As business owners, one of the greatest challenges we face is the act of really selling our products and services. I mean, let’s be honest - a pushy salesperson can be downright cringe-worthy! I wouldn’t even blame you if reading the word ‘salesperson’ just now made you wince.

You know when you’re scrolling through Instagram, and you pass the same stock photo 3 times? Sometimes, it seems like your entire feed is conspiring together to stay in the same color pallet. It can be easy to forget that behind a seemingly singular feed, are individuals with unique motivations, backgrounds, and obstacles.

As a creative entrepreneur, you may have noticed a few shifts in business lately; one of the most notable changes is that potential clients are no longer searching for the “best product at the best price” and running off into the sunset with their shiny new item. They are looking for more than just a quick transaction.

While pretty much all of us are doing some share of blogging, how many of us are keeping on top of its evolving trends the same way we do on Instagram? With blogging still being such a key aspect of entrepreneurship, we thought we would look ahead to what’s trending and how to stay ahead of the game.

Guest contributor Lauren Pawell talks us through the most effective ways to make sure your leads are being transitioned to paying customers! 

Kindness is infectious. When we see it lived out, it always seems as though we are called to respond. Even  in the most simple of applications, it can lift spirits, encourage, inspire and restore. Maybe you think that the level of kindness necessary to achieve meaningful impact is beyond your grasp. There are problems of every shape and size, and knowing how to help can be so overwhelming: can anything I do really make an impact in the big issues? Do the little acts I take actually mean anything? If you think starting small isn’t enough, we’re here to tell you why that isn’t true.

We’ve all been there before: you send your client that crucial contract, or that final invoice and breathlessly await their response. One simple signature or paid invoice and the process moves along and everyone is happy. You send it and you wait, and wait, and wait, and eventually, hours turn to days, turn to weeks. Maybe your livelihood depends on this job going through; maybe it’s just another job for you in a busy schedule that demands speed.

The creative entrepreneur puts in countless hours to make their product or service as excellent as possible. We perfect our trades, tweak our forms, implement powerful systems and do everything we can to make sure our clients know we're on our game. It's important we have all those aspects of our business down, but what happens if when it comes time to talk to your clients, they don't feel a connection? Something your clients are also going to look for, is how you interact with them on a personal level. 

With freelancing continuing its rapid growth in popularity around the world, there has never been a better time to pursue your dream job! The technology and systems that are making this possible, however, are rapidly changing. This means that being “up-to-date” in entrepreneurship looks different today than it did 10, 5 or even a year ago! This is why it’s so important that we are mentally and logistically prepared to evolve with the industry! Here are a few tips to help you do that.

You've made up your mind about finally taking the plunge and transforming your passion into a business. You probably have some big ideas of how to expand your business, develop your brand, and forge potential partnerships. Great, that is definitely needed! Yet, there are some important decisions to make regarding your finances in order to drive and sustain your business. Consider it a foundation on which you can build your big ideas upon. Here are the four points to consider in no particular order: