How My Online Business Improves my Personal Development
Hey everyone! Welcome back to my blog. We’re going to discuss all the ways that I have grown in the last two years since starting my online businesses. I say that in plural, because I have two Youtube Channels, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJuWbC7-oQ_qAl205tIrGzA, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj2TnymFlDjnhClNAwx5Stg, an online sticker shop on this website, and of course, this blog. I also use affiliate marketing in all that I do, and all of these things combined constitute my business “hats”.
In the past, I have strictly discussed my Youtube channel, and all the work that goes into content creation. I haven’t really talked about the maintenance, or the start up as much. Creating ANY business takes money, hard work, dedication and ample other resources. (Time probably being the biggest one). There are many things that can help you improve your productivity and time management when it comes to your business. Implementing systems into your business is one example. Anything you can do to save time, and streamline your business processes will help you to maintain and grow your business to where you want it to be.
In the process of creating your business, you as an individual go through different stages. There is a learning curve, especially if what you are doing is new, or you are using some sort of new technology (i.e. editing software), or new products. Then you need to learn how to become efficient at what you’re doing, and eventually how to grow or scale your business.
There are twelve topics I want to cover today that I have learned so many things about by doing them every day. I have had to invest many days learning, creating, and producing in order to get to where I am at currently, with much room for growth and hard work. These things have improved my personal development because I have changed by doing them on a day-to-day basis. I have learned many new things, and it is exciting to me because I am doing this for ME. I honestly don’t think I would have much motivation if I was doing these things for someone else, even if there was a money incentive. It’s simply not the same, and that realization is also what has contributed to my personal growth. I have figured out I want to live and work by MY rules, as opposed to someone else’s rules. Here are the twelve things we will discuss today:
Branding
Systems
Putting yourself out there
Content Creation
Social Media
Marketing
Money Management
Book Keeping
Sales
Project Management
Managing a Team
Going Live
Branding
When you start a business, it’s important to establish a name for yourself. The easiest way to do that is to be consistent with your branding. Sometimes this is hard, because you might change and you want to change your branding to reflect your interests, or the new direction your business has taken.
There are some people that have every single thumbnail for their Youtube videos the same, except for one small element. (Check out Louise Henry’s channel for instance, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCfmh4xPUtW2QL6LZ3dJ3SQ ). She uses the same color palette for each one of her videos, and she also has the same photos of herself rotating throughout all of her videos. Some people believe this is key to developing consistency and people know who you are and start to trust what you have to say.
Personally, I get bored super fast and I can’t keep ANYTHING the same. I am always changing things up and figuring out new ways to do things. For instance, none of my thumbnails are the same. This may hurt my channel or my business, but really, I think it should come down to the content. What you have to say in your video is more important than each thumbnail being exactly the same; just put effort into your thumbnails, so you have a quality picture, and it will still capture people’s attention.
I did end up purchasing a yearly subscription service with Canva, and it’s fun to learn how to use it. As with most tech, I reach out to fellow youtubers to show me how to do something. Canva helps me to create awesome intro’s and outro’s and I can customize pictures or graphics as well.
Systems
There are a few different systems I had to learn to properly track everything going on in my business.
I use two types of filing systems I created by myself. The first is an analogue system, where I keep all of my important documents, receipts and files in a metal filing cabinet. I do have a blog on how to create a filing system, so if you need to do that, check it out here: https://sandradahl.ca/organization-productivity-1/blog-post-title-four-ngkld-ErzkL-d3bsk-V6wom-9cjd7-cwaft-wrdcb-alhja-pjzbe-z6ase . I also have a digital filing system where I keep everything backed up on a portable hard drive.
My most important system to keep track of my content creation and my business is my personal planning system. Check out the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE0aBAFKk18&t=702s. I will be doing a new video on this soon to show my updated system, but I do use a few different books to keep my life organized. I liked the idea of a Frankenplanned Planner because you can basically have 7 planners in one book. You could also put everything into a bullet journal, but the amount of things I do would fill up one book in one to two months. I have also been playing with the idea of switching (partly) to a Franklin Planner. This is the original day-timer system and you would be surprised at how in-depth the FREE course is, and it really helps you to develop your goals. (Note: I have been doing a lot of in-depth planning and goal research, and may switch my planners up in the future to keep my personal planning system and my business management systems separate.)
Another system I use every day to help keep me on track is a project management system. I used Trello, and I currently use Asana. I use the free versions, and it helps me to see what I need to do on a weekly basis, or on the go since I have the app on my phone. This is helpful when you don’t have your notebook on you. Again, it’s a great system, but you need to learn how it works before it can become beneficial.
