talk about all of this.

"I believe that not talking about your past is a form of insecurity," Angie says. For our future, we must learn from the past and make a better way.

Another way to build a better future is changing laws and policies that hamper farmers of color, Angie says. For example, right now there are too many roadblocks to accessing USDA programs.

"I think these are our right to be a part of," as families who have owned farms for generations, she says. After all, it was people like their ancestors who "taught Europeans how to farm these tropical crops," she points out.

She'd also like to see more actions by groups like the Urban League and NAACP. "Within our own organizations, we're missing that rural link," she says.

You can help Angie work for change. "Especially if you live in a rural community, you can you can write to your USDA county committeeman or to your city councilperson," she says. "Ask them what are they doing about farm equity and land loss prevention for people of color." If you can donate money, Angie recommends Farm Aid, which "does a lot for helping the working-class farmer," as well as the National Black Growers Council. You can find a list of other organizations to get involved in at www.provostfarmllc.com.

If you are an African American Millennial or Gen Zer who has rural roots but is living in a big city right now, you could have a vital role to play in Angie's movement. "If your parents own land, if your grandparents own land, make sure that it stays within the family — that you uphold that property," she says. Remember, too, that farming can be a lucrative business. "The reason why it's so difficult for us is because there are so few of us out there." More African Americans becoming active in agriculture equals more strength in numbers.

Although the retaliation and harassment continue, Angie and June are committed to their work because they know they're making a difference.

"I don't want to give the impression that Louisiana is the really despicable state that's not worth living in," she says. It's just that "A lot of us have moved away and the resources aren't here. Let's bring that back. Let's educate people. Let's reform. Because it's a beautiful place. It's a magical place."

The resolve she shows is in her DNA. "That comes from my grandmother's side of the family," Angie says. "They are some pretty feisty women. We come from a very strong stock of African and Native American heritage. We have a pretty long history, and one of the things that my grandmother, my great-aunt, my great-grandmother have always instilled in us is pride for our legacy and history."

She knows the stories of the women before her, the difficulties they faced, and how they overcame them. She was taught not to be ashamed of facing difficulties but rather to "always move forward and make a way," Angie says. "Those are the things that they instilled in us: a really strong value of family and knowing your past to inform your future."

Ignite Your Own Fire

What can you take away from Angie's story to catalyze your own movement?

Know where you come from Angie and I both find inspiration in our family history. If you don't know the stories of the people who came before you, now is a great time to ask parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins to share their recollections with you. Interview them about how they grew up and the changes they’ve seen. Don’t forget to record those conversations: You’ll be forever grateful for that oral history. Whatever you learn from them will shed light on who you are and your unique gifts as a #Firestarter.

Understand your movement's past Along the same lines, educate yourself about the history of your movement. Part of what sustains Angie is knowing that she's part of something bigger. And, no matter what your movement is, so are you. What have others accomplished before you? How can you build on what they've done and honor their legacy?

There's strength in your story Telling her story in the media has changed Angie's life and advanced her movement. This can feel like a big step, but Angie urges you not to shy away from it if the opportunity arises. "Everyone who tells their story should live in their truth," she says. "Give a real representation to whatever you are trying to change, whatever you are trying to maintain."

Before you get in front of the mic there are a couple of things Angie wants you to consider: Just make sure the media outlet or any other source you work with is trustworthy and makes you feel comfortable. You also need a community of support around you during what can feel like a vulnerable time.

If you're having trouble mustering the courage to do an interview or share your story in another way (like writing a blog post), remember that you'll be helping others by doing so.

"When you are a truth teller, when you are a peace speaker, you will find that there are so many people out there that have been waiting to hear your voice," Angie says. "Every single one of us has something to tell. That's why we're here on Earth as human beings. We're here to share our experience and empathize with one another."

Find Your Fire

by Terri Broussard Williams

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Book cover art by Jen Pace Duran.

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How to Translate Your Résumé Into a Great LinkedIn Profile

Photo: Christina Jones Photography

LinkedIn is an amazing tool to keep up with your network, highlight your accomplishments, and search for the job of your dreams, but figuring out how to optimize the platform can be tricky. If you’re struggling with how to create a great LinkedIn profile, keep in mind that your LinkedIn profile should look a lot like your résumé.

Think about your LinkedIn profile as if it is your résumé, but with a little more personality and flair. LinkedIn should always remain professional; however, it allows you to give a little more insight as to who you are as a person. Here’s how to translate your résumé into a great LinkedIn profile:

Make your headline align with the headline of your résumé.

By default, LinkedIn will make your headline whatever your current job title is, but your headline can be a lot more interesting than that! You can manually go in and change your LinkedIn headline.

By updating your headline, you’ll gain two major benefits:

1) Your headline will be more interesting and will be more likely to grab someone’s attention.

2) Integrating keywords into your headline makes you more searchable and will increase your chances of coming up on related keyword searches. (There are recruiters who spend the entirety of their days scouring LinkedIn for potential candidates.) You want your headline to grab someone’s attention and use keywords and phrases so that you come up on keyword searches.

Here’s a great example of a headlining statement:

“Accomplished IT professional offering 20+ years of progressive leadership in technical assistance and expertise in client-facing communication”

This statement uses key phrases such as “leadership,” “technical assistance,” and “client-facing communication” while highlighting this person’s extensive experience (20+ years). The statement is much more effective than simply using the job title “IT Help Desk Manager”.

Add skills to help attract recruiters.

This is an easy way to optimize your profile and improve your search engine optimization (SEO). Add skills to the skills section of your résumé. Figure out what kind of jobs you want to attract and include related search terms.

An easy way to figure out what terms to include on your profile is to look at a job description posted on LinkedIn. Often LinkedIn will show you the keywords that they are looking for and will tell you what terms you have and have not included throughout your profile.

Use these as a guide to figure out what skills to add in the skills section. This will vastly improve your LinkedIn visibility and will help you attract attention from recruiters and hiring managers.

Make sure that your job history and job descriptions align with your résumé.

When you’re working on your LinkedIn profile, it is essential to make sure that your profile aligns with your résumé and shows the same career path. It can differ slightly since it is important to cater to your résumé to each specific job; however, someone should be able to look at your résumé and see essentially the same career trajectory on your LinkedIn profile. Consistency across channels is key, and inconsistency can cause skepticism from recruiters or potential employers.

Creating a cohesive personal brand is extremely important for developing your career, and using consistent branding across channels helps build your credibility. Think about it this way: If you search for a person or business and see multiple platforms and channels come up with the same information and visuals, you can assume that this person has put in the time to create a consistent branding strategy. If you see different visuals, as well as inconsistent verbiage and job history across platforms, it’s harder to believe that the person is professional and trustworthy.

It’s important to present uniform content across LinkedIn and your résumé. The more channels and social platforms you utilize, the more reputable and trustworthy your brand becomes. If someone is unable to find a source of your work, including examples, contact information, and recognition, they’re unlikely to trust you as a professional. If you can’t establish trust among recruiters and/or hiring managers, you won’t be able to land a job.

Ask for a recommendation.

Referrals, recommendations, and testimonials are a huge part of building online trust and maximizing your online footprint. When a trusted friend tells you about a business, you transfer that trust to the company. Similarly, when a trusted industry professional recommends a person, you transfer that trust onto the person to whom they are referring. LinkedIn recommendations are a great way to highlight your expertise and leverage your connections.

If you’re stumped on how to reach out to someone about writing you a LinkedIn recommendation, try phrasing it like this:

“Hi X,

I hope this note finds you well. I’m working on building my online footprint and I’m wondering if you would be willing to share some feedback on your experience working with me? If so, I’d really appreciate it if you could write me a short LinkedIn recommendation.

Thanks, and please let me know if there’s anything I can do to return the favor.

Best,

[Your Name]”

Update your photos.

Having a great LinkedIn profile photo is essential—members who include a profile photo receive 21x more profile views and up to 36x more messages. However, many people don’t realize that including a background photo is an important element of a great LinkedIn profile as well. One of the amazing qualities about LinkedIn is that it lets you put a face to a name, which subconsciously establishes an emotional connection. You’re much more likely to remember someone who you’ve seen a picture of then simply remembering their name out of a stack of résumés. Including a background photo provides further insight as to who you are and what your personality is like. This helps strengthen that connection with the reader.

