Carnival Ride via Honeytree on Etsy

Hiya! Today is the first day of my new little fabulous something here on MV.com & I’m calling it the Creative Business Blog Carnival!

This is going to be where I find some of the BEST stinking posts of the month that will help you do some serious damage for your business. These are the posts that I think are awesome & will really help you rock your business all the way to greatness. You know why? Because they help me & if they can help me with my business then I know they can help you with yours!

So let’s get started! I’ve even broken them down into categories to make it easier to find what you need! Enjoy!

General

The 5 Step Plan for Tackling Information Overload – Sarah Burns

Feel Not Good Enough – Here’s The Cure – Marie Forleo

Finding Your Own Path To Business Growth – Allisa Jacobs

Setting SMART Growth Goals - Isa Maria Seminega

Steal These Ideas: Make Me Feel Good About My Purchase – Build A Little Biz

Blogging

Vlogging 101 Series – Mayi Carles

42 Timeless Ideas for Attracting More Visitors to Your Website – Think Traffic

Social Media

Timeline for Facebook Pages: What You Need To Know - Amy Porterfield

What Social Media Sites You Should Be On and How to Push Past Fear with Laura Roeder - Blacksburg Belle

Pinterest Ethics: Questioning, Considering, & Doing Our Homework – Jessika Hepburn

Marketing

How To Make Your Email Marketing Work – 5 Keys for Success – Young Entrepreneur

Now, if you would like one of your blog posts featured in this monthly carnival, you can submit them to me by emailing me the link at meagan {at} meaganvisser {dot} com by the 20th of each month. I’ll review your post & if it’s a good fit, I’ll include it. It’s a good way to spread the word about you, your business, & your blog. All posts need to focus on small business topics such as marketing, productivity, blogging, social media, product development, online selling, etc.

Be sure to share this post via the share buttons below & spread the word!

Image via Honeytree on Etsy

If you read my last article about why you should be a mentor to someone, then you may be wondering how you can actually go about doing it. What can you do to help another business owner out from time to time?

Today I’m going to share 4 things you need to keep in mind when mentoring someone through a business idea so that you can be effective in truly helping them.

1. Agree

When you’re mentoring someone, they’re going to come to you with ideas & they’re going to want your opinion on those ideas. In order to be effective at helping them you need to agree with them. Let me explain.

You’re not always going to think their idea is great, but you’re there to help them grow & learn. If you’re constantly telling them their ideas won’t work or that a different idea would be better, you’re not really helping them.

You want to build confidence in them. You want them to learn to work things out on their own with only a little guidance from you. You’re there to ask the questions they haven’t thought of. If their idea isn’t going to work out & you know it, sometimes it’s good to let them pursue it for a bit so that they can see why it won’t work or why it’s not best for their business instead of you just telling them it’s a dud yourself.

They’re coming to your for help, not to have you do it for them.

2. Not Only Say “Yes”… Say “Yes And…”

When you’re presented with a not so great idea from someone & they’re really excited about it, how do you go about letting them know that their idea doesn’t really make sense or isn’t going to work out the way they’d like without taking over or making them feel incompetent?

You say, “That’s a good idea! Have you thought about trying this too.”

Not only are you building up confidence in them to come up with ideas & find a way to make them work, but you’re also offering some help & direction when they’re off track by contributing to them.

This is a combination of agreeing & contributing. You’re not telling them to forget their idea & do something different instead, but you’re letting them go with their idea & you’re giving them some help along the way.

Sharing resources, encouragement, & direction is what mentoring is all about.

3. Make Statements

When you’re working with someone on an idea they have, you need to ask questions about their idea. Questions are good. It gets them thinking. It helps them fill in the gaps of their idea, but it can also be tiring & draining to constantly answer questions & sort through the idea.

Not only are they having to think a lot to answer all of your questions, but they’re probably going to start second guessing themselves & their idea as well because they feel overwhelmed with things they haven’t thought of… especially if you’re asking them a lot of hard-to-answer questions.

Instead of asking questions only, mix in some statements that will answer the question for them instead of them answering it. This way, you’re being helpful to them & adding more value to the conversation. They’re looking for your ideas as well. They want you to share your knowledge & add to their idea.

Like I said before, there’s a fine line here. This is their idea. You want them to do the majority of it on their own. You’re there to help them along & direct them… not to do it all for them. Ask questions but help them out by making statements too.

4. There Are No Mistakes… Only Opportunities

Obviously, no one is perfect & things don’t always go as planned. Not all ideas work out, but that doesn’t mean that working together wasn’t beneficial to you both. You’ve both learned something.

When an idea doesn’t go exactly the way you wanted, don’t throw it out the window. Talk about it together. Figure out where the problem was & see if there’s a way to do something different to make it work. Don’t scrap the idea & start over from scratch.

This is how businesses are build… on good ideas & bad, on things that work & things that don’t. There are always more than one way to go about accomplishing something. As a mentor, you can help the person you’re working with see the benefits in this attempt & help direct them to a different route while encouraging them to not give up on their vision & to try again.

