STRIPE PAYMENT PROCESSING SOLUTION FOR YOUR CLIENT PAYMENTS
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Your business is thriving and but you're having issues with faulty credit cards and making easy online payment solutions available for your clients. The technology is available and as it is true of most things in our world today: There is an app for that! Check out Stripe as a payment processing solution for your clients.
An article posted by QuickBooks online states that, "Credit cards have evolved into one of the most common methods of consumer payment, with nearly 60% of U.S. consumers using cards over cash, according to a recent report by the Federal Reserve". It is important that as an entrepreneur that you provide a simple, easy and convenient tool for your customers to use. This will help them pay for your services easily and it will help you collect receivables more efficiently.
Stripe is a great payment solution that comes with a hosted page that is included in its price. This means your customers will not be taken away from your website to make a payment. Unlike PayPal which does have a hosted page but you must upgrade to their pro plan for that feature. Stripe isn't an invoicing program so you need to connect it to your bookkeeping software which is relatively easy.
The fees are comparative to PayPal. Both Stripe and PayPal both charge 2.9%+$.30 per transaction fees. The major differentiators that I like are that Stripe has a hosted page for clients to go to for online payments, their fraud resolution tools are user-friendly, they integrate with many third-party apps like QuickBooks Online and they are cost competitive with other comparative options.
Give your customers another option to pay for your services online and check out Stripe to see if it can work for you.
Keep It Sunny!
8 IDEAS TO FIND YOUR IDEAL CLIENT
/Do you know who's your ideal client or where to find them?
Have you heard catchphrases like, "Create your ideal avatar"?
Have you thought, "What in the world is an "ideal avatar" and how in the world do I create one? According to Rich Brooks from Social Media Examiner, "You’ll want to create a fictional persona of your ideal customer, to the point of naming it, knowing how many kids it has or what it does on the weekends".
The point is to get so detailed that you can start to visualize what this person looks like and how you can best provide value-added services. If all this sounds completely overwhelming check out how John Lee Dumas from Entrepreneur On Fire created his avatar named Jimmy. And once you figure out who your ideal avatar/client is, check out the infographic below for ideas on where to find them.
Does all this talk of "avatars & ideal clients" make your head spin? You're not alone. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
KEEP IT SUNNY!
How to Grow Your Practice Using A Business Coach
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Are you stuck in your business? It's easy to get in a rut. You have all these ideas but start to feel the sense of overwhelm taking over and you become paralyzed. Well, maybe it's time to start using a business coach to help you get unstuck.
According to an article on BidSketch.com, "As a business owner, you can get in your own way a lot, and spend a lot of time in your head. So you need someone to pull you out of the funk". Check out 10 ways that using a coach can relieve you of getting stuck in your business and move you toward success.
What are some current issues you're facing right now that a coach can help you with? Share in the comments below.
Keep It Sunny!
How To Run Your Business Without Employees
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Are you struggling with the idea of whether or not to hire an employee to help you in your business?
If so check out one of the first posts I wrote on this very topic and see if it helps to clarify your thoughts.
KEEP IT SUNNY!
IS IT TIME FOR A BUSINESS CHECKUP?
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We all get busy and if you are a team of one then it can get increasingly hectic to make sure your business is going in the direction you want. You might have a few sleepless nights wondering if your bookkeeping is in order or how to get the shoebox of receipts into your QuickBooks account.
What about writing out a future plan to grow your business? That probably fell by the waste side as you got focused on resolving a client issue. You might have thought about creating some sort of standard operating procedures for your business but got busy wearing your marketing hat. I get it.
Check out a previous post I wrote on this topic that pinpoints some areas to zone in on. And share some of your administrative challenges in the comments below so we can collectively learn from each other.
KEEP IT SUNNY!
GOT VISION?
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Hello and welcome to the first Motivational Monday.
Here you will find little tiny nuggets of encouragement and inspiration to get you started toward having a positive week.
