Tag Archives: work

Oct15

Double Dinner Date OOTD Bloopers

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Double Dinner Date OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Double Dinner Date OOTD! I wore this look to meet my boss and his wife with Johnny at a new restaurant called Akron’s Farm Table. This was an exciting night out for me because I got to meet my virtual boss IRL and conduct an interview with the restaurant owners. Double dates are also always fun and Johnny and I haven’t been on one in forever. Although I was really feeling myself in my outfit, I would be a liar if I said I wasn’t nervous about this outing. More on that later, first let’s take a look at the pics that definitely didn’t make the first cut… Until now!

Somehow always managing to trip during OOTD shoots. Whoopsy daisy!

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Gazing off into the distance with this stupid look lol

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I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Just having a laugh in this pic and having one now because wtf

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Clearly I thought I was really working it

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Apparently I was in a perpetual state of shock during this shoot 😮

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I like to think that I am a fairly outgoing gal. However, it takes me a while to get warmed up when meeting new people. I admit that I have quite a bit of anxiety in those situations and I find myself thinking if new friends, colleagues, or acquaintances like me or if I said the wrong thing throughout the meeting. I was very nervous to meet my online boss IRL. Of course I wanted to make a great impression, but I also have not had much practice meeting anyone new in a while. Johnny and I already know the people we want to know lol.

I am pleased to report that I didn’t let my nerves get the best of me during our Double Dinner Date and I thought I rocked it. Yes, I was anxious for things to go well, but I kept reminding myself that it’s not like my boss and I don’t have a phone conference almost every day. I know him, I just had not met him. I gave myself positive affirmations like “I’m great at what I do”, “I have a wonderful personality”, and to “just have fun” and it helped put me much more at ease. It must have done the trick because we are planning to check out another restaurant all together sometime soon! 😀

I kind of forgot that I had a hard time meeting new people until this outing because it had been so long. I am really proud of myself for putting my best face forward despite the anxiety and I think this will be a most helpful situation to remember in the future if I am around someone new. I consider this to be excellent progress so hurray for a GREAT SUCCESS!

Do you have an outgoing personality? What is something that you struggle with in social situations? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct14

Double Dinner Date OOTD

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Double Dinner Date OOTD

Hello! This past Friday was so lovely because I went on a double date with Johnny, my boss, and his wife. Starting in January, I started a position as the in house writer for a local tech entrepreneur. We handle everything virtually and just didn’t have a need or occasion to meet IRL. On Friday, however, we were working with a new restaurant for one of the businesses we manage and thought it would be fun to make a night of it with our partners. I was SO excited to have a night on the town all together and wanted to create a look that showed off my personal style while still looking professional. This is what I came up with and I was loving it:

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Who? What? Wear?

Dress: MaxSport LA, TJMaxx

Boots: Formentini, TJMaxx

*** The earrings are Lucky Brand, the bracelet was bought at a vendor fair, and the necklace is from American Eagle Outfitters.

When I began styling this look, I knew I wanted to wear a dress. The only question was “which one?”. I didn’t want a dress that was too tight or too showy because the night wasn’t about my outfit. It was about helping out a small local business and meeting my boss. So, I decided on something that I would wear for a business lunch or coffee and chose my dress by MaxSport LA. This was a ten dollar steal from TJMaxx and I thought it served its purpose very well.

I selected this dress for many reasons. First and foremost, I love it. But it also checked off all of the boxes that I required. It was form fitting without being tight, knee length, and something I could picture myself wearing to an office if I worked in one lol. The colors featured on this frock are gorgeous and it felt so perfectly fall with a fun nod to the 70s. The pattern was another huge plus as it was bold, but didn’t feel like too much.

The weather on Friday night was still nice and warm so a jacket or tights weren’t necessary. So, it was onto shoes and accessories. For shoes, I went with one of my favorite pairs of heeled boots by Formentini. I am as obsessed with these boots now as I was the day I got them and they paired beautifully with the MaxSport LA dress. These little numbers added a classy amount of length and tied into the retro vibe that the dress invoked for cohesion’s sake.

