Brandmerry Blog Archives
How to Get Your Business Summer Ready
One of the lessons I've learned as an entrepreneur is to honor the different seasons in life and business.
Sometimes these seasons are based on what's happening in our personal lives and sometimes they beautifully align with the literal seasons of the year.
This summer season just so happens to be one of the latter for me!
Allowing this ebb and flow is all part of building a sustainable business, something I just shared more details about inside of my Sustainable Business Series on the Brandmerry Podcast.
I'm 100% in summer mode at Brandmerry, a time when I want to work less, obviously still maintain my current revenue goals, and take some much-needed time to play.
Are you feeling the same?
To help you prep for the summer months, I wanted to share 4 of the top tips that helped me get summer ready as a business owner!
Tip #1: Adjust Your Availability
We're big fans of using Acuity here at Brandmerry for all our scheduling needs. This is the platform my 1:1 clients can use to book calls with me, and back when I offered Discovery Calls I would use it as well.
If you have "normal office hours" set in your scheduler now is a great time to make those adjustments.
Want to take Fridays off? Block that day.
Taking a week of vacation? Get that set now!
Or, if you're like me, you want to make a few days available for calls and leave the rest unavailable for scheduling. Right now, this looks like 5 days a month where I'm taking calls - perfect for summer.
Tip #2: Scheduled Time Off
I'm a firm believer that if it's not on the calendar it isn't going to happen, and that's pretty much true for everything, especially vacation.
I hope that you've got a few vacations or "staycations" planned this summer. If you don't already take at least one week off every quarter, you need to listen to this podcast here.
Now, is a great time to decide exactly which days you'll be taking off and do a few things:
☑ Block them off on your client-facing schedule
☑ Add them to your personal calendar (so you honor them)
☑ Communicate with your clients about your time off and any deadlines they should know in advance.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, taking time off is good for business!
Tip #3: Prep/Adjust Your Content
Every year, during the summer months, I like to take a break from creating new content. It doesn't mean I'm not showing up, you're still getting this email, we're still adding content to Pinterest, and repurposing old content like pros!
However, I'm not going through my traditional weekly workflow to generate new content - I'm taking a break.
This year, the podcast and YouTube channel will be on break from June - August.
Whether I'm creating new content or repurposing old ones, having a plan in place to share content online has always been necessary, especially when I'm working fewer hours a week.
Enter my content plan, something I just so happen to have available for you inside the Content Planning Blueprint.
Mapping out and creating 30, 60, or 90 days of content in advance is 100% possible with the right system, and it can allow you to preschedule content for months at a time without you having to consistently create it.
I share more about my process in this video and a vlog on how I did it here.
And don't forget, my entire step-by-step system is available inside the Content Planning Blueprint for just $47.
Tip #4: Plan Your Return
I think we can all agree, that the hardest part about coming back from any break is the actual coming back part. We all remember summer break in school, right?
One of the ways I've made it exciting to get back to a particular schedule after an extended "slow down," is to have something prepared for my return.
For instance, I might launch a program within 30-60 days of an extended vacation. This gets me excited about coming back, a clear goal for when I return, and lights a fire under my a$$.
Another thing I like to do is think about my education as a business owner. I'm always looking for ways to improve my business and as CEO I'm investing in my development and growth.
This might look like investing in a course or program BEFORE I take a break so that I can get started when I return.
I'm working through a program right now, and it was a great goal for me after returning from my 2-week break in May.
On the flip side, during times when I might be slowing down with my content creation, scheduling, etc... I often find this is a great time to work behind the scenes.
Maybe you're thinking of a rebrand?
Wanting to update your website and launch in the Fall?
Maybe you've got a new program idea?
Whatever it is, what can you do now to not only prepare to meet that goal, but to have something to pull you back in after stepping back a bit this summer?
It's really powerful to take these opportunities to recalibrate as business owners.
To have the space to reflect, do some inner work, fill in gaps, etc... and I've found that summer is always a great time to do it!
P.S. Get the Content Planning Blueprint and become an organized, productive, high-converting content machine and get your brand seen and paid consistently.
For just $47, you'll have a tried and true system to plan 90 days of content, a repeatable workflow to save you hours on creating and distributing your content every week, and content topics that will keep performing for your brand for years to come!
Planning and creating your content doesn't have to be a constant struggle. There is a better way to research, plan, and create your content as an entrepreneur and it's all inside the Content Planning Blueprint!
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- READ THE LATEST POSTS -
MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.
Quarterly Planning Tips for Entrepreneurs
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
Last year, I released a video all about planning six months in business. If you haven't seen it, watch it here. But I understand that sometimes planning for six months can be a little overwhelming.
So today I want to talk about quarterly planning.
How can you plan 90 days at a time in your business so you're not only more productive and focused, but you actually enjoy your life?
Look, the reality is that you've got to have a plan in place or you're flying by the seat of your pants. When you're constantly flying by the seat of your pants, you're constantly feeling overwhelmed and we don't want that. And guess what? We don't need it.
