Miguel's Branding Blog

Small business branding guide Updated 2023

info@guinardcp.com (Miguel Guinard) — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 20:17:58 GMT

Successful Small Business Branding Guide

Outline

Introduction
Business basics
Business brand genesis
Domain
Business Email
Domain Warmup
Graphic Design
Web Design
Social Media
Services to be in business
Accounting
Banking
Credit Cards
Credit Card Processing
Strategies to get exposure
Selling without selling
Your secret sauce is the key
Social Advertising
Grow your audience
Ultimate Goal

Introduction

Working with small businesses for the past seven years gave me great insight into their inner workings. I asked all these business owners what made them thrive and struggle. Their answers showed me a pattern that can be simplified and executed for most businesses.

If you start with the end-goal for your brand, create a strategy , and execute it successfully, Your brand will make the other areas of business development work cohesively and smoothly.

It is necessary to understand other areas of business development to allocate resources to your branding efforts adequately. If you are not careful, you will spend all your startup capital on the inner workings of the company, leaving little or no money for marketing and sales.

Understanding all aspects of the business will reduce the failure rate and set you up for success!

Business basics

Most businesses start with their owners performing all the jobs necessary to be in business. If you are a single-member company here are the main hats you need to wear:

Leadership (vision, business plan, management)
Marketing (Web, social media, networking)
Accounting (bill pay, payroll, taxes, city, state and federal licenses, insurance, etc.)
Workforce (depends on the industry, service provider, manufacturer, etc.)

You will also need to find out your hourly rate, cost of production, etc. Based on this, you will find out how much you need to charge for your products. The lower your initial overhead, the better value you can bring to the market to compete.

I encourage any business owner to be intimately familiar with each hat your business requires now and in the future. If you don't learn how to do so, you will have to outsource all these jobs very early in the business' life, adding to your overhead and eating a good chunk of your startup capital that should go towards marketing and sales.

As you grow in business and start earning significant money, your main job will be to find other people or service providers that can wear the hats you least like. You can then focus on the jobs that you are most effective for the business to grow.

If you are not familiar with the concepts above, check with your local government or library for free classes and workshops on business basics. You can also check the National Entrepreneur Center.

Business brand genesis

Domain Name

The best way I recommend to start any business venture is by going to your favorite domain registrar and look for possible domain names for a website. Do this even before you register your business with the state and get your tax Id from the IRS.

When searching, pick a short and easy domain to type and spell. Please do your best to find a dot com domain since it is the most popular. If you find a domain that matches your ideal name and potential brand, buy it! Don't hesitate! If you can, buy more than one; they are very inexpensive to get and renew yearly. While you're at it, buy a domain with your name (firstnamelastname.com) so that your personal and business brand can work together. If you have a popular name, it will be hard to do but get a good approximation. You never know where your business venture will take you. Your name may become more popular than your brand. You can always point your name to your business page or vice versa.

I've tried a few different registrar companies for domains over the years. I look at value, service, and transparency in all my service providers. I found NameCheap offers excellent value privacy included from the get-go.

The dot.com domains start at under $10 and come with PRIVACY INCLUDED. Most other registrars want to upsell you the privacy, and while you can get the first year for way less than $10, at renewal, the fees more than double with other registrars.

I recommend the domain purchase first to make the branding easier. With the domain on hand, you can move on to the graphic design stage. Once you have all the graphical elements, you can proceed to register your business with the state, get your tax ID from the IRS, and get your licenses from your city or county.

Here is a great 10 step guide on how to start a business from the SBA

If you've already created a business name and the domain is not available, you can always do a "DBA" (doing business as) with your state and operate as the DBA. it is a relatively inexpensive process.

Business Email

The temptation to use a free email service should be avoided. Doing so will show your potential clients that you are not serious about business.

Why promote another brand with your business?

You can add business email very inexpensively from your registrar. But make sure you get an email with Active sync. This capability will give email synchronization across all devices, calendars, etc.

I recommend and personally use NameCheap Email . You get three emails for around $30 a year!

If you need cloud storage, I recommend Microsoft 365 business email . For $6 a month with yearly commitment, you get one terabyte of cloud storage with online use of the office suite.

Domain Warmup

Domain Reputation.

Most people expect to buy a domain, attach an email address, and send emails without any problems. However, clients often tell me their basic emails to friends, and clients land in the spam folder. That is where domain reputation comes into play.

Internet and email providers tend not to trust emails from new domains without any reputation, so they send your emails to spam. Why? Because that is the custom of spammers. These individuals or companies buy domains and then burn them by emailing thousands of people and getting the domains flagged and blacklisted.

The solution? Get your new domain warmed up slowly by yourself or with the help of a service that will email on your behalf, reply and move your emails automatically to the inbox and marked as important.

It is also essential to use a separate domain if you plan to email in large quantities. If too many people flag your emails as spam or unsubscribes, this will damage your reputation, and your email will automatically go to spam or will not deliver to your clients.

I've been using a Warmup inbox service that has been easy to use and implement for about $12 a month. The beauty of this service is that you don't have to keep it indefinitely if used for day-to-day operations. However, if you want to use it for marketing email, it is essential to keep on using it to help you improve your domain reputation over time.

Graphic Design

The graphic design stage is fun but can be frustrating. It is pure creativity, but it can be daunting to come up with a " minimalist design ."

Why simple?

Because simplicity is easy to implement on other necessary products for your brand. Once you have some satisfactory designs, it is essential to test them with trusted friends and advisors with different views. Just because we love a design, it doesn't mean it would represent the business' purpose.

I recommend that you don't order business cards or embroidery products until you have all the graphical assets tried and tested by your circle of trust. I've seen many people change their minds soon after production leaving you to spend money unnecessarily.

Once your designs pass the unbiased test, you can move on to the next step. If you need my assistance during this process, Let me know

Web Design

Web design is the next logical stage because of its malleability. If you change your mind about the graphic design elements, it is easy to switch on your site. If you create products too soon, when the changes come, your brand will be inconsistent.

If you decide to create a website, you will become a target of services such as Square Space , Wix, etc. They offer low-cost options to get you started. These online platforms provide a good variety of templates that can be modified. The only caveat is that you have to come up with all the content in a compelling way that offers your services and guides your audience.

I mention the web creation services above because I work with individuals with different degrees of skill. Some hire me to create their whole web presence, while others have a website and would like me to create their content.

You need to be aware of an essential concept in web design. Your website needs to introduce and explain your product or service quickly with calls to action. The average time people spend on a site is less than a minute. I go into greater detail on the Minimalist website article.

Since it is now easier than ever to create a website with the services I mentioned above, it is harder to stand out and still comply with the expectations of your clients and search engines. You need to make sure you have a site that loads in less than five seconds on a mobile device and has a unique way of spreading your message. There are many sites with pre-canned copy that don't offer accurate representation of you or your business.