Putting yourself out there
This is probably the most scary one of all. Learning to let go of your insecurities and just going for your goals is REALLY hard, but SUPER rewarding. I put myself out there when I started my Youtube Channel. Creating content and being afraid that you will be judged on the basis of it is a really difficult thing to do. Honestly, I was more judgemental of myself and I had to learn that perfection is in the growing process. As I always say, I’m not here to be better than anyone except for past self. Learning how to control your insecurities comes with time, and you get more control as you age. Maybe it comes with getting wiser or having children. (When you have kids, you no longer worry about what people think of you as much; you’re simply too busy!)
Starting a business (i.e. a sticker shop) is also putting yourself out there, especially if you don’t make a sale right away. You need to find a way for people to see what you’re doing. (That’s where social media and marketing come in!) You are also basically putting your art on display, again, opening yourself up to critique which can be scary.
Content Creation
Creating videos and posts for social media is a time consuming process. There are many thing you need to learn before you even get started! For instance, what’s the best lighting to use? How does your brand new camera work? What kind of lenses do you need? Then you need to figure out what your filming style is. Talking to the camera is not the most comfortable thing to do. It feels really weird at first, and it takes some time to develop that familiarity with it.
Since I didn't mention scheduling, we’re going to talk about it here. Scheduling is very important to the health of your business and your self care. If you don’t schedule your work, you will be constantly stressed, always trying to get content out the day before it needs to be posted.
It is only recently (within the last three months or so) that I started batching content and theming my days. Batching is creating many videos (or other content) at once. This is high on the productivity list since you only have to do hair and makeup once for all the videos you create. Also, you will be in the mindset to film (or create content) so it’s best to pump out as many as you can. Theming is similar, but you basically do only one thing all afternoon, or all day. (i.e. Editing on Monday, Thursday, Filming on Tuesday, Planning/Admin on Wednesday).
It took me a long time to develop the rhythm that I’m currently in. I spent the early days of my YouTube career running around like a crazy person, having mental breakdowns because I was always behind. Now I feel like I am in control and I can schedule a holiday or breaks if I want and my business continues to run smoothly.
Social Media
Believe it or not, before I started my Youtube channel, I NEVER watched Youtube. I didn’t post on Instagram (I’m pretty sure I downloaded the app for the first time 3 years ago) and my nose would be stuck in a book instead of on Facebook. So, I had to learn how everything worked. I am still earning actually, since I still haven’t posted to IG stories or reels. I also haven’t done a live video yet. It is one of my business goals, but it’s very daunting.
The difficult thing about social media is that it is easy to get lost in it. You might be checking Instagram for something work-related, and then decide to look at a few posts. Half an hour later, you are shamelessly scrolling through endless reels on Instagram. You really need to train your brain to focus on work in these instances. It is best to follow some sort of time tracking productivity technique, like the pomodoro method and simply put your phone on mute.
The world of social media is also very vast, and still growing. (I.e. Enter the world of Tik-Tok). When you use social media as part of your business platform or plan, you need to make a decision on what platforms to use. It is more valuable to focus on one or two of these platforms, and really dig deep, rather than to try and tackle all of them. That will just lead to burnout. Start using a couple, and really learn how to best use the platform so that it benefits you and your business. (Remember, time is money and endlessly browsing Facebook or Instagram will not get you anywhere).
Marketing
I use my social media to market my content. I also use business cards (aka the old fashioned way). It was different when we were able to go out. Now, they have been largely left in the box and all my attention has turned toward the online market). I use my Youtube channels to promote my Sticker Shop, I use my Instagram to promote it all, and I use my website to promote my Youtube Channels. It all works together quite nicely.
I do find that to market yourself, it’s easier to create relationships first. By this, I mean you will gain more followers/subscribers by ACTUALLY interacting with people versus posting a photo on Instagram. It’s important to see people face-to-face. Whether this looks like handing someone a business card, or doing am Instagram story or reel, or hosting a live Facebook event or Youtube Video, it doens’t really matter.
I find that when I talk to people in real life and hand them a physical business card, it’s fun because once you become more noteworthy, they can say they met you in ‘really life’ !
In the end, it does’t really matter how you promote, just as long as you do. If you are selling something or offering a service, you need to get noticed. It may be easy to get started with an online business, but it is more difficult to stand out in a crowd and get noticed.
Money Management
I remember how hard it was when I first moved out of my mom’s home and into my own. I didn’t realize how many things we, as adults have to pay for. I was just excited to be “independent”. It continues with an online business. At first, when I started my Youtube channel, I did it for entertainment and the excitement of it. I wanted to share my art and experiences with my viewers.
As I came closer to actually making money, I got a little nervous because I didn’t know what to do next. It took me awhile to figure out that Youtube is actually a business as soon as you start. It’s best to prepare beforehand so you don’t get surprised later on.