So if you've always wanted to have a master plan, but you're not exactly sure how to do it, I am going to walk you through my quarterly planning process. I've been using this for years in my business. I teach my clients how to do it inside of my program Brandmerry Academy, as well as my high level clients.
I'm obsessed with planning and the reason that I love having a solid plan is it allows me to focus. I know what I'm working on. I know how to get to my end goal. Let's stop with the wishful thinking. Let's stop with the “I hope I get paid this month” and let's create a plan.
One of the reasons I love focusing on quarterly planning, 90 day planning, is that as a business owner, I am thinking about the quarters in my business.
Quarterly Planning Step 1: Break Down Your Yearly Goal into Each Quarter
So one of the first steps that I have for you is to take your year goal and break it down into each quarter. What I love about this process is it creates mile markers for me to my end goal.
So let's say that you want to create a six figure business this year. You would break that down either equally 25, 25, 25 and 25,000 every single quarter. Or if you know that your kids are going to be home during the summer and you're going to be a little less active, maybe you put a little bit more energy into the front end and the back end.
However you want to break up your end of the year goal, that's going to be the very first step in this process because as business owners our decisions that we make in our branding, in our marketing, and what we're promoting are ultimately leading to our revenue goal.
So reverse engineering is a fantastic way to make sure that you're constantly getting closer and hitting that end of the year goal in business.
Quarterly Planning Step 2: Put Important Dates on the Calendar
Now that you've taken the first step, you know what you want to create for the year in terms of revenue, and you've broken that down into each quarter, now we're going to focus on putting important dates on the calendar for the next 90 days.
So I get it. We were talking about the big picture before. You're focusing on the whole year and I promised you that we were going to talk about 90 days. Now we're talking about 90 days.
So whatever quarter you are currently in right now, we are getting ready to enter into Q2 of 2022, we're going to follow this process. So if you're getting ready to go through April, May and June for Q2, great, but this applies to no matter where you're at in your process or how you're going to be separating the quarters in your business.
The first thing that I love to do is write down major dates for the next 90 days. Now this includes any holidays, any breaks, any prior commitments that you already have and vacations. Yes, when we are planning your quarterly plan, I want you to choose one week every single quarter where you are going to step away from work. No creating, no working with clients, none of it and you're just going to play, rest and rejuvenate yourself because you need it.
So we've scheduled holidays. We've scheduled breaks. We've put our one week vacation in there.
Now, if there are any specific launches that you know you're going to do over the next 90 days, put those in your calendar as well. This could be a new book launch that you're going to be doing, a new course or a new product that you're going to be launching. It could be your signature product that you know you're going to launch in May. Whatever it is, get it on the calendar now.
Yes, as we're going through this process, I want you to specifically put this stuff in a calendar. Don't just write it down in a notebook and then forget the notebook later on. Put it in your calendar and bonus points if you can put it in your digital calendar, like your Google Calendar as well, so that when you are looking and someone's asking you, "Oh, are you free this day?" You can be like, "No, I'm not. I'm on my quarterly week of rest."
So now you have your specific quarterly goal in terms of revenue, you have your very specific dates that are pretty much non-negotiable. The launches that you want to honor, your week of rest. Don't forget. It's important. You've got your breaks. You've got your holidays.
Quarterly Planning Step 3: Quarterly Focus
Now what we're going to do is look at that and say, “okay, what is my quarterly focus? What am I going to be focused on this quarter? Is it going to be a specific product or a service that I'm going to be launching? Am I going to be creating something? Am I focused on really growing my email list because I want to launch later in the year?” What is your focus going to be? Are you going to roll out a YouTube channel and you want to get those subscribers up?
Whatever that looks like for you, what are you going to focus on this quarter? Now I really like to do a quarterly focus because we're going to talk about in the next step how we break that down. But this is giving you a full 90 days to focus your energy on one core part of your business.
Now obviously there are ongoing things that you need to do. Take care of your clients, talk about your products and your services. You're going to be marketing, all of that but what are you focusing your other energy on in your business? Is there something you've been wanting to start, release? Something like that? What is that going to be?
So think about the full quarter focus. What are you going to be focused on for the next 90 days?
The next step is to then break that down monthly. So I'll give you an example.
Let's say that for the next quarter I am focused on my program Brandmerry Academy. So I know that I'm going to have a launch in January, which we did. Then in February, we're going to be focused on onboarding, releasing our new membership site, testing all of the things. Then in March, I'm going to be focused on elevating some of the programs. So adjusting some of the programs, adding some new content in there. But my focus is really on the Academy. Each month I've got a really clear task that I want to achieve by the end of the month.
What that allows me to do is consistently move forward to my goals. No matter what's happening with the day to day things, the admin, the finance, the clients, the fires that you have to put out, the social media marketing, all of those different things, I know that I'm on track to hit my one monthly focus, which is then going to allow me to hit my quarterly focus. Which is then going to allow me to hit my quarterly revenue goal.
Quarterly Planning Step 4: Get Specific About Monthly Dates
The next thing that you want to do is get really specific with your monthly dates. So we've done the week of rest. We focused on the holidays, breaks, and any big launches. Is there anything else that's going to be coming up for you in regards to those specific focuses?
