Smashing Self-Employment - Marketing and productivity help if you're self-employed.

Running your own business can be tough on your mental health. In this episode, I chat with copywriter Katie Rickson about routines, boundaries, and how to build a business that supports your wellbeing as much as your income. Katie opens up about her own journey sharing how she learned to prioritise rest, set better boundaries, and build a business that fits her life, not the other way around. We a...

Burnout isn't just about working long hours. It's about what you're putting up with, what you're avoiding, and what you've come to accept as normal. In this episode, I chat with Michelle Niemeyer, a former lawyer who’s now a productivity coach, about the one powerful choice that helped her step away from burnout and create a business that fits her life, not the other way around...

Join host Charlie on "Ways to Wealth" as he chats with Karl Craig-West, a freelance digital marketer and business advisor living in Fiji. Karl shares his eclectic career journey, from property maintenance at 19 to running a web design agency; highlighting the freedom and challenges of self-employment. The episode dives into the freelance economy’s rise, AI’s transformative role in work (...

Struggling to stay awake in the afternoon? Boost your energy in just 10 minutes with this simple yet powerful habit! Many of us hit a mid-afternoon slump, feeling sluggish and unmotivated after lunch. But did you know that a quick 10-minute walk can completely refresh your mind and body? In this podcast, I’ll tell you why this trick works, how it improves focus, and why it’s one of the easiest way...

Episode Description: In this episode of Smashing Self-Employment , we dive deep into a true story that highlights the importance of keeping in touch with your customers and prospects. Discover how a simple habit of consistent communication can turn cold leads into loyal clients—even years down the line! We’ll share real-life examples, including how a first aid training company became a customer si...

In this episode, we dive into the world of marketing through the lens of a game-changing YouTube video. Discover the simple yet powerful ABCs of Marketing : Audience , Broadcast , and Channels , and learn how these foundational steps can transform your marketing efforts. We discuss why knowing your target audience is critical, how to craft a message that truly resonates, and the importance of choo...

You may have heard that content is King. And, if you want your website to do well in the search engines, you need to be creating regular content (usually blog posts). But that's not the whole picture. When you’ve created a new content item you need to be sharing it out on your own social media. If the sharing brings traffic back to your website, then it will give Google a good indicator that t...

We're often asked "how frequently should you send out marketing emails" and there's no really simple answer. The main factors in marketing email frequency are: ~ Your business type ~ Your customer type If you sell to consumers then you'll probably get away with sending out emails quite often, maybe even daily. If you sell to businesses then you need to be more careful since s...

I heard a saying that "Life happens when you're planning on doing something else!" And when you're self-employed it can have a huge impact on your ability to get stuff done. The challenge for many people is to avoid giving yourself a hard time when your business activity is derailed by life. So, a few things to bear in mind are: Accept that "stuff happens" and that it h...

Gary Foster (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thegaryfoster/) is a Sales Hypnotist, sales trainer and salesman. In this interview he shares his thoughts on: Copying successful salespeople Making your sales pitch more comfortable and formal How to be a helpful salesperson Serving to sell Using language to increase sales Making selling fun LET'S CONNECT: Web: smashingselfemployment.com YouTube: @smas...

In this interview with Daria Williamson ( www.dariawilliamson.com ) you'll learn how to work on your strengths and delegate out the things you don't enjoy and don't leave you energised. As self-employment people we end up doing a lot of stuff we don't enjoy (such as book-keeping) and these tasks often get left until the last minute, which causes stress. Or we won't even start t...

Our mind and body regularly need time to recover and refresh from the working week. And a weekly day off is the ideal way to do it. However, when you're self-employed (especially working from home), it can be very difficult to disconnect yourself from your work. The constant input from mobile devices doesn't help. So, here are some pointers on making sure you take at least one day off each...

You can save yourself a tonne of time and money if you follow these steps to make sure you start a marketing campaign the right way. Make sure you understand your target audience and how you're aiming to help them Test and measure performance on a very regular basis Run split tests, if you can Start small and scale up if (or when) it proves to be profitable The aim is to make sure that every c...

These days websites are all about content. Decent content gives you a better chance of outranking your competitors in the search engines. And the best way to do this is to write regular blog posts. The challenge is that blogging takes time. So, in this episode we share a few ideas on how to create blog posts in less time. LET'S CONNECT: Web: smashingselfemployment.com Insta: @smashingselfemplo...

Your marketing should be a process, just like the rest of your business.⠀ In fact, the more you make a system/process out of your marketing the easier it will be to do and more effectively it will help you to (win and keep) customers. You see, successful businesses run on processes. The more efficient and effective these processes, the easier it is to manage and grow a business. So, your mission s...

Rich Ellis, of Fit 4 Life, share his tips on how to prioritise your wellbeing when you're self-employed. Rich's key points include: ~ Have a great start to the day ~ Your eating habits make a difference to your ability to stay well ~ Have something to look forward to (such as a weekend away or a holiday) ~ Take regular breaks (including micro-breaks in each day) ~ Look after your mindset ~...

Multi-tasking doesn't work. In fact, it's bad for your productivity. You see, trying to get a load of stuff done, all at once, means that nearly nothing gets finished. You'll simple flick between tasks and get nowhere fast. Even worse is that you run the risk of stressing yourself out because you won't be finishing anything but you'll feel rushed off your feet. So, how do you f...

"Shiny New Thing Syndrome" is so easily to fall into where you get distracted by something new and exciting. The issue is that it's far too easy to get sucked up by the hype and fail to question whether this new thing is going to be helpful to you and your business. And just because everyone seems to be raving about something, it doesn't mean that it's any good. A key questio...

Referrals are usually the cheapest and most effective way of getting more customers. It's the best way of knowing that you're doing good work and that many of your customers tell others about the good stuff you do. In this episode I share the story of a mortgage broker called Gareth. His strategy was to reward his top referring clients with dinner at their favourite local restaurant. Yes i...

Measuring your marketing is important because you need to know which elements of your marketing are actually working. Sadly, far too many smaller businesses and self-employed people just put marketing out there but simply don't know if any of it is effective. These days, with much marketing happening online, you have no excuse for keeping track of your stats. It's a good idea to find out w...

In this episode we interview Angela Couch who is a Career Coach in Auckland ( www.careerinspiration.nz ). Angela shares her key lessons after 2 years in self-employment. These include: Don't be afraid to ask for help Be persistent Remember that it will take twice as long as you think to get going Make sure your 'WHY' is very clear Angela works with professionals and managers and can be...

We all get the same number of hours in a day. But how is that some people manage to get more done than others? Well, it's not about managing time. It's all about managing you and what you do. The key is to aim towards good working habits and your own personal productivity. The main points are: Cut distractions and interruptions Give yourself 'Focus' time Switch things off Give your...

Being self-employed isn't always easy. And the main reason it's not easy is because you have to be multi-skilled. You have to get good at marketing, sales, book-keeping, personal organisation, cash-flow management and work-life balance. As well as being able to deliver the products or services you're offering. I've even heard it said that you need to be nearly as good at marketing...

Consistent marketing leads to consistent results. So here's how to make your marketing more consistent and successful. As it sits, fewer than 10% of self-employed people are consistent with their marketing and it's no small wonder that only a minority get meaningful results. The key to fixing this is to develop a consistent marketing plan and implement it. First you need to make time each...

Outsourcing some aspects of your work is the only way you're going to be able to focus on the core aspects of your business. As soon as you can, you should be handing your book-keeping over to a book-keeper (unless you're a book-keeper, of course). You should also look to outsource admin work to a Virtual Assistant (VA) too. After all, you didn't start your business to get bogged down...