Your cover photo or background photo gives you the opportunity to highlight your personality and/or your field of work. If you’re feeling stuck on what kind of photo to use, try going with one of these two options: Pick a photo related to your career (my background photo is a photo I took of a keyboard). If you want to show more personality, pick a photo that you connect with. If you like hiking or camping in a certain place, pick a landscape image of that area. If you’re from a specific city that adds to your identity, pick a cityscape. If you do pick a photo without an obvious correlation, be sure to reference it somewhere in your summary.

For example, if you picked a landscape of a hiking location you love, you could say something along the lines of “when I’m not working, you’ll often find me outside either hiking or camping…”

Change your LinkedIn profile URL.

This is one of the easiest ways to make your LinkedIn profile look more professional. When you create a LinkedIn profile, by default your profile URL will be something along the lines of https://linkedin.com/in/firstname-lastname-99765bxkjhjhy with that ugly long string of random letters and numbers at the end of the link. You can change that!

You can actually change your LinkedIn profile URL to almost anything after the linkedin.com/in/ however I recommend sticking with something along the lines of your first name and last name. If your first and last names are taken, try adding a simple number (i.e. birth year, graduation year, etc.), middle initial, or something else fairly neutral. I’ve seen people use city or state initials, which work as well.

The goal is to make your LinkedIn profile URL more simple, clean, and easy to remember. Here’s a step by step guide on how to change your LinkedIn profile URL.

A great LinkedIn profile is an essential element of your personal brand and is a very important tool to utilize when looking for a job. Updating your profile can take time; however, doing so will help you increase your visibility on the platform.

About the Author: A native San Franciscan, Michele Lando is a certified professional résumé writer and founder of writestylesonline.com. She has a passion for helping others present the best version of themselves, both on paper and in person, and works to polish an individual’s application package and personal style. Aiming to help create a perfect personal branding package, Write Styles presents tips to enhance your résumé, style, and boost your confidence.

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This story was originally published on August 30, 2019, and has since been updated.

How to Meet Anyone With This 15 Step Strategy

Photo: Andrew Neel from Pexels

If you've ever wondered how to get out of someone's inbox and into their (virtual) office, then heed the advice from Gillian Zoe Segal’s book, Getting There: A Book of Mentors. Trust us.

From Rachel Zoe to Sara Blakely and even Warren Buffet are just some of the entrepreneurs Gillian features in her book who all dish their top advice, tips, and strategies for building a successful career.

Ahead, Gillian shares her 15 tips for meeting anyone you want using creative networking techniques and the best part is, you can totally do it too. Read on… 

1. Understand the lay of the land.

Most luminaries are extremely busy. They receive multiple requests every day for interviews, speaking engagements, new business opportunities, charity functions, you name it, not to mention the obligations they have with their careers, families, and personal lives. Understandably, there are simply not enough hours in the day for them to say yes to everything. And they definitely don’t.

If you are not a big name or don’t have something major to offer, accept that you will not be at the top of anyone’s priority list—no matter how important your request might seem to you.

2. Toss your ego out the window.

You will be ignored and rejected a lot, and you can’t take it personally or allow it to depress or discourage you.

3. Know that you can lead a horse to water, but the biggest hurdle is making sure the horse knows that the water is in front of its face.

You must get your request noticed by the decision-maker.

4. If you have any connection at all, use it.

Your connection doesn’t need to be a big one.

Here’s how I contacted Leslie Moonves, President, and CEO of CBS: My best friend’s husband had a friend who used to work at CBS and was willing to put me in touch with Moonves’s assistant. The assistant, who works closely with him every day, made sure he saw my request.

If you don’t have a connection (and most often I didn’t), here are some ways to get your request noticed:

5. Make yourself as human as possible.

The less human you appear, the easier it is for someone to reject you. Asking in person is the best method; that way it’s obvious you’re human. (It’s a lot easier to say no to a faceless email or tweet.) If you can figure out a way to run into your target in a not stalkerish way, try to do so—for example at a party or event.

But don’t be annoying or take up too much of your target’s time. I usually introduce myself, give a one or two-sentence pitch, and then ask whom I should contact with more details. The luminary usually gives me the name of a point person; then I contact that person ASAP.

6. If you can’t ask in person—and most times you can’t, especially now—try to connect to the person you can reach (your target’s publicist, assistant, etc.).

Always use the name of the person you are corresponding with since it makes for a more personal connection. If you don’t have that person’s name, ask for it. An email to a specific person instead of one addressed “to whom it may concern” is a bit harder for the recipient to ignore.

7. Never accept “no” from someone who can’t give you a “yes.”

My friend (Steve Cohen!) told me this early on, and it really stuck with me. The point is, don’t let a “no” from one employee deter you. If the front door is locked, try the back door; if the back door is locked, try the side door; if the side door is locked, try crawling in a window. If you can’t do that, wait a while then try the front door again. Someone might answer this time!

What does this front door/side door/window bit really mean? I am talking about ways in—avenues—like a publicist, an agent, an employee, someone who once did business with the person, a friend of a friend of a friend….

I rarely dealt with just one employee and one door. When someone ignored me repeatedly or rejected me, I switched to someone else and acted as nothing had ever happened—I never mentioned I was previously ignored or rejected. (A lot of times your target never even saw your request—an employee rejected it instead.)

8. Take responses literally.

If you don’t get a definitive “no” from someone, try again. For example, if you get an, “Unfortunately, he can’t participate in that now,” take “now” literally and follow up later.

9. Never be anything but friendly and pleasant to deal with.

No one reacts well to “attitude” from strangers. That kind of behavior will only get you ignored even more — or axed for good. (It may also earn you a bad reputation.)

If you do get what you consider to be a final rejection, lose graciously and thank the person for considering your request.

10. Never rub anyone’s nose in the fact that they’re ignoring you.

For example, don’t complain that you called five times already. If you send a follow-up email to someone that has been ignoring you, don’t forward the old email. Send a new email (or send your prior email) as it has never been sent before.

This allows your contact to save face if they do choose to respond—and lets that person respond without having to make any excuses for why they previously ignored you.

11. Keep your correspondence simple and clear.

Get to your point quickly. Remember how busy everyone is; no one has time to sift through paragraphs to figure out what your email is about.

12. Once you get a response from someone, grab hold of that person, and don’t let go.

I learned this lesson in the summer of 1993 when I worked as a real estate broker. When clients decided they wanted to rent an apartment I had just shown them, I was instructed not to let them out of my sight until they put down a deposit. Why? Simple: if I let them walk away and “get back to me tomorrow,” they might reconsider their decision. So I literally accompanied my clients to the bank while they took out cash for their deposit.

The same is true with networking. If someone responds to your request, act fast, and respond immediately. You need to get the ball rolling before they forget about you and move on to something else.

13. Take whatever you can get as soon as you can get it.

That means accepting the very first day the person is available—regardless of your schedule.

14. Get your foot in the door any way you can.

One of the most challenging Getting There subjects for me to land was the architect Frank Gehry. I sent a couple of blind requests to the email address listed on his company’s website. The good news is that I was not totally ignored; the bad news is that I was rejected both times.

A few months later I found out my friend’s father’s new girlfriend (read that relationship twice and realize any connection can be a good connection) knew Frank and was willing to pass along my request. She sent him my request twice and was totally ignored both times!

A few months later I figured I would try again (after all, emails are free, and ya never know!), so I sent yet another email to his company’s email address and a miracle happened—I got a response! I can only assume a new assistant was on duty that day.

I immediately emailed her back, got her name, and asked if I could send her some samples of my work to show Gehry. Again, strike while the iron is hot: I was away at the time so I had my cat sitter overnight the material to her.

I called the office to follow up and make sure that she got it; remember, speaking on the phone makes the connection more personal. She showed my material to Gehry, he said yes, and we set up an appointment!

