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April 24, 2017 0 Comments

5 Tips for Better Work-Life Balance

We all hear about the elusive “work-life balance” concept.  It’s the place where our careers and personal lives become balanced.  We don’t feel overworked, we have enough time for friends and family, and so on.  While this is a great concept in theory, and one we should strive for, it can be quite difficult to make it happen.

Since reducing stress and making more time for those things that are important to you is truly crucial, read along for some of our best tips in increasing your work-life balance, and hopefully, your quality of life.

Declare your priorities

When you figure out what’s most important in your life, it becomes easier to figure out where to place your time.  If you’re working very hard to advance your career, perhaps that’s your priority for the next six months.  On the other hand, if you’ve been pulling 60 hour weeks and your priority is family time, you may have to re-evaluate a bit.  Everyone will have different priorities, and they will often change depending on the season of your life.

To start to create that feeling of satisfaction and balance in your life, start by examining priorities and place more of your time there.

Take time for yourself

It’s important to unplug when you aren’t in “work” mode! And it should be noted that work mode should not be 24/7.  This can be difficult as work from home moms, but it’s a necessity in gaining balance.

Take time for yourself: schedule something exciting, keep weekends for friends, family, errands, and fun, and generally create space for the good things in life.  Yes, work is important and a huge part of our lives, but if that’s all you do, you’ll quickly feel out of balance.  Don’t feel guilty about making yourself a priority; you’ll be a better mom, friend, and employee for it!

Manage your time

Are you spending more time than you thought on work tasks?  Keep track of your time for a while – both business and personal.  Once you see some patterns forming, create a solid schedule.  This will allow you to keep things in order and allow you to see where your free time is.  WHen you know where you’re spending too much (or not enough) time, you can readjust.

A lot of the work of establishing a solid work-life balance is in seeing where your time is going.  If you don’t keep track for a while, how will you know?  Put in some of the effort in the beginning and you can truly see where your time is being spent.

Make time for fun

For most people, a large part of work-life balance will include relaxation, family and friends.  You still have to have fun, even if your current priority is work or career advancement. It’s crucial to stay social, especially if you work from home.  Keep those social appointments and work them into your busy schedule whenever possible!

Take breaks

It’s important to stick to your guns regarding vacations, time off, and breaks.   Vacations and breaks don’t need to be elaborate, but there needs to be a definitive break from work on a consistent basis.

In our current culture, it’s easy to put these things off because so much needs to be done.  Fortunately, these things will still be there when you return! This isn’t to say that a great work ethic isn’t a wonderful thing, but too much of anything isn’t useful.

Work towards a balanced sense of work and life by following the tips above.  When you see where your time is going, focus on your priorities, and stay committed to what’s best for you, you’ll find these things are much more balanced in your life.

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April 17, 2017 0 Comments

4 Ways to Manage Home Based Employees

Working from home provides a lot of opportunity for flexibility and work-life balance, but it also presents unique challenges.  One of the main obstacles can arise in managing employees, as there’s not quite the amount of accountability that occurs in a traditional work environment.

Although management of employees can be tricky, it’s something that can be sorted out with a bit of forethought.  Read along for our best tips for successfully managing home based employees.

Management Software

There are several options out there for managing your employees and projects from a distance.  Basecamp is a very popular option, but there are others out there as well.  These programs allow users to log in remotely, complete tasks, share documents and checklists, and general stay in contact on a daily basis.  It’s easy to see what your employees are getting done, as well as seeing if they remain active on the site.

They can start as low as free and go up in price, typically depending on number of employees.

Click here to view a list of options that are comparable to Basecamp.

Timesheet

When your employees work remotely, it’s important to keep track of their time on a consistent basis.  Whether they’re project-based, hourly, or salaried, have them document their tasks in a detailed timesheet.  This doesn’t necessary need to be an ongoing practice, but it helps to establish the relationship and expectations in the beginning.