If you need a store, most of these web services provide ways to activate online stores. These stores will, of course, add additional monthly expenses. If you have a handful of products or services you sell, there are opportunities to do so for free with some hosting services. I implement Ecwid with my clients directly onto their site to access their store from my client portal. If you want to deal directly with them, you can click on the banner below to get started with 10 products for free.

One of the other prominent players in the online store arena is Shopify . They have great support and integration, like Ecwid . They offer a 14-day free trial no credit card required. Let me know if you have any questions about either of these platforms.

Social Media

You should register and create pages and profiles in all the pertinent social media platforms and business listings on search engines: Here is a list of the most important:

Google My Business
Bing Places For Business
Apple Maps
NextDoor
Yelp Free Listing (Their listing is free but be ready for their sales team calls)

The first profile you need to set up is Google my Business since they have a verification process that other business profiles will honor to avoid additional verification.

Setting up social media and mapping apps will be the first line of action to get "SEO" search engine optimization. Don't let this term scare you. Most businesses will get most of the traffic from the “near me” search query. The bigger animal of “organic search engine optimization” is a long game strategy. I wrote a short article on demystifying SEO

Must have assets and services to be in business

Services and assets are not directly linked to branding, but if you are careful, you can save significant money on these services to allocate resources to the marketing. If you keep your overhead low at the beginning, you will free up funds for other areas. If you are not watchful, you will be sold a plethora of services that you don't need at the beginning of your business venture, which increases the chances of failure because of high overhead costs and fees.

If you're on the planning stages or contemplating whether or not to start a business, there is a great 10 step guide on how to start a business from the SBA .

To start your business, you need accounting, insurance, bank account, credit card processing, and a sales tax receipt with your state.

Accounting

I start with accounting because, depending on the software you use, the banking institution may not be compatible. Intuit Quickbook s is the number one choice for small businesses and most accountants can connect to your account. If your budget allows it, you can’t go wrong.

You can also start with Wave Apps for free . You can send invoices for pay via credit card, and their credit card processing fees are in par with other platforms such as square or PayPal. I will talk about credit card processing below.

If your new venture is a non-profit 501c3, and you like QuickBooks, you can access free or reduced-price software and hardware from TechSoup .

Banking

Depending on your business, you may opt for a local bank that is close to your location. Consider the minimum balances and monthly fees for doing business. Most banks offer various levels of account and will charge monthly fees. By upgrading to the next level and keep a minimum balance, you can avoid most monthly maintenance fees. There is a growing trend by online banks to offer free business banking, so make sure you check those as well.

Wave Apps has a free business checking.

Credit Cards

When you apply for a business credit card, a credit check on you is needed. If your business has many initial costs for equipment, it may be worth it to apply for credit cards with a sign-up bonus of $500 or more when you spend, usually, $5000 in the first three months. But do so only if you have the capital to pay it all off right away or during the promotional period to avoid interest.

An alternative is to use one of your personal credit cards for business purposes only. This strategy will give you the added security for liability that business cards don't have. If you go this route, you must only use this personal card for business transactions.

Clark Howard has excellent articles on the subject .

Credit Card Processing

One area where small businesses get targeted continuously is credit card processing. Here is a short and simple rule:

If you process less than $4,000 a month in credit cards, it is better to use services from Wave apps, Quickbooks, Square, or Stripe.

T hese services have a flat fee anywhere from 2.5% to 3.5%, lower if swiped or via online invoice vs. typed.

If you have a higher volume than $4,000, you can consider the lower-cost alternatives with a monthly fee. One great place to look at is through Costco merchant services or Sams . These wholesale clubs have so much negotiating power that you will get better deals than offered by your bank or individual salespeople.

Strategies to get exposure

In today's world, it is easy to get exposure with little money. If you execute this guide appropriately, you should've saved significant capital to invest in this area.

If you understand the following concepts in order, you can formulate an excellent exposure strategy.

Selling Without Selling

Before you start "selling," you have to keep in mind the following reality:

Many people are selling the same products as you. You are going to be compared based on value, experience, and uniqueness.

If you are starting, you have to work on the value and uniqueness while you gain experience.

If you are careful with the setup and overhead of your business, you can offer more value.
If you continuously research your industry, you can tailor a unique product.
If you have a mindset to learn something new weekly, you will gain experience as you grow your clientele.

Most people blast their friends and acquaintances, promoting their services.

Pick me! Pick me!

I'm the best!

We offer the services you need!

Sounds Familiar?

If everyone is doing the same, how can you be memorable?

Your Secret Sauce is the Key

Revealing how you help your clients is not giving the keys to the kingdom. People do business with people, and by sharing some of your secret sauce, you are allowing your clientele to know you.

You can learn and find the answer to anything with a quick search engine query.

Do you want those queries to go to you or your competition?

The best way to show your audience that you are a better choice is by instructing and teaching. If you can answer your audience’s questions and help them solve their problems, you will show your expertise. The more thorough and complete your help is, the more you can retain your audience.

Social Advertising

The days of just posting on social media and most of your followers seeing your posts are over. Today you have to pay for your posts to be seen.

What is the best way to get most of your marketing dollars?

All your posts must have a call to action that brings your audience to your site. Your site is where you can educate and direct. Bringing people to your site increases your traffic and also shows the search engines that your website is offering value.

I f you have a special or promotion , the graphic and short description should explain and direct to a form or click-to-buy on your site. Once on your website, there should be a call to action to encourage your new visitor to browse your other services. Don't just boost a promotion or service. You want your audience engaged with you and your products. Offering helpful tips on how to use your product or service will keep people coming back for more.

As a website or email, great design helps your brand soar above the rest.

As your business grows and your marketing budget increases, you can move on to advertise on google, bing, etc.

Grow Your Audience

One of the best tools to help you grow and follow up with your audience is with email. To use email effectively, You need a robust website. Why? Because your emails should direct your clients to your site.

An email needs to be short and to the point with visible calls to action. Think about how many emails you receive. Most of them end up in the trash.

If your emails have information your audience is looking for or needs, they will open and click on your links.

Like a mobile website, your email needs to have short blurbs and calls to action without or very little scrolling. Here are two of the best email marketing services:

ConvertKit

This is best suited for creators, but it can work for anyone. If you use the link or click on the banner, you can get started with 1k subscribers for free.

Constant Contact

It has a straightforward interface with drag and drop content. By clicking on the link or the banner, you can get a free 60-day trial.

Branding Phoenix CRM

My custom software solution can be activated for various services including email marketing. I also offer options for sms, automation, appointment systems. social media management and much more.

I recommend the email marketing services above out of many.

If you need help with setting up any of these services please let me know.

Ultimate Goal

As you successfully navigate the waters of small business branding, you need to create a plan of growth for your business. At the beginning of this guide, I mentioned that when you are a business owner, you have to wear many hats.

The ultimate goal is to grow your business and remove as many hats as you can. Focusing on your strengths and delegating the rest will make your business grow and gain time to explore and develop its vision.

A business brand is successful when its creator can take time off without disruption to the business. The more your business can operate on its own, your brand sill soar and live on taking on the ups and downs of life.

Miguel Guinard

Guide Products

If you find this guide helpful, consider using the products with the links on this guide. Branding Phoenix may receive a small commission. Some links may offer a free trial or months of subscription.

Recent Posts

The Minimalist Website

info@guinardcp.com (Miguel Guinard) — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 12:52:53 GMT

In this article, I will show the importance of a minimalist website in today's busy world. If you want to show a lot of information about what you do, There's a better way. I will show you how.

This article, part of "The Minimalist series." You can read all the posts in the links below:

The Minimalist Website

Outline

Synopsis on website trends through the years
The simplification process
How to increase retention with a minimalist site
Minimalist site vs. "Loaded site."
Minimalist website in action
Resources to help you take control of your site

Synopsys of website trends through the years

As a young boy, I remember the first time I experience the internet. It was dialup, and websites took minutes to load. Paying for internet service by the minute made sure sites were simple with not a lot of graphics. When the competition came, pricing improved, and businesses and families could afford to get a dedicated line for the internet.

When broadband entered the playing field with DSL and cable connections, website design exploded with multiple elements. Do you remember having to install a flash player to view some sites?

When the internet came to your phone, it was Deja Vu to the dialup days. It wasn't until 3g that you could enjoy a somewhat fast web experience, but desktop websites were still king.

Today most of the internet traffic begins with mobile devices . Data caps no longer bound us, and you could operate an entire business out of your smartphone. If your website is not mobile-friendly, you were left behind.

With the proliferation of web services, site design platforms that automatically size your desktop website to mobile size is simple. The problem lies when sites pack all the information to display on your mobile device, turning your site into a never-ending scrolling machine. Adding to the problem is that we have too many things fighting for our attention, and the average time people spend on a site is less than a minute.

You only have 30 seconds to make an impression on your visitors before moving on to the next thing. These precious seconds are the main reason to implement the minimalist website now.

The simplification process

If you have a business with a physical location, your company must have a business profile with all the popular search engines. Most search engines have "places for business" or "my business," and these features are the first line of exposure when people search for the services you provide. Don't forget map sites such as Apple Maps.

You must look and update the search engine information to be simple, clear, and with a call to action that directs people to your site's services. Once people click on the business profile website, what will your potential client see?

Most company's websites are just a "glorified business card" that only gets visitors when their business owners direct their potential clients to their site. Is your website working for you, or are you working for the site?

To begin the simplification process, you must start with a smartphone in mind. Open up your site on the phone and think about the following questions:

What is my website's job?
Is my home page loading fast? How many seconds does it take to load?
Does the site show call to actions without having to scroll?
Does it have your slogan, logo, and matches your branding?

Once you review the questions above is time to "trim the fat" or remove excess information from your home page. Don't worry! I will show you how to add it back in a better way next.

How to increase retention with a minimalist site

Have you ever met someone ready to unload all their information at once? I can recall many encounters with such individuals that didn't show any interest in getting to know me. All they wanted to do is give me their promotional material and bombard me with information.

Like in real-life encounters, your website has to show interest in the viewer's needs. Rather than bombarding with information on the home page, there should be calls to action enticing people to find out more.

The ideal job of a website is to introduce your business or brand to the audience. I believe that if your brand is related to a person (usually the owner or CEO), the more connected the audience feels with the business. A website is working hard when your audience has that feeling of knowing or identifying with you before they meet you. Or, if you meet someone first, your website should contribute to the deepening of your networking encounters.

The best way to "let your audience in" and get to know you is through a blog. Blogging can be a daunting task, especially if you want to do it right. Remember all that information that most websites have on their home page? Well, you need to convert all that information into applicable stories that will help your audience.

Most businesses use their blog to sell their audience rather than help their audience. If a reader smells selling, your chances of retaining die.

If you simplify and convert information into blog articles, it shows the search engines that your site is active and a trust-worthy source of information.

Minimalist Site vs. "Loaded Site"

Minimalist site

Lower cost of design and development.
Loads fast (very important for optimization these days)
It directs your audience to spend more time on your site
It prioritizes the mobile experience (search engines won't rank your website if it senses that the mobile experience is a dumbed-down version of the full site.)
Uses the blog to inform and retain the audience with applicable information.
When a website shows activity, the search engines rank it higher because it encourages visitors to come back.

"Loaded site"

Much higher cost of design and development
It takes a long time to load on mobile networks
It takes longer to launch because of all the images and pages your need to fill.
Overwhelms visitors with information and can be frustrating when you only have 30 seconds to make an impression
Since all the information is there, the website doesn't show activity.
You are encouraged to "set it and forget it."

Minimalist website in action

I selected this local pizza place over a big corporation so that you can observe how any small business can benefit from this strategy.

Restaurants have a particular challenge to please their distinct customer base. Many people like to order online, but there are many service providers. Uber eats, Slice, Menufy, etc. are a few that they have to keep in mind to capture as many customers. There's always the "click to call" customer that wants to talk to someone.

All of these providers create menu websites of their own for the restaurant. The menus are embedded in the "places of business" for search engines.

How can you organize all this information In a way that helps you stand out from the competition? Minimalist website to the rescue!

The website for Napoli Italian Pizzeria takes all the different menu sites and places them as soon as you open the site. The website has a mobile-first design that loads in under 5 seconds on mobile networks to guide their clients to their most frequently used services. A customer can click to go to their site and click to call or get to the ordering site in less than 10 seconds.

As I mentioned before, you only have 30 seconds to make an impression on a website visitor. From loading to call to action in less than 10 seconds without scrolling leaves you with 20 additional seconds to give customers a chance to browse the site.

The restaurant plans to launch a blog "Pizza Stories" soon to keep their customers coming back for events and dinner ideas beyond their signature "Italy meets New York" flavor.

You can check out their site here: Napoli Italian Pizzeria.

If you focus your site, clean it up, and simplify its message, you will reduce the cost of designing a new website or converting an old one.

Why not use the money saved to invest in the blogging and marketing of the site?

List of resources to help you take control of your site.

Here are the tools I use to help tailor sites for speed and customer engagement:

Speed test

This free tool made by google helps you optimize your page for speed. It gives you a score for both mobile and desktop. Aim to be between 60 and 100. The important thing is to test your site on a mobile network for experience rather than a benchmark. But this took will show you something you can improve.

https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/

Grammarly

This tool helps me forget about grammar and focus on what I want to convey. It is not perfect, but it will help you develop your thoughts and correct monotonous loops. It has a correctness, clarity, engagement, and delivery score. You can even check for plagiarism and send your document for professional proofreading.