Let's say you are planning on launching at the end of January. Are you going to do a free class? Are you going to do any sort of promotion? You're going to want to put those in your calendar now so that you can prepare and they're not just coming at you at the last minute. This is going to allow you to take those small steps to get to your goal rather than feeling overwhelmed at the last minute because it totally snuck up on you.
So now that you have your monthly focus, what I recommend doing is putting in any other micro dates that you have to actually achieve that focus that you've put out there intentionally.
Quarterly Planning Step 5: Start Writing Your To-Do List
There are a lot of monthly focuses. There are a lot of dates. There's a lot going on, but I swear, we're almost done. Now you're going to get really, really micro with it and start mapping out your to-do list.
This is not something that you have to do for the entire quarter. I personally like to do that, but you want to at least focus on the next 30 days. So we're using this example of launching. If I'm going to be launching my program Brandmerry Academy, these are the very specific dates that I'm going to honor. I'm going to be doing a masterclass. I'm going to be doing a wait list. I'm going to be releasing some YouTube videos, whatever it is, what are the steps that I need to take to get there?
I love a good brain dump. I have this theory. I tell all my friends, I tell my family, but when we keep everything in our head, we can feel really overwhelmed. We find that we never actually have breathing space outside of our business. We're constantly thinking about all the things that we need to do.
What I love to do is any time I'm in that head space, I will write down everything that's in my head. Every single thing that I can think of that is happening and clear the space. This allows me to enjoy, and play and step away, which ultimately will help me in my business.
So what I love to do when I've got a big goal is sit down. I sit down with my notebook and I write down every little thing that I can think of that's going to help me achieve that goal. It's going to create more space. It's going to reduce the overwhelm and guess what? It's going to actually allow you to get those things done because oftentimes when they're living up here and then other things from life are being thrown at you, we forget them. Then the launch is over and you're like, “oh, I totally meant to do that.” Write it down, make a massive to-do list. It doesn't have to be fancy, but get it out of here.
Quarterly Planning Step 6: Plan Out Your Content
The last thing that I do is I plan out my content. Yes, I love planning 90 days of content. I created an entire video teaching you my process, exactly how I do that. I highly recommend it for all entrepreneurs, but this is kind of the final step.
The reason for that is that we're now crystal clear on our goal. We know what we're focusing on for the quarter. We know what we're focusing on monthly. We've got our important dates in there. Not just launching, but also taking time and breaks to play and create balance.
Because content creation is such a vital part of getting your brand seen and paid, it's something that you want to map out in advance. Because if you're flying by the seat of your pants and saying, “oh my gosh, I’ve got to create a video this week. Oh my gosh, I have to show up and create a podcast.” It's going to create a lot of stress.
The more that you can plan out your topics and know what you're going to be talking about each week, coincide those content topics with launches and important dates that you now see right in front of you, it's going to streamline this process.
So make sure you watch that video Planning Out 90 Days of Content where I break down my step by step process. But this is the final part in your quarterly business plan.
At this point, you will have a 90 day calendar with your vacation days. I'm just going to keep saying it over and over again. Your vacation days, your breaks, important things that are happening in your personal life, as well as your business. Any major launches that you have. Any courses that you're going to be putting out there, any events that you're going to be doing, it’s all on your calendar. You're going to have a massive to-do list, at least for the next 30 days, of things that you're going to be doing to achieve those goals, and you're going to have your content mapped out.
Getting It Scheduled
I'm going to really quickly just show you my 90 days. As I mentioned, we're entering the end of Q1 heading into Q2 and so this has got a lot of crosses in it. But do you see, this is what I'm talking about. I've got this very big plan here. We've got post-its for every YouTube video that I'm doing. We've got launches up there. We've got vacations on there. We've got the whole shebang. So do you see what I mean? You want to visually be able to see that.
I also have all that important stuff inside of my Google Calendar, because then if I'm out and about, and I'm talking to someone and they're like, "Are you available on this day?" I can make sure that I actually have the capacity to take that on. I'm not overbooking myself. I'm not stretching myself too thin.
I also really wanted to share with you a little acronym to help you remember how to best plan your quarter and how to best improve your productivity and improve your focus. These are kind of the five pieces that I really, really try to honor, no matter what I'm planning in my life. Whether it's quarterly, six months, or an entire year.
Quarterly Planning with STARS
It's the STARS acronym, because I want you to be a freaking star at planning and executing your plans. So I'm going to share that with you as a little reminder for us to close out this video.
The S stands for schedule it. I've said this a lot inside of this video and in all of my productivity and planning videos. But if it's not on the schedule, it's a lot easier to bump it down in your priority list. I'm a big fan of really honoring my priorities. That's why we follow the process that I just shared with you and saying, “what are the things I want to work on? What are the things I want to do? What is my vacation time?” Getting that on your schedule.
Then know that it's not really negotiable. If someone comes at you and says, "Hey, could you do this? Could you fit this in?" You can look at your schedule and you can say, "You know what? I don't have the capacity to take that on at this time. I have other priorities that I'm working towards."