Determine how you’ll calculate time: by 10-minute intervals, 30-minute intervals, hour-long intervals, or simply project-based.  This establishes trust between you and your employees, and allows you to see how quickly they’re able to complete the work.

Additionally, some of the project management options allow you to track time and see which tasks employees are working on in real-time.   Timecamp, ClockSpot and MyHours are examples of this option, and it can be an easy way to keep track of time.

Weekly communication

Weekly calls and email communication are key to managing a remote team.  In general, having home based employees will require more communication.  Set up a time that works for everyone that includes a weekly call with the entire team.  This is a great time to review client obligations, any issues, and obstacles that might be in the way.

When you have a regular appointment for communication, you avoid issues before they get out of control.

Manage expectations

Remote employees don’t have to be a challenge to manage, as long as the correct expectations are set from the beginning.  If you’re requiring management software, take the time to explain and train any new employees in using it.  If a timesheet is required, be sure that they know what that needs to look like.

Additionally, ensure that they’re given every chance to succeed.  It can be an adjustment to work in a home based environment, and expectations do vary from traditional offices.

While you may have more flexibility in a work from home position, you may have to put some more checks in place to ensure that work is being completed effectively.  Luckily, with the advances in technology and communication, this is not only possible, but much more simple!

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March 27, 2017 0 Comments

6 Signs of a Great Website

In this day and age, everyone has an online presence.  Especially if you have a business, you know the importance of a quality website.  It’s a known fact that every business has (or should have) a website, but do you know what makes one better than another?

Although you can spend a lot of time and money on specific designs and fancy templates, it’s really crucial that you have the basics down first.  Read along for some best tips and advice to ensure your website is helping your business.

Make Your Contact Clear

Is it easy to contact you on your website?  You should feature a phone number and/or email address at the top of your page.  A “Contact Us” button is great, but people often want something even more accessible.

Ensure that this information is prominently displayed, easy to read, and accurate.  Think of it this way: if someone was ready to buy or order something from you, you would want to make it very easy for them to contact to order from you or hire you.

Professional Photos

Quality, professional photos are truly key to a solid website.  Especially when it comes to photos of you and/or your team, it’s important to make the investment in good headshots.

Additionally, utilizing professional photos gives readers and potential customers a glimpse at you.  Not only does this humanize your brand, but it allows for a brief connection before any business is done.

Let Them Get to Know You

Just as a professional photo allows us to connect visually, information and content allows this as well.  If you feel up to it, include some personal or fun information on your site.  If nothing else, share some of your story about why you are where you are, as well as the “why” of your business.

This really helps people connect beyond simply purchasing or hiring you, and these days, people want to do business with people they like and trust.  When someone feels like they know you, or can relate or appreciate something personal you said, they’re more likely to give you a call.

Include Calls to Action

It’s great to have a nice site, but if you’re not prompting visitors to do anything, you’re losing any chance to gain their contact information or work with them further.

Can you offer a free download or free one-on-one session for email addresses?  Create a sidebar prompt for this and collect those email addresses.  You could also have an information-gathering form, which typically works best for service-based businesses.  Since the person visiting your site is already likely interested in hiring you, obtaining more information about them and/or their need makes it all the easier to hire you.

Consider the Design

Beautiful design is very important.  Old, outdated websites aren’t pleasing to the eye, and it may show that you’re a bit out of touch.  We buy with our eyes, and if we don’t like what we see, it’s very easy to discard products and services as well.  Web design can be quite an investment, but there are plenty of do-it-yourself sites, or sites that offer design at a discount rate.

Although it’s tempting to try to do-it-yourself, it may create more headaches if it’s not your expertise.  It’s better to go into a web design meeting with an idea of what you want, then shop around a bit for designers who can bring it to life within your budget.

Nothing is more frustrating than a website that’s tough to navigate! This includes broken links, incomplete sentences, sites that won’t load, and so on.  Make sure that each move is intuitive, and that someone without any knowledge of your business can understand it.

