Are you struggling to set goals or planning how to achieve them? This article is for anyone who wants to create a robust personal management plan that is flexible. Even better, it’ll provide insights and help you improve the plan as you go. Here, I’ll provide a structure that will help you figure out how to be a good boss to yourself.
Read MoreThis article is for busy self-employed business owners struggling with doing too much. You crave identifying which operations in the business to streamline. Sounds like you need an Operational Plan! I'll help you clarify your priorities and help you feel less overwhelmed by your task list.
Read MoreYou're no dummy. You know a financial plan is a key part of business, even for a self-employed business that's just getting off the ground. You want to have reasonable financial expectations for your business. And it'd be great if you didn't have to overwork to get there. (But is that even possible?) This article is for anyone struggling with overwhelm when trying to understand the money side of their business. Here, I'll help by providing you with clarity and simplifying the mathematical process. This will help you to launch a business with a solid financial footing.
Read MoreMarketing is a big umbrella that covers many, many different things. When coming up with a marketing plan, it can be difficult to focus in on the aspects of marketing that you really need to learn about. This article is for any aspiring self-employed business owner who wants to do it right. This overview will help you to understand all that's involved with a marketing plan, and help you zero in on the stuff you need to learn about.
Read MoreIf you've never felt insecure when comparing yourself to others, this article isn't for you. For the rest of us normal people, we need to explore this and how it's impacting our current or future businesses. It's vital for self-employed businesses to understand their competitive advantages and disadvantages. But trying to understand this usually gets us stuck, demoralized, or frozen. Let me reframe competition and the dis/advantages of your business so that you can more easily succeed.
Read MoreYou're self-employment curious, but you're not even sure what your business is or does. It's not clear to you what your business does and what it means to know what it does. You want to have confidence in knowing the general form of your business. I'll help orient you to the basics of your business. This also addresses what's required of the Executive Summary and Company Description sections of a business plan.
Read MoreBusiness Plans. Are they archaic? Vital? Confusing AF? This is the first of a series of articles designed for self-employed businesses and people critical of capitalism. This series will go in-depth into each component of a business plan. This first article is an overview going through all the parts of a business plan. By understanding the components, it will become less monolithic. You might realize you know more than you thought, or that you've missed a key thing. Launch your business smartly with a solid plan!
Read MoreThis article is for the cautious first-time business owners who don't want to "risk it all" in launching their business. You're struggling with a fear of risk, especially in the case of litigation. You want to move forward and put protections in place confidently. I'll enlighten you regarding the risks you're exposed to. Then I'll further soothe your fears by describing the many methods you can use to protect yourself and your business. By the end of this article, you'll know risk-reducing actions and be able to move forward with confidence!
Read MoreDid you just get blind-sided by self-employment taxes? Or maybe you're early in your entrepreneurial journey and you're afraid of all the taxes you'll have to pay when self-employed. Let's clarify what's going on with self-employed taxes. Then we can make a plan that anticipates your tax liability.
This blog article is for progressive self-employed business owners who want to institute business practices throughout the year that will make tax time less stressful. But who also want to (legally) minimize the amount of tax they have to pay. Read on to better understand how to build a successful business with minimal stress at tax time.
Read MoreYou want to start a business, but you're not sure what to buy now and what to hold off on. You want to make purchases with confidence to launch your business, but you also don't want to end up bankrupt. Starting a business comes with tight budgets and tough spending decisions. Read on as I provide guidance on differentiating between must-have and nice-to-have expenses. Learn when to invest in essential items and when to consider nice-to-haves like virtual assistants or upgraded tools, all while managing your funds effectively.
Read MoreSelf-employed business owners and cottage industry folks often don't spend a lot of time thinking about their business model. Combine this with the creative passions of my typical client, and suddenly, understanding business models becomes vitally important! Read on to learn how to see your business' business model. I promise your business is using a legitimate business model and I can help you see clearly what it is!
Read MoreConfidence in your business being possible is a key concern of so many aspiring self-employed people. This concern obscures the real question. In this article, I answer the initial question and offer a practical tool that will answer the underlying question.
Read MoreIf you’re afraid of launching your self-employed business a plan can be an easy way to alleviate some of your fears. You don’t have to leap blindly, you can have a plan for each of the three phases most people go through when launching their self-employed business. You’ll also find that having a solid plan B is both motivating and comforting.
Read MoreHow do you know if your business will succeed? Well, you don't really, but the fundamental balancing act of three key aspects of your business is a strong indicator. Read on to learn more about what makes a business work.
Read MoreMaggie Karshner is a self-employment coach based in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. She specializes in coaching solo entrepreneurs and owner-operated small businesses in industries such as real estate, mental health therapy, massage therapy, yoga, doulas, and non-profit.
Maggie's coaching practice encompasses one on one coaching, group coaching, and asynchronous learning via the member area of the website.
As seen on King5's New Day NW and in The Seattle Times.
Does it feel like your accountant is casting magic spells? You're not alone, and your finances don't have to stay a mystery. Accounting is essentially where your money comes from, where it goes, and what it all means. But in weird accountant language. I'll explain the five fundamental account types and the two key financial reports. With this, you can make smarter, more confident decisions about your business future. No accounting degree required.
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Are you struggling to know how to tell if your business is healthy? This article is for scrappy self-employed business owners who want to be able to assess the financial health of their business without having to consult an accountant. I’ll demystify how to use your bookkeeping tools to determine the financial well-being of your business in the present moment.