Finally, it was time for accessories. To start, I put on a dangly pair of turquoise earrings by Lucky Brand. These were a gift from my mom and I love them so very much. Turquoise, burnt orange, and burgundy are a match made in fall color heaven. The lower neckline on my dress provided real estate to add on a delicate necklace and I put on a tiny charm one from AEO for some modest bling. The capped bell sleeves of the dress offered room for a bracelet too so I went back into the jewelry box and came out with a bronze chain bracelet with a turquoise bead and feather. The feather was another understated tip of the cap to all things 70s and the bead matched my earrings. Total win/win!

I felt like a class act in my Double Dinner Date OOTD and this is one that I can definitely picture wearing in a work environment or another night on the town. A wonderful time was had by all and we cannot wait to get together again soon. I would say this business/fun dinner out was a GREAT SUCCESS!

How do you rock a business casual look? Have you ever met someone you work with virtually IRL? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep27

Friendly Reminder!

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Friendly Reminder!

Hello!!! Every once in a while do you get messages from random people you went to high school with and never once spoke to asking to join a pyramid scheme? Because SAME lol. I also receive a ton of messages asking for one of my number one pet peeves – to “pick my brain” about blogging. In other words, get free advice on my expertise because we graduated from the same high school or just so happen to be friends on social media. It is amazing how quickly the conversation ends once my consultation rates are explained. This sounds snobby, but it is very annoying – especially because I often offer advice on my blog free of charge so I know they aren’t reading my page at all!

My logic behind offering consultations for those who want to start a blog is similar to why I pay for tattoo consultations. The bottom line, is that people are spending their time and knowledge to help you and that is something that should be compensated monetarily. For my consultations, it is a $25 flat rate and in that time we will work through several key points that are essential when starting a blog. This includes: Creating a name around your vision, establishing a writing and publishing schedule that works for you, figuring out your strongest writing categories and choosing offshoot categories, networking strategies, a special shout out on my page, and so much more.

Unless you are really good friends with a blogger or social media guru, chances are you are going to be asked to pay a fee for advice. This is just a friendly reminder because for a lot of people, myself included, blogging is a business. Those who have established a name in this field worked really hard for it and our knowledge is worthy of being considered valuable. The same goes for anyone who works in a creative field – remember, this isn’t just our hobby but our livelihood! 🙂

This post was not meant to be bratty, but what the title says – a Friendly Reminder. I have been experiencing this issue a lot lately and I know that I am not the only one who can relate!

What is one of your biggest pet peeves? What else should I include in my blogging consultations? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep22

How To Make Apartment Management Easier

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How To Make Apartment Management Easier

The market size of property management exceeded $100 billion in 2021, and with more and more people choosing apartment living over family homes, there seems to be no end to the boom of property management. Suppose you want to expand your real estate portfolio to include apartment blocks, or you simply want to improve how you run your current properties. In that case, this post looks at some of the best ways to enhance apartment operations and give your tenants the best experience possible:

Eliminate Paperwork and Manual Records:

Manually filing paperwork or accounts can be laborious and lead to mistakes and longer timelines. Instead, you need to have a digital system that allows you to collate and record all the data and information you need from tenants and vendors in one place for easier access and more up-to-date information. This will enable you to better see what is happening and how things operate simultaneously without finding different records or correcting mistakes. If paperwork is something you struggle with, a real estate management company can assist with this to ensure that everything is in place for your tenants. This is a huge part of managing an apartment and needs to be done right.

Automate As Much As Possible:

Automation is key and goes hand in hand with digitizing your records and accounts. Whether this is automatically collecting rental payments, automating repair requests, maintenance schedules, or wages, the more you can get set up to run independently, the easier things will be for you. Building Automation and Control Systems allows you to streamline your operations and always stay in control. Speaking of running things more efficiently, a major hassle can be the constant replacement of keys and locks for your tenants. It can turn into a time consuming task and can be made easier. Considering a service like property management key systems can not only boost safety but keep your tenants in control of their keys at all times.

Outsource:

Outsourcing tedious or time-consuming jobs can lighten your load and allow you to make sure everything is taken care of. Always check with your local state about what is and isn’t legal when outsourcing apartment management to ensure everything is legal and above board. From pool maintenance to outsourcing building checks, safety assessments, or even front-of-house reception staff, you can ensure things are running like clockwork by using third parties to lighten the load. If you’d like to outsource pool maintenance, you can search for services in your local area here https://premierpoolservice.com/locations/ to help keep the pool pristine.