Take a listen and enjoy!
KEEP IT SUNNY!
Top 3 Resources to Use For Answering Your Phones
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Are you ready to pull your hair out because you're missing calls while you're away taking care of a customer?
Or maybe you have thought of hiring a remote worker to handle your incoming calls so that your clients don't fall through the cracks.
Not sure what you should do?
Well check out the 3 resources below and bring some calm back to your life.
Red Ruby
Red Ruby Receptionists offer live call answering in English or Spanish. The call handling experience is controlled by you. If you want them to take a message, forward a call to another line or even do outbound calls they provide this service with a concierge touch. Check them out here for more information.
Conversational Receptionists
Conversational Receptionists is a virtual receptionist provider of small businesses, medical offices, and legal firms. They offer a wide range of services such as responding to general inquiries, customer service, and appointment setting. They are based in Virginia and Canada. Check out their 30-day free-trial here.
Live Voice
Live Voice offers a wide variety of services that include lead generation, call center support, virtual receptionist and the list goes on. Their pricing plans seem reasonable and they sell themselves as a one-stop-shop. Check out all their services here to see how they can best assist you.
Do you want to take the chance of losing customers or clients because no one was available to answer their call?
Save your time and sanity and let any of these 3 virtual receptionist service companies help you.
Have you had problems finding a good receptionist for your business? Share in the comments below?
KEEP IT SUNNY!
Are You Happy With Your Business?
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Starting and running a business is like giving birth and raising a child.
You give every ounce of love and care to it and watch it grow. But what if things are not going as planned? It maybe time to take a second look and diagnose the problem.
If you are in a business funk then it may be time to reinvent your business. Take a look at an article I wrote previously on how to do just that.
We all get into a personal rut sometimes so quite naturally this can happen inside of our business. Just like Taylor Swift said, "Just Shake It Off" and move forward!
Keep It Sunny!
DO YOU MIX BUSINESS WITH PERSONAL EXPENSES?
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As small business owners who are usually wearing many hats we tend to do thing that overlap with our personal life: Go grocery shopping in the middle of the day after a business meeting, work while away on vacation with our family and make purchases with our company credit card for personal expenses.
WAIT!
WHAT WAS THAT LAST ACTIVITY????
We have all been there: We are at the register getting ready to make a personal purchase and decide that it doesn't matter which card we use because it's our business. I recently read a post on a forum that says as much:
Paying personal purchases on company credit card.
[I’m the sole owner of an s-corp and have an owner’s equity account. This months cc bill has both personal and business purchases. I would like to pay off the credit card balance using $ from the company checking account.
For example : I owe $150 on the cc, $25 for personal purchases and $125 for business purchases. What is the best way of dealing with this in QB. Do I draw the $25 out of the owners equity account?]
thx
This is disaster on a stick! Much like what the commenter below states:
[If this is a corporate credit card, this is called "commingling" and is mixing personal and business. Further explained, you are using the Corporate's finances for personal.
The rules for what type of activity is allowed for the movement of funds between the corporation and shareholders are very narrow. The whole point of having a corporation is the protection of Self from Business. Your personal assets and the corporation's assets and risks should be seperate. Once you commingle, there is no longer that separation. This is called "piercing the corporate veil."
If you do not honor this separation, why would an attorney or collection agency honor it ?]
I know life get's busy crazy but not paying attention to this small detail could cost you big time. I will be sharing some tools that you can use in the next few weeks that will make keeping track of this mundane tasks not such a pain.
Are you guilty of this? Share in the comments below.
KEEP IT SUNNY!
Is It Worth It To Go To Networking Events?
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It was once said that it takes a village to raise a child.
I believe that it also takes a business village to grow a business. We can only do so much on our own that's why it's important to get out of our comfort zone and go meet other entrepreneurs. The best way to do that is by attending conferences. According to Crunch.co, "54% of those who had attended a networking event agreed that networking “is very important for their professional development”.