But that’s not the end of the story. Gehry then proceeded to cancel on me for a full year (I was that low on his priority list). During that time I bounced between 4 of his assistants (it seemed like every time I called to follow up a new person needed to be filled in on who I was and what Gehry had agreed to), but I eventually got some time with him and he is now in Getting There!

By the way: when I finally met with Gehry he had absolutely no idea I had ever been hounding him or his office. (In fact, none of my subjects did.)

15. Persistence pays off.

If I learned one lesson from the people who I interviewed for Getting There it is that determination and resilience eventually pay off. Of all my subjects, I think that Ian Schrager sums up this sentiment best in his Getting Thereessay. He says, “In the end, there’s so little that separates people. Those who want success the most and are relentless about pursuing it are the ones who get it.”

Pursuing any goal is much easier if you are truly passionate about what you want; that’s what gives you the fuel to persevere. In my case, I really believed in the concept of my book and felt that readers would truly benefit from what my subjects could share. I also felt sure my subjects would be happy with the finished product; if I hadn’t felt that way it would have been extremely difficult to overcome all the rejection and keep approaching people over and over again.

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The original version of this article appeared on Hey Mama. This post was originally published on June 25, 2017, and has since been updated.

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4 LinkedIn Dos & Don'ts to Boost Your Profile and Grab Every Recruiters’ Attention

Photo: Christina Jones Photography

Unlike the rest of your social media accounts, which can be used to share selfies and carefully crafted photos of lattes with intricate designs against chic marble backdrops, LinkedIn might just be the most sacred social network that you have—and you shouldn’t abuse it.

There are many LinkedIn dos and don’ts, and you have to make sure that you’re not crossing the line when you’re networking or leaving out crucial information that can help recruiters find you. If you want to be taken seriously and make sure that your connection requests will be approved, make sure that you’re following some of the dos and don’t below.

DON’T #1

Don’t send LinkedIn requests out of the blue to someone you have never connected with in person or have any mutual connections with. Whoever you are requesting will immediately deny you and move on to the next request, especially if they have no context of who you are, what you do, or when you met. And you can rest assured that they will ignore your request if you don’t personalize it. 

DO #1

If you are trying to connect with someone who you haven’t met or are looking to have a meeting with, introduce yourself via a message and let them know why you want to connect. This will give you more chances of the person actually opening your message, add you as a connection, and hopefully lead to a meeting down the road.

DON’T #2 

LinkedIn is not the place to post your best selfie. An overhead selfie with your best angle won’t do you any favors on here, so make sure that you’re choosing your profile photo wisely.

DO #2

Get yourself a great photographer and invest in a headshot that will boost your credibility on LinkedIn. If you’re on the job hunt, and a recruiter sees your selfie versus someone who has invested in a good headshot, chances are you might not get that call for an interview. 

DON’T #3

Don’t send spammy messages. Yes, those include those out-of-the-blue birthday messages as well. Did you really remember that connection’s birthday, or are you just taking advantage of LinkedIn’s reminder? Be above that.

DO #3

Nurture your relationships. Don’t add people just to add to your connection count. Make sure to follow up with them, congratulate them on their recent achievements and work-related milestones, and offer ideas on how they could improve their business, if approptiate. 

Also, it’s always best to show your connections what you can offer them versus asking them what can they offer you first. Connections are solidified that way.

DON’T #4

Avoid self-serving content. This is not Facebook or Twitter, so nobody really cares what you are doing in your daily life, or what you’re eating for lunch. If you find yourself posting that on LinkedIn, you can immediately start seeing your connection count drop drastically.

DO #4

When posting updates on LinkedIn, make sure to share information that’s viable to your connections. Feel free to share content from Forbes, Entrepreneur, Bloomberg, and other trustworthy news sources. Also, if you are writing your own content, that’s okay to share as well. (Psst… This is a great way to get more traffic to your site and more eyes on your content.) Pay attention to what your connections are talking about, write your own content on those topics, and set yourself as a trustworthy news source.

What are some of your LinkedIn dos and don’ts? What are your ultimate pet peeves as professionals? Sound off below!

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This story was originally published on June 1, 2016, and has since been updated.

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Pro Tip: How to Convince Your Boss to Let You Go Freelance

Photo: Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

If you’ve been putting together a plan for leaving your 9-to-5 job and venturing into the brave new world of freelance, there’s a potential client I bet you haven’t stopped to consider yet: your current employer.

When I started my freelance career, my first client was the same PR agency I’d been working for over the last two years. There were things outside of work I needed to be able to dedicate my time to but I was committed to my job and team. I loved what I was doing, but I also craved the freedom of flexibility and autonomy.

If this sounds like you, keep reading because in today’s Pro Tip I’m going to share my step-by-step process for how to convince your boss to let you go freelance.

Pinpoint Your Value

The most important factor in convincing your current employer to let you switch from full-time to freelance is to pinpoint the unique value you bring to their business.

For me, it was my knowledge of and connections within the video game and esports industries. Beyond my expertise, my proven loyalty and track record for being a high performer also helped contribute to my cause. I had just been promoted about six months prior and worked well with my team and clients.

Once you have your unique value identified, gather important milestones you’ve hit throughout your time with the company. I like to focus on quantifiable milestones because numbers are the best way to communicate results to your boss. For my situation, this was the amount of new business I helped secure for the company, additional retainers I negotiated with existing clients, high-profile news hits I secured for product launches, etc.

Do Your Research

Freelancing is far from a new concept, but nowadays, more and more businesses are embracing this change in the workforce. Before you approach your boss with your freelance plan, do your research to make sure that freelancing is actually something you can afford to take on.

When you’re a freelancer, you’re forfeiting your company-provided benefits like healthcare, 401K matching, and paid vacation days. So take time to do some research and make sure that you’re ready for the change.

You also want to make sure that the jump from full-time to freelance is sustainable within the company you’re working for. Meaning to say, that you can continue to not only show your value but identify areas where you can continue to pick up additional work when projects end.

If you’re looking for more guidance on things to take into consideration before starting your freelance career, get your hands on my freelancer starter kit.

Create a Plan

The last thing you want to do is pitch the idea of freelancing to your boss without a plan in place. You’re asking for a significant change and in order to get the best outcome, you’ll need to prove that going freelance is the best route for not only you but your employer’s business goals.

Start by looking at the next six to twelve months and identify key moments where you regularly play a significant part in the business. For me, this was around client conferences and product launches. Once you have those key moments in place, think of the value you add to those occasions and the amount of time it typically takes to complete the necessary work-related tasks.

Freelancing is about hourly rates. Even if you negotiate a monthly retainer, you want to make sure you’re being compensated for the amount of work you agreed to for the amount of time estimated so you don’t fall back into what could feel like a 9-to-5 grind.

After you identify your value and key business moments, list the types of tasks you want to do as a freelancer to help support them. Then look at what you’ve written out to determine if it’s too little or too much work to support your freelance goals. From there, adjust where you need to and start to imagine how you’d like to bring this up to your boss.

The Pitch

Let’s recap before you schedule a time to sit down and pitch the idea of freelancing to your boss you want to have the following:

• A clear understanding of the unique value you bring to their business.

• Confidence through the research you’ve done that you’re ready for freelance life.

• A plan of action for how you will transition to and execute freelancing so effortlessly, they’ll hardly notice the difference.

Once you have these three factors in place, ask your boss to schedule a time for a one-on-one conversation. It’s important this meeting be scheduled for a time with minimum distractions. For example, if you know your boss is particularly busy in the mornings, aim for the afternoon. 

Start the conversation with confidence. This is a proposal you’re pitching, not a favor. Switching to freelance is a business-related request so don’t go into the meeting thinking that you’re going to appear weak or less-than for asking for something that you want.

Start with something like this:

“I would like to discuss the opportunity of transitioning to a freelance employee with you today. I’ve created a plan of action that I’d like to share for how I can continue to add value to your business in this new capacity. I enjoy working with you and hope this is something you will take into consideration.” 

This messaging is clear, to-the-point, and friendly. From here, share your plan and ask for feedback along the way.

Be prepared to answer questions like:

• Why do you want to switch to freelance?

• What hourly rate are you expecting?