If your property for rent is serving as a vacation rental, it can also be really helpful to have outsourcing options available. This is especially important if you don’t live near your rental property. Looking into a cheap airbnb management company is a budget friendly way to assist with cleaning, maintenance, and interacting with guests. Services like this can provide your rental with higher reviews, repeat bookings, and happy clients.

Improve Communications:

Communications come in many different forms as a property manager. From conversing with tenants and dealing with issues face to face to replying to emails or dealing with vendors or contractors. How you communicate will impact how well you can manage your property and how easily things get done.

Be as clear and concise as possible when talking to residents, and always clarify things with them so you’re both on the same page. Having a third party present when discussing important topics can also be a good idea so everyone is confident about what is happening and you have a witness to discussions should you need it. Other options include using templates uploaded to a website or app that residents can use to log issues. Be it repairs, payment queries, complaints about neighbors, etc. This can allow you to keep all the information in one place and ensure nothing is overlooked when responding to multiple requests.

Managing an apartment isn’t an easy feat, and there are many things you need to juggle to keep things running smoothly. These tips can help you to become more organized, improve communications, and get off on the right foot for maximum satisfaction with employees and residents.

Featured Image By: Pexels

Sep5

The Business Of Blogging

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The Business Of Blogging

Hey! I was SO excited to receive an email from Oprah of the blog Oprah Zip Bradford letting me know that she was back to the blogosphere after a hiatus. It is always so nice to be in touch with friends new and old that I have met through lifewithlilred and Oprah and I go way back. When she asked if I was up for a collaboration, of course I said YES! We were in touch after my four year streak of daily content was announced and she thought it would be beneficial if I explained my blogging business a bit more. I am always down to help inspire and inform other writers so of course I said YES! Here is some advice from your favorite Lil Red blogger:

What do you want out of your blog?

Blogging is an interesting hobby because it could be left as something done just for funsies or as a lucrative hustle. I originally started writing just for fun and I still do. However, I was lucky enough to be linked up with publishing companies and advertisers during lifewithlilred’s early years. Every day, I write for pleasure. However, it is a source of income for me and that keeps me motivated to continue creating daily content. Even if your blog isn’t making you money right now, that’s not to say it won’t in the future. If this is something that you are interested in, then it must be taken seriously as not only an outlet for your creativity but as a potential job.

Making a schedule that works for you:

Whether you would like to publish content just for fun or as a possible source of income, I will always recommend making a schedule. Schedules are important for bloggers because it lets your readers know when to expect you and to keep checking in. When you have a publishing schedule, you can create a writing schedule that works for you. In my case, I publish daily. This means that I have to write daily or write multiple posts in one sitting to schedule ahead of time. As you can tell, I am a very schedule oriented person when it comes to my blog and it has done nothing but help me.

Reach out:

If you are hoping for more interactions, viewers, or friends in the blogosphere – reach out! There are millions of blogs out there and it’s unrealistic to think that everyone is going to find yours. Scroll through the WordPress newsfeed and see what tickles your fancy. Interact with other bloggers on their pages and send them love. Encourage collaborations, announce your blog on social media, use word of mouth marketing. In other words, draw attention to your page yourself. There is viral content being shared every second of every day and it’s easy for blogs to get lost in the crowd.

Don’t limit your content:

If you have a blog where you are writing about a specific topic with every post, that is fine. My advice would be not to limit your content, though, because this just limits yourself as a writer. lifewithlilred started out as a strictly beauty and fashion blog and I am happy that I was able to branch out as a well rounded lifestyle blogger. If I stuck with just beauty and fashion, there is no way that I could create daily content. What are offshoots of your favorite topic to write about? For example, beauty and health and wellness often go hand in hand. Once you identify more topics to write about, you are inviting even more readers with different interests to check out your page.

Go easy on yourself:

It might not seem like it, but blogging and maintaining your page is hard work. It can be disheartening when you find that your efforts are not resulting in views or a payday. Please, don’t fret! Once you start beating yourself up, it immediately sucks the joy out of writing. I always say to write for the sake of writing. Don’t do it for viewers, don’t do it for advertisers – do it because YOU love it. When you are doing something you love, it doesn’t matter if one person sees it or one hundred thousand. Do keep this in mind because I have seen many a blogger come and go in lifewithlilred’s almost ten year tenure. Don’t set yourself up to give up by making comparisons or feeling like your page isn’t good enough. You are writing and that is always enough! ❤

Thanks so much to darling Oprah for asking me to share my Ted Talk. I hope this post gave all of you some insight going forward with your own blog!

