The Curvy Coach

Don’t be alarmed, I’m not about to dish on how you need to lose weight or anything like that, that’s not what this article is about. I’ve come to notice that as we progress into a society where your business is all about developing a personal brand, the better you treat yourself, the better you treat your customers. And what that means is, more money in your pocket. I remember listening to an interview on Blog Talk Radio hosted by Blackcatplus.com where they featured Kelly Bliss. I was absolutely thrilled by how she was able to distinguish that self-care is not just about weight loss.

Particularly, in the plus-size industry, even though we may be comfortable with our curves, there are still aspects of self-care that we neglect. Our ambitions tend to take on a whole new life, we get excited about all the different projects we’re working on, the new product that’s in the pipelines, and the networking events coming up next week. All of that is great but as much as you think you’re doing great things for your business, it can be taking a total on your physical and emotional health. If you’re a solo entrepreneur or small business owner, it can lead to a decrease in profits as well.

Here are 4 tips that you can use within the next month which will make you feel great and add money to your bottom line:

• Host a Customer Appreciation Sale for 5 days
  One thing that I’ve learned is that giving to others does wonders for my soul. It makes me feel good to make someone else better. You can definitely apply the same principle to your customers. Show them that you care by offering them a deal that they can’t say “No” too. All because you care about them and appreciate their business. Doing a quick-fire limited sale helps boost your income and give your customers an opportunity to buy your products and/or service they may have struggled to do otherwise.
• Hire a Virtual Assistant for one month
  Depending on your budget, you can get some professional help for your business whether it’s three times a week or even once a week. Being busy comes with the territory of being an entrepreneur. There are so many projects that you can’t wait to get your hands on. Hire someone who can help you with mundane tasks such as filing, scheduling, mailings, bookkeeping, etc. What you’ll find is that you have more time to work on the real money-making tasks, your stress levels have decreased tremendously, and you actually made more money had you tried to do everything yourself
• Form a Joint Venture with someone you’ve been meaning to work with. You may know of another great entrepreneur who does a few things that your business does not. If your customers could gain value with this new offering, work with someone you know and trust to create a new product, revamp an old service, or do cross-promotions together. What this does is allow you to save money by not having to target a new market by yourself, you split the time and money by sharing the workload with someone else, and you are giving your customers/clients more of what they want. It’s a total win, win which is certain to increase your bottom line. In most cases, it’s always fun to work with someone else on a brand new project – it gives you a different kind of motivation which is always great for your entrepreneurial spirit.
• Ask for help. This one is tough for many because you get so caught up in being busy and doing everything yourself, you forget that there are people who would be honored to help you and support you in your endeavors. What things have you been putting off for some time that you never got around to doing? Who would be a great person to delegate this too? Part of being a savvy entrepreneurs is the ability to leverage your resources. Your friends, colleagues, and even your customers can help you cross some items off of your long to-do list. Not only will this free up your time, but it humbles you, and help you to remember the blessings of the great people you’re surrounded by.

Cheers to self-care!