• How many hours a week can you commit to?

• Are you willing to come into the office?

• How long do you want to freelance for?

Every individual’s answers will be different so it’s important to think of what you want from the setup. Be prepared for where you’re willing to compromise and where you are firm. Having clear answers will make the decision-making process much easier for you and your boss.

About the Author: Audrey Adair is a seasoned freelance communications professional and founder of The Scope, a platform providing resources and community to freelancers and the self-employed. Connect with The Scope on Instagram and join the email list to receive your free resource, The Freelancer Starter Kit.

This post was published on March 19, 2019, and has since been updated.

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4 Times You’re Allowed to Say No at Work

Photo: Christina Morillo from Pexels

FOMO (fear of missing out) is real, and it happens in both our work and personal lives. Because of the fear of missing an opportunity in your career, it’s easy to find yourself on the “yes” train, only to feel overexerted and spread too thin. While taking advantage of opportunities that can help your career is great, it’s important to realize when saying no is in your best interest. Here are four times you’re allowed to say “no” at work.

1. When your calendar is already crammed.

When your schedule is jam-packed, saying no is probably the way to go. While you may be able to fit in a quick meeting or take on one extra project, it’s important to assess the obligations you’ve already committed to before saying yes to something else. Would taking on this extra task take a lot of time? How much would it cut into your current projects?

If saying yes to a new opportunity would hinder your ability to complete tasks you’ve already committed to, just say no. This can be hard, especially if you’re a people pleaser, but at the end of the day, taking on more is not always better. Instead, focus on putting your best foot forward on your current commitments.

2. When you’d be covering for someone else who’s always slacking.

Are you constantly covering for a coworker who can’t seem to be bothered to lift a finger? When your boss recognizes you for your ability to pick up the pieces, it can be hard to put an end to things—but there’s a point when it’s not worth it.

If you continually cover for someone or finish the work that they were supposed to, you’re showing that person that, A) you don’t mind that they’re slacking, and B) they can continue to slack off because you will finish what they don’t. In this case, you’re doing yourself and the other person a disservice. Try talking to them directly, and if that doesn’t work, discuss the situation with your boss. Point out that you’re taking on someone else’s role and it’s impeding on your ability to get your own work completed to your standards.

Try approaching the subject like this:

“I’ve been doing x, y, and z to help [Name], but it’s getting difficult to get everything done to my standards. I’m happy to help, but it seems to be more of an ongoing issue than a one-off situation, and I don’t want it to affect responsibilities I’ve already committed to. Is there a better way we can delegate responsibilities or create more accountability as a team?”

3. When it’s a last-minute request and you already have other obligations.

We’ve all had that last-minute work request that makes our stomach sink, whether it’s an after-hours event or a last-minute meeting. Sometimes, you just suck it up and deal with it (yes, it’s part of being an adult), but it’s okay to say no if it will impede on other obligations.

If you’ve already made other commitments, explain the situation. Show that you would like to make it work but it’s not an option since it’s last-minute. You can say something like this:

“Unfortunately, I’m not able to make that work because of the timing. I’ve already made another commitment I can’t cancel; however, I’m happy to work with you to figure out another time that works better.”

If your manager can’t appreciate that you’ve made commitments and you want to stick with them, you may not be in a work environment where you can thrive.

4. If it makes you uncomfortable (morally or physically).

This is simple: If something makes you uncomfortable, morally or physically, just say no.

If you feel like something isn’t right, trust your gut. You can always say “I’m not comfortable doing that,” or simply decline and say that you’re working on another project. Assessing the situation, your needs (both mental and physical), and how the request will affect you is essential to figuring out if the project is in your best interest.

If something makes you physically uncomfortable, get yourself out of that situation immediately, and contact someone of authority. Whether it’s HR or legal authorities, if there is misconduct in the workplace, use your voice, and be confident that no one should make you uncomfortable.

About the Author: Michele Lando is a certified professional résumé writer and founder of Write Styles. She has a passion for helping others present the best version of themselves, both on paper and in person, and works to polish an individual’s application package and personal style. Aiming to help create a perfect personal branding package, Write Styles presents tips to enhance your resume, professional style, and boost your confidence.

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This story was originally published on March 7, 2019, and has since been published.

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Here’s How to Make a “To-Do” List to Actually Achieve Your Professional Goals

Photo: Ivan Samkov from Pexels

Time for a little to-do list audit. Grab yours and scan the first five tasks listed. If you don’t have one, then we have a bigger problem—skip the next two paragraphs and dive right into the most effective tool at your fingertips right this very minute!

What’s prioritized at the top of your list? Doing laundry, returning calls or emails, running errands? Chances are your list is a blend of your personal and professional life—what it takes just to stay on top of everything—and not a plan to achieve the longer-term goals you’ve set. 

With the daily responsibilities of adulting—staying on top of work deadlines, being a parent and a spouse, and trying to have a social life—you’re left with a whole lot of chaos and not a lot of time. It’s easy to be sidetracked from your dreams and the “someday” plans that fight for your attention. That’s why I live and die by my daily to-do list—and make sure it’s working for me beyond simply keeping me afloat. 

When I take the time to plan out my day and week, I’m more productive, focused, and proactive. I find more time for personal activities and accomplish goals that actually move my business forward. In my post, “7 Sanity-Saving Tips for Busy Mompreneurs” the tip that seemed to resonate most with readers was to make your To-Do List actually work for you.  Here are my tips on how to do just that.

C'MON GET "APP-Y"

Using an app on your smartphone to manage your to-do list makes things extremely easy and convenient since, let’s be honest, your phone is with you all the time. I love the Wunderlist app, and Evernote, for managing my to-do list because I can keep several running lists of things that need to get done and update them whenever a thought pops into my head.

Plus, I can:

• Set up a daily to-do, weekly list, and long-term goals, and simply move these tasks around as they become a priority

• Set up reminders to alert me when tasks or lists must get done. (As I was finishing up this article, I got an alert from Wunderlist telling me that it was time to finish this article. So “meta!”)

• Quickly add an item to my list as I think of it, clip an article to read later, add a grocery item to my running list and share it with my spouse or assistant (collab! delegate!) and sync to my desktop seamlessly.

• Use my smartphone’s dictation feature —just press the little microphone and talk. What could be easier?

PLAN (AHEAD) TO SUCCEED

Now that you know where you’ll make and keep your list, you can set aside 10-15 minutes in the evening to create your action list. In the morning, we tend to grab a cup of coffee, sit down, and tackle never-ending email, right? But at night, when things are quiet and distractions are at a minimum, you can take some time to focus on how to be most productive the following day. Planning your list at night allows you to get everything out of your head and onto your action list. You’ll sleep better after you’ve cleared your mind and can hit the ground running in the morning.

KEEP IT (CHRONO)LOGICAL

This seems obvious, but as you’re planning your day, be realistic about how long things will actually take, what your absolute “must-do” items for the day are (top of the list and starred!), and how organizing your tasks and errands chronologically and geographically makes the most sense. For example, if you have a lunch meeting that is near a grocery store, plan an extra 15 minutes to run in and save a second time-consuming trip. Make a sub-list of the things you need to get so you can run in and out without forgetting anything. By arranging your day properly, you’ll be amazed at how much more efficient you can be!

EMPLOY THE 3 "Ps": PROJECTS, PEOPLE, PRIORITIES 

High-performance expert Brendon Burchard stresses the importance of organizing your day by considering the projects, people, and priorities that matter most. Thinking this way is key to really moving your business forward and finally accomplishing your bigger goals.

Here’s how it’s done by category:

Projects

List the top 3-5 projects you have going right now. Include three simple things you need to do to advance these projects, beyond your daily to-dos. Chip away at the bigger goals through smaller, actionable tasks you can tackle each day.

People

Ask yourself, “Who am I waiting on?” or “Who is waiting on me?”  If you need a decision, information, or data to complete your part of the task,  reach out to the people who can give you what you’re waiting on to move forward on your bigger goals. 