What are some of your blogging questions for me? What is the link to your blog? Share away! I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun9

A Guide For Building A Healthy Food Business

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A Guide For Building A Healthy Food Business

Are you someone who is passionate about healthy food and wants to turn that passion into a successful business? Starting your healthy food business or from scratch may seem daunting, especially if you don’t know where to begin. But fear not, because we have got you covered with this step-by-step guide to help you launch your healthy food business.

Starting a business requires hard work, dedication, and patience. However, once you get the ball rolling, it can be a rewarding experience that allows you to turn your passion for healthy eating into a thriving business:

Define Your Business Plan and Target Audience:

The first step in starting any business is to define your target audience and create a solid business plan. Your business plan should include a unique value proposition, your target audience, and your goals for the business. When it comes to healthy food, you need to be specific about the type of food you will offer, whether it be vegan, gluten-free, organic, or something else. Understanding your target audience will help you decide what healthy food offerings will succeed.

Creating a cohesive business plan that defines both short and long term goals is so important for achieving success. However, it can be a huge undertaking. Software programs like this ERP for the food and beverage industry can be most beneficial in helping you manage and execute your plan accordingly. Using technology like this can boost efficiency and give you the peace of mind that everything is running as it should.

Get the Equipment You Need:

The equipment you need for your healthy food business will depend on the types of food that you plan to sell. You will need essential kitchen equipment like refrigerators, ovens, stoves, and specialized equipment for processing and preparing healthy food products. Don’t forget that you will also need to be well stocked with supplies you need for cleaning too like Commercial Disinfectants, floor cleaners, and sanitizers. Make sure to research the equipment and products required for your specific food niche.

Set Up Your Business Legally:

It’s essential to set up your healthy food business legally and obtain the necessary licenses and permits. Setting up your business correctly will protect you from potential legal issues down the road and give your customers the peace of mind that your products are safe and trustworthy.

Register Your Business Name:

Once you have chosen a legal structure, your next step should be registering your business name. This process usually involves checking your desired name, filing the appropriate paperwork with your state government, and paying a registration fee. Make sure to choose a name that is unique, memorable, and easy to spell, and do a trademark search to ensure that it is not already taken. Whether you are creating a vegetarian restaurant or financing a pub, you will want a name that sticks with people so don’t be overhasty with your decision.

Obtain the Necessary Licenses and Permits:

You must obtain licenses and permits to legally operate a healthy food business. These can vary by state and locality, but they may include a food service establishment permit, a retail food store license, a seller’s permit, and a food handler’s permit. You may also need to comply with specific regulations related to food safety, nutrition labeling, and sales tax collection.

Create Your Branding Strategy:

Your branding strategy is a set of guidelines that define your brand’s personality, values, and visuals. It includes your logo, color palette, tone of voice, and tagline. Your branding strategy should be consistent across all of your marketing and advertising materials to boost brand recognition. Start by identifying your target audience, researching your competitors, and defining what sets your brand apart. This is the perfect opportunity to explore promotional products which can help spread the word and keep your business on the minds of your customers. These products could be T-shirts, water bottles, or more unique items like a magic 8 ball for my company. Try printing on a variety of different promotional items and see what is the most popular for your clientele.

Develop Your Marketing Strategy:

Your marketing strategy promotes your products and services to your target audience. With the rise of social media, visual content has become more critical than ever. That’s where commercial food photography services come in. From capturing mouth-watering images of your delectable dishes to showcasing your brand’s unique story, professional food photography can take your marketing efforts to the next level. By portraying your business in the best possible light, you can attract a loyal customer base and stand out in a crowded market.

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Plan Your Advertising Strategy:

Your advertising strategy is about reaching your target audience through paid media channels like Facebook, Google Ads, and print and online publications. Choosing the proper advertising channels to effectively reach your target audience and design ads that capture their attention and resonate with their needs and wants is essential.

Starting your own healthy food business from scratch is an exciting and rewarding journey. With these steps, you’ll be on your way towards building a successful healthy food business!