The T is for take time out. You need to take breaks and as I mentioned inside of this video, I recommend that you schedule those breaks. At the bare minimum, please schedule one week off every single quarter where you can step away from your work as an entrepreneur. I also recommend that if you're feeling a little bit overwhelmed, maybe there's a little bit of weight on your shoulders and you're just noticing that it's time to hit the pause button, schedule yourself a Friday off.
As you begin to go full-time in your business, if you are working part-time or as you begin to have more control over your entire schedule, you can start to work in those weekly days off. I typically don’t do calls on Friday. I don’t schedule any appointments. So if I do feel inspired to work, I can, but I'm typically taking that day for self care.
The A is for adjust. You need to be flexible. I hear this a lot when entrepreneurs are like, "Well, I don't want to have a plan because then I'm afraid that if I get an idea, I won't honor it. Or if I have a plan and it'll be so rigid that I won't feel inspired."
I've actually found the opposite to be true. In fact, when I have a plan, I have more mental clarity and more space for inspiration. That's where this adjust comes in. If something comes up for you and you're feeling really called to experiment with it, if something's not working in your business and you've given it that full 30 days and you want to make some small adjustments, please do. This is all about creating that balance, that adaptability, and you need to be open to moving things around.
This is one of the reasons that I love to plan a full 90 days in my business, because for marketing specifically, you want to give it enough time, enough consistency to work well. But then as you start to move into that 90 day, you notice this is not working, you can adjust your game plan. Especially if you are doing this quarterly plan early in the year, you can make those adjustments as you then plan out the next quarter and the next quarter, which will ultimately help you reach your end goal, your revenue stream in business, in a way that feels really good to you.
The R is for reflect. Now you absolutely need to take time to pause at the end of every quarter, bare minimum, to reflect on what happened. One of the things that I love to do is actually reflect on how I'm feeling about the previous quarter.
So this isn't so much a planning part of the process, but it's going to help you plan for the next 90 days. Last week, I released a podcast episode on the Brandmerry podcast, where I shared how I audit my business every 90 days. While I am looking at things regarding data like email list growth, website traffic, sales, revenue, all of that, I'm also taking a large portion of my time to reflect on how I'm feeling. What has brought me joy in my business? What felt like a challenge or a struggle that I didn't really enjoy? What did I want to do and I didn't make time for? How am I feeling going into the next quarter?
This is how we built sustainable businesses because we're checking in with ourselves and we're making these aligned decisions.
Finally, we end with our final S, stay focused. Stay on track. This is why I love a good solid plan because it gives me a clear direction on what I'm working towards. One of the things that I have really started to master in my business specifically is putting on my blinders and staying focused on what I ultimately want to achieve.
Sometimes this looks like unfollowing people on social media because they're giving me a lot of messages, or not opting into freebies, or master classes, or searching for outside support out of what I'm currently focused on.
A great example of this is when I am working on maybe evergreening a program, meaning I have my program Brandmerry Academy and I want to create a passive way for individuals to join my email list, to hear about the program, and ultimately join.
If I have a plan in place for how I want to execute that and I've thought about that and I've mapped it all out, there's a lot of information online of all the different ways that I could do that. But what I want to do first is honor my instincts, honor my intuition and kind of block out the noise. So I want to give myself those 90 days to focus on getting that up and running, then of course, analyze and reflect, and if I need additional support, I can seek it. But that's a great example of really staying focused. You've mapped out what you want, put your blinders on and stay really focused and try to block out all of the excess noise.
There you have it, quarterly planning. I hope that this was really helpful in breaking down the step-by-step, and giving you some bonus tips for actually sticking to it and achieving it. Again, I have an entire video on six months planning if you want to check that out as well. If you're an entrepreneur or content creator, I also have an amazing video on planning 90 days worth of content. I know we touched on that a little bit in the planning process, but I show you a full behind the scenes in this video.
P.S. Ready to get your brand seen and paid without the pressure of social media? I'm teaching my top strategies inside of my new free class, "How to Build a Brand That Gets Seen and Paid!" You're invited to tune in and learn my signature 3-part framework for a sustainable 6-figure brand. Sign up to watch for free at Brandmerry.com/class
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- READ THE LATEST POSTS -
MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.
![The Best Morning Routine for You [work from home vlog]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d62d400442629982c4892b/1644870115681-KCKBV6JKLMW4NGIUFCXQ/The+Best+Morning+Routine+for+You+%5Bwork+from+home+vlog%5D.jpg)
The Best Morning Routine for You [work from home vlog]
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
So I have this whole thing with morning routines where I've been asked to do a morning routine vlog. A couple years ago, I was asked to do a podcast.
It took me a really long time to do it.
I think the reason for that is I think we have these crazy expectations for morning routines where we want to have them, and we should have them, but we watch people and we see their morning routine and then we attempt it and it doesn't work with our lifestyle. And then we feel really defeated. And we're like, "Ooh, F the morning routine."
