Do you have your own self employed business? If so;
How many hours do you invest into your self employed business?
How much of that valuable time is being used for actual leg work?
How much time do you spend reading and posting online stuff?
Are you getting a proportionate amount of your earnings from the stuff you are spending the most time on?
The reason I ask these questions isn’t that I want to know the answers, feel free to drop me a comment if you feel like answering them though. I just want you all to consider how you spend your time and what would be the most efficient and profitable use of your valuable time.
In my experience nothing grows my business more efficiently than being physically seen out and about working. But that is the nature of my business, I also work online and gain customers through that but most of my regular custom has been gained through face to face contact.
I have gained new customers just by having my bags in my hand as I walk down the street and smiling and chatting to anyone and everyone, about anything at all, the conversation will eventually come to an end and I get to say ‘sorry got to go I have deliveries to drop of for customers, have you seen a brochure recently? I have one with me you can have, what is your address? I’ll pop round to collect the brochure in a few days.’ I have picked up numerous customers this way.
I have customers who now show my brochures to their whole family for me and get me extra orders that way, because I have given consistent and friendly customer service they think of me as a friend who they are helping rather than a business woman asking them to do some of my work for me free of charge.
One of the many things I love about my self employed business is that it fits around whatever I need it to fit around.
Or want it to fit around.
This week I actually spent a whole afternoon sitting in my back garden reading a book a friend had bought me. I made a point of posting my main brochure and special offers online and by email before I went out. I was relaxing in the sun but my brochures and online sales tools were working for me at the same time.
I gained a new customer and an extra order from one of my regular customers that afternoon, as well as getting 5 texts from different customers asking if I had any suncream available as they had forgotten to order any!
Now that doesn’t mean that I sit around doing nothing all of the time, that wouldn’t bring me in much profit.
I am fully self employed so I need to keep my income at a high enough level to cover the daily expenses to stay afloat financially, as well as earning enough to treat my hubby and I every now and again.
I LOVE my own business, I LOVE the flexibility and freedom being my own boss gives me.
To get to this level of earnings I have to consistently put in the hours and the leg work. Not just in the past, right now and in the future. Consistent customer service providing good word of mouth referrals will grow your business much more efficiently than trying to find new customers all of the time ignoring your regular customer base.
I fit my business around my life but I also make a point of fitting it into my life.
Facebook and other Social media platforms are great for attracting attention but in some businesses face to face contact, chatting in a friendly manner and being helpful to your customers is the best possible sales tool available to you.
I have customers who have been referred to me by my other customers, they are worth their weight in gold.
If you want to bring in earnings as if it’s just a hobby of yours, continue to put in hobby like hours. Having fun but not taking it seriously.
If you want to build your business to a part time wage level or above you need to consistently put in part time hours every campaign. Taking it seriously as a business.
If like me you want to earn a full time wage you need to either put in consistent quality part time work, working smart and get yourself out there actually doing the ground work and building fantastic foundations for your business to grow from and it will gradually build to that level.
Or you have to put in full time hours from day one and ask for help and advice, follow the advice given to you by people who have already been successful and know what they are talking about.
You wouldn’t expect an employer to pay you a full time salary for only an hours actual work a week, would you?
Angela's Ramblings. 