Building Success as a Part-Time Entrepreneur

Monday Morning Marketer

(updated. originally published April 2010)
Time and again I find myself re-checking my expectations – those I hold for myself, and those my family have of me. And time and again I realize I don’t have them aligned. That’s marketing speak for “crap! this just ain’t workin’ yet”. For as much as I “know my stuff” as a marketer for small businesses, I’m still new at being an entrepreneur and ALL that it entails. Not only that, I am still new at being an entrepreneur trying to create a repeatable, sustainable business model while still being mom first!

But I AM a part-time entrepreneur. This is what I want. And I will make it work! And so will you. Why? Because the truth is, you are passionate, committed, creative and you know what lines to draw and when. Not just for your business, but for yourself and for your family too. You are in your business to make a difference, make yourself happy, make money. If you lose touch with this… write it down where you can read it! Sometimes we need a reminder WHY we have chosen this life for ourselves.

I started this blog today with a fire in my belly, a spur in my side. The truth is, I am a terrible housekeeper. I always choose sneaking in a few minutes of work over laundry on a weekday. And that is not ideal for my family. But that IS the truth. (see, I said this isn’t working yet).

As a part-time entrepreneur, you are responsible for making choices too. You will affect people in your lives who will not always like your choices. But you have to embrace your truth. And your truth, if you also embrace the word ‘entrepreneur’, is that sometimes you just have to bulldoze ahead and hope those you love will enjoy the thrills of the ride more than the bumps in the road!

If you do NOT embrace the hiccups, as a part-time small business creator… then you cannot be an entrepreneur… you are not seeking your definition of success… you may end up being a hobbyist! And goodness knows… I do NOT want you to fall into the ‘hobbyist’ camp. Know why? Because a prominent female magazine publisher, who I considered a leader, told me that women creating businesses “on the side” were not really committed and couldn’t do it! Somebody told me NO! Which is the ultimate spark for THIS business of mine dedicated to women entrepreneurs.

I know you are like me, and some days you just cannot BE the entrepreneur you want to be. But here are a few marketing hints to help you to keep the snowball rolling. If you manage to do a few of these each and every week, you ARE much more than a hobbyist. You are a part-time entrepreneur… and that’s a great thing!

Weekly Marketing Hints for Part-Time Entrepreneurs – Connect, Collect, Campaign:

1. Spend 15 minutes at least every 2-3 days on your social media truly connecting in conversation with those who are customers, prospects or peers.
2. Send a personal email or make a personal phone call to at least 2 customers or prospects who would appreciate that you took the time to connect.
3. Follow up personally with at least one lead – even if you have dropped the ball.
4. If you have an event, promotion, or marketing activity coming up, promote it at least twice through all your marketing channels over the course of 7-10 days (email, facebook, twitter, phone, etc) and vary the times when you send them out (or automate them out).
5. Check the analytics on your website, blog, facebook page, twitter account and collect your statistics on a regular basis. If your numbers drop significantly below average on a rough week. Write or post something brief, but meaningful and new, to your webpage, facebook page, twitter account. Ask friends to share it.
6. Grab a piece of paper and write down one campaign, no matter how large or small, that you did in the last year that worked (even imperfectly), write down why it worked, write down how you could tweak it, and imagine when you can repeat it.
7. Get a “12 week mindset”… pick an idea you would love to do for your business and make a mini-marketing project map. Nearly any idea can prove successful in a 12 week campaign period, even on part-time hours. You just need to get started now.

I love helping part-time entrepreneurs get focused, learn how to make great decisions, build confidence. Feel free to drop a comment here or a note to me to share where you need help! Find me at http://www.mpoweredmarketing.com or join my Facebook fan page for updates there http://www.facebook.com/mpoweredmarketing or tweeting, conversing and sharing frequently at www.twitter.com/kimpagegluckie.