8 Lessons I Learned After 1 Year in Business

Last month I celebrated one year of my small business, LDB Marketing.

That's 365 days of working with businesses in a variety of industries to grow their online presence and ultimately their business revenue through one-on-one coaching sessions and marketing outsourcing.

8,760 hours of personal growth as a business owner (the ideas, learning and hard work never seem to stop!), creating digital content for clients, leading coaching sessions to teach business owners how to create social media content and email marketing messages themselves, endless Zoom calls and coffee meetings, late nights deep diving analytics, providing educational resources, and so much more.

One year ago I also traded in business professional attire for sweatpants (well, at least some of the time!), and have never looked back!

Over the past year, I've had many wins and made many mistakes as a solopreneur. Through it all here are the top 8 things lessons I've learned after one year in business.

1. Set Boundaries Around Your Time When you're the boss it's tempting to work at random hours because you can. Setting "office hours" will not only provide structure for you, but it sets the expectation for when clients can expect to reach you.
   

2. Take the Vacation Time Burnout is still possible when you're doing what you love. It's essential to make time to get away and unplug. Jenna Kutcher has a helpful podcast episode about how to plan for time away without your business suffering.
   

3. People May Not Understand Family and friends may not understand what you're doing, and that's okay! However, your business' offerings and services should be crystal clear for potential clients. If they are unclear about what you have to offer, it's time to focus on how to finesse your elevator pitch, update your website, and provide clarity through digital marketing like social media, email campaigns, a podcast, blog posts, or whatever your preferred content marketing method is.
   

4. Never Stop Learning & Asking Questions In business and in life - strengths can still be strengthened, and it is okay to ask for help in their areas where you are weak.
   

5. Celebrate Small Wins - For Clients AND You Great potential client meeting? Celebrate! Land a new client? Celebrate! Current client have a great week of sales? Celebrate! Remember to celebrate both the big and small wins. They are each part of the bigger picture of the overall growth of the business.
   

6. It's Okay to Say No It is okay to say no if working with a particular client would not be a good fit for the both of you. It is also okay to say no to business opportunities that seem bright and shiny, but you know wouldn't serve your business in the long run. It, Is. Ok. To. Say. No.
   

7. Find Ways to Stay Inspired & Motivated. It is up to you. Virtual coworkers (aka other business owner friends) are a fun way to find a good laugh, motivation, and friendship during the long days. Don't forget to find motivation and inspiration within yourself too. Whether it is a hobby, prayer, podcast, or business conference, it is up to you to stay motivated to play the long game in business.
   

8. Taxes Taxes Taxes Always pay quarterly taxes on time! Non-negotiable. Organize receipts and expenses organized beforehand. You will thank yourself each quarter when paying taxes takes 5 minutes instead of 5 hours!

I love working with each of my clients, and eagerly anticipate the growth, creativity, and ideas in-store in this next year. If you're curious about working together to optimizing your business' digital marketing strategy, send me a message, or go ahead and schedule a complimentary consultation with me here.

Here's to year 2 of small business ownership!

~Lauren Bev

Let's Chat!

Here's How Marketing Outsourcing Will Grow Your Business

Are you curious what digital marketing outsourcing actually looks like on a daily basis?

Here's What We Do:

• First, working together to create a results-driven digital marketing strategy (that we'll execute for you). ⬇️

• Content Creation: think copywriting, graphic design, post optimizations, and scheduling your content deliverables - social media, email messages, and blog content.

• Platform Management: we handle customer communications and platform updates for you.

• Monthly analytics deep dives to track results and ensure KPIs are met and exceeded.

• Ongoing Support: we answer all of your questions, stay up-to-date on what's happening behind the scenes of your business, and make pivots as your business changes and grows.

Here's What You Gain:

• PEACE OF MIND knowing your online presence and content marketing is taken care of.

• CONFIDENCE that your digital platforms and client base will grow.

• More TIME on your hands to focus on areas of opportunity in your business.

• MARGIN to spend more time working on what you're most passionate about.

• EXCITEMENT over your results!

Schedule a complimentary consultation to learn more about outsourcing here.

Why You Should Stop Worrying About "The Algorithm"

The purpose of marketing on social media platforms is so much more than "beating the algorithm," growing a large following, or "going viral."

The algorithm is everchanging and complex. Attempting to fully understand it is not worth your time or the level of stress it's undoubtedly already caused.

We already know "the algorithm" prefers consistent feed posts, we know that it favors live video, Stories, and Reels, and we know that receiving more engagement helps too.

Instead of "beating" the algorithm, let's rethink the reason for marketing your business on social media in the first place. It is to make yourself, services, and what you have to offer the world visible, right?

So instead of beating the algorithm, consider how can you best leverage your social media platforms, your time, and your brand to share content that will most resonate with your ideal client base.

Content marketing solves a real problem, adds value, and generously provides help to those who need it long before asking them to purchase your services.

Stuck on how to do that? Check out this post.

I'd also love to chat with you! I offer 1-on-1 coaching to help business owners develop and executive marketing strategies that grow their social media footprint and their businesses.