As a self-employed business owner, you know you've got to deal with contracts. But this isn't the fun part of the job. It might even be scary to make something "legal" like that. What you don't know is that a good contract is at the root of making client experiences more ease-ful. Here I'll break it down into three simple principles, making it easy for you to reap the rewards of contracts.
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 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 MoreYou can't know what you don't know, and that's true of so much for self-employed folks who are just getting started. You could be missing out on clients that you're not even aware of! That's not clickbait, it's just a fact. People interested in your services might never contact you. You can't completely solve this, but there are things you can do. In this article, I provide clarity for the client's purchasing decisions. Then I illuminate an easy but significant change that will help you to have more client inquiries.
Read MoreOnce upon a time, you decided on rates for your business. They made sense at that time. But now, you're not sure they're working for you anymore. Is it time to raise prices? What should you raise them to? How do you roll out these new rates? This article is for folks like you: business owners who are struggling with changing their rates. You don't know how to raise your rates and want to confidently decide upon and implement a new price. Read on as I clarify the process. You'll get instructions on each step so that you can confidently make an increase in your rates.
Read MoreYou haven't started your business yet, and you're not sure where to start. It seems like everything is interconnected and all needs to be done at the same time. Is there a starting point? If you do find a starting point, what comes next?
In this article, I provide 4 strategies to guide you through all the paradoxes of an early business's life. If you're a conscientious aspiring self-employed business owner, this will show you how to move through the early stages of your business with more confidence!
How would an elevator speech help your business? This is a blog article for authentic business owners who are struggling to talk about their businesses in a meaningful way. Here I'll illuminate the key objectives of an elevator speech and how it can help you talk about your business. You'll discover how a good elevator speech will help you to promote your business authentically. Authentic promotion is possible whether it's a meeting with investors or a spontaneous casual interaction.
Read MoreI don't know who's promoted the idea that business owners are universally good at money. We're not. And even then, those of who are good at it, it's not because of a god-given talent or anything. It's because we learned it. Being "good at money" is a complex set of skills that are rarely taught, but are totally learnable!
Read MoreHow do you have a good vacation? Especially when there's nowhere to go? I've got the answer. It's called an email sabbatical and it's about to revolutionize your work/life balance.
Read MoreWebsite analytics can be nebulous and overwhelming. In this article, I hone in on what's most important for self-employed business owners: understandable and useful data! Conquer your analytics with this simple strategy.
Read MoreMany of us have the idea to start a business, but few of us even try. What’s getting in your way? In this article, I clear the path from a common source of hesitation.
Read MoreMany self-employed white business owners might feel like their business is too tiny to do anything substantial for Black History Month. In this article, I’ll lay out my two-pronged approach to celebrating Black History Month in February, and every day of every month!
Read MoreWhen describing your business it’s more impactful if you frame it in a way that your ideal client can readily identify that they want what you do. Using t-shirts as an analogy I dig into how you can frame your offering in a way that highlights what makes it a big deal, what your key differentiators are, and why the listener should care about your offering!
Read MoreNetworking often seems to come naturally for extroverts. But being a people lover doesn’t mean that networking doesn’t still come with pitfalls! In this article, I tackle the overwhelm and impersonality that can often plague extroverts so that you’re cultivating high-quality connections and not just a high quantity of connections.
Read MoreYou’re being a good business owner and attending some networking events, but are you making the most of that time? I’ve identified two of the most commonly over looked opportunities to network. Read this article and don’t let them pass you by again!
Read MoreSometimes it can seem like self-employment is a race with a very ambiguous finish line. It benefits no-one if you exhaust yourself, and yet it can be hard to shift gears so that you’re living a balanced life while building your business. Here’s a metaphor that seems to help bring sanity to the over-achiever inside each of us.
Read MoreNetworking can be a tricky thing to understand, and one-on-one networking is significantly different than attending group networking events. And networking is a skill like any other; with some guidance you can master one-on-one networking!
Read MoreIt might seem counter-intuitive, but firing a client can be vital to keeping your self-employed business afloat! Read on to learn more about why that is and also how to identify a client you should fire, and how to do the firing.
Read MoreFirst time business owners often don’t have any experience in logo design or branding. This article considers if getting a logo should be at the top of your priority list. And if you do need a logo, I offer tips on what to expect from the logo design process.
Read MorePicking a name for your business is a very important decision. And it shouldn't be the thing that's holding you up from launching your business. This article covers some important things to consider when picking a name for your business, as well as a basic strategy for developing and testing a business name.
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.
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.
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This is for those of you struggling with how to predict future business cash flow. You’re wondering how you can be confident that your future clients are coming. I’ll show you the data you can build your confidence upon. This confidence will help you feel certain your business isn't destined to end just because you’ve had a fluctuation in clients.