For instance, it’s best to save 30% of every dollar you make so you can pay taxes. There is no one taking taxes off your ‘paycheques’. You are now in charge of doing it yourself. Also, you need to establish how you will pay for your expenses for your business and what bank account you will use. (At first, it doesn’t matter if it’s your own business, but you may want to get a business account so it keeps your personal finances separate and it is easier to track).
Book Keeping
After the money comes in, we need to be able to track it. For instance, my mother-in-law does everything the old fashioned way - by pen and a notebook. I find it easier to use a digital system so your transactions from a connected account can go straight into your accounting software. This saves so much more time.
Quick Books is a popular choice, but I use a free software called Wave that helps me keep track of my business finances. Another option is to hire an accountant, but that takes money and it’s difficult as it is when you first start out. However, if you’re not used to doing your own taxes or handling your money, this might be your best option.
Sales
Personally, I would never try to sell something I would’t personally love to buy. (That’s to all those people out there trying to offer me jobs in sales when I was looking for a full time job). I am pretty picky when it comes to quality products. This is why I decided to open a sticker shop. I have loved stickers since I was a child, and have a huge sticker collection (even today) to show for it.
I also wanted something that was in my niche and that I could talk about on my Youtube channel, since I love to plan and talk about stationery. It only made sense that I would design, create and produce stickers.
I decided to create stickers intended for planning, since it is one of the biggest sellers in the planner community (other than the planners themselves). I would call myself a half functional/half decorative planner because I need the functional but I also love my planner to look pretty.
I opened my sticker shop March 2021, and my shop is not yet well known. I am still trying to drive people to my website so they can see it. Having a youtube channel helps, but at this point in my business, I’m not ready to start creating ads to promote my channel (although appearing in searches like google really do help).
At this point, I haven’t had any sales but from what I hear, shops really pick up towards fall and Christmas. Since I’m not an established sticker shop owner, I am not yet at the point where I know what it’s like to prepare tons of orders and ship them out. Technically, I do have time booked in my schedule for “SHOP”, but I currently use that time to design stickers. Currently, I am trying to produce at least three new designs per week, but it is super challenging. (Did I also mention I am a mom of two?)
I found the start up to be challenging. First, I needed to be able to produce stickers. I needed technology to design the stickers. (Cue the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil). Mind you, I intended to buy these products anyway since my first iPad died a terrible death, but still…Then, I needed a cutter so I waited until March to get a Cricut Machine. I have the Cricut Explore Air 2. Then I basically watched tons of videos on how to create stickers, and I practiced designing and creating them.
Next, I needed a way to display them. I wasn't intending on opening a physical shop and having them all on display, so online was the way to go. I needed a website and I built mine from the ground up. (This is where some branding comes in). There was a learning curve to that as well, so again, I watched tons of Youtube Videos to learn more about he subject.
Once I start to sell stickers, I will need to keep tabs on my sales. I will check in with my analytics on a regular basis and go from there!
Project Management
This is probably one of the most important things to my business. I currently keep track of all my projects and content in my Happy Planner and Asana, and online tool. They both work great, but I’m not willing to go all the way digital. I love my paper planners too much!
I mentioned earlier in Content Planning how scheduling is one of the most important parts of your business. Project management encompasses every single thing about your projects, no matter how many you have on the go. It doesn’t matter what you use to keep track of them, only that you do. You will save yourself time and stress by keeping all your information in one place - easily accessible and nicely organized. Without my tools, I would be lost. I have so many things on the go at once that I would not be able to keep track of it all in my head. I highly recommend writing things down, but Asana or Trello work great if you’re an online guru!
Managing a Team
I have not had the experience of having to hire anyone yet. I am pretty sure I will in the future, especially if I scale my business. The important thing here is communication. You need to be able to work together and communicate well with someone else, whether that be your accountant, or virtual assistant. If you are working remotely, a project management tool like Asana is so great. You can work on the same documents and communicate all within one space. However, with managing a team comes some sort of payment. You need to check with your state/governing body on how that looks like for your business.
Going Live
This is again, something that I have yet to do. I do know that it is the quickest way to create relationships and promote yourself at the same time. People can see the authentic you. You cannot hide behind the camera lens, and there are no filters. However, this is good because it shows your audience that you’re willing to risk your insecurities for them, and they come to know and trust you even more. (Thereby, creating important relationships between you.)
I can say for sure that I am not the same person now that I was before I started my business. I have been super busy, but more satisfied than ever in my life. I strive every day to do more, reach more goals and learn something new. The learning never stops, and that is what makes me happy.
💙 SAN