Priorities

List the 5-10 urgent things that you absolutely must get accomplished today. List it, do it, cross it off. If it takes less than 5-10 minutes, just do it now. Be specific. A task like “answer email,” or “organize desk,” is too broad and will remain on your list forever. Instead, “return client email re: press plan” or “file papers on desk for 5 minutes” is more specific and attainable. You may not achieve “inbox zero” or organize your whole office, but even answering a few pressing emails or sorting for 5 minutes a day will add up.

GET FIRED UP

Start your day in the right mindset, then dive in! Wake up earlier, even 10-15 minutes can make all the difference. The goal is to eventually wake up a whole hour early, by starting with 10 minutes each day until you’re adjusted. Before you jump into work head first, get in the right mindset: Meditate for 10 minutes. Try apps Calm or Headspace for easy, guided meditations), stretch or exercise, take a shower and drink lots of water. Ask yourself, “What am I most fired-up about today?!” and start from a place of passion and purpose.

Now you know how to use your time to your advantage to really rock your goals! Challenge yourself to see how many spare minutes can you find in your day, and make them count! And tell me, do you have any surefire tips to share about how you organize your to-do list?

About the Author: Jennifer Berson is the president and founder of Jeneration PR, a public relations and social media marketing firm specializing in promoting beauty, baby, and lifestyle brands. Prior to founding Jeneration PR in 2005, Jennifer was a civil litigation attorney in Los Angeles. Jennifer has been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, Inc., Business Insider, Yahoo!, Entrepreneur Magazine, PR Week, Huffington Post, Fox 11 News, TV Guide Network's "Hollywood 411," PR Web and was profiled on Apple.com.  Jennifer was also selected by Babble.com as one of the 10 “Mompreneur’s Who Made it Big!” 

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This story was originally published on April 7, 2016, and has since been updated.

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10 Things You Should Never Do in an Interview (and How to Avoid Them)

Photo: Create & Cultivate

Did you know that it takes the human brain less than one second to pass judgment on someone’s character? This means that within a tenth of a second of you walking into your interview, the hiring manager has already conducted an evaluation of your initial character based on your presence and appearance alone.

Your interviewer has been trained to identify key signals to help them determine if you have the skill set and appropriate temperament to fit in with the organization and execute your job. The company will most likely have several other applicants interviewing for the role, and limited time to fill the position, so it’s essential for them to take all things into consideration during the interview process.

That’s why, if it comes down to you and another candidate, one thing as minuscule as a buzzing phone can hurt your chances of securing the role. While you are prepping with mock interviews and researching the company, Career Group Companies’ president and founder, Susan Levine recommends these top 10 things you should avoid during the interview.

1. Never Fail to Prepare

Reading the “about us” section on the company website while you’re on the way to the interview will not give you the full scope of what the company does. Now, almost every company has multiple social media pages, an official website, and a LinkedIn profile. Check them out.

How to avoid it: Insta-stalking isn’t just for snooping on exes. Do your research on the company, its founders, and your department.

2. Never Be Late

Showing up late to your interview sets a bad precedent before your potential new job even starts. If you can’t make it on time to your first meeting with your prospective employer, how can they be confident that you’ll show up on time once you get the job? More importantly, being late shows a lack of respect and consideration for other’s time regardless of the reason.

How to avoid it: Take a trip to the interview location if you can to calculate traffic and timing. If you can’t make the trip, type the address into Waze or Google Maps at the approximate time you’ll be traveling over the course of a few days to get a sense of traffic and how long it will take you to arrive. Always give yourself a 15-minute cushion in case of any unusual traffic.

3. Never Forget Your Resume (Bring Extra Copies!)

Your interviewer may already have a printed version of your resume on hand when you arrive, but you still need to be prepared in the event they ask you for a copy. Often, employers will ask you for a copy as a test.

If they don’t have a resume printed before your arrival, rather than have them comb through a sea of digital applications or stacks of resumes on their desk, you can easily hand over a copy to them. You’ll also be prepared if you have to meet with any other department team members.

How to avoid it: Place your resumes neatly in a folder and pack it the night before your interview.

4. Never Interrupt Your Interviewer

Interviews can be nerve-wracking causing some people to appear and become overly enthusiastic. Regardless of how excited you are to list off your accomplishments and ideas for the company—which you should do at some point—it’s important to listen intently and pay close attention to what your interviewer is saying.

How to avoid it: The best kinds of interviews flow naturally. In order for this to occur, it’s critical for you to listen carefully. Take a moment to process his or her words before answering so you can craft a meaningful response. When it’s your turn, feel free to share any ideas, or revisit any of the points the interviewer brought up that will help position you as the perfect candidate.

5. Never Dress Casually

Never judge a book by its cover? Your book cover is most likely always being judged as you walk into an interview. That’s why dressing professional no matter the organization’s dress code ensures a better “safe than sorry” approach. Yes, even dressing casually for an interview at a company with an informal dress code can still be frowned upon. Your interviewer may be wearing sneakers and leggings, but he or she already has the job—you do not!

How to avoid it: For companies with a strict dress code, you can’t go wrong with slacks/skirt, a button-down, and a blazer. If the companies a bit more on the casual side, opt for business casual. Utilize Who What Wear and Refinery29 for appropriate outfit ideas ahead of the big day.

6. Never Wear Sunglasses on Top of Your Head

Now that summer is in full effect, you might be sporting shades every day. Out of natural habit, most people subconsciously push their glasses on top of their heads when they come out of the sun. Don’t make this mistake. Similar to dressing casually it will give off the impression that you’re not well-polished or taking this interview seriously.

How to avoid it: Keep your sunglasses at home or leave them in your car.

7. Never Forget to Turn Off Your Phone and Smart Watch (Because It’s 2020)

Putting your phone or smart watch on vibrate will not suffice because a buzzing device can be distracting. You’ll have to excuse yourself while you dig in your bag to silence your phone, or constantly look down at your watch as the notifications roll in. Any type of unnecessary interruption is distracting and can make you come across as unprofessional and unprepared. When choosing between two nearly perfect candidates, this type of incident could be the reason you don’t make the cut.

How to avoid: Turn your phone or watch completely off before you enter the office and leave it in your bag.

8. Never Lose Eye Contact

Maintaining consistent eye contact during an interview makes you appear confident, in-tuned and trustworthy. It is widely believed that avoiding eye contact during a conversation can be an indication that you are disconnected or uninterested in the conversation, or could potentially be lying. You may have the usual interview jitters, but your actions could be perceived otherwise if you’re staring up at the ceiling, out the window, or down at the floor.

How to avoid it: Practice mock interviews with friends or family members. Ask them to take notice of how often your eyes drift during the conversation. Record yourself with a camera so you can find and correct any bad interviewing habits.

9. Never Walk in With a Beverage

Unless your interview is in a coffee shop, don’t walk into it with a beverage. It shows a lack of business etiquette, it can be a distraction, and it may give off the wrong impression.

How to avoid it: Hydrate beforehand.

10. Never Project Negativity

Whether you’re having a bad day due to something out of your control or you’re suffering from imposter syndrome, leave it at the door. Everyone has occasional bouts of negative self-talk but don’t sabotage your own success. A negative attitude can be easily detected and everyone from the receptionist to the CEO will be evaluating your performance during the pre-hiring phase.

How to avoid: You landed the interview, right? So, you’ve clearly already impressed them. Use that confidence and take a few minutes to meditate and clear your head before you go in, if needed. Replace the negative thoughts with positive affirmations. You got this—be your true, confident self.

Now that you are well-prepared on what to avoid, remember that you received an interview request for a reason. Your prospective employer is confident that you’re just as impressive in person as you are on paper, but you’ll need to prove them right. It’s easy for an eager candidate to overlook the aforementioned gaffes but no amount of experience or education can make up for these critical mistakes. Be sure to double-check our list before your interview and remain positive. Good luck!

About the Author: Susan Levine is the president and founder of Career Group Companies—a leading recruiting firm based in Los Angeles, with offices in New York, San Francisco, Orange County, and Greenwich. Their divisions, comprised of Career Group, Syndicatebleu, Fourth Floor, Avenue Pacific, and events span a variety of industries. They specialize in executive and administrative support, marketing and design, fashion, events, and C-Level placements. As a widely recognized industry name, they pride themselves on placing top-tier direct hire and freelance talent in their dream jobs. They use their expertise to impact the lives of their candidates and improve the company culture of their clients, one exceptional match at a time. 