This tool has monthly on annual fees but is nothing compared to the benefit.

https://grammarly.go2cloud.org/SH2CH

Convertkit

This tool is for email campaigns. You can upload your email lists and create landing pages to capture new subscribers. You can start free with up to 1000 subscribers. This free program is fantastic, and they don't force you to show their logo at the bottom.

https://convertkit.com?lmref=7zKIJQ

How long does it take for your favorite sites to load? Do you have any sites that employ this minimalist approach? Let me know in the comments!

Miguel Guinard

The Minimalist Brand

info@guinardcp.com (Miguel Guinard) — Fri, 05 Jun 2020 18:19:48 GMT

I'm starting "The Minimalist Series" to help and inspire you to be unique with a minimalist approach. This post's topic, The minimalist brand , will help you be unique and a breath of fresh air in today's crowded space. Whether you are a business owner looking to freshen up or an individual looking to stand out in the corporate world, you will find applicable information to help you soar above the rest.

This article, part of "The Minimalist series." You can read all the posts in the links below:

The Minimalist Brand

In this article, I will make the case on how to simplify your brand in the following areas:

Simplify personal image
Simplify business image
Simplify your message
Simplify your delivery

Making the case for minimalism in branding

If you look around you, no matter where you go, you will find many businesses and brands fighting for a piece of the pie. This "fight" for market share is ideal for the consumer Because it leads to better products. One of the unfortunate side effects is what I like to call "information warfare." When we pay too much attention to what others are doing , we tend to react and follow suit with the same strategies overcrowding the consumer space.

As a consumer, I often feel overwhelmed by all the information bombarded at us. The news, advertisements, and solicitors all strive for our attention with clickbait and fearmongering. This "nuclear" approach has made me appreciate simplicity and transparency.

If you want your brand or business to be unique, you must focus on simplicity, clarity, and transparency.

Simplify personal image

People, by nature, are always looking for attention. We do this with our hairstyle, wardrobe, and hobbies. I want to challenge you to simplify your wardrobe. This action alone will help you create a signature look for your brand that will make you more memorable. By simplification, I'm not saying to wear the same thing every day, although it can help you worry less about what to wear and focus that energy into other things.

My wardrobe has been getting smaller over the years, with more high-quality items that last for a long time. Notice I say quality items rather than brands. If I wear something with a logo in it certainly is going to be my logo.

My personal preference is to stay away from ostentatious brands that plaster their logo or brand all over their wardrobe. I consider it a compliment when people ask me where I get my stuff. And guess what? Answering the question allows you to start a conversation and genuinely expand your network.

Simplify your business image

If you talk to anyone in the branding field, they will always say to select a color palette and use it in all your marketing materials. But don't go too crazy. Less is more.

If you don't already have a logo for your business, make sure it includes your colors. The best brands have the simplest of logos. Think apple, Mercedes Benz, Ferrari, etc. There are some brands with very complex logos, but they are also simplifying. Cadillac is one of those brands.

Business websites need to be minimalists in their approach. In today's mobile world, your site needs to have a minimalist design to load fast and include the information your potential clients need. If you want to add a lot of information, divide them into articles on your blog.

I like to make the case that your website's primary pages should be as concise as possible with a call to action. If people are interested in or intrigued by your product, they will look and search your blog. Having a minimalist approach to a website also reduces the cost or creating one.

Simplify your message

To minimize your image and brand, you have to simplify your message. Does your logo have a story related to your message? What about a slogan? If you can come up with a saying for your business that encompasses your product, you can then revise or develop your mission statement and business plan. Remember that the uniqueness comes from simplicity rather than complexity. If your product is complex by nature, the way you describe it should be simple and easy to understand by your audience.

Simplify your Delivery

How do you get your message out to your audience? There are many ways to proliferate your products or services. We have social media, delivery services, referral sites, travel sites, etc. Are all these mediums synchronized with the same simple information directing people to your site? All your posts need to point to your website where you can educate your audience. When was the last time you checked the links in all the outlets your brand is featured?

I encourage you to take control of the information and condense it to make simple.

The more you laser-focus your brand, the more you will recognize your clientele and serve them the best way possible.

If you need help with any part of your business branding process I'm here to serve

Miguel Guinard

A gift amid Covid-19

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 20:36:24 GMT

In Central Florida, most of us will bunker down for the next two weeks, starting tomorrow, March 26, 2020. Whether we like it or not, we are forced to rearrange.

Rearranging, for many people, is catastrophic. We get used to our routines. If you have young children, you are also dealing with keeping them safe and entertained. If you lost your job because of this situation, or sick, fear and anguish are lurking to disrupt your mental and physical state.

There's always a silver lining if you stop and look.

Covid-19 brought in its path of health and economic destruction, a gift. To have the ability to see the gift, you need to stop and give yourself a few moments away from the news and electronic devices.

When was the last time that you sat still and meditated? How about a short walk early in the morning or evening?

In my neighborhood, the mailbox is a 5-minute walk to our amenity area. I make it a purpose to walk around the park after checking the mail, giving me a few more moments to breathe in the fresh air and meditate.

My own meditation includes the words of Philippians 4:4-7:

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

You may not believe the same way I do, but practically, taking a few minutes away to ponder and analyze your situation, will help you focus on what really matters in your life.

I've been pondering and analyzing since the beginning of the year as I took a jump into entrepreneurship without knowing that Covid-19 would wreak havoc. This jump, in a Providential way, prepared me to deal with the situation at hand.

As a family, we were already rearranging and adjusting our budget and life to accommodate this entrepreneurial journey.

Based on my experience for the past few weeks, I want to share five thoughts on how I saw the gift amid Covid-19.

1- More Personal Time

We are now forced ( for a good reason) to stay at home. This opportunity will give you at least 1-2 hours a day without a commute. You can take a few minutes from that surplus to meditate, dream, and plan for the future.

2- For business owners: Time to strategize

If you are a business owner with employees, You've facing probably the most challenging situation in your life. Your business may cease to exist if you don't reduce the workforce. The government is going to help some, but if your business is considered "non-essential," you are going home still.

The "essential designated" companies and online businesses are thriving during this time. If you don't have an online presence or you haven't visited your website in a while, This is the perfect time to work on it. Create a content strategy, update your website, add pictures, enable your blog, and share your experience. Social media has been a great outlet for businesses, but remember that social media posts are here today and gone tomorrow unless you spend money. If "boosting" is not driving traffic to your site, you can use this "forced time off" to formulate a strategy that will help your website work for you and keep your clientele involved.

3-Make the best of working from home.

At our home, we rearranged our home office to accommodate my wife. Since she uses dual monitors in her office, I "sacrificed" my multi-screen setup so that she can have an upgraded experience working from home. Since most of my work now revolves around content strategy, I can write and edit from my laptop or iPad with noise-canceling headphones.

We have a little four-year-old "munchkin" who is full of energy, so I hired him as my assistant. His job is writing his letters and words and to "work" for a predetermined amount of time on his iPad. We take a break for lunch, and he goes to nap for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Who knew that you will become so productive during a child's nap time. Work that would typically take four hours to complete now gets done in two.