Make it Mobile

Everyone is checking websites on their phones these days! If your site isn’t mobile-ready, it becomes a very frustrating experience for readers and potential customers.

There are sites out there that offer to make your website mobile, but more often than not, most templates are mobile-friendly.  This is absolutely something crucial to ask your web designer, as well as ensuring that every important feature functions well on a phone.

It’s not enough to look good on a phone – it must also function perfectly!

These are just a few basic steps to ensure that your website is beautiful and not frustrating to your visitors.  Take the time to get these things down, and then introduce more fun, fancy features that may bring that something extra to your website!

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January 9, 2017 0 Comments

4 Top Tips for Using Facebook for Business

Facebook is an important and useful tool for promoting and sharing as your business.  Whether you’re a business owner, post content for other companies, or simply promote your services via social media, using Facebook effectively is key.

Read along for some top tips to ensure that you’re utilizing Facebook in the most effective ways.

Stay consistent

Consistency is key, and it’s the way to keep your readers engaged with your brand and its content.  If you’re posting very sporadically, no one gets to know you.  Try to avoid posting five times per week, followed by once per month, followed by 3 times per day.  Get into a routine that suits your content and schedule, and make sure that it’s realistic.

To start, figure out how much time you have to create content.  If it’s one hour per week, determine how long it takes to create each post.  You’ll also want to factor in consistency here and determine if this will be feasible as an ongoing schedule. From here, create a content schedule that includes the content that will be posted with the date and time.  If you’re able to do this weeks or months in advance – even better! Do what you need to do to establish a routine that is consistent and doable for your schedule.

Visual appeal

Your posts can’t simply be informative, they must also look nice. Articles can simply use the attached photo or a stock image, but your quotes, tips, and customized posts need to look their best and match your branding.  Facebook is a very visual platform, and posts containing graphics often per

You can utilize programs such as InDesign or Illustrator to create graphic posts, or simply use free online tools like Canva, Pablo, or PicMonkey.  These sites allow you to upload images, add text and/or shapes, and so on.  You’re able to create stunning posts in a matter of minutes, and it’s much better than constantly borrowing graphics from others.

Avoid selling

If you have a business, your first reaction in using Facebook for business is likely for sales.  Unfortunately, this isn’t the best course of action for social media.  It’s tempting, especially with a large, engaged audience, but it’s not ideal.  This doesn’t mean you can never feature your products and services, but they should always include the benefits to your prospects.  Additionally, you’ll still want to keep these posts to a minimum.

Your goal, in using Facebook for business, is establishing a presence, as well as establishing yourself as an expert in your line of work.  Provide a generous amount of valuable information to your readers, and they will realize that you have a lot of knowledge in your area.  You can also provide tips, advice, product usage information, benefits of using your type of services, inspirational quotes and information, and much more.  Keep your information varied and interesting, but ensure that 75-80% is valuable versus salesy.

When you do post something that could lead to a sale, your audience will be more likely to receive this favorably, since you are the expert and they’ve valued your free information so much so far.

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December 30, 2016 0 Comments

4 Tips to Start the New Year with Success

“New Year—a new chapter, new verse, or just the same old story? Ultimately we write it. The choice is ours.” – Alex Morritt

Happy New Year! As we embark on this fresh start, it’s clear that everyone has planning, goals and success on the brain.  Whether you’re seeking to find business success, lose weight, face fears, or simply get organized, now is the time to begin a new year successfully.

Set manageable goals now

Use the momentum of this time of year to set goals.  This doesn’t mean you have to (or should) set very daunting goals, but those that are manageable.  It’s typically easier and more effective to select 6-10+ smaller goals and break them into several weeks or months.  It’s much more difficult to focus on a goal that is over a year away, and momentum can be lost almost instantly.

Where do you want to be in your personal life?  Your career?  Your family life?  In your faith or spiritual life?  Think about all areas of your life and set goals in intervals that are likely to be achieved.