Guiding & Growing

Mentoring someone else is taking them under your wing & gently guiding them. Yes they need to learn on their own. Yes there will be mistakes made. But in the end, they have someone to talk things through with & to be encouraged by. Is that someone you?

~* Thanks to Tina Fey for the awesome business tips that inspired this post!

Free Art Download from Collected Blog

Business is booming.

Life is great!

Money’s coming in, your marketing’s effective, customers are happy, & other business owners look up to you as a successful role model. They’re emailing you, asking your advice, & referring other business owners to you for help.

If you want to get noticed in your niche & draw people to you, listen up because I’ve got the perfect solution for you!

Share The Wealth…

… the wealth of knowledge that is.

When you make the decision to start a business there’s a lot of learning that has to take place, & it’s nice to have some help with all those beginning steps. Even if you’ve been in business for years, there will be times when you have questions about something.

How many times in the journey of your business have you had a question about something & gone to someone else to get an answer?

A lot, I’m sure. Whether it’s from another business owner that you know, an online forum, or a Google search, you’ve been helped by someone & I’m sure you were ever so grateful!

Can you provide some of that helpful information for someone else?

Karma, Reaping, & Boomerangs

It doesn’t matter how you wanna look at it or what you want to call it, doing something good for someone has a positive effect not only on them, but on you as well.

When you help someone, you get a reputation of being friendly, giving, & helpful. People talk about you. You get more attention & that means your business gets attention.

The people you help like you as well as people who don’t even know you. They like you because they know that if they had a question, you’d be willing to answer it for them or to direct them in the right direction. It helps them & it helps you.

Be A Mentor & SHINE On

Mentoring someone else is taking them under your wing & gently guiding them.

Can you help them? Do you have something to offer them? Of course you do. A listening ear & an encouraging word is one of the best things you can offer someone.

Mentoring doesn’t have to be a long-term thing. It can be as simple as answering a question or as in-depth as coaching them for several weeks.

It’s not difficult either. All you’re doing is sharing your experiences with others & letting them know what’s worked for you or where you’ve gone to for information.

Is there something that you do really well in your business? Can you share what you’ve learned with others on that subject?

Speaking Of Shining…

Just in case you didn’t know, there’s a new community out there called Shine Little Biz & it’s all about providing a place where business owners can come to celebrate their successes, promote their business, educate others, & provide inspiration for anyone with a business of their own.

Be sure to check it out!

Don’t forget to come back on Friday. I’m gonna be talking about 4 ways you can be a terrific mentor thanks to some words of wisdom from Tina Fey!

What’s one way someone has mentored you in your business? Talk to me in the comments below & be sure to give them a shout out!

Image via foodgawker.com

My husband went to Atlanta, GA a couple weekends ago for a worship leaders conference called “LIFT”. When he got home we were talking about his weekend & the conference, & he said the one thing they kept coming back to was to know your instrument & songs inside & out, forward & backward, & with your eyes closed.

The point was that you needed to be so familiar with what you were playing that you were aware of what’s going on around you & not so focused on your playing that it distracted you from other things.

When he told me that, I didn’t think much about it, but later it came to me. This is the same attitude we should adopt with our business, particularly the craft that your business revolves around.

It’s Not Enough To Be “Good”

There are probably a lot of people out there that do what you do or sell something similar to you. Many of them are good at what they do, but how many of them are great at what they do? How many of them are standing out among the rest? How many of them are doing bigger & better things?

It’s not enough to be good. It’s not enough to be doing the same things as your competitors. You have to do something different, something that improves what you have to offer over what they have to offer.

Anyone can become good at what they do, but what happens once you reach that point of being good? Do you stop? If you stop, then the only thing that’s going to set your product apart is it’s price or your customer service. It won’t be the product itself.

You Need A Growth Mindset

If you have the attitude that being good at what you do is enough then you need to adopt a growth mindset.

A growth mindset is an attitude that boils down to the fact that there’s always room for improvement. Growth = moving forward, beyond where you are now.

You can always find something in your product or your business that could use some tweaking or a little adjustment.

Evaluating Your Expertise

Break your product or business down into sections & rate each section on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being not so great & 5 being excellent.

Next look at the areas that got the lowest scores. Those are the areas that you should start working on improving first. It may not be your favorite thing to do, but it needs work & someone has to do it. Besides, it’s bettering the quality of your product which is going to make your customers happy & give you a leg up on the competition.

Plan For Success

Don’t have the mindset that things are good enough so you’re just going to leave them as is. There’s always room for improvement.

Know your product inside & out& be so good at what you do that you can’t help but be successful from it!

What area of your craft or product are you committing to improving this month?

Image by Hands Workshop on Etsy

Do you feel bummed out when you get an email saying someone has unsubscribed from your shop/website, blog, or newsletter?

I know I used too.

I took it personally. I felt like they were saying I wasn’t a good fit for them. That I didn’t have anything to offer. That I sucked.

And you know what? In a way, they were saying that… because it was true.