I know what your thinking: I don't have time to attend conferences!!
It is easier than you think.
Introducing: Meetup
For those of you not familiar with Meetup it is a great online networking tool. You go on the site look for groups that have similar interests and join.
It's that simple.
I did just that and it led me to attending a conference in my own backyard called Amplify Live Experience which was amazing and led by a terrific guy by the name of Keith Yackey. I got a chance to hear nationally recognized speakers on all things entrepreneurship and I met some really cool like minded business people.
I even met one of my favorite podcasters Lewis Howes which I wrote about in a previous post. And got a chance to talk to a lot of people about my business and gain new insights and possible new clients. All this came from joining a local Meetup.
So do you think it is worth it to go to networking events? I would say absolutely YES!!
What do you think? Are you going to sit in a silo or go out and make new business friends and start telling people about how you serve others?
Keep It Sunny!
New Trends: Subscription Based Healthy Food Options
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We are all so busy these days. And your clients may have a hard time finding healthy options to integrate into their daily meal planning schedules. Insert the solution: subscription based healthy eating services. Let's take a look at a few below:
Sun Basket
Sun Basket according to their website they are a "Subscription meal delivery service that ships members fresh organic, sustainable ingredients and recipes every month, allowing them to cook their own meals".
Blue Apron
Blue Apron "Is an ingredient-and-recipe meal kit service". They pride themselves on offering, " A better food system". This includes partnering up with local chefs, farmers, ensuring that waste is cut to a minimal amount and looking out for the ecosystem.
Green Chef
Green Chef is another healthy food based subscription service that prides themselves with having premium ingredients that are "More organic, more flavor and more options". You can check them out here.
Hello Fresh
Hello Fresh prides themselves on having "Delicious ingredients you'll love to eat & simple recipes you'll live to cook". You can check them out here.
All the healthy meal subscription services pride themselves on offering organic food choices, easy to follow recipes and some type of trial offer.
So what do you think about the whole idea of healthy meal options delivered straight to your door? Do you think you or your clients will give it a try? I am going to try a few and share my thoughts on a future blog post.
KEEP IT SUNNY!
IS THINKING NEGATIVE AFFECTING YOUR BUSINESS??
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We all have those people in our lives that cast a huge cloud of doubt on new ideas or rain on our parade. Have you stopped to think about how this is affecting not only your business but your emotional well-being?
Take a look at a post I wrote some time ago about this very subject. And share your thoughts in the comments below.
KEEP IT SUNNY!
I HATE MY CLIENTS!
/Are you feeling trapped in a nightmare that you can't wake up from?
If you are working with clients that make you want to pull your hair out and stomp your feet on the ground like a 3-year old then take a look at a post I wrote previously on how to attract your ideal clients. And get your smile back!
Keep It Sunny!
3 Tech Tools You Can Use To Create More Freedom In Your Business
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I hope you had a great 4th of July with your friends & family.
It is not a day to be taken lightly as we should all be very grateful for the men & women who have sacrificed their lives to make sure we can enjoy our freedom as Americans.
One part of that freedom is the opportunity to create the dream lifestyle we want as entrepreneurs.
America is the land of opportunity and being an entrepreneur allows us to take part in our "piece of the American dream".
My question to you is: Do you feel free in your business or are you living a recurring nightmare with a growing to-do list of stuff not getting done?
Take a look at the 3 Tech Tools below that you can use to create more freedom in your business:
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Contactually.com: This is a great CRM that helps you to manage all your client information in one place. Let's say you met a couple of great potential clients at a networking event and now you have a bag full of event promo pieces and those dreaded business cards. If you don't get those business cards out your goodie bag, follow up with the potential clients while everything is fresh then the trail goes cold and your time is wasted. Contactually allows you to dump all that information into their system in an organized way and manage that lead right onto a viable client and beyond to gain referrals. Check out the site here to see how it all works.
