Business

How I Work from Home and Stay Productive

How I Work from Home and Stay Productive

We all have the same amount of hours in a day. That’s why productivity tips are sought after and blog posts on the topic are often shared; with a limit on time, we all want to utilize and maximize the 24 hours we’ve been given.

Especially in business.

For the past year I’ve been working from home full-time, and although my schedule could always be improved and I will never have time management down to a T, I’ve learned a few tricks that have been helpful for me along the way. I also love getting a glimpse at the schedules of other creative entrepreneurs. 

So today I’m sharing a sneak peek into my workday routine. Odds are that my workday schedule won’t be perfect for you, but I hope you might be able to glean a thing or two (and leave a comment with your best advice for making most of a workday). 

It’s also important to note that this is an ideal workday. In a creative field, each day is different and things inevitably come up that throw off my daily routine. Some days you just have to roll with it and try to get back on track! 

How Passive Income Allows You to Work Smarter, Not Harder

How Passive Income Allows You to Work Smarter, Not Harder

When I was posting each weekday on the Elle & Company blog, I was often asked how I continued to come up with blog post ideas.

My answer was always the same: I’ve found that the more I blog, the more I understand my audience and come across topics that would interest them; it actually gets easier over time. 

I also know that business is never stagnant; there are always new lessons to learn. Industries evolve and there are always new changes and practices to come across. If you aren’t learning, your business probably isn’t growing.

While many of my posts are instructional and informational, they’re also indicative of where I am in my business and what I’m learning.

I write from experience and research so if you see an Elle & Company post on a certain topic, there’s a good chance that it’s been on the forefront of my mind at some point and important to my business.

The same is true for this post. 

We’ve all heard the saying “work smarter, not harder.” I have been putting a lot of thought into how we bring in an income through Elle & Company, as well as how we can make the best use of our time. 

Today we’re taking you deeper into what we’ve discovered and how we plan on making things easier for ourselves in terms of bringing in an income for our business.

While the goal of each Elle & Company article is to benefit you, I know that this one might be a game changer if you haven’t put much thought into passive income.

Give Yourself a Break

Give Yourself a Break

If you took a look at the Instagram feed of a creative entrepreneur, you might think you have their day all figured out. Quiet mornings at a clean desk with a cup of coffee in hand, no commute, taking time to answer emails and catch up on social media wearing stretchy pants. Spending the day editing photos, writing blog posts, and sketching. Occasionally switching things up a bit with a workday at the coffee shop. Setting a customized schedule with built-in vacation days. Seems pretty ideal, doesn’t it?

How to Create a Buying Frenzy for Your Online Product

How to Create a Buying Frenzy for Your Online Product

After months of increasing the quality of our content and growing our readership, I decided to put my hard work to the test with the launch of the first Elle & Company e-course this past March.

I was a little nervous; I knew it would be an honest look at whether the content marketing strategy that I had worked so hard to implement had truly paid off.

So I waited by the computer as the clock struck 12:00pm and our 40 seats went up for grabs. Less than 15 minutes later, I sat there shocked and excited as my first online product completely sold out. 

My strategies for selling the e-course weren’t over the top or elaborate, but they proved to be effective. Today I’m revealing exactly what I did and how you can create a buying frenzy for your online product, too

How to Create an Autoresponder for Your Mailing List

How to Create an Autoresponder for Your Mailing List

I’ve discussed why mailing lists are important and I’ve shared about the ins and outs of using Mailchimp, but there’s one crucial piece to effectively utilizing a mailing list that I haven’t covered quite yet: autoresponders. 

It seems too simple, but email automation is one of the most effective ways to gain the email addresses of those who are truly interested in your products and services. In fact, one survey by the Lenskold Group and the Pedowitz Group says that automation increased the quality of leads that get passed to sales by 60% (source).

Autoresponders also help solve many problems within your business. Have you ever wondered how to automatically send a welcome message, freebie, or recent newsletter to new email subscribers? Maybe you’re interested in setting up a marketing campaign for recent customers or creating an email workflow for your clients. 

If any of the above grabs your attention, today’s post is for you. I’m explaining the ins and outs of using autoresponders as well as some creative ways to use them for your business. Then I’ll take you behind the scenes for a how-to on setting up autoresponders in Mailchimp.