I felt like that for a really, really long time. So I've always been a little hesitant to do a morning routine video because I don't want anyone to be like, "Oh my gosh, if I don't do it that way, it's not even worth it." That's totally not what it's about.
Last year I recorded a podcast episode all about my morning routine. Now I thought I would show you a little behind the scenes.
I've been working on my mindset around a morning routine for a really long time. When I first started as an entrepreneur, I used to think that I had to wake up at 5:00 AM, meditate for an hour, make sure that I was journaling, and I also always wanted to move my body, but also felt like I had to exercise, and then needed to make breakfast and take care of a kid. It was like a whole thing.
So I really struggled with what that looked like for me. And it's changed so much over the years. I was thinking in the shower, I feel like I've just taken really small movements to find my perfect morning routine, which is what I feel like I have today.
So, I want to show you what that looks like, but I was constantly just making changes and adjusting what I was doing and fitting things in as I felt like my body and my mind was craving more. And then eventually, because I have grown my own business, my husband is now home and I have more time in the morning.
We've eventually gotten to this point where it was like, "Okay, well now I can have an hour and a half to two hours every morning to focus on taking care of myself." So, there's my disclaimer.
The Best Morning Routine
I typically get up around seven and my family's not up yet. Yes, I know, I'm blessed.
I get up around seven and I put my workout clothes on right away. I literally pee and my workout clothes go on. I don't give myself time to talk myself out of it. This is something I really struggled with for a really long time. I would try and talk myself out of working out.
Like, you don't need it. But for me, movement, it's just such a mindset practice. And my body is just so important to me. And I've tested this time and time again. If I don't move my body, first thing in the morning, it's not going to happen. And if I don't move my body first thing in the morning, then I also feel pretty crappy the rest of the day. So this is like a top priority for me.
I'd say the one thing that I've tried to consistently do, even when I only had 20 minutes in the morning or whatever, I would always try to do some sort of movement.
So I move my body first thing in the morning. Cal typically wakes up during that process, as you saw, and hangs out with me. Again, we've been doing this for a while. And, when I started my business, he was a baby, so he was always there with the morning routine.
So we've definitely set, and it's not perfect by any means, but we've definitely set it up where if I'm working out, this is all part of mommy's morning routine, try not to interrupt her. Again, not perfect.
Today went okay, but it’s give and take when you have kids. I usually get him breakfast. Ben's getting up around that time. Today was Friday so it's plant watering day. So I take care of my other babies. I love them so much. They bring me so much joy. And, then I hop in the shower.
Now my dog is in my closet, snoring, because she likes to hang out with me because I walk her in the morning and now I'm going to get ready. I typically just fluff off my hair and put on clothes.
You can't see them right now. I'll show you later, but I have pants on that button. It's a whole mindset thing for me. My clients know about it. I feel like everyone who follows me knows about it. I am a firm believer in putting on actual pants with a button because it makes you feel like you're ready for the day and it's a productivity thing.
And then I will typically put a little bit of makeup on. I'm usually filming or doing a video or I have meetings. I very, very rarely wear makeup on the weekends and I don't wear a lot. I don't do the whole thing, as you will see. It takes me like five minutes to do, but yeah, I'll put just a little bit of makeup on and do that whole thing.
What I have noticed in doing my morning routine consistently is obviously habit building, which I love to talk about at Brandmerry. I really started focusing on my habits in 2019 into 2020. I had noticed, like I already mentioned, I constantly wanted to talk myself out of taking care of myself in the morning and then I'd feel really crummy. And then I would be mad at myself for not taking care of myself in the morning. It was just this cycle.
And I found Atomic Habits, which is one of my favorite books of all time, highly recommended for any human being in the entire world. And that really changed the way that I looked at habit building in that I had always been really into goal setting, but I wasn't taking the daily actions to get there. I'd cram it all in at the last minute.
And the way that James Clear positioned atomic habits in the book and how it was a 1% every single day and the consistency really just was what I needed to hear.
I started implementing much more consistency in my life. One of them being my morning routine because I just am such a firm believer in how you start your day is how you're going to carry your energy throughout the day and how you're ultimately going to end your day.
And when you're running your business from home or you're working from home, there's a lot that can come up. There's a lot of distractions, it's all very unexpected. You can have a plan and sometimes it can go out the window. When you add children into the mix, it's completely different. My son is home, which of course has its amazing pros, but then there's also that opportunity for more distraction, as I think so many parents saw in 2020 and are still seeing today.
I have just found that when I kick off my morning, focusing on myself and taking the time to start my day and get in alignment, as I like to say, it makes such a big freaking difference in what I do throughout the day. Not only am I happier, which is so important, but also I'm more productive. And as someone who runs their own business, that's important to me.
I think with productivity, there's all these tips and tricks and all the things that you can do. I love sharing them. I'm one of those people that does that, but I really think at the bare minimum, just having a morning routine will get you started on the right foot. Whatever that looks like for you.
So I just really try to honor this. I even do it on the weekends. It looks a little different on the weekends because I don't want to wake up in the morning that early, but I still move my body and that's a top priority.