Communication
E-voice: What happens when a prospective client calls you? Do they call your cell phone, business line (if you have one) your business cell line? What if they just called one number and then the call was routed to you in the way you desire. That is the nexus of E-voice. E-voice provides you with a separate business number that rings to your cell, a professional greeting & call forwarding options so you look and sound professional. This will allow you to deliver that white glove experience to your customers. Check them outhere & use promo code "Fire" (thanks John Lee Dumas) and receive $5 off your subscription forever.
Healthy Eating Options
Sun Basket: Now I know your probably thinking how does this create more freedom in my business. Well if you are busy taking care of clients and running your business who is taking care of your belly? When do you have time to check out the latest healthy snacks or produce at the local farmers market? You probably don't have as much time as you would like, so let Sun Basket do all the heavy lifting for you. They deliver healthy organic ingredients weekly right to your doorstep. Check them out here and use promo code "Fire" to get a discount.
So there you have it. 3 tech tools that you can use to create more freedom in your business. Enjoy the journey as you carve out your piece of the American dream.
KEEP IT SUNNY!
Do You Have What It Takes To Run A Health & Wellness Business Online?
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Running a successful business is hard work.
Running a business that is focused on helping people be the healthiest
that they can be & using the online platform as your storefront can be
EXTREMELY challenging.
Is it doable?
Of course it is.
Are you up for the challenge?
That is a question that only you can answer.
While you are pondering this question check out this article I read on
DamyHealth.com and learn about the pros & cons of running a health &
wellness business online.
KEEP IT SUNNY!
I Love The School Of Greatness Podcast by Lewis Howes!
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Lewis Howes has an awesome back story. According to Wikipedia, he is an author, entrepreneur and former professional arena football player. He often tells the story about how he was essentially homeless and living off of the generosity of his sister for a place to sleep. Many years later he has turned his life around and has become a catalyst for the motivational mindset movement.
On his podcast The School of Greatness, he interviews artists, entrepreneurs and thought leaders to find out what makes them tick and what makes them great. If you are looking for a positive energy boost check out his podcast and read an article I wrote last year about mindset.
Keep It Sunny!
How To Stay Focused & Not Get Burned Out When Building Your Business
/How is your business doing? Do you have everything on your checklist done? What about client acquisition? If you're feeling overwhelmed then check out my previous post on how to get your motivation back and get back on track.
Keep It Sunny!
How To Offer Your Service As Part Of A Wellness Employee Program.
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So you have the skills, the drive & the passion for helping people be their best. But the only problem is you have no one to help. A great option might be to offer your services to a company as part of their employee health and wellness program.
According to Inc.com, "Findings from 56 studies on worksite wellness programs that were published in the American Journal of Health Promotion showed an average 27 percent reduction in sick leave absenteeism, 26 percent reduction in health care costs, and 32 percent reduction in workers' compensation and disability management cost claims".
Your services have a real impact on employees work life and the business owners bottom-line.
A win-win.
How can you get started with helping businesses & their employees?
Health & Wellness Consulting Companies
There are companies that exist to connect health & wellness professionals with businesses that have an onsite employee wellness program. Infinite Health Coach is an example of this service offering. They are a hub for businesses searching for practitioners. They use a RFP system to help with the matching process.
Go Directly To The Source
As entrepreneurs, our job is part marketing and part service delivery. A great way to get business is to find out what companies in your area need health & wellness services and cut out the middle man by delivering it directly to them. WellSteps is an online site that has gathered over 50 wellness programs that you can use to start your research.
The Possibilities Are Endless
This is your business created to share your unique talents. The marketplace is waiting on you to deliver only what you can deliver. These tools offer a great starting point to research and find your ideal clients and go on the journey with them towards a healthier lifestyle.
What are some other ideas you have on offering your services? Share in the comments below.
Keep It Sunny!