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This story was originally published on July 5, 2019, and has since been updated.

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4 Pro Tips for Navigating the Job Hunt During COVID-19

Photo: Vlada Karpovich for Pexels

With one-in-four young adults facing unemployment, there’s no better time to stay focused on your career goals. Though this might not be the easiest time to find a job, it doesn’t mean that opportunities aren’t out there—you just have to know how to find them and how to stand out in a sea of résumés. Here are a couple of ways to stay focused and remain successful in your job search during COVID-19.

Reach Out to Your Network

LinkedIn was made for times like these. Use it to your advantage and start networking! Take the time to reach out to friends past and present to see if they know of any job opportunities that might be of interest to you. Try to keep the conversation light and informative; explain what you’re looking for and how appreciative you are of their time and insights. 

Are you a college graduate? Don’t forget to connect with previous professors, old classmates, and alumni who are in your field, they might know of a company or a person who you can connect with. Utilize LinkedIn messaging and InMail to reach out and start a conversation. Twitter is another great place to get ahold of people in a more direct/personal way.

Stay Active

It’s easy to let unemployment bring you down and break your spirit, but don’t forget your passion and future goals. Stay active in your job search and keep a daily schedule in order to stay fervent in your mission. Structure your days and block off time to job hunt. Not only will this keep you highly productive but will keep you from feeling overwhelmed or stressed. Here are a couple of ways to stay active during your job search:

• Post a couple of times a week on LinkedIn related to your career path. This could be industry news, or even just motivational/inspirational content for others to see that you are active and using the platform for job purposes.

• Build out your profile on other job sites so employers can easily find you. 

• Send follow-up emails for job applications and interviews and always keep checking your email for any updates. 

Set Up Alerts

Job search sites like Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and Indeed allow you to set up job alerts. These can be customized for whatever type of job you’re looking for, including distance, industry, type of company, salary, etc. You can also choose whether you want the alerts to arrive in your inbox weekly or daily. These reminders can be a quick way for you to stay on top of job openings and make it easier than ever to apply and get on with the rest of your day. 

Update Your Résumé

There’s nothing more important than an updated résumé, cover letter, and portfolio. Your résumé should reflect your career, for example, if you’re a graphic designer, show off some of your skills with a colorful and stylish résumé. Make sure your job descriptions are detailed and concise for the average employer to read through and understand.

While applying for jobs, don’t forget to tailor your cover letter to the position you’re applying for, and be sure to include keywords that will grab the employer’s attention and prove you have all of the right experience.

Depending on your career and job history, a portfolio is another great asset to carry with you to job interviews. For writers and people in the creative field, it’s an easy way to show off your skills and clips in a more formal way than just an attached PDF. 

Create the future you deserve by building your new job-hunt routine and staying on top of your goals and skills. Use these tips to your advantage and land that dream job!

About the Author: Abbey currently works at a full-service ad agency as a digital marketing coordinator. She also owns a music blog (blondieandthebeat.com) where she writes about music and artists she loves. Throughout her time as a writer and media maven, she’s remained passionate in her love of sharing stories, curating content, and inspiring women. You can usually find her cuddled up on the couch binging “Sex and the City” (for the 20th time) or caught up in a good book. 

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C&C Pro Tip: How to Get Paid as a Freelancer (and Know Your Worth)

Photo: Smith House Photography

Why does talking about money make people uncomfortable? It’s something we all need. We spend it on a daily basis. We always want more of it. So why is it that talking about it is seen as taboo?

When it comes to your professional career, the first thing you’ll want to get over is any fear or discomfort you have when it comes to talking about money because guess what? Your boss or client is only going to pay you what they think you think you’re worth. They didn’t teach you that at university, did they?

When you’re a freelancer, how much you get paid is up to you and the only way you’re going to continue to put money in the bank is if you’re comfortable talking about it. For today’s Pro Tip, I’m going to share tips for how to communicate your value.

Why It’s Important

Understanding your value is important because it helps you enter into conversations knowing what you and your potential client should work towards together.

Remember, freelancers and clients create a circle: You should be getting as much value out of the relationship from working with them as they are getting from hiring you.

Beyond the quantitative factors in establishing value, qualitative factors like expertise, convenience, and reliability also play a vital role.

Consider adding to your value if any of the following apply to you:

• You specialize in a high-demand field or in a particular area not many people are experts in

• You can provide something to the client no one else can (i.e. You have a direct line of contact to a company they’ve been trying to pitch, you can translate copy into different languages saving them money on additional services, etc.)

• You create convenience by knowing exactly what to do and getting the job done quickly

When it comes to the quantitative aspect of value, research what full-time employees who do what you do get paid annually. Then take the added value you provide and use this hourly rate calculator to determine a rate that embodies the value you know you can bring and that makes you excited to do good work.

The Scenario

(For this post, I’ll create a common scenario and break down the best way to communicate a clear and effective message.)

You’re on a call with a potential client and have decided this is a project you’d like to work on. It’s perfect for your expertise and it would help progress you and your business forward. The scope of work is challenging but you’re up for the work ahead. The client expresses she would love to work with you and asks you how much it would cost to complete the tasks she’s outlined.

Say this:

“This is a project I’m excited to work with you on. I would need to take time to evaluate everything we discussed to determine how many hours I’d need to complete these tasks. With that in mind, is there a particular budget you have for this project?”

Don’t say:

“I can do this for $X-amount and have it to you by next Tuesday.”

The Breakdown

While it’s always nice to show enthusiasm, the last thing you want to do is be quick to commit yourself to a number or deadline without knowing all of the details. It’s important to determine your client’s budget so you can realistically state whether this is an opportunity you’re able to take on.

When I’m on a call like this, I’m adding hours up in my mind as the scope is discussed so at the very least I’ll have a ballpark of how much time it the project will take. If I know that a project will take at least $2,500 of my time to complete but they only have a $1,000 budget, I can confidently communicate on the call that the budget they have isn’t enough to support the value I can bring.

If you find yourself in this situation but still want to work with the client, try communicating the following:

“That budget may not be able to support the amount of time I’d need to dedicate to this project but I’d still love to work together. Would you be willing to add more for the right person or consider reducing the scope of work? I can put together what I’d be able to accomplish for that amount if it would be helpful.”

If you find yourself in this situation but the budget they have isn’t something you’re willing to work with, say this:

“I’ve really enjoyed learning more about this project but that budget isn’t enough to support my value and the amount of time I’d need to complete this project. I’d be happy to look into my network and recommend someone else who may be a good fit and hope there’s an opportunity for us to work together soon.”

Turning down an opportunity might seem like a hard concept but the jobs you turn down are just as important as the ones you take on. This messaging establishes your value in a professional way and if the client really wants to work with you, they’ll either find more budget or reach back out for something bigger and better in the future. This also keeps you available for an opportunity that will be able to afford what you can bring to the table.

What financial situations have you found yourself in that you wish you had communicated better?

About the Author: Audrey Adair is a seasoned freelance communications professional and founder of The Scope—a platform providing resources and community to freelancers and the self-employed. Connect with The Scope on Instagram and join their email list to receive your free resource, The Freelancer Starter Kit.

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This post was originally published on April 9, 2019, and has since been updated.

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Can You *Really* Check Email Once a Day? Why One CEO Says Yes

Photo: Daria Shevtsova from Pexels

Imagine a world where you only check your email once a day. Sounds pretty great, huh? Unfortunately, being that out of reach would have most employees fired on day one, but for Kate Unsworth, founder and CEO of London tech company Vinaya, a rarely checked inbox is her reality.

In an interview, Unsworth said she reduced her email traffic by 70% last month by turning on a 24/7 out-of-office note and only checking in occasionally. Why so distant? She, like so many of us, previously had a job that required her to read emails from the moment she woke up to the instant she fell asleep at night. After a quarter-life crisis, she got permission from her boss to only check her email twice each day and stay completely offline before and after hours. Yes, a miracle of sorts. And after seeing a huge improvement in her well-being and quality of work, she took it a step further after founding her own company that focuses on improving digital habits through technology.