4- Show your employer that you are efficient at working from home.

One of the unintended consequences (or benefits) of this Covid-19 situation is working from home. Chit chat among coworkers is non-existent, and online meetings are now "the thing" to do.

This is the time to show that working from home will make you more productive and beneficial to both your employer and your wellbeing. I'm pretty sure that after this situation is over, you can negotiate work-from-home at least one or two days of the week.

5- The only downside of working from home

The only downside of working from home if you don't have self-control is the proximity to the pantry and fridge. If you don't keep your trips to the kitchen in check, you will gain more than just productivity and family time, especially around your waist.

In conclusion

If this situation is hurting you financially, remember to contact all your bill providers and loan companies and let them know that you need the help. Everyone is willing to help and formulate a plan that will help you stay afloat while you are cooped up at home. This will also help you avoid a hit to your credit report.

Covid-19 is giving you time at home without the stresses of and time wasted at the office and the much-needed quality time with your family.

On the other hand, if you are an "essential" employee or business owner, you don't have time to read or spend time at home. Enjoy all the extra work and money you are making, and thank you for your service.

Five questions to ponder before you begin your entrepreneurial journey Part-4

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 16:10:15 GMT

In this article, I will answer question number four in regards to financial preparation for the entrepreneurial journey. I will explain how I prepared and how our family is dealing with the Coronavirus situation.

The structure of the article:

Optimizing your home budget
Establish short term and long term monetary goals
Exchange tips with other Entrepreneurs
Preparation during the Coronavirus pandemic

1- Optimizing your home budget

How am I going to support myself or my family if there's no income during the first few months of the venture?

The question above is perhaps the most fear-inducing and what prevents most people from taking the entrepreneurial jump. But if you make a plan and prepare, you can convert that fear into confidence.

Having a budget is the easiest way to plan and to see how much money you are going to need to support your family. Once you know your base number, you can look at elements within to see if there are areas to optimize.

Our family thrives when we spend time together, so optimizing our eating out budget also optimized our quality time by cooking dinner together. We now eat better by cooking with whole ingredients, and we can involve our son in the process. This optimization alone has reduced our monthly grocery bill by 40%

There are many areas to optimize your home budget before you start the venture, but it often means you have to do things yourself. In my home, Landscape maintenance, carwash, and cooking bring an average savings of $500 per month! Since we have to perform these "home jobs," having a daily and weekly schedule is imperative to leave enough time for your entrepreneurial work.

When was the last time you got quotes on services and insurance? This day and age, loyalty is punished rather than rewarded. The bills for cable, cell phone, streaming services, etc. can be reduced and help you lower your monthly expenses without sacrificing the quality of life.

Now that you have this extra cash, you can increase your savings to create a cushion during an emergency and while your venture takes off.

Once you optimize everything you can, it is time to fix the other side of the equation, the income.

In my path to entrepreneurship, the only way to exponentially increase my income was to put all my efforts into Branding Phoenix.

One vital tool to help in the journey is to see how other entrepreneurs are doing on this path—more on this on my next point.

2- Establish short term and long term monetary goals

One of the driving goals and force that has influenced my thinking and encouraged my journey has been the "FIRE" Community (Financial Independence Retire Early). The message in its most simplistic form is to save 50% of your income for ten years, and you will be financially independent. Being financially independent gives you the freedom and peace to jump and soar into the entrepreneurial journey.

My must listen to podcasts in the financial and optimization realm include ChooseFI and Clark Howard . These shows answer and showcase stories of families and individuals who are pursuing financial independence.

Having the encouragement of these stories helped me formulate a plan that I could share with my wife so that together we can make the jump into entrepreneurship.

My plan is going to be different than yours based on your monthly monetary needs. Because we optimized our monthly budget, our savings can sustain the journey for six months or more.

My short term goal is to replace my last job's monthly income within three months. I started on February 11th, putting all efforts into Branding Phoenix. I will report back in May on my progress. The Convid-19 situation will undoubtedly be a challenge. Still, because our family planned and optimized way before this became a real problem, we were already mentally and monetarily prepared for a shortage of income.

The beauty of a business plan is that it gives you focus. You can expand or contract the plan depending on your needs, wants, and values.

I have a six, twelve, and twenty-four-month goal. These goals are closely linked to our home budget needs now and in two years. In two years, our needs will be significantly less so that we can save more money and get closer to that 50% savings rate between my wife's income and mine.

3- Watch the monthly business expenses

Starting a business can be overwhelming if you haven't prepared for all the "hats" you have to wear when you begin. Most entrepreneurs begin as "solopreneurs." As a one-person team, you need to have experience in the following:

Sales
Management
Accounting
Marketing

There are many other "hats" you can wear within these four areas, and if you are not good at any of them, you need to prepare before you go on your own.

The more you have experience in these fields, the lower your business expenses will be at the beginning, and more of your capital can be spent on growing the business. The plan with any company is to grow to a point where you can remove these hats and keep the hats you like.

If you don't like to be in front of people or manage people, you need to find people that will represent your business and manage your employees. If you don't like numbers, you need to find someone to help you as well. If you need this help very early in the business journey, you need to know that your expenses will be high, and the need to bring in more sales will be more significant to compensate for the costs.

I believe one of the reasons most businesses fail is because we start spending money too soon on services. Once we hit the submit button to register your business, you will be targeted. You will be followed everywhere you go on the internet. The phone will ring. People will knock at your door—all to sell you the services needed for a business.

One of my missions with this blog is to demystify and help you navigate all of this. I want to see more of my fellow entrepreneurs succeed on the journey rather than being bogged down with expenses too early on.

Some of the services we get sold are great and will help us grow, but if you jump too soon, they will drag you down. Some services and tools will let you start for free and charge you as you grow. I will list some of them on a future post.

4- Exchange tips with other entrepreneurs

You are not an island. You need to develop friendships with other entrepreneurs and the "competition." I recommend that you join guilds in your industry. You will learn and grow. There's business for everyone. Competition is what makes us better at our craft and keeps us learning new things. You will also learn from mistakes others have made so that you don't have to experience them. You can also share your experiences to help others.

5- Preparation during the Coronavirus pandemic

One of my plans, before I took the jump, was to schedule my time on social media and the news. These two information avenues are pits that will DEMAND your attention and take you away from important work and time with family. Notice that I said "Schedule" and not eliminate. I also decided to go to the sources of truth, not the emotionally charged opinions.

Here are some thoughts to consider:

There's always a silver lining with every crisis, and here are some things to consider while you are "Stuck" at home working or spending time with family.

If you are working from home, do your best work so that you can show your employer that you can be more productive and possibly negotiate work from home hours. Imagine all the extra time you could gain if you didn't have to spend time in traffic, commuting, and chit-chatting with coworkers.

With the extra time, you can explore a "side hustle" that can turn into your new business venture.

