George Kao's Blog, page 44

What money should you spend to build & grow your business?

photo by @rawpixel at unsplash.comOver the years I've received a lot of questions about what kind of money is necessary to spend in order to grow a small business.

Examples:
Should you spend $1,000 - $5,000 to create or upgrade your website?Should you spend money on a $2,000 training program / school that is promising you a comprehensive system to build your business? Should you spend $200 a month on SEO (search engine optimization)?(When) Should you hire a VA?How much to spend for online adver...

Focus on systems everyday, not goals

photo by @devdxb on unsplash.com
In business, there is too much fixation on big goals and dramatic results. "Get 1 million followers! "Build a 6-figure business!"

When you constantly focus on a big future goal, 2 things happen:

1. Your subconscious keeps whispering to you daily that you aren't there... that you aren't yet "enough".

Desire is a contract we make with ourselves, to be unhappy until something specific happens. The fixation on a big goal creates an underlying layer of unhappiness with...

Alexandra Franzen on Describing What You Do, Healthy Boundaries, and Entrepreneurial Success

Once in a long while -- too rarely -- do I come across someone who is modeling authentic, simple marketing in a way that makes me go "wow" ...and want to share forward.

Alexandra Franzen is deeply resonant with her audience, yet without pushing. Gives so much value, with gentleness.

1. I loved her blog post about creating little miracles. It's a about simple question that helps us focus on making a better offering and doing better marketing.

2. And check out her newsletter opt-in page. She...

Instead of selling, work on understanding and helping.

You may have heard the idea that "sales is a numbers game"... you just have to make the pitch for your services to many, many people and some of them will become your clients.

"Every 'no' means you are closer to a 'yes'!" ...says a sales trainer.

This process is unnecessarily painful. Trying to sell a bunch of people is an intimidating and inauthentic way of connecting with others.

What if there was an alternative way to think about it, that felt much more human and heart-centered, and may be ev...

7 Motivational Methods to Help You Overcome Procrastination and Get Focused

Oftentimes, it’s not enough to have a goal.  

If the goal is challenging, you will need  motivational methods  that are personally effective for you, in order to focus and do the task no matter how "hard" it feels.

Below, I describe the methods that have worked best for me and my clients.

As you read this post, I invite you to score each method on a scale of 0 to 10. (Zero means “This absolutely won’t work for me” and 10 means “This is the answer to my productivity!”)

If you'd like, comment a...

Let Go of the Need to Make a "Good First Impression"

A lesson I've been learning throughout my life -- especially in business -- is to let go of the need to make a "good first impression."

For example, this may be the first blog post you see from me. Maybe you don't like it. It might be making a poor first impression on you.

Should I be afraid to lose you as a potential reader?

If I were, I might never write blog posts... there's too many people I could disappoint and "lose", if I don't make a good first impression.

Here's the fallacy of thinking:P...

A System for Email Productivity

A decade ago, I started to help friends and colleagues with becoming more organized and efficient with their email.

A few of them said it was life-changing.

I think most of us underestimate the weight that unprocessed emails have on our psyche. We only know  after  we have successfully cleared our inbox. The feeling of lightness is amazing :)

When I wrote about my email processing system a few years ago, the post went viral, and was featured several times on popular sites.

Here is the newest versio...

Describe the Mainstream Version of What You Do

What's the mainstream version of what you do?

When should someone seek you out?

Your prospective clients don't know the nuances of your field.

If you're an energy healer, they don't know that there 15 different modalities (or whatever).

If you're a relationship counselor, they don't need to know that there are 8 different philosophies.

If you're a life coach, they don't need to know that there are 5 major life coaching schools and why the one you graduated from is different from the rest.

You...

To Improve Your Marketing, Get Clearer About Your Ideal Clients

Would you like your marketing to be more effective?

Focus on who you are marketing to. 

For example, when you buy Facebook ads, they encourage you to be specific about which age group, which gender, and what specific interests they have.

A man in his 30's has very different life challenges and considerations than a woman in her 60's... and each needs to see a different marketing message.

Do you believe that your service can help many different types of people? If so, are you trying to marke...

Be Persistent and Uncover New Solutions

Albert Einstein said this:

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."

He was considered one of humanity's great geniuses, and yet he credited persistence for solving his greatest challenges.

I have been discovering this to be true in my own business and life.  When I am willing to stay just a bit longer with a problem -- rather than just give up and quit -- I eventually find a good solution.

For a moment, I invite you to "step back" and take a look at your wor...