Sadly, not all of us are currently in a place (yet!) where we can hop into our inbox once each day and only spend a total of five minutes on social media. Of course, a digital detox would be nice, but we also need those paychecks. Luckily, there are a handful of ways to establish digital boundaries to stay sane and still keep your boss happy.

1. Acknowledge you want to put up digital boundaries in the first place.  

It seems simple, but if you want to set digital boundaries for yourself, your boss has to be aware, too. And there’s no way that’s happening until you mention it. “First decide what you want to achieve by putting up boundaries, then once you’ve identified the goal, you can find the best boundary. For more efficient, interruption-free periods of work, turn your ‘out of office’ message on your email and messaging, but let people know how they can reach you if it’s an urgent matter. For example, they can give you a call if they need anything. Then if you get a call, you know you have to pick up,” says Cali Yost, CEO and founder of Flex + Strategy Group.

Don’t just say you want boundaries, though—make sure your employer knows why it’s important to you and your well-being.

“It can be stressful setting boundaries because you want to provide as much value as possible for your company, but you can’t sacrifice things you love. Be very clear with yourself on what you can compromise and what in your personal life you are not willing to change,” says Heather R. Ruhman, founder and president of Come Recommended.

2. Establish a regular stopping time.

This is key, especially in the beginning stages of a job. Once you’re in a solid routine of staying at your desk until 9 p.m. every night, it’s going to feel weird if you suddenly start leaving at 6. Since you spend the majority of your time at work, having set start and endpoints is crucial.

“While it may feel great to be needed all the time, it’s not healthy nor productive. Create a set time to cut off all work-related emails, messages, web searches, and phone calls. Your team will respect you more for valuing your personal life, and it will help you shift your mindset from work to home once you’ve established a defined time. It may be best to turn off email push notifications on your phone at your stopping time,” Ruhman says.

3. Download an app or plug-in to help focus on what’s important.

Unsworth says she uses Stay Focused to combine all her social accounts and keep her time spend scrolling through her newsfeed in check. Just think about how many hours you spend each day stalking through Facebook and double-tapping pictures on Instagram—it’s probably more than you think. Having emails to respond to all day can feel suffocating at times, but it’s always good to make sure your digital boundaries are set in and outside of the workplace. Because the last thing you want to do is spend the entire time you’re with friends and family with a phone glued to your face.

An original version of this article appeared on Levo. 

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This post was originally published on January 20, 2016, and has since been updated.

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How to Be an Emotionally Intelligent Leader

Photo: Create & Cultivate

Being an emotionally intelligent leader means cultivating self-awareness, being able to identify your flaws, and understanding how others perceive you. As an emotionally intelligent leader, you’re transparent and speak the truth to those around you—in fact, you're the first to acknowledge your own mistakes. It also means you are perceptive and allow others to be heard first before responding—all necessary characteristics to leading a strong and productive team.

Does this sound like the kind of leader you want to be? If so, read on to find out how. Ahead, we’re sharing four tips to be an emotionally intelligent leader so you can cultivate a healthy company culture—even if you don’t have an HR department. Psst… looking for more tips for leading a team? Download The HR Bundle and discover an onboarding checklist for new employees, a template for providing performance reviews, a guide for preventing workplace bullying, and more.

Be Open to Exposing Vulnerabilities to Help Better Connect

During 1:1 meetings, focus on feedback and be very open about what you’re struggling with. Oftentimes, people try to hide that, but being open helps everyone feel a little more comfortable sharing.

Include Feelings in the Conversation, Which Can Help People Feel Heard

For example, ask “How are you feeling?” rather than, “How are you doing?” As a leader, be open to sharing when you feel frustrated or overwhelmed.

Give Employees Constant and Real-Time Feedback

After a meeting, share feedback either in person or over Slack. Make it a point to seek feedback by asking, “Do you have any feedback for me?”

Do Not Make Assumptions or Jump to Conclusions

It’s important to be curious and take an inquisitive approach. For example, ask, "Can you clarify what you meant when you said X so I can better understand your intentions?

Ready to take your company’s leadership to the next level?

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Ask an Expert: How to Take Back Your Time and Get More Out of Your Days Without Running Yourself Ragged

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

“

Start believing that you actually deserve to be happy, regardless of whether or not everything on your to-do list gets done.”

—Whitney A. White, Creator of Take Back Your Time

We've all been known to “rise and grind,” but as we’ve had to learn the hard way, activity is not the same thing as productivity—it's time to bid adieu to the "I'm so busy" mantra. More often than not, attempting to tackle a never-ending to-do list just leads to feeling stressed, burnt out, and, ultimately, unfulfilled.

In this installment of our Ask an Expert series, we asked Whitney A. White, the creator of Take Back Your Time, to share her expert time management tips. Ahead, she breaks down four critical mistakes that are holding you back from living the life that you want and the actionable steps you can take to break these bad habits and get more out of your days.

Scroll on for her tried-and-true tips for maximizing your time, honing your focus, and avoiding burnout. If you missed the conversation, you can watch it in full here, and be sure to tune into our next Ask an Expert conversation on Instagram Live.

Mistake #1: Taking pride in being busy.

“Stop thinking that working like crazy and being exhausted is some kind of badge of honor.”

“When you’re on the verge of burnout, you’re less efficient, less effective, and way more prone to mistakes. You are juggling so many different balls that, at any moment, they could all come crashing down.”

“If you keep doing this, you’ll be trapped in the anxious feeling that everything could fall apart at any moment.”

Step #1: Prioritize outcome over activity.

“Focus on outcomes over activity. When you get off that hamster wheel and focus on outcomes, you can stop being busy and getting the most important things done.”

“Prioritize achieving the goals that really matter and taking pride in accomplishing what you truly want to do.”

Mistake #2: Trying to tackle to never-ending to-do lists.

“Stop feeling like you need to do every single thing that ends up on your to-do list.”

“We all intuitively know that some things are more important than others, but when we’re trapped in the realm of the never-ending to-do list, getting anything done feels like an accomplishment.”

Step #2: Nix low-value tasks.

“Not everything on your to-do list absolutely has to get done. You want to be investing your precious time in the tasks that are truly most important in your life.”

“This will give you the brain space to focus on high priorities that really matter. You will start to feel empowered. Remember, you have a choice in what you do with your time.”

Mistake #3: Thinking only you can.

“Get over feeling like no one else can do as good of a job as you can.” 

“Because you think no one else can do as good of a job as you can, you’re afraid to let go. You end up convincing yourself that you have to do everything yourself.”

“By making this mistake, you walk around with the weight of so many responsibilities on your shoulders.”

Step #3: Delegate, delegate, delegate.

“You are not the only competent person on the planet.”

“When you delegate, you can reap the benefits of applying laser-like focus to the tasks that truly matter to you.”

“True focus feels like you are operating at your peak level and you know that nothing can get in your way.”

Mistake #4: Sacrificing what you can’t get back

“Stop believing that you have to sacrifice your health, wellness, and happiness in the present in order to get where you want to go in the future.”

“When we over-index in one aspect of our lives and neglect the others, we end up feeling unfulfilled because there are parts of ourselves that we’re not letting flourish.”

Step #4: Give yourself permission to prioritize your own happiness.

“Start believing that you actually deserve to be happy, regardless of whether or not everything on your to-do list gets done.”

“Enjoy your life today in the here and now. Invest your time in the ways that you really want to—you don’t want to be grinding all the time just to feel unfulfilled.”

“That feeling of freedom and personal fulfillment is truly priceless.”

About the Expert: Whitney A. White is the founder of Afara Global, an organization that helps startups, corporate innovation teams, and nonprofits launch and scale new products and services. She is also the creator of Take Back Your Time, a transformational coaching program designed to help business leaders get on a clear path to achieving the goals that matter to them most. Follow her on Instagram.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

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Pro Tip: 3 Ways to Land Your Dream Clients Online When You Decide to Go Freelance

Photo: Vlada Karpovich from Pexels

“I’m fully booked out with clients — I can’t believe I’m now making more than my 9-5 job!”