May9

Content Creating 101

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Content Creating 101

Hello!! This past week, I shared my pro tips for working from home and self employment that were very well received. So, I decided to do one more 101 post with a focus on content creating. For almost four years, I have been creating daily content for lifewithlilred and I am very determined to continue this streak for as long as humanly possible! These are some of the tips that help me stay motivated and creative and maybe they’ll be helpful for you too:

Patience is a virtue:

Over the past several years, influencers and content creators have made a big splash online and I’m sure we all have a favorite personality with millions of viewers. It might be easy to think that you can immediately start publishing content and hit it big but that is far from the case more often than not. Every popular influencer started off with minimal views and they worked hard to increase them. As a content creator, it is important to be patient and continue posting even if you think no one is seeing it. At the end of the day, this is what you have to do to boost your visibility so stick with it and don’t compare yourselves to other people – nothing good ever comes out of that!

Content is everywhere:

Chances are, you are not going to stumble upon instantly viral content and if you have, then you are SO lucky! Although you might not come across million view worthy things when you are out and about, there is still content everywhere. Sometimes, it helps to think small instead of big in terms of content, especially when you are feeling uninspired. Then, you can appreciate all of the little things that are just as post worthy too. This always helps me! Take a walk and post about how you felt in nature, write about your favorite knick knack at home; if you think that it is worth writing about, then it is. Simple as that. 🙂

Never stop learning:

There is, truly, a lot more to content creating than meets the eye and the online world is changing constantly. There are always going to be new social media platforms, trends, and techniques to learn and it’s important to stay up to date with them. Myself, for example, didn’t get an Instagram until the end of 2021 and I regret that because it’s literally the easiest platform ever and I just said “hard no” lol. Educate yourself by learning about SEO, analytics, trending topics, and ways to increase your visibility and incorporate it into your content. There are so many tools out there to help you, but they’re only going to help if you familiarize yourself with it first.

Have fun:

At the end of the day, I genuinely think that content creating is fun. I love to write, take pictures, explore, and I enjoy being on social media. If you are not feeling the joy of creating something, then it might be a good time to reevaluate what you are currently doing and see where you can improve. It’s okay to take breaks and give your mind a chance to refresh so you can get back to creating and having a blast while doing so.

Stay organized:

I cannot recommend a publishing schedule enough, especially when you are first starting out. This helps your viewers know when to expect your posts, look forward to them, and keep checking in. When I first began lifewithlilred, I was posting willy nilly with no set schedule and I quickly learned the benefits of establishing one. I went from twice a week content to every other day to every day in the near decade of my page’s existence. Having this set in stone schedule definitely assisted my page’s visibility. Create a schedule that works well for you and commit to it. Content is being created every second of every day all over the world. Random postings are very easy to get lost among the crowd!

When it comes to content creating, be patient with the process of it, stay motivated, and have fun. Whether you are getting one view or a million, you created something you were proud of and that’s the best thing of all!

What is your favorite social media platform? What are some of your content creating pro tips? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May6

Self Employment 101

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Self Employment 101

Hello! In a recent post, I shared my pro tips for Working From Home 101 and I thought I would share my thoughts on self employment as well. For close to a decade, I have been working under the best boss in the world – myself! At times, it is stressful and difficult, but it is also so rewarding and I truly couldn’t imagine working under someone else ever again. I love what I do as an Independent Provider for people with special needs and as a Content Creator and I have had years to perfect my method. All of the following works for me and maybe it will be helpful for you too:

Organization is ESSENTIAL:

When you are self employed, it is up to you to handle everything and if you struggle with organization, it can be a struggle. Thankfully, I live to organize and thrive with a fairly strict schedule, making this aspect of self employment one of my favorite things. Sticking to a schedule and staying on top of things eliminates any surprises from interfering with your work flow. To keep myself in check, I follow these steps:

Paperwork: Getting behind on your paperwork is one of the absolute worst things that you can do. This is why I refuse to end a day without completing all of my forms both tangible and online. I also set aside time at the end of every month to complete my mileage log for my taxes. I am very meticulous about my paperwork and keep everything organized in a filing cabinet in my office. It just makes things easier to have everything I might ever need at the ready and even if it is annoying sometimes, my businesses wouldn’t thrive otherwise.