If you have a family, they likely want your attention, so schedule time with them and teach them some of what you do. We do all the work to support them anyway. They will appreciate you more.

A downed stock market creates an opportunity for investing and buying stocks on sale. I recommend the book "The Simple Path to Wealth." This book will help you understand that the market always goes up over the long term and that you should invest solely in the lowest cost, broad-based funds available to mitigate risk and maximize returns. Again, LONG TERM. Buying and selling short term is gambling, and not even the "gurus" can predict.

If you are a business owner, this is the time to write a blog for your business to increase exposure. Social media posts are here today and gone tomorrow (unless you pay), but your business story in a blog is searchable and can work for you day and night.

Be encouraged. Watch and pray. This situation shall pass. Life conditions like this pandemic are opportunities to help us reflect and prioritize.

If you are interested to read other articles in this series, here are the direct links:

Five questions to ponder before you begin your entrepreneurial journey Part-1

Five questions to ponder before you begin your entrepreneurial journey Part-2

Five questions to ponder before you begin your entrepreneurial journey Part-3

Demystifying SEO in Five Steps

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 18:26:21 GMT

This week's tips will help you understand the basics of Search Engine Optimization and how it works in 2020. I will share direct links to the sources so that you can expand your knowledge.

SEO is not a superpower that only the "gurus" can apply. If you understand what helps you optimize your site, you can focus your efforts, and if you love this stuff, do it yourself. You will also know if someone is trying to sell you.

There are only three correct ways to show up on the first page of search results. Spending money in ads, applying the tips below, and regularly scheduled and engaging content. Any other effort to "trick" the system will get your site demoted or removed.

Ads will get you in front immediately if you know the keywords that will benefit your business. The rest will take some but will get you to the top organically.

Here are the five steps in order of importance:

Secure your website
Claim local business profiles
Create or update your site to mobile-first web design
Optimize your site for speed on mobile and Desktop
Create fresh content to drive traffic to your site.

1-Secure your website

Search engines will not trust your site if you don't have a secure connection. You can check this by the "lock" symbol on your browser or the "s" at the beginning of the URL (https://)

A security certificate is the easiest to implement, and it is very inexpensive. You can purchase one from your domain registrar, such as GoDaddy, NameCheap, etc.

Your web designer or webmaster can implement one for you for free in most cases.

2-Claim local business profiles

When you are looking for a local business, the first search engine results are the business profiles.

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP! Why?

Because getting your business registered in Google My Business, Bing Places of Business, Google Maps, Apple maps, etc. require verification via mailer and domain code.

When properly set up, search engines know that your business is legit and, therefore, will show the map results right away.

I wrote the article Three tools to help you take control of your information online. This article includes links to Google, Bing, and Yahoo business tools.

3-Create or update your site to mobile-first web design

Google determines the rules in search optimization, with 70% of market share worldwide. Their algorithm for the past two years only indexes sites through mobile websites. They recommend that your site use responsive design so that the content looks good on any screen.

The reason for prioritizing the mobile platform is because of smartphones. Most online interactions start on the smartphone.

Here is the direct link to Google's Guidelines

4-Optimize your site for speed on mobile and Desktop

Since search engines are only indexing sites optimized for mobile, the website experience must load fast. Smartphones rely on internet connections that vary in speed and signal coverage. If someone is left hanging waiting for a site to load, it's going to frustrate the user and encourage them to do another search and avoiding your website.

If you are in the process of creating or updating a website, you must create a site with a mobile score of 70+. Test a few times to make sure you get the correct analysis. The desktop equivalent must have a rating of 90+. The tool will give you suggestions on how to improve your speed.

Make sure you use the secure site address "https://www.domain.com." Redirects slow down sites but, as long as the main site is fast, you won't be affected.

Here is the speed tool from google

Tip: if you are looking for web designers, test their site speed to see if they are up to date.

5-Create fresh content to drive traffic to your site.

Once all the above tips are in place, this part is crucial. You need to engage your audience and potential clients via a blog. I recommend that you write articles and give tips to your audience at least once a week.

Search engines love to index compelling articles that match the title and have at least 600 words. You can write shorter articles in between long ones with tips that are faster to read and encourage your visitors to spend more time on your site.

Fresh content lets the search engine know that your site is active, and that is providing helpful information.

Remember that the number one job of a search engine is to provide you with the most trustworthy results as fast as possible.

Five questions to ponder before you begin your entrepreneurial journey Part-3

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 18:07:38 GMT

This week's post will answer the question of family support in the entrepreneurial journey. If you are interested in my answers to the last two questions, click on the links below.

Five questions to ponder before you begin your entrepreneurial journey Part-1

Five questions to ponder before you begin your entrepreneurial journey Part-2

I will begin my answer by sharing my observation on the need to belong and how family support is essential on the entrepreneurial journey.

The need to belong can be detrimental if not experienced appropriately.

As humans, we want to belong. You can observe this in infants and young children. In the beginning, it manifests as a natural clinging to parents continually wanting attention. This need for care converts into a desire to be accepted.

If you observe family dynamics around you, the need for children to belong is obvious. If these young ones don't get it from their immediate parents, they are going to seek it from grandparents. The further away from the nuclear family children get, the more vulnerable they are. The sad reality is that many children don't get this need fulfilled at home and venture away into the streets where good company and influence are difficult to find.

As we grow, this need for belonging extends its tentacles to friendships and into our work life. We want to be part of teams, guilds, and associations to find common ground and expand our thoughts and network.

Solitude for short periods can help us clear our minds, meditate, and prioritize, but we can not remain there. We need other people to bounce ideas and to get feedback.

"It is not good for man to be alone."

Remember the last time you attended a wedding? Genesis 2:18 exemplifies the completeness of marriage and our need for companionship. This principle is not for marriage alone but for life itself. If you are not married and in other stages in life, you still need the companion of friends or family. Fire up any online search, and you can find that loneliness is not suitable for your health.

How family support helps us in our journey

In the life of Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, they had the support of family and the garage space they provided to keep overhead costs low. Jeff Bezos also started in a garage with his wife and the monetary investment of his parents. My local business owners and friends also relied on family to help with children, money, and guidance.

As I write this post, I have this feeling of joy and thankfulness for all the support and influence in my life. Because of their encouragement, I'm sipping my coffee at the local coffee shop with my noise-canceling headphones letting my mind wander into the creative realm.

"I have one question. Who pushed me?

Many years ago, I heard a story. I could not find the source, so here is my paraphrase:

"A rich king without a son wanted to give his daughter in marriage and his fortune to one brave man. He wanted to provide a physical and mental challenge that will test the suitor's ability to complete it.

The king prepared a pool infested with gators and lined up the suitors at one end. At the other end, the princess and the king awaited.

The tension among the men was fierce, and for a few minutes, no one jumped.