Reflect on your accomplishments

We tend to skimp on giving ourselves enough credit for our achievements.  Take out a pen and a piece of paper and really think about the good that you’ve done this year.  Have you been more present in your family time?  Did you earn a raise in your freelance position? Land a client that has been truly enjoyable?  Give yourself these wins, as it’s very encouraging as you start into a new year.

Do an audit

While we already discussed looking at your accomplishments, this it the time to audit all areas of your life from the previous year.  What worked and what didn’t in all areas? How can you improve?  Do you plan to stay in your  job(s)?  This is also a good time to analyze your rates and financial situation as well, and a prime time to consider tax and other filing items.

Refresh your materials

With a new year comes reflection, which can often mean changing of jobs and career paths.  Are you ready to put your best foot forward?  Especially if you’re considering a career change, or simply want to pick up some more freelance work, it’s a great time of year to update your job search materials.  Ensure that your resume and cover letter are updated and edited.  Review your references on file and make contact or select new ones to be sure that you have the best people in your corner.

Moving into the new year successfully is all about reflecting on what worked and didn’t work in the past, as well as a clear, thoughtful plan for the future.  Take stock in what has already happened, praise yourself for where you’ve shined, and set goals that challenge and move you forward in this promising new year!

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November 14, 2016 0 Comments

6 Tips to Successful LinkedIn Publisher Posts

The LinkedIn Publisher feature is a great way to bring blog-type articles to your LinkedIn presence. Before, only brief status-type updates were available, but Publisher posts are long-form and read much more like blog posts.

Although similar to blog posts, there are some tips to ensure that you Publisher posts are being seen and well-received on LinkedIn.

Consistency

Just like you practice consistency in your blog and social media posting, consistency in LinkedIn Publisher posts is just as important.  You can syndicate your content across various channels, but it’s also helpful to create specific content for LinkedIn.

If you blog on a weekly basis, do your best to post to LinkedIn Publisher once per week as well.  It’s helpful to get into a groove that is doable for you and your schedule.  Another tip to maintain consistency is to vary your content by a tiny bit.  If you posted about one topic several months ago, maybe do a Part 2 or more in-depth look at that topic on the Publisher platform.

Short and Sweet

LinkedIn, like other social media sites, is a browsing platform, so it’s not a place for lengthy posts.  However, according to LinkedIn.com, “posts that are best received are more than 3 paragraphs.”

Do your best to find a happy medium of short and sweet mixed with informative and complex enough to hook your reader and bring them along.

Write for the audience

As we all know, LinkedIn is a professional platform with a demographic of professional business people.   With this in mind, save the more personal and irrelevant posts for your own blog.  This is a great place to establish yourself as the expert in your field, which is incredibly helpful for prospects, clients, and future employers to see.

Offer value

When you’re in the professional space, be sure you’re offering value.  Is your post informative?  Does your reader learn something new?  If you’re adhering to posts that establish you as an expert, they should do all of the above.  Once your posts become more and more popular, your audience will know that they can count on you to provide content that is always worth their time.

Photos

Although LinkedIn is for business, visual elements still hook the eye and draw people in.  Make sure to use a visually appealing header and photo in your post.  This also helps to break up text and bring attention to your post in a crowded marketplace.

Share your post

Don’t keep your words to yourself! Share the post among your other social networks and drive traffic back to your LinkedIn Publisher post.  Don’t be afraid to mention these posts elsewhere, especially if you’re doing varied content.  The more content you have out there, the more visible you are.  This is incredibly helpful for SEO rankings, expert status, and helping employees, employers, clients, or prospects to find you more easily.

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October 31, 2016 0 Comments

HireMyMom Employer Success Story: Kiri Masters

www.bobsledmarketing.com

Tell us a little about your business and how you got started.