This was the email I received from one of my students who had recently completed our online courses and made the leap into freelancing full-time. It’s an incredibly exciting moment in your freelancing career when you’ve figured out how to land your dream clients while doing work that you’re truly passionate about.

Five years ago, I made that same leap myself, starting my own online graphic design studio. It’s also allowed me to travel the world full-time while running my business remotely (15 countries and counting!), and I’ve now taught thousands of women how to do the same.

One of the things I always tell my students is that the key to a financially thriving freelancing business is maintaining a strong client base so that you can generate consistent income. But are you wondering how to get clients as a freelancer?

Aside from the financial freedom of being your own boss, freelancing also allows you the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere: whether that’s from your adorable home office, your favorite local coffee shop, or a co-working space in an exotic location like Bali. Sounds dreamy, right?

If you’re considering freelancing full-time, here are three ways you can find your dream clients online and finally have that financial freedom that has you craving to work from anywhere!

1. Build a Client-Magnetizing Website

Let’s imagine that your dream is to be a successful cupcake baker. Your cupcakes are incredibly delicious, so you decide you want to start a business selling them. It would be a little unprofessional to sell your cupcakes straight out of your home kitchen, right? To have a thriving cupcake business, you need a bakery to showcase your brand and a place for customers to make their orders.

The same goes for your freelancing business. Instead of needing a physical storefront though, you need what I like to call a “virtual storefront.”

This is your client-magnetizing business website, and it’s one of the most crucial elements to attracting your dream clients.

Your website should showcase the following:

• The services you offer

• Who you’re offering them to (who are your dream clients?)

• The benefits and value of working with you

• Your portfolio (any examples of your work)

It’s extremely important to have a website before you begin trying to find clients, and I can’t stress this enough. This is a business you’re building, which means it’s important for you to look like one!

“Aside from the financial freedom of being your own boss, freelancing also allows you the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere: whether that’s from your adorable home office, your favorite local coffee shop, or a co-working space in an exotic location like Bali. Sounds dreamy, right?”

2. Use Social Networks to Get Clients... For Free!

I want to bust a common myth here: Once you launch your website, you’ll instantly have an influx of clients begging to work with you. FALSE.

If nobody knows about your website (and your amazing business!), how are they supposed to find you? The key to finding your dream clients as a freelancer is to tap into your own network, then utilize social networking platforms to drive free traffic to your website.

Some of my favorite social networking platforms for finding clients are:

• Facebook (specifically Facebook groups)

• Instagram

• Networking apps like Bumble Biz

You want to make sure that you have your website linked in your profile and that your profile and content clearly showcases your business. Engage authentically with your dream clients like commenting with insightful answers, offer up bits of your expertise, and finally, inquire about working with them.

3. Create a Sales Funnel to Turn Potential Customers into Raving Clients

Now that you’ve got eyes on your business website, it’s time to turn those visitors into paying clients! This is your client sales funnel—and it’s important that this process is professional and efficient so that clients actually want to work with you. That is the goal after all.

Start with a complimentary consultation call, which will allow you to understand what results your potential clients are looking for. This gives you the opportunity to pitch your services as the solution!

It’s also much easier to get a feel for a potential client’s personality and communication style to make sure this person is, in fact, your dream client.

Next, is following up your call with a formal proposal, which will include things like the project timeframe, cost, and a detailed breakdown of the services that are included. Finally, have your client sign a contract to lay out the legal terms and conditions of the project. Boom—dream client officially landed!

Guess what? By utilizing these steps, you’ll be taking the proactive and professional approach to landing your dream clients that most newbie freelancers shy away from doing. I guarantee you’ll soon find yourself saying, “I’m fully booked out with clients!” in your freelancing business too. We all have to start somewhere in our client-finding search, and that somewhere for you? It starts today.

About the Author: Cassie Torrecillas is the CEO and co-founder of the Bucketlist Bombshells, an online educational community that equips millennial women with the confidence, skills, and business foundation to start a service-based online business, giving them the freedom to work remotely from anywhere in the world. She’s been featured on Forbes and CNBC as she and her business partner lead their community of over 70,000 location-independent female entrepreneurs. If you’re curious about starting your own online business, sign up for their free course here.

This post was published on May 21, 2019, and has since been updated.

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5 Strategies for Working From Home With Children From a Successful Entrepreneur

Photo: Courtesy of Karrie Brady

With working-from-home becoming a new norm around the world, many parents have had to transition to a whole new work-life balance.

Between daycares, nannies, and sitters now being unavailable, to schools transitioning to online classes, while others are canceling classes altogether—parents are left to navigate a whole new work-from-home balance with their children. With a lot more on everyone’s plate at home, this can cause a great deal of stress for your work and your little ones.

With the risk of increased burnout and stress navigating this new normal, I’m here to share a few of my favorite tips from my own experience as an entrepreneur and mom so you can come out on the other end, stronger than ever before. 

Here are five tips for creating the space and strategy you need to build a successful work-life balance right now.

1. Make a Plan

Schedule and batch your work around your child’s napping and sleeping schedule. This will be a savior for when unexpected deadlines come up or for when you need dedicated time set aside to get some of your core projects done.

Batching your work also creates a healthy balance for the time dedicated to work and the time devoted to your family. For example, I try to avoid conference calls in the morning when my daughter is having breakfast. That way, I can stay present and be with her before I start my workday.

Also, don’t underestimate the power of getting up before your kids to start the day with some peaceful, uninterrupted work! Sometimes you just need some quiet time to get stuff done.

“

It’s okay to have help, you don’t have to do it alone, I promise.

”

—Karrie Brady

2. Create a Dedicated Work Space

It can be tough working from home while your children are also home all day. That’s why it’s so essential to have a dedicated room, office, or even a simple space for your work. This helps to remove distractions when you do have team or client calls, webinars, etc., and this can help create healthy boundaries with your little ones in terms of where they can “play,” and where you work.

3. Hire Help in Your Business

Hire help. Yesterday. Whether that’s a virtual assistant, copywriter, or operations lead, hire someone who can help you streamline your processes and give you back the time you need to spend on your business. Outsourcing is a very under-utilized tool by most people, but moms especially. It’s okay to have help, you don’t have to do it alone, I promise.

4. Create Non-Negotiable Boundaries

For a lot of companies that are navigating this work-from-home dynamic for the first time with their employees, lines can become blurry in terms of how “available” you’re expected to be and when you can and should “leave” work. This is when it’s crucial to create non-negotiable boundaries for yourself and your work. Try to create “working hours” around the time you want to have to yourself and quality time with your family. Not only will you and your family benefit from this consistent, quality time that you’re getting together, but your work will benefit, too.

“T

he best way to navigate this new norm is to welcome each day with grace. Not every day is going to be the same.

”

—Karrie Brady

5. Batch Your Work Schedule

Try to focus on relevant and specific tasks for a blocked period of time. I recommend batching creative projects on different days to stay in a creative energy and mindset. By batching your tasks, you’re able to stay in the same energy and mindset while accomplishing more because you’re not multitasking.

To balance the time I spend on my business and with my family, I have to make both schedules work together. So I organize conference calls around my daughter’s nap schedule, and once she goes to bed for the night, I continue my work until a set time to wrap up any loose ties before the end of the night. It’s not a typical 9-5 routine, but I get to devote time to successfully completing tasks in my business and spending quality time with my family.

To be honest, the best way to navigate this new norm is to welcome each day with grace. Not every day is going to be the same, but if you have a rough plan and routine in place, you’ll be in good shape to create a healthy balance between thriving in your business and your home life.

About the Author: Karrie Brady is a speaker, educator, and sales expert specializing in sales and marketing. She’s worked with over 500 entrepreneurs, helping them leave their 9-5s, build their savings to six-figures, and cumulatively make over $2,000,000 online. Karrie’s passion is helping entrepreneurs combine soul-level connection and radical profit. Raising babies and building businesses, this mama has sold millions in the online space and is ready to help you do the same.

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