Morning Routine Checklist
What I would encourage you to do, if you're open to my encouragement, is identify three things that are a top priority for you every single morning. That's what I did. And that way I was always honoring those even when I only had 30 minutes, when I had an hour, when I now have two hours. What are those top priorities?
You can always add to it and expand as you go. And then you'll just feel really good because you're always honoring those three things that are the most important to you.
So for me, it's always been movement. As I mentioned before, movement is just such a huge part. And then another one for me is getting ready. I need to get ready. If I don't get ready, I don't feel ready. I don't feel like I can take on the day. I don't feel like I can take anything that might come my way. So getting ready, this part of that process, it just makes me feel really, really good.
I know when I first started, I didn't do this and I could just tell the difference. Like I was much more likely to just lay down in my bed in the middle of the day. Not that there's anything wrong with a nap, but it was so much easier when I wasn't just ready for the day. When I'm just in my clothes doing my thing, it just makes such a big difference. So getting dressed is a big one for me.
The other thing that I've noticed for any of my work from home peeps is that if you get ready for work, whatever that looks like for you, then one thing that I've been doing, because I don't have a commute, it's a very, very easy walk from the office to the bedroom, I change my clothes again.
So it's like a mindset thing where I'm like, "Okay, I'm ready to start my day. I'm ready to be in work mode." And then I change my clothes when I'm done, before dinner. And that has just helped a ton with just, it's kind of supporting my mindset switch.
So that's a big one for me, getting dressed, movement obviously, and then nourishing my body. My breakfast is key. I make a smoothie pretty much every morning, except for the weekends. I'll show you that and share a little bit more of that. At this point in the day, all I've had is waters
So we're finishing this up and I'll do what I'd like to call phase three. I know it surprises no one that I think about my morning in phases. Phase one is kind of my quiet movement time. Phase two is this, getting ready. Phase three, take the dog.
As many of you know, I'm obsessed with my smoothie. So that's what we're going to do now. I make my smoothie and Cal's smoothie in the morning. This kid's been drinking smoothies since day one. I do this and then I'll go to the office and get started. And that pretty much wraps up my morning routine.
And now I'm obsessed with espresso. I got this machine for Christmas so now I drink coffee. I didn't for a really long time, but every time we were in Europe, I would drink it and I realized, okay, I kind of like it.
So smoothie first, office, check emails, and then espresso. One thing that I will add, my son is legit crawling under the camera right now, is that at this point in the day, I have not looked at my email. I have not looked at social media.
This is something that I've always wanted to do. And I started doing it at the end of last year and it's made a huge difference in my mindset. It is incredible. This is kind of what I was saying, look for little opportunities where you can just add little things, one at a time into your morning routine that doesn't take any time out of your morning routine schedule.
I check my phone to see if I've got any messages from family or anything because I actually sleep with my phone in the other room. But I don't touch email. I don't check social media. I don't even check my task manager, which is crazy. Not yet anyways.
So that's something that you can do that doesn't take any time. And then we also talked about those three main things.
So there you go. I hope that this video inspired you to just start making really small movements to your ideal morning. It's taken me a long time to get here, but this is my sacred time. No joke. And I know what I do in the morning really sets me up for success, not only in my business, as a mother and as a wife and in life. And it just feels dang good.
So whether you've got 10 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, two hours, pick your three main things and honor those.
P.S. Have you tuned in to The Brandmerry podcast? I release new episodes every Thursday on topics around branding and marketing! Check out past episodes and be sure to subscribe at brandmerry.com/podcast
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- READ THE LATEST POSTS -
MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.
6 Time Saving Tips for Content Creation
If right now, your content creation feels like it takes hours out of your life, this post is for you.
I mean, there's a lot that you have to think about when it comes to content creation.
You’ve got to pick your ideas, you've got to organize those ideas, you have to choose your SEO if you're blogging or using YouTube, you've got to create the content, record it, write it, schedule it, edit it, make graphics.
I get it. I 100% get why content creation feels overwhelming.
But, it doesn’t have to be!
Content creation is my sweet spot. It’s something that I absolutely love doing. I have a lot of strategies up my sleeve, and today I’m sharing 6 of them to help you save hours every single week with your content creation.
Content Creation Tip #1: A Clear Content Strategy
Let's dive into my very first tip, which is to have a clear content strategy. It’s not enough for you to willy-nilly be creating content, posting, and kind of flying by the seat of your pants.
Honestly, that's probably taking the most time out of your schedule.
Having a clear content strategy is incredibly important. At this point, what I want you to think about is where you are showing up. You do not have to be everywhere, on every single platform. In fact, I don't recommend that at all.
You want to be really strategic with where you are showing up.
Some things to consider are:
Where is my audience?
What type of content do I like to create? Is it video? Do you enjoy writing? Do you enjoy recording yourself as podcasting? Do you love making reels or TikToks? Do you enjoy posting on social media?
That's going to be the easiest way for you to create content when it feels good to you.You also want to think about the type of content that your audience is consuming. So not only do we need to think about the specific platform, and what you like to create, but of that bucket, what is your audience consuming the most of?
