by Hope
There was a post from Julie Chenell somewhere this week that really hit home during this time in my life. I follow her on everything, so can’t remember where it was exactly. I have followed her forever. And love her posts, her story, her passion…I can relate to her on so many levels.
Back to the point of this post…she kind of went off on the internet about how business owners don’t know how to bootstrap it now. The market has changed. What was once a “golden goose” for so many small business owners is evolving. And people are complaining about it and not prepared for it. I see this all over the place.
And in some senses, I am facing it myself as I attempt to re-launch my business. However, I’ve been through it a couple of times. And know that to keep up and stay relevant, my business and I must change. I’ve got to modify what I offer, how I offer it, and even where I offer it. (Phew, that’s a lot of change all at once. Seriously, who does well with change, anyone?!?)
Bootstrapping 101
Now I’m going back to the basics. I’ve downgraded all my business tools and I’m exploring alternatives. Would anyone be interested in a serious of exactly how I modify my business in preparation for re-launching. I mean, the nitty, gritty details…tools, costs, services. Just a thought, let me know if you are interested.
But today, I spent some time reviewing the tools I love, their costs (because really everything has changed since I closed down a couple of years ago,) and making a list of what are NEEDS vs WANTS in this endeavor.
Here are a few things I am reviewing:
- Scheduling – I love Calendly. Thankfully, they offer a free version that does everything I need at this moment. It integrates with my Google calendar and that is a MUST have for me.
- Cloud storage – I have used Dropbox FOREVER, but am seriously considering switching to Google storage instead. Anyone have any experience with this? From the research I’ve done, there would be a cost savings and well, it’s Google so it integrates with everything. Although, I do have to mention that I love the Dropbox password keeper.
- Website – Thankfully, because I host so many of my clients’ websites, my own websites are hosted for free. But I do need to refresh and relaunch my site(s) depending on the direction I decide to go. (And yes, they are all WordPress sites that I design myself. What a website? Hit me up!)
- Analytics – I make decisions based on numbers, so deep diving into analytics has been important. Since Google launched GA4, I am working on getting certified and up to speed on all the new offerings.
- Advertising – For the bulk of my contracting career, I’ve gotten work from sites like Guru and Upwork. But after the last couple of months of investing time and money there…well, it’s not paying off like it used to. So I must explore some other options. Any suggestions, fellow small business owners?
Staying Focused but Open
I am staying very focused on searching for work…hitting up everything I can find. (And yes, I am looking at both contract work and full time W2 employment.) But while I’m doing that…I’m about to bootstrap this relaunch like I’ve never done before. Let me know if you’d like to hear more about how I do this exactly.
Read more from Hope
A Whole Day Off Work – March, 2021
Striking Out on Your Own – April, 2014
When Absolutely Everything is Up in the Air…Again – January, 2023
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 5 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
So, what do you think ?