Toward the end of my career in banking I started a side-business in the e-commerce space and learned how to launch products & grow revenue on Amazon. When I sought to leave my banking job, I started freelancing for other brands who needed help with Amazon. As we brought more clients on board, I started hiring smart people who were interested in learning new skills and today, just 18 months later, Bobsled Marketing is a full-blown online marketing agency serving 7 & 8 figure consumer brands.

What advice do you have for entrepreneurs and home business owners?

Get your team on an asynchronous chat program like Slack, Glip, or the all-new Facebook For Work. When folks are working across timezones and on flexible schedules, it gets everyone on the same page without endless email chains or scheduling meetings.

What is your top tip for hiring great talent? And when should one consider outsourcing or hiring additional help?

Hire help as early as you can afford it, because it can take months to fully onboard a new person into your company. And for that reason, choosing the right person is incredibly important. Don’t scrimp on reference checks – insist on talking with past supervisors and validating what the candidate told you during interviews & on their resume.

What’s your favorite thing about HireMyMom.com?

The jobseekers on hiremymom.com are very motivated and make a great first impression. It’s rare to get cookie-cutter, copy-and-paste applications. I’ve been delighted to find an enormous range of talent and experience on the platform – everyone from basic administrative support right through to experienced executives are looking for flexible jobs where they can work from home.

What’s one fun fact about you?

I have a weird Australian-American accent after only being in the US for 5 years. As a kid, my Barbie dolls always had American accents though 🙂

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If you would like to be featured as one of our Success Stories, please contact us!

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October 10, 2016 0 Comments

5 Tips for Successful Work From Home Meetings

Even though home based employees don’t work in a traditional office, they typically still have meetings just like everyone else.  Whether meeting with co-workers or your boss, clients or potential customers, meetings will still be a key component to your days or weeks.

Working from home can present challenges that aren’t present in a normal office, so read along for some best practices for work from home meetings.

Eliminate distractions

When working from home, there can be noise from kids, dogs, or people knocking on your door, just to name a few.  While these things happen and most people understand, it’s important to do your best to eliminate these distractions.

Can you set up a playdate for your kids during an important meeting?  Is it possible to give your dog a treat outside or in the crate while you chat?  It’s crucial to have some time and space carved out for a quiet, productive meeting when the time comes.

Check technology

There’s nothing worse than a meeting ruined by technology!  While sometimes there’s absolutely nothing you can do with a chosen software service, do your best to access the technology ahead of time.

If you’re going to be using a webinar or conference phone line or software package, try it beforehand and make sure everything has been installed correctly.  This way, you’re able to join the meeting on time and without errors.  If you’re unsure if you’ve been hooked up correctly, ask a friend or coworker to test it out with you.

Have an agenda

Agendas are important for all meetings, not just home based ones.  Especially if you’re the one in charge of the meeting, make it a point to map out a brief agenda of topics to cover.  The typical opinion of meetings can be that they’re a waste of time; don’t let this happen to you!  Ensure that your meetings are productive, to the point, and involve a schedule that can be easily navigated.

Not only will your other meeting attendants be grateful for something to keep them on track, you’ll get out of the meeting much quicker than you would if you went into it blindly.

Take notes

Notes are key to remembering what went on and who is assigned to what tasks.  Whether you’re the note-taker or designate someone else to do so, make sure this is in place before the meeting begins.  When deciding on who should take the notes, it can be helpful to choose the person who might be in more of an assistant role, or someone who doesn’t need to be 100% focused on the conversation at hand.

Treat it normally

Working from home can be an excuse to fall into lazy work habits, but that’s not productive or professional to your employers or coworkers. Treat every single home based meeting just as you would in an office; it might even help to dress up if it’s a very important one.

Set your office for success, eliminate distractions, have everything in place ahead of time, and your meeting will be productive and efficient – the hallmark of a great meeting!

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September 12, 2016 0 Comments

5 Best Practices for LinkedIn Success

As most of us know, LinkedIn is the social media site for professionals.  If you’ve been shying away from the site, now is the time to join! While the world is becoming more and more social media savvy, it’s important to have a place on the site made for employees, employers, and professionals in general.