Now, maybe you don't have this information right out of the gate, but this is something that I want you to pay attention to in order to streamline your content strategy.
Really dive deep into exploring:
Is your audience watching YouTube videos?
Do they prefer short little snippets of videos on Instagram?
Is your audience reading blogs? Most audiences still are.
Is your audience really utilizing Google?
Do they listen to podcasts?
What do we know about your specific audience that is going to help you streamline your content strategy?
This is incredibly important, because I want you to have a clear base of, "This is where I'm showing up, and this is the type of content that I'm creating."
Content Creation Tip #2: Create a Repurposing Workflow
The next thing I want you to do is create a repurposing workflow. I talk about it quite often over here at Brandmerry, it's one of the core pillars inside of my membership Brandmerry Academy, and I broke down that entire process in this video right here.
I share the entire step-by-step of designing a repurposing workflow in that video, so for our purposes today, let's talk about a bird's eye view of a repurposing workflow.
The idea here is that you take the platforms that you've chosen to show up on, and you think of how you can repurpose your content on each of those platforms.
So for instance, you're not creating videos, and then creating a completely different blog on a different subject, and showing up on social media every day, talking about something different. That is wasting your precious time.
One of the best things that you can do as a business owner is repeat yourself. It's through repetition that really builds that brand authority, and that expertise, and why individuals will continue to follow you, invest in your products and your services, and tell their friends about what you do.
So with this repurposing plan, which again, I talk about in this video right here, you want to figure out how you can create one core piece of content, maybe it's a video like this one, which was turned into this blog and then repurposed onto multiple platforms.
This is going to save you a bunch of time for two reasons.
Reason #1: You're able to utilize repurposing, transcribing this video, creating social media posts, taking the audio and turning it into a podcast, whatever that looks like for you. And that's going to save you a lot of time, because you ultimately don't have to create as much new content every single week.
My clients who have a very clear repurposing workflow typically create one core piece of content every week, and then they push that out in various ways onto different platforms.
Reason #2: The other way this is going to save you time and energy, is that you can repeat this workflow every single week.
What I recommend you do is you take this weekly workflow, and put it into a task management software. We like to use ClickUp, but you can also use Asana, or any other task management software that you prefer, and set it to repeat every single week.
This is really going to take the guesswork out of what you should be doing in order to create content, which is going to save you a ton of time.
Content Creation Tip #3: Plan Your Content
The third tip that I have for you today, is to choose one period of time every 90 days to plan your content. One of the things that I think takes entrepreneurs so much time, is they'll sit down to write their content, or record their content. And they're also sitting down to think about what they're going to talk about.
They're switching gears back and forth.
"Okay, let me do my research on my ideas. Now I’ve got to go ahead and create it. Now I have to create graphics."
And it's this switching back and forth that can really waste a ton of time. So I recommend that you map out 90 days worth of content at a time.
What I mean by map out is not create, but choose your core topic. Remember back to the repurposing tip that I just shared, there's one core piece of content that you're creating every week, and then you're repurposing it to push out to multiple platforms.
So if you're planning 90 days worth of content, you're choosing 12 topics for 12 weeks. So it shouldn't take you that long. But what you're able to do is maybe carve out three hours at the beginning of the month to sit down, finalize all of those topics, and then walk away from it.
When you revisit, and actually create the content, you don't have to think about what you're going to talk about. You can just dive right into creating it.
Content Creation Tip #4: Have a Content Creation Day
My fourth time saving tip for you, is to have a content creation day. Yay for batch scheduling! Yay for batch recording!
In fact, the video for this blog is one of four videos that I recorded for an entire month in one day.
This is a fantastic way to save time and energy.
Now I'm not suggesting that you create 30 days worth of content in one day. I've been doing this for a long time. I have a very refined system. But when I was first starting out, and what most of my clients do inside of Brandmerry Academy, is they choose one day a week that is dedicated to content creation.
Now, based on your schedule, you want to choose the day that works best for you.
When I was first starting, it was Sunday, because I worked a full-time job, and Sunday my husband was home. So I could create content on Sunday.
Once I left my nine to five, I was able to create content on Monday, because I had my mother-in-law taking care of my son.
So you want to pick a day that works best for your schedule. Best if it can be repeated on the same day every week, because that's going to help you get into that habit.
Try and pick a day every week, where you can carve out two to three hours, and get that on your calendar right now.
Honor that time.
Don't schedule anything else during that time.
Really just focus on your content creation for that week.
Content Creation Tip #5: Batch Your Content Creation Tasks
My fifth tip for you kind of falls in line with the last one. On that content creation day, I encourage you to group like tasks together.
What I mean by this is don't try and write a blog, and then hop over and create your graphics for that blog, and then jump back and edit it, and then go ahead and schedule it, and then switch to scheduling your graphics, and then go back to this.
Try not to jump from one core task to another. Really group them together.
For instance, if you are creating content once a week, then you would sit down and you would do all your writing in one chunk. Write your blog, or write your script for your video, and write anything else that you need to do. Maybe it's the social media post, maybe it's the email you're going to send. So you're doing all of your writing during one chunk of time.
