BossBabes have a lot to balance, especially when their businesses takes center stage.
I spoke with Christy Wright, acclaimed business coach and national best-selling author on how to scale your business and set the right priorities at each stage of life. Let’s dive in.
- Most of our readers are aspiring entrepreneurs, and they want to turn their side hustles into full-time gigs. What tips do you have for finding the time to grow your business?
“You have to have a mindset shift. The biggest lesson is that you won’t just ‘find time'. You never say, ‘Wow, this time appeared out of nowhere!' That’s never going to happen – we’ll always cram our time with more things to do. So, stop asking, ‘How am I going to find time?' Instead, make time. Make your business and dreams a priority. Do whatever you need to do. Set boundaries on distractions, like cutting off social media after a certain time, for example. When you make the choice to make your business a priority, you will therefore make time.”
- On the topic of goals, many of our readers are growing their businesses using social media. How can our readers improve how they’re connecting with their audiences on social media?
“I’ll share my top three tips:
Don’t make asks all day every day. People use social media as a consumer – they want to consume! All they’re ever thinking is, ‘What’s in it for me?' Every piece of content you put out should answer that question for your followers. Every post should add value by inspiring, entertaining, informing, or teaching them. When you look at it this way, you will hold yourself accountable to put out great content.
Followers repost your content because they love how you represent an aspect of them. Your business represents their values in some way, so they want to share it. They’re not sharing it because they want to help you out. It’s like when middle schoolers put stickers on their water bottles. They’re saying that the brands represent their identity in some way.
Take care of the fans you already have. Don’t make it just a game of numbers. If you don’t take care of your 200, you won’t ever have 200,000. Show up for them consistently, add value, respond to them, and treat they like they’re the most important people in the world. In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells us that for those who have been faithful with a small amount, he will put you in charge of more. So be faithful in the small things.”
(By the way, this advice applies to all other marketing strategies as well.)
- I know setting priorities is crucial to making sure you get the right thing done, not just something done. How do you set priorities on what to do first, second, third, etc.?
“Sometimes we set priorities just one time and don’t revisit them. We treat them like they’re set in stone, but that’s not reality. What’s important in January is not necessarily important in July. I suggest setting and revisiting priorities every month or at least once a quarter, but not once a year. This allows you to adapt. When you revisit them frequently, you give yourself permission to change them. Also, shift your priorities with your seasons because every season of your life brings new priorities.
On the flip side, why you’re changing your priorities matters, too. Do some self-reflection to determine if it’s for a good reason or simply out of boredom or fear. Are you giving up early? We entrepreneurs are good at the new, but we need to improve with the follow through.”
- You have an interesting perspective on work-life balance. Will you please share it with our readers?
“Some people get frustrated because they think work-life balance means doing everything for an equal amount of time. But it’s better to look at it as doing the right thing at the right time. Reflect on the season you’re in. If you’re all in on your business right now, that’s OK. If it’s summer and that means family time, great. Do what’s right for the season.
Also, work-life balance is not a 50/50 split. It’s about being 100% present wherever you are. This is huge for mom guilt, or any type of guilt you may have for being focused on your business. The root of all of the guilt comes from focusing on where you are not – you feel guilty so you don't focus on where you are. I like to use the phrase “be where your feet are.” Be present where you are, and then you’ll be more able to enjoy the moment you’re in. Look through the windshield of where you are, not the rearview mirror where you're not.”
- We all slip up sometimes. What are the top words we businesswomen need to remove from our vocabulary?
“We women need to eliminate a few. Here are four to start with:
Just: When we use this word, we disqualify ourselves and take a position of defensiveness. We sound desperate and insecure. When you take it out, you instantly sound like you have more confidence.
I mean: This sounds immature. Say what you mean without using this phrase at the beginning of the sentence. You instantly sound more professional and confident.
Sorry: I’m not referring to when you’re actually apologizing for doing something wrong. But when you’re speaking up for yourself and the situation doesn’t call for a true apology, using this phrase makes you sound inferior. When we apologize for having a question or for others’ mistakes, it dampens their perception of us.
Little: Don’t say, “I just have this little idea”. Your dreams are not little. The dreams God has for you are not little. Stop putting limits on yourself and diminishing what you can do. All of these words lower our confidence and diminish our personal brand because we come off as insecure. What’s worse is, we become them! Words are powerful – they can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Using this word goes against how to scale your business.”
Christy Wright is the #1 national best-selling author of Business Boutique, host of the Business Boutique Podcast, a Certified Business Coach and a Ramsey Personality with a passion for equipping women with the knowledge and steps they need to successfully run and grow a business. Since joining Ramsey Solutions in 2009, she has spoken to thousands across the country at women’s conferences, national business conferences, Fortune 500 companies and her own sold-out live events. You can follow Wright on Twitter and Instagram @ChristyBWright and online at christywright.com or facebook.com/OfficialChristyWright.
Amber loves to share her passions for business, marketing, and entrepreneurship. Amber has experience growing small businesses, as well as leading the marketing in companies with annual revenues ranging from $35-$100+ million.
Amber is the Marketing Manager for BigRentz in Irvine, California. BigRentz was recognized in the top 10% of the Inc 500 list of fastest-growing U.S. companies, landing at #10 in California, #6 in Los Angeles, and #1 in Orange County in 2016.
Amber has an MBA from Chapman University. Her program was ranked in the World's Top 100 Business Schools and #4 in California by U.S. News and World Report, as well as #73 in the U.S. by Bloomberg Businessweek. She was awarded a three-quarter-ride academic scholarship to the program.
While earning her MBA, Amber worked at the Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship. There she connected entrepreneurs with mentors and investors, coached startup founders, helped plan a business model competition, and guest taught entrepreneurship classes.
Amber strives to be a Proverbs 31 woman, loves living in Los Angeles, and is happily married to her husband of five years.
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