As the king started to wonder if there was such a brave man in his kingdom, one young man jumped into the water and started to make his way towards the king. There was fighting, pushing, kicking, and finally, the brave young man made it to the other end.

The king in awe asked the newfound son in law:

How did you find the courage to jump and complete the challenge?

The young man replied:

Dear king, I have one question, who pushed me into the pool?"

We need people in our lives that will challenge and push us to reach full potential. If we don't have excellent family support, we must invest in good friendships, or seek the advice of wise counselors who genuinely care for us.

When I was single, I jumped into many adventures that tested my mental and physical health and ability. Taking risks was more natural, even if the outcome wasn't always the best.

Now I have a family, and risk-taking requires more consideration and advice. As a married man, I take the guidance and support of my wife very seriously. I won't take a risk without her full support. I've seen many families around me fall apart because of decisions that did not have the full support of both spouses.

The entrepreneurial journey requires monetary consideration in a family. Careful planning and budgeting is a must.

Join me next week as I unfold my family's preparation for the Jump into entrepreneurship.

Three tools to help you take control of your information online.

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 18:47:12 GMT

Have you explored how your business information is showing in other search engines and map sites?

Google dominates the internet search queries, but in this day and age of privacy concerns, more people are exploring other search engines and browsers to curb the information these big companies have on us.

The beauty of it all is that most other search engines, browsers, and online map tools offer integration with the google platform to synchronize the content.

Taking control of your business information online is very important for SEO. All your data must be the same on all platforms.

Here are three tools to help you take control of your information:

Yahoo Small Business Tool

The yahoo small business tool is the place to begin. By typing your business name, you can quickly see if you are in their database. It will then prompt you to type your industry and email to do a "background check" on your business. The tool will show you all the possible outlets where your information can reside and show you errors or information not found.

You can use the information to select and manually update. You can also pay a monthly fee to keep everything up to date.

smallbusiness.yahoo.com/local

Google my business

Keeping your information up to date with Google is vital. 70% of search queries go through their platform

Remember that for Google to rank your business favorably, you need to provide your business address even if it is your home.

google.com/business

Bing places for business

Bing is the second largest search engine, and it is the source of information for Yahoo, Firefox, Duck Duck go, and more.

Bing can connect automatically to Google my business portal to synchronize information so that you only have to worry about keeping the google profile up to date.

bingplaces.com

Five questions to ponder before you begin your entrepreneurial journey Part-2

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 21:44:31 GMT

Last week, I started a series of blogs based on five questions. You can read last week's blog and my answer and exploration into the first question:

What innate ability did your favorite brand's founders/leaders possess?

This week, I want to tackle my answer to this question:

How did they prepare to jump into entrepreneurship?

2- Preparing for the jump by finding inspiration

Looking for inspiration can be hard because we usually like to find stories similar to ours. Our society has wired us to avoid any unnecessary pain, and we want to make sure that when we jump, we land on our feet. The problem with this thinking is that no one has a situation precisely like ours. The keyword here is "inspiration."

We can look at top brands like Apple or Amazon and marvel at the stories of their founders. Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos have similar upbringings. Both were adopted, and both started their companies in a garage. Steve had Woz, and Jeff had his wife and parents.

Steve Jobs had to sell his car, and Steve Wozniak had to sell his precious high-end calculator. They jumped into their dream with less than $2,000.

Jeff Bezos left his great career and started his company out of his garage with his wife and $10,000.

I won't go into too much detail about these two since their life is well documented online.

I also found inspiration in local business owners. Like many of the high profile brand founders, these local business owners had to jump as well. They may never achieve the world spotlight, nor would they want to, but I will forever be grateful for their story, inspiring me to jump.

Everyone prepares for the jump differently. In my research, I heard people make the following statements:

"I see a need in the market I can fulfill."
"I want to go on my own."
"I'm tired of working for the man."
"I lost my job, so I wanted to explore other options."
"I want the flexibility to work from anywhere."
"I have some savings I want to invest in a new company or franchise."

All these statements led to someone starting their entrepreneurial journey.

I started my journey executing the following principles:

Seek advice from multiple counselors

"Without counsel, plans fail, but with many advisers, they succeed." Proverbs 15:22

Having advice from different trusted advisors is vital to get started. Our intuition and dreams are significant in our minds, but we must allow open criticism or input.

I sought the advice of people with extensive experience in business and sales to help me clarify the path. Every Idea, no matter the potential, needs to be tested by the background of your "advisory board."

A business plan is essential

"Someone's sitting on the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." Warren Buffett.

If you have no experience in business, YOU NEED ADVISORS . Many Local organizations are at the service of entrepreneurs with an idea or business proposal and can help you write a business plan. Crafting a well thought out plan is instrumental for the future and success of your venture.

If you are in Central Florida, The national entrepreneur center is one of the best in the country.

If you need help navigating this step, send me a message. I would gladly connect you.

The support of your family is a must

The people that love and care for you will be encouraging, honest, and ask the hard questions.

If you are married, your spouse needs to bee 100% on board. In my business venture, my wife was so ready for me to begin, that she gave me the final push into the "free fall" of entrepreneurship.

Taking a "leap of faith" is very exhilarating and, at the same time, scary. But if you take careful consideration of the advice from your trusted advisors and family, you will soar with less turbulence, and their support will help you when the flight gets tough.

In summary:

Get advice from trusted experts and friends.
Have a business plan to show that you are serious about the venture.
Your immediate family needs to be 100% on board.
Get ready to soar.

Join me next week for my answer to the following question: Did they have Support from family and friends?

Five questions to ponder before you begin your entrepreneurial journey Part-1

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 20:51:43 GMT

As I admire my favorite brands and their founders, no matter how big or small, I often ponder on the following questions:

What innate ability do they possess?

How did they prepare to jump into entrepreneurship?

What support did they receive from family or friends?

How were their finances before the jump?

Is there such a thing as luck?

The answers to these questions will vary slightly depending on your favorite brands. Still, their legacy or infamy will live on as encouragement or lessons in our "free fall" to entrepreneurship.

Over the next five weeks, I will be sharing how I answered these questions to help me begin my journey into entrepreneurship.

1. Exploring My Innate Abilities

Looking back at my early childhood, I remember having an intense curiosity about how things work. I found myself taking apart all my toys and putting them back together. As you can imagine, I broke many in the process. This curiosity has developed into what I call "the troubleshooting mindset."

The troubleshooting mindset helped me develop my creativity. In my family, creativity was encouraged, and my passion for the arts grew exponentially.

At the age of 11, I found a passion for graphic arts. I was drawing, painting, and capturing images with my film camera.

Over the next few years, my passion for the arts took me to the music realm. I learned how to play drums, guitar, and how to sing.

My innate ability, "the troubleshooting mindset," developed into my new business venture in the world of branding, where I exercise all of my talents and skills.

Troubleshooting Creativity

Everyone in this world is creative. We are born with God-given talents and abilities that will help us in our journey through life.