Then you can switch gears.
Maybe then you decide you're going to create your graphics. You're going to go ahead and create your graphics that you need for that piece of content. Maybe it's a thumbnail for your YouTube video, maybe it's a Pinterest image for your blog, your social media content that you're going to be doing. You're creating all your graphics in one chunk of time.
Then you're moving into the third phase, which is scheduling your content. More on that in a minute.
What you want to do is you want to make sure you're not hopping back and forth from task to task. This is such a time suck.
If you are doing something like batch creating content for 30 days, or 90 days like I do, and I talk about in this video right here, you want to really group together your full day.
For instance, I will record a bunch of YouTube videos on one day.
Then I might choose another day to record podcasts.
And then I might choose another day to create graphics.
Grouping the tasks together is such a fantastic way to focus on what you're doing and not distract yourself.
Content Creation Tip #6: Scheduling
That leads me to my last tip, which is scheduling. This needed its own little pocket of time from me.
Please schedule your content in advance.
I know, there are so many tips and tricks to getting your stuff seen, and they tell you to maybe not schedule it because you won't get as much of a reach.
But listen, if you're already strapped for time, if you're already really struggling to streamline your process, you're just contributing to that overwhelm by having to post things in real time.
I'd rather you start scheduling, and consistently showing up, and start to streamline your process, and spend less, and less, and less time on creation than not post at all.
We know consistency is important.
We know content creation is important at every single stage of the buying process.
So if scheduling your content is going to help you actually post your content, then please do it.
You can pretty much schedule anything, except for Instagram reels. But I got a fun strategy for that in just a sec.
You can schedule your blog post, schedule your emails, and all of your social media content.
If you're using carousels on Instagram or Facebook, you can schedule those in advance inside of the Creator Studio on Facebook.
You can schedule your Pinterest posts.
You can pretty much schedule anything.
You can't schedule Reels just yet, but a tip that I have is after you batch create them, and download them to your phone so they don't get deleted. After that go ahead and just save them as a draft. Then you can put a little reminder in your task management, or on your phone to just go in, and hit publish when the time is ready.
Scheduling is going to be a fantastic way to save you time and energy. Please do it if you find that you're not consistently showing up, because that is more important than maybe the 1% boost that posting in real time is going to give you on the platform.
CONCLUSION
As you can see, there's a real benefit to having systems in place for your business. And I want you to remember that you are going to refine your system as you go.
The more that you actually implement the system that you have in place, the more you'll notice that it's taking you less and less time.
This happens very often with my clients, and it happened in my own business as well, where it would feel like it still took me a lot of time to implement a system.
Maybe it was taking me four hours to create everything and schedule it all. But then, as I kept doing this week after week, after week, I noticed that it was taking me less and less time.
And that's just like anything, right? You have to build up that muscle and having these systems in place is going to help you.
It's going to support you in saving hours, every single week, with your content creation.
This is something that we teach inside of my community Brandmerry Academy. This membership is all about marketing without relying on social media.
If you want to learn more, you can go to brandmerry.com/academy for some details. Join the waitlist, and be the first to know when doors open again.
P.S. Planning and creating your content doesn't have to be a constant struggle. There is a better way to research, plan, and create your content as an entrepreneur and it's all inside the Content Planning Blueprint!
The Content Planning Blueprint is perfect for online business owners who know the power of content creation but are tired of spending all of their time coming up with ideas, organizing their content, and wondering what will attract their dream clients.
In just a few hours, you'll have 90 days of content planned, a repeatable workflow to save you hours on creating and distributing your content every week, and content topics that will keep performing for your brand for years to come! Get your blueprint now >>
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- READ THE LATEST POSTS -
MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.
5 Must-Haves for Entrepreneurs Ready for a Successful 2022 in Business
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
Do you have your intentions mapped out for the year ahead?
Have you gotten clear on the income and impact you want to make in your business in 2022?
Have you thought about the habits and intentions you'll set to make said intentions a reality?
GREAT! And, if not, there is still time my friend.
But, no matter where you're at in this planning phase, I want to bring something to your attention.
Your success isn't just about the goals or how you'll achieve them it's also about your environment and habits! Yep, these elements play a role in your success so it's important that we take the time to focus on these pillars before we dive headfirst into January 2022.
In today's episode of The Brandmerry Podcast, I'm sharing, "5 Must-Haves for a Successful Year!"
Tune in now to hear:
How important your habits are in achieving your end-of-the-year goals.
The key factors, often overlooked by entrepreneurs, that play a vital role in their business sucess.
An important reminder about how you're spending your time OUTSIDE of your business - don't feel like you have time outside of your business? This is definitely something you need to listen to!
Tune in now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to hear the full episode and all the tips.
P.S. One of the ways business owners can improve their marketing in 2022, is by having a clear content strategy. If your intention is to show up consistently online, to improve your relationship with your existing audience while always getting new leads and subscribers, and of course having a system you can repeat week after week then you need to grab my Content Creation Mini-Course. It's free at brandmerry.com/content.
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- READ THE LATEST POSTS -
MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.