Another group of incredible SA Woman Members are here to share their top tips as experts in their fields to help all women reach their health, wellbeing and business/career goals!
Check out the blogs below to make some changes in your personal or professional lives and get in touch with our experts to find out more about what they do.
Catherine James Creative |
Catherine James
Writing an engaging and valuable About Me page is challenging for us self-deprecating folk who don’t like to blow our own trumpets, but it is crucial and getting it right will make a difference in converting customers.
So here are three tips to help guide you in writing your About Me page.
Tip #1: Your About Me is not About YOU.
It’s about what you can do for the person reading. Yes, you should include your story and how your business came to life, but make sure to link it to why that makes a difference to the person reading.
Describe how your qualifications (educational, work or life experience) make a difference in how you run your business and the product or service they receive. Tell people HOW you can help them, based on WHAT skills/product you have and WHY it should matter to them.
Tip #2: Know who you are talking to, and be conversational.
Write as you would speak to someone in person. Let your personality shine through in your writing. If you like cats, it’s okay to say that! Of course, we don’t want to overdo the cats unless you provide a cat rescue service. Relating the information to your business allows your personality to shine through with your business emphasised.
Don’t talk about yourself in the third person, ie. “Catherine has a profound love of writing”. It’s okay for short bios but not when engaging with readers. Use one of the golden rules of writing – Show, Don’t Tell. Could a photo tell part of the story? Don’t say you are passionate, write about a situation that shows you are passionate.
Tip #3: Tell people HOW you will help them.
Testimonials from previous clients can be helpful here, but if you don’t want to add a full one, place a link to your Testimonial page. Sharing how your values and beliefs feature in your business will attract people with similar values.
Provide a sense of what it’s like to work with you. Do you prefer face-to-face contact or email/zoom only? Add a quick link to a calendar reservation system to book a time with you.
Facebook: Catherine James Creative
ABOUT OUR EXPERT:
CJ began her copywriting career when the borders closed on the world, and COVID ruined her travel business. In reality, it was a good year of freaking out before she realised she could turn a lifelong passion into a business. I mean, who didn’t spend most of 2020 freaking out?
VocaLab| Elle Nichelle
To help keep your voice happy and healthy throughout the day and night try these 3 vocal health tips:
Tip #1: Stay Hydrated
Try and drink approximately 2L of water per day, sipping consistently throughout the day, as this helps to reduce sticky mucus in your throat and supports healthy vocal functioning.
Tip #2: Warm Up Your Voice
Your voice is made up primarily of muscles. If your voice isn’t warm before placing it under a high load (such as running workshops, hours on the phone or running presentations) it can make it more susceptible to injury. This is the same as when you do not warm up before sport; it can cause muscle strain. Try doing some light humming for 5 minutes before heading into your day to help increase blood flow to the muscles of your voice and decrease your risk of vocal strain.
Tip #3: Take ‘Vocal Naps’
There are often times during the day where we feel and hear that our voice is tired, but we choose to push through. This is problematic and is often where vocal injuries start to develop. So, next time you notice your voice is fatiguing, stop talking, take yourself away from the temptation to talk and have a short ‘vocal nap’. A vocal nap is 5-10 minutes of no talking.
Facebook: VocaLab Au
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Johnston Withers Lawyers |
Rosemary Caruso
Business owners are known for dedicating countless hours to make their business successful.
Unfortunately, very few business owners dedicate time to ensure their business continues to prosper after they’re gone.
Have you considered your succession plan? Comprehensive succession planning is important to make sure your assets are secure and the responsibilities for operating your business are clearly spelled out in the event of your retirement or death.
Below are three succession and estate planning tips for business owners.
Tip #1: Get legal and accounting advice before you start your business
A commercial lawyer and an accountant will assist a new business owner with the ownership structure of your new business. That might be as a sole trader, a company or a family trust. The main focus usually is on asset protection and tax.
However, what is often not considered is how your business, an asset, will be dealt with on your death. If the business then becomes hugely successful how do we pass on that success, that wealth?
Some of the questions we ask are:
- If you are a sole trader will they be able to continue to run your business until it is sold?
- If you own it through a company, do you want the shares to go to a particular beneficiary. Who will the director/shareholder be after your death? How long will that take.
- If you own it through a family trust – do you realise the trust owns the business and its assets. You personally may have nothing to give away in your Will or just your beneficiary loan account.
Tip #2: Consider how your business will continue to run if you were incapacitated
Along with making sure your Will is up to date, don’t forget to consider how your business will continue to run if you were incapacitated or perhaps have capacity but are unwell for a lengthy period of time.
Having an enduring power of attorney, a company power of attorney, or others in decision making positions in your business is really important.
Tip #3: Review your estate planning?
Wills Lawyers recommend reviewing your estate planning every couple of years (or when there has been a change in circumstances – marriage, divorce, children, death in family).
Facebook: Johnston Withers Lawyers
ABOUT OUR EXPERT:
Rosemary is a director at Johnston Withers Lawyers.
Rosemary exclusively practises in wills and estates matters, and has done so since 2009. She’s a longstanding member of the Law Society of South Australia’s Succession and Elder Law Committee as well as the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners’ SA Branch.
With an academic background in engineering and law, Rosemary brings a uniquely analytical perspective to the team and uses it to find innovative solutions.
She understands that wills and estates can be a sensitive matter, and prides herself on providing empathetic, practical advice to her clients in a timely manner.
MindFuel Coaching|
Sarah Randall-Smith
As an entrepreneur, it can be challenging to stay motivated, manage your energy and be productive. These 3 top tips will help you achieve success, focus and clarity so you can start showing up to your business in a more meaningful way.
Tip #1: Action Creates Motivation
Many of us spend way too much time waiting around to feel inspired and motivated before we tackle the tasks and projects on our to do list. The hard truth is, sometimes this feeling of motivation will never come, so we need to take matters into our own hands if we want to move forward in our business. The best part is, as soon as we take the first step (no matter how small), we often end up feeling motivated to keep going because we can see that we are making progress, which creates an upwards spiral of success.
Tip #2: Fall in Love with the Process
If you’re an ambitious entrepreneur, sometimes it can feel like no matter what you achieve, the goal post is constantly shifting and there’s always something new to strive for. While there is no doubt that goal setting is an incredibly valuable skillset to acquire, particularly in business, it is equally as valuable to try and fall in love with the process. This shouldn’t be confused with the unrealistic expectation that you should enjoy every single aspect of running a business. But every now and then, write a ‘reverse bucket list’ of everything you have already accomplished so far in your business and that you feel most proud of, especially on those days where everything feels like an uphill battle.
Tip #3: Prioritise Self-Care & Idle Time
When you’re busy hustling in your business, it can be easy to view replying to emails or putting the finishing touches on that big project as more important and valuable than self-care and down time. But not only is self-care valuable for your mental health and overall wellbeing, it could also benefit your business. Research has shown that during rest, daydreaming, and other mental states that don’t involve focused awareness, we activate a part of our brain that is able to come up with bright ideas, and solutions to complex problems. So the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed or stuck in your business, give yourself some space and prioritise self-care.
Facebook: MindFuel Coaching
ABOUT OUR EXPERT:
Sarah Randall-Smith is an ICF accredited success and wellbeing coach and Co-Founder of MindFuel Coaching. She is deeply passionate about supporting entrepreneurs and professionals to challenge the habits and mental thought processes that are getting in the way of their growth, well-being, and living a meaningful life. In doing so, she helps people develop positive habits, master their mindset and optimise their productivity so they can live the life they want.