Our modern society has suppressed our creativity and emphasize responsibility and duty. Our society conditions us to be "worker bees," doing mundane and repetitive tasks every day of our lives. We now live for the weekend, and we spend these precious two days consuming everything sold to us during the week.

There is nothing wrong with having a regular job if it is fulfilling and helps us accomplish our goals in life. In many ways, a nine to five job simplifies our lives and provides the income to support our families and helps us pursue our desires. The keyword is to have "goals" in place to find our purpose. Without goals, we are destined to live for the weekend.

Before I jumped into this world of entrepreneurship, I had a traditional job with flexibility, and it allowed me to exercise my skills and passions. I was able to spend time with my family, have fun, and plan for the future.

The problem lies in getting comfortable with simplification. When we get comfortable, our creativity takes a back seat because our lives are running smoothly on cruise control.

If you think about it, most of us are working for companies that began on the passion and creativity of their founders. These role models had to leap in faith toward their dreams. (More on this on next week's post)

I believe the more you revive your creativity, the more you can find purpose in your life and enhance your current circumstances. If you exercise your creativity, you will be able to bring new ideas and concepts to the table that will be invaluable in your life, your current job, or encourage you to jump into entrepreneurship.

Creativity is a God-given virtue to all humanity, so make sure you spend some time every day exercising it. Here are some quick tips:

Make dinner without a recipe

Draw a picture from your mind

Strike a conversation with someone new.

Put down the phone and be still for 30 minutes.

The more creative you become, the more attractive your thoughts and ideas will be. Don't be afraid of getting your ideas shot down. It is through failed ideas that you will encounter the best. Before you know it, people will be coming to you for ideas and suggestions.

I hope that this blog post will give a "jump-start" to your creativity and remind you that you possess an enormous amount of creative power. You are a "carrier" of many incredible talents that this world needs.

What are your innate abilities?

I welcome your thoughts and criticisms.

Continue reading Part-2

How to properly start a new chapter in your life

Wed, 19 Feb 2020 03:30:46 GMT

The way you close a chapter will affect the beginning of the new one.

Life offers many opportunities to turn the page and start fresh. Some times these opportunities are planned while others come as a surprise. Being able to distinguish between the two has puzzled many through the ages. Surprises can be good or bad, just like plans. One thing is for sure: You will always learn something new.

In my life, I've seen my fair share of opportunities. Many of them required a leap of faith without knowing where the next step is going to land. Here are some of my leaps of faith:

Moving to a different country with a different language.
Taking a sales job when I am naturally introverted.
Leaving the comfort of a steady paycheck to start a new business.

Every time I embark on a new adventure, I can't help but reflect on the past to see the trajectory of my life. As I look back to the many forks on the road, I noticed that I closed some chapters properly and some not. One of the biggest lessons I've learned rides on the following statement: The way you close a chapter in your life will affect the beginning of the new one.

Circumstances will always affect the way a season in life will end, but if you think beyond what's on the surface, you will have a chance to leave the door open when you move on. Your life is more significant than any particular situation, and your reputation is always on the line. If you are not careful about how you react, every connection related to the circumstance will be affected as well.

"To err is human, to forgive, divine." Alexander Pope

We must remember that no one is perfect. But imperfection doesn't give us a license not to care.

In matters of the heart, leaving a door open is difficult because it usually means a heartbreak. But in business and social dynamics, the following three principles on how to leave properly applies:

1. Don't let anger get the best of you.

Whatever the reason, fair or unfair, you invested time and effort in building relationships. Don't let anger get the best of you. Friendship with colleagues will often lead to other opportunities. Jobs come and go, but the ever reaching webs of your network don't have to stop growing. The way you exit is a reflection of what's going on in your heart. "For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34b

2. Give assistance and support during the transition.

If you see a door opening with another employer that will significantly benefit you, or the entrepreneurial spirit takes over you, giving the necessary transition time and assistance to your current employer will ensure that the chapter closes smoothly. The people around you will be witnesses of your professionalism and concern beyond yourself.

Do you remember the golden rule? "Treat others the way you want to be treated."

3. Be thankful for the experience.

When you leave your current situation, even if the new adventure takes you in a completely different path, the experience has shaped the way you are. Every experience teaches you a new skill, and this collection of skills will give you more confidence in the future.

"Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart." Zig Ziglar

As I venture back into the world of entrepreneurship, I feel encouraged and confident of what lies ahead, thankful for all the previous experiences, and willing to help others in the same path.

Miguel's Branding Blog

Small business branding guide Updated 2023

Successful Small Business Branding Guide

Introduction

Business basics

Business brand genesis

Domain Name

Business Email

Domain Warmup

Domain Reputation.

Graphic Design

Web Design

Social Media

Must have assets and services to be in business

Accounting

Banking ﻿

Credit Cards

Credit Card Processing

Strategies to get exposure

Selling Without Selling

Your Secret Sauce is the Key

Social Advertising

Grow Your Audience

Ultimate Goal

The Minimalist Website

The Minimalist Website

Synopsys of website trends through the years

The simplification process

How to increase retention with a minimalist site

Minimalist Site vs. "Loaded Site"

Minimalist website in action

List of resources to help you take control of your site.

The Minimalist Brand

The Minimalist Brand

Making the case for minimalism in branding

Simplify personal image

Simplify your business image

Simplify your message

Simplify your Delivery

A gift amid Covid-19

There's always a silver lining if you stop and look.

1- More Personal Time

2- For business owners: Time to strategize

3-Make the best of working from home.

4- Show your employer that you are efficient at working from home.

5- The only downside of working from home

In conclusion

Five questions to ponder before you begin your entrepreneurial journey Part-4

1- Optimizing your home budget

2- Establish short term and long term monetary goals

3- Watch the monthly business expenses

4- Exchange tips with other entrepreneurs

5- Preparation during the Coronavirus pandemic

Demystifying SEO in Five Steps

1-Secure your website

2-Claim local business profiles

3-Create or update your site to mobile-first web design

4-Optimize your site for speed on mobile and Desktop

5-Create fresh content to drive traffic to your site.

Five questions to ponder before you begin your entrepreneurial journey Part-3

The need to belong can be detrimental if not experienced appropriately.

"It is not good for man to be alone."

How family support helps us in our journey

"I have one question. Who pushed me?

Three tools to help you take control of your information online.

Have you explored how your business information is showing in other search engines and map sites?

Yahoo Small Business Tool

Google my business

Bing places for business

Five questions to ponder before you begin your entrepreneurial journey Part-2

2- Preparing for the jump by finding inspiration

Seek advice from multiple counselors

A business plan is essential

The support of your family is a must

Five questions to ponder before you begin your entrepreneurial journey Part-1

1. Exploring My Innate Abilities

Troubleshooting Creativity

How to properly start a new chapter in your life

The way you close a chapter will affect the beginning of the new one.

1. Don't let anger get the best of you.

Banking