Hi there.
Speaker:It's Sue and thanks for joining me for Tips and Talk
Speaker:Day. These are bite sized topics that I pull from community
Speaker:questions and things that I'm observing in the world of handmade
Speaker:small business.
Speaker:If you'd like to submit a topic DME over on Instagram
Speaker:at Gift Biz Unwrapped.
Speaker:Before we get started,
Speaker:I'm gonna share a secret with you.
Speaker:One of my superpowers is the ability to get an enormous
Speaker:number of tasks and projects done each and every week.
Speaker:I easily meet deadlines,
Speaker:rarely forget to do something.
Speaker:I know at the start of each day what needs priority,
Speaker:attention and action type A personality.
Speaker:Yes, and a follow through on the Kobe assessment,
Speaker:which should have given me the clue,
Speaker:but it wasn't until people started commenting to me that I
Speaker:realized not everyone naturally knows how to do this.
Speaker:It's the biggest single contributor to the growth I always see
Speaker:in my businesses without spending hours and hours working either.
Speaker:It's about focus and doing the right things efficiently.
Speaker:Prompted by all the questions on how I do this,
Speaker:I went about finding a way to help you perform at
Speaker:a higher level too.
Speaker:I analyzed my methods and formalized my process,
Speaker:which is one many of my coaching clients now also follow.
Speaker:You can use it too.
Speaker:It's all part of a tool called the Inspired Daily Planner
Speaker:made specifically for gifters,
Speaker:bakers, crafters,
Speaker:and makers.
Speaker:Make no mistake,
Speaker:this is not your ordinary planner.
Speaker:First off,
Speaker:it comes with a video explaining my productivity strategy and the
Speaker:physical planner isn't dated,
Speaker:so you can start using it the second it arrives at
Speaker:your doorstep,
Speaker:and that's not all included for each day is a motivational
Speaker:or business building tip and plenty of space to capture and
Speaker:book in time for to-dos scheduled appointments and all those ideas
Speaker:that are now getting lost.
Speaker:You can watch the video for free and then get your
Speaker:inspired daily planner@giftbizunwrapped.com
Speaker:slash inspired.
Speaker:This one tip will save you an enormous amount of time
Speaker:and your sanity.
Speaker:It will give you purpose to your efforts or help you
Speaker:catch yourself if your intended actions aren't even necessary.
Speaker:This should happen every time you're about to embark on a
Speaker:new project,
Speaker:regardless of its size.
Speaker:It could be huge like starting your business or small,
Speaker:like adding a new social media platform or deciding on a
Speaker:craft show to attend.
Speaker:Before you take on any new projects,
Speaker:ask yourself some version of this question,
Speaker:Why is this an important thing to focus my energy on
Speaker:now? Then you should have a specific and detailed answer to
Speaker:that question that includes,
Speaker:what is my intended result?
Speaker:How do I expect things to be different once this is
Speaker:in place,
Speaker:and is the result worth the energy,
Speaker:time or money that will be required?
Speaker:By gaining clarity on why what you're doing in your business
Speaker:is important,
Speaker:you'll find that you can grow faster because you're devoting resources
Speaker:to the right things and because you're using your time intentionally
Speaker:and you know the why to your efforts,
Speaker:there's less stress and overwhelm.
Speaker:You're only working on things that you've consciously decided can make
Speaker:a difference.
Speaker:It also leads to thinking about how you'll monitor whether set
Speaker:activity is bringing in the expected results.
Speaker:I'm always amazed when I ask people why they're working on
Speaker:this or that.
Speaker:Most times there's no concrete answer.
Speaker:I'll get responses like I keep hearing,
Speaker:I should be on TikTok,
Speaker:or I think it would be fun to redo my labels
Speaker:in different colors,
Speaker:or I'm going to be really productive this weekend and reorganize
Speaker:my office.
Speaker:While these things may or may not be necessary ever,
Speaker:it's also a question of whether now is the right time.
Speaker:It's so easy to be busy doing things that don't lead
Speaker:you to your goals.
Speaker:It feels like you're being super productive,
Speaker:but there aren't any dollar achievements realized for the time that
Speaker:you've put in.
Speaker:That's because it's easier to do things you're comfortable with that
Speaker:come naturally to you than work on projects that can move
Speaker:the sales needle but are more challenging.
Speaker:Then you fool yourself that you're working so hard on your
Speaker:business, which you are,
Speaker:but your sales don't increase.
Speaker:Sound familiar?
Speaker:With that in mind,
Speaker:take a look at the activities you have lined up for
Speaker:the next couple of weeks or maybe one you're working on
Speaker:right now.
Speaker:Are you able to give yourself an answer as to how
Speaker:this project will impact your business positively?
Speaker:Be mindful that project creep can come into play here too.
Speaker:Obviously, preparing for an upcoming craft show is important and will
Speaker:lead to sales and new prospects to add to your email
Speaker:list, but what exactly are the valuable tasks?
Speaker:By way of example,
Speaker:here's what I'd suggest are productive and valuable tasks,
Speaker:A dry run setup of your table so you ensure that
Speaker:you have all the elements of a strong display,
Speaker:particularly if this is your first show.
Speaker:There's making enough product to sell,
Speaker:creating a plan to collect email addresses at the event and
Speaker:planning and practicing your checkout system so you're efficient and people
Speaker:don't walk away because they've waited too long.
Speaker:Here's what I suggest.
Speaker:May not be productive tasks,
Speaker:going out and buying a new tablecloth so you have a
Speaker:backup just in case,
Speaker:or redesigning your bag stuffers with different wording and logos when
Speaker:the current one is just fine.
Speaker:I'd say that sending out announcements to those who attended your
Speaker:past shows is a much better idea and making a plan
Speaker:for how you'll post on social media before and during the
Speaker:show to prompt attendance would be a more valuable project too.
Speaker:Leading directly to more customers at the shows and more sales
Speaker:for you.
Speaker:Get the idea here.
Speaker:Make a note for yourself and post it somewhere where you'll
Speaker:see it each day.
Speaker:The note should read,
Speaker:Why am I doing this project?
Speaker:Consciously review your activities in this way and see the change
Speaker:it makes in your life and the growth that you'll realize
Speaker:in your small business.
Speaker:That's a wrap.
Speaker:I'm a get to the point kind of girl,
Speaker:and this is what you can expect from these quick midweek
Speaker:sessions. Now it's your turn.
Speaker:Go out and fulfill that dream of yours.
Speaker:Share your handmade products with us.
Speaker:We want them and they bring us both.