I’ve come a long way since those first days of unsubscriber letdown. I know that I’m not a perfect fit for everyone & that’s great. I know that I don’t have something to offer everyone & I’m okay with that. And best of all… I know that I don’t suck!

I LOVE unsubscribers & you should too!

Today I’m gonna tell you why they are one of the best things for your business.

They’re Bored

If someone unscubscribes from your blog or newsletter, they’re saying one of two things.

One – They’re way too busy & over committed. They need to clear out some space & you’re not one of the must haves.

Two – You just aren’t doing it for them any longer. Remember that they have a need they’re looking to fill? Well, you’re not filling it!

You’re Not Speaking Their Language

Either way, your content isn’t providing the value that they’re looking for. If it was, you wouldn’t be one of the first things to be cleared out of their cluttered inbox.

I can’t stress this enough. You have to solve your subscribers problems, answer their questions, provide them with helpful information & resources, entertain them, so on & so forth. You have to do all of that & you have to make it relevant to them.

If not it’s adios to you & that’s okay because you weren’t benefiting them & in turn they aren’t benefiting you. You’re just not a good fit for each other & it’s best to move on to find others who are a better fit for you.

Unsubscribers are good for your business. It gives you further insight into who your customer is, it helps you to gauge your content, & it allows you to have a better impact on those who are sticking around.

Tell Them What You’re All About

Now, no one wants to have tons of people subscribing to them & then unsubscribing a month later.

If that’s happening to you, you’ve got some kinks to work out.

It means you’re not effectively communicating what you’re all about. You not expressing your “why” or your “core message” very well. If you were, then they would know if they were on the same page as you & you wouldn’t have an unsubscriber problem.

Sometimes finding your message can take a while to figure out, but once you do you need to make sure they understand what it is so they’ll know if you are right for them or not.

Give Multiple Opportunities To Unsubscribe

You want to make sure that the people following you are the right people because if they aren’t, it’s a huge waste of your & their time. You need to reiterate what you & your business are all about & give them multiple opportunities to unsubscribe.

Periodically write a blog post about your goals or your vision. Tell people that if that isn’t their goal or vision as well, that you appreciate them, but you all just aren’t a good fit & it’s best to move on & find someone who is. Do the same thing in your newsletter.

Having people subscribe to your content is supposed to be useful, helpful, & beneficial. Make sure those on your list are the right people. Reminding them of what you’re about & asking them to unsubscribe is one way to keep your tribe in tip-top shape. It helps you to be more effective.

Don’t get caught up in the size of your newsletter list or email subscribers. You want the right people following you, not a huge list where 75% of it could care less about what you have to say.

What do you think when people unsubscribe from you?

Chalkboard by Spread the Love on Etsy

Need extra cash? Who doesn’t?

If you’re looking for a way to earn some extra money, summer is the perfect time to do it. A lot of people have more free time & kids are out of school. They’re looking for something to do & you can fill their need.

If you can teach someone about your craft, then voila! There’s some extra cash for your pocket.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, then read on because today I’m gonna tell you how to make it happen!

Make A Plan

The first step is to come up with a plan for your class.

Decide who you want your class to be for, how long you want it to last, & what you want to teach. Then make a rough outline of it. Check out my example below!

Once you’ve got your class outline ready you need to start looking into finding a venue to teach your class. Consider your needs & the price it will cost to use the facility.

You also need to make a list of the materials you’ll need for each student in your class & then figure out how much you need to get total. Research prices so you can figure it in the cost of the class.

Get The Word Out

Once you have your class planned out, you know the materials you need, you know where you’re going to host your class & you know how much you’re going to charge, it’s time to get the word out!

You can advertise your class through paid sources or free sources. My suggestion would be to use both.

Free

• hang brochures & flyers around town
• ask people to spread the word

Paid

• mail flyers to homes & businesses
• run ads in local papers, radio stations, or tv stations

Make sure you are specific in what the class is about, who it’s for, where the class will be held, when & how long it will last, how much it will cost, & who to contact in all of your advertising.

Let The Learning Begin

The only thing left to do now is to have a great time & teach your class! Make sure you take it seriously & really provide value to each & every student that you come across.

You’ll want to practice running through each week’s class to make sure it goes smoothly. This way you can work the kinks out ahead of time. It’s a good idea to  practice it in front of a friend or record yourself & watch it in order to make sure what you’re saying is coming across clearly & is understandable.

On the first day of class, have everything set out & prepared ahead of time. It’s also a good idea to have things pre-made & ready to go if you’re going to show things in stages.

When students start arriving, greet everyone. Smile. Be friendly. You really want them to feel welcome & to open up to you. It’s always a good idea to start the class off with some type of icebreaker activity that’s fun & really helps everyone to feel more comfortable.

Lastly, when class is ending, be sure to thank everyone for coming & give them an idea of what they’ll be learning at their next class!

In Conclusion

If you’re looking for an additional income stream that’s centered around your business, teaching what you know is a great way to go. It will make you some extra money & it’s also helps to establish you as more of an expert in your niche. Not to mention it’s great advertising for you!

What’s holding you back from teaching a class this summer? Let’s talk about it in the comments below!