Scheduling: One of the benefits of self employment is making your own schedule. This freedom can be utterly intoxicating if you are used to waiting around for a schedule from a previous job. However, don’t enjoy it too much! Falling into the trap of “I’ll do it tomorrow” or “I have plenty of time to get it done” sets you up for failure. Creating a schedule that works for you and that you know you can commit to is only going to help you!

Taxes: Filing your taxes is going to be different than usual when you’re self employed and I cannot recommend getting familiar with this process enough. All year, my “tax” file in my cabinet gets a lot of use and by the time tax season rolls around, I have nothing left to do but schedule an appointment. When you learn what things can be “written off”, you can not only save money but step up your record keeping game. It’s a win/win and, of course, if you have any questions along the way, call the person who does your taxes!

Stay Cool:

When you are self employed, you are making the plunge from “employee” to “business owner”. It is very easy to get overwhelmed by this and the best thing that you can do is to keep a level head. Staying cool, calm, and collected allows you to make rational decisions for your business and it’s never good to make these calls when you’re stressed. As the owner of two businesses, I know firsthand that juggling so many different things can be intense. Whenever I notice that I’m feeling the pressure of this, I allow myself to take a break, clear my head, and start fresh.

Keep Learning:

Even if you are your own boss, you should never stop trying to learn new things to improve your business. Find a mentor, take classes, do your own research, and ask questions. You don’t want your business to plateau, but grow! My mentor has helped me SO much in skill development, educating myself, and mastering new things. Finding someone to take you under their wing or at least brainstorm with can boost your business in ways that you might not have even considered. Be curious, ambitious, and willing to learn – it will take you far!

Enjoy Yourself:

Being self employed is something that not everyone has the luxury of doing and it’s something that I feel very lucky for. I remember this often and even on crazy busy days, I am still happy that I am doing it all by myself. Shifting your mindset from “this is too much” to “this is pretty awesome” will make your days so much more enjoyable, even under stress. On rollercoaster days, just put your hands up and enjoy the ride because you never know where your business will take you!

My businesses have thrived from being highly organized and highly motivated and I feel so proud of that. These tips help me out every day and gives me the drive to keep going forward in my own self employment!

What are some of your self employment pro tips? What is your dream job? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May1

Working From Home 101

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Working From Home 101

Hello! One of my goals for 2023 was to gain more opportunities to work from home. On January 3rd, this was answered through a partnership with a tech entrepreneur and I have been his in house writer ever since! It is the absolute best and now I spend my mornings working from home doing what I do best: Content creating and social media. At first, this new job was a bit stressful on top of my work schedule as an Independent Provider for people with special needs. However, I have gotten my work from home flow down pat and these simple adjustments keep my days running like a fine tuned machine:

Sticking to a schedule:

This seems like a no brainer, but a solid schedule is how I achieved optimum success. Once I learned that my mornings were going to be different, I immediately formed a schedule and a new wake up time based on how long it takes me to complete everything else I need to do. Unfortunately, this meant starting to get up at five AM every morning and that was really hard at first! However, after about a week, my body adjusted to the “early bird” BS and I am so thankful for that lol. I was able to work out to the minute how long it would take me to take care of Mel and Pen, shower, write for lifewithlilred, eat breakfast, and start WFH while still making it to all of my afternoon clients on time. In writing, it seems like a lot but this schedule sets my day up to run smoothly and I would be lost without it!

Break time:

I am an on the go type of gal and one mistake that I made when I began WFH was not allowing myself a break or two. This is why I now eat breakfast almost every day and when I have spare time, I watch an episode of Assassination Classroom on CrunchyRoll. It might not seem like it, but sitting in an uncomfortable chair in front of the computer for hours on end can be really draining – especially when you have another job to go to after! Whenever I am feeling stiff or my brain needs a breather, I know it’s time to get up and stretch or tool around on Facebook for five or so minutes to get myself back in check. All work and no breaks leads to burnout and I now know that taking a ten doesn’t hurt my work flow but help it drastically.

Communication is key:

When you work from home, obviously, your boss isn’t in the next room over so you can ask questions. Therefore, communication is key to WFH success. My boss and I are essentially on the same schedule in the morning, which means that we can hop on a conference call, game plan, and I know he’s just a call away if something doesn’t make sense. Working from home does give you some free reign, but that means nothing if you didn’t do what needs to be done correctly. I used to not be the fondest person of asking questions and now I know that this is a no no and I highly encourage check ins so everyone is on the same page.