LinkedIn does far more than allow you to add connections and show off your work experience; it can be a place to search for new jobs and applicants, as well as offer value to your followers and potential connections.  Read along for some simple best practices to start using LinkedIn to its fullest.

Solid Summary

Do you have a Professional Summary that really stands out? While it can be tempting to just put a sentence or two about what you do or what you’re looking for in a career, truly take some time to make it special.

In addition to writing a few key paragraphs that may include information such as: how you can assist those who work with you or hire you, what measurable results you’ve produced, and how to get in contact with you, you can also add media such as video, photos, presentations and audio.  By taking the time to add a solid, well-written summary (and bonus points for media additions!), you will be well on your way to standing out on LinkedIn.

Adding Value

How can you help those who come to your profile?  If you’re searching for a job, how can you show that you’re the best fit?  You can add value by posting daily or weekly posts, publishing longer blogs or articles in the Publishing section, or simply by posting helpful items of interest for your followers.

If someone is following you, what kind of information would they like to know?  What is your expertise and how can you give some of that away?

Value also comes in the form of showing potential employers, investors, and so on what you can do for them, if applicable.  Measurable results always sell, so be sure to include data, Recommendations, and other information as solid proof of your skills.

Contact Information

Don’t forget your contact information! It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people forget this.  Yes, you can contact someone through Linkedin direct mail, but someone may want to place an inquiry via email or by phone. Contact information also includes any and all websites that you’re a part of – make it easy for those clients, customers, and potential employers to find you and get in touch!

Professional Photo

While you don’t need to go so far as to hire a professional photographer just for a LinkedIn photo, it isn’t a bad idea.  If a professional photo isn’t in the budget, have a friend stage a nice area, put on a nice, professional outfit, and take a few photos.  LinkedIn photos should be headshots that are done in nice lighting, appropriate for the professional world, and include a smile.

Use it

LinkedIn won’t be much help to you if it’s never used.  Utilize the capabilities included on the site, add connections, and use it as your professional face to the world. Business people – whether that’s a potential client, employer, or employee – will look at your profile, so it’s important to put your best face and experience forward.

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May 31, 2016 0 Comments

4 Top Tips for Work From Home Employees

Working from home presents a unique set of challenges and perks, but the common theme is that things are simply different as a home based employee.  From finances to taxes to workspace, these things must be considered by you in most cases, versus relying on an employer.

Read along for some best tips and practices to ensure that you’re ready to work from home successfully.

Stay financially savvy

It’s important to keep track of financial records, expenses, and tax items when you work from home.  Often times, you’ll be a 1099 Independent Contractor instead of an employee, which can come with unique tax structures and filings.

Look into some of these structures before beginning your home based career, and advise your spouse of the differences in filing. You can also set up a consultation with an accountant to ensure that you’re keeping tabs on the right items and have your employment set up correctly.

Create a space

As we’ve said time and time again, make sure that you have a specific space set up for work.  Not only can this be important if you have a business for expense purposes, but it’s key to staying mentally healthy and organized in a home based career.

Set aside a room or section of your dwelling that’s just for work – and keep it that way.  When work becomes everywhere, it can be very tough to turn it off at the end of the workday.

Turn it off

Stop working at some point in the day! Whether you choose to work at night or during the day, be sure that you’re logging a normal amount of hours on a consistent basis.  Of course as with any job, there may be stretches of overtime, but this can become more prevalent working from home.

Set office hours just as you would at a traditional job, and really be home when you choose to finish work for the day.

Use the right tools

The right tools are incredibly helpful in keeping you productive in a home based career.  While an office job typically has these tools built in, you have to set them up for yourself to ensure success.

Working from home typically requires more planning and thought than a typical job, but with the right tools, space, and forethought to ensure that everything is working smoothly, you can enjoy the vast benefits of productivity and flexibility that a home based career can provide!

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