Don’t forget to end your day:

When your home is your office, it is SO easy to forget to stop working lol. The saying goes to not bring your work home but what if your work is already at home?! Believe you me, whenever I get a new email or message from clients after hours, I want nothing more to respond immediately and that’s not good! Like any other job, clocking out at the end of the day means that you are done and it is important for your own well being to respect that. Unless it is an absolutely urgent matter, I consider my work day done at five o’clock and I am so glad for it. If you struggle with not being able to turn your work mode off, I cannot recommend setting up an out of office email enough and setting limits for yourself because you are only going to end up exhausted.

I have been working from home for five months now and it took some time for me to get the hang of it. All of the above helped me out so much and I hope some of these tips work for you too!

What are some of your own WFH tips? Do you prefer going to work in person or virtually? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar29

5 Areas Of Your Business You May Need To Streamline

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5 Areas Of Your Business You May Need To Streamline

Streamlining involves making tasks simpler and more efficient by reducing the amount of elements that you have to work with. It can be important to streamline various aspects of your business in order to make them easier to manage. Below are just five examples of areas that you can benefit from streamlining:

Suppliers:

Are you working with too many suppliers? While using many different suppliers can allow you to shop around for prices, it can mean having to keep track of multiple orders and payments. This can make it easier to overlook delays with orders or accidentally miss payments. A great way to streamline this area of business is to find a wholesaler to order all of your supplies from. Once you have an idea of how often you will need to reorder supplies, you can often schedule shipments from wholesalers so you never have to worry about running out of something you need.

Alternatively, you can look into supply chain management platforms that allow you to order everything from one place. For example, if you’re a dentist, there are ordering systems out there such as this one that can allow you to get the best possible prices on labs and supplies while only having to shop in one place.

Software:

Many modern companies use a myriad of different software applications to handle various processes like accounting, HR, marketing, appointment scheduling, and data management – businesses can even make use of Customizable Balanced Scorecard Software as part of their strategic planning. Using lots of different programs from lots of different developers can result in more costs to keep track of. On top of this, you could be creating more work for yourself by not being able to easily transfer data between them and by having to train employees on how to use each individual program.

Finding an all-in-one software option could make everything a lot more organized. To begin finding experts who can handle all of your software needs, simply enter a search for “custom software in ohio” (or your local area). From there, you can narrow down your options until you find the right fit for you that specializes in your requirements. You could also consider sticking to multiple programs from a single developer to allow easy interaction between all of them. Just make sure this developer offer programs that contain all of the features you need.

When it comes to the software that your business is using, there is a lot that can go wrong. These bugs and issues can be dangerous for your business and you will want them solved in real time. Using programs that take advantage of AI can quickly provide solutions as time is money. To tackle data quality issues, AI is used on this Data Observability Platform and resolves problems directly in code. These tools can be crucial in the success and efficiency of your business and should be considered to avoid major delays.

Debts:

Are you having to keep track of multiple debts to different lenders? As debts accumulate, it can become much harder to keep track of how much debt you have and how much you owe each lender. This is why many companies find it beneficial to look into debt consolidation – this involves taking out one big loan to pay off all of your debts. This could be worth doing if you’ve got unpaid invoices, arrears, credit card bills, and numerous loans to pay off. Just make sure to compare debt consolidation loan interest fees first.

Products/services:

Providing too many products and services can stretch your talents and resources thin. In some cases, it can even put off clients. A classic example is offering a menu in a restaurant that has too many options. Not only does this mean more dishes for your chefs to learn and more ingredients to stock, but it can also intimidate some customers. Focus on a few things at a time and add new products and services as needed. Furthermore, working with professionals through Mantralis interim project manager services could be a great way to manage complex projects during periods of transition or resource shortages. This approach can help refine your offerings and make processes more efficient.

Social media:

Some marketers will tell you that you need to be active on every social media platform in order to have a successful online presence. However, this is typically a lot more time-consuming and can often mean creating weaker content on each platform just to make sure that each site is covered. If you’re strapped for time, it’s better to focus all of your attention on one platform so that you can master it. This should ideally be the social media platform that is most relevant to your audience in order to get the most engagements. Only try to cover every social media site if you have designated staff members to do this for you.

Work smarter not harder by streamlining for a more organized and less stressful way of running your business!

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