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Don’t Stop Adapting

We live in a time where things are constantly changing. With technology so intertwined into our daily lives people have lots of information thrown at them in a short amount of time. So much so that one second we could be thinking about one thing and completely forget what we were talking about the next. Our thoughts are moving faster than our brains can comprehend.

The same goes for businesses. Because of the way we now absorb information, businesses have to fight to stay relevant. What used to be effective marketing 5, 3, even 1 year ago is completely different to what works now. What could be effective now could be old news in 6 months – who knows? But you’re not really surprised by that statement right?

My point is that we should never stop adapting. Don’t stop learning. It’s easy to just say that you don’t want to change and stick to what you know but remember that your customers won’t. Our society is making historical changes right before our eyes, not just on a city or statewide level. Our nation and our world is changing! The way word of mouth works now has changed completely from when I was growing up. Wow, that statement made me feel so old lol 😝 But it’s true! Someone that lives half way across the world could possibly see me, follow me on Instagram, even purchase something from me without even meeting me or hearing my voice.

Photo by: Samantha Hurley

Truthfully, when I started my first business in 2004 social media was barely a thing. So as an entrepreneur it wasn’t quite something that we utilized to communicate with our customer base. You had to think of ways to get in front of your audience, to interact with them in person. Since then I’ve been able to adapt and change in the last 14 years of owning various businesses. I firmly believe that my ability to adapt has helped me continue to be an entrepreneur today.

We should always continue to improve – improve product, marketing, strategy, customer experience, everything. We shouldn’t be afraid to make strategic changes to stay relevant with our audience. It’s the thing that will keep our businesses thriving for years to come.

Xoxo,

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What Makes you Special?

That’s the main question. When you’re starting a business, it’s hard to be the first to do anything. So the question then would be, what sets you apart from the other similar businesses out there?

Photo by: Gordon Hatusupy

What makes you special? Honestly, ask yourself that question and answer it honestly. Don’t be modest. Make a list of what you bring to the table. This is going to help you create a niche and a segment of people that are searching for that exact thing that you have. What makes you special is exactly what the competition doesn’t have and what your customers are looking for.

I just want you to realize there’s something special about you. Unlocking your gifts and talents is going to set you apart.

Your skill set.
Your life experience.
Your struggle.
Your background.
Your upbringing.
Your mind set.
Your approach.
Your ideas.
Your brand.
Your personality.
You.

You are what makes your business successful. If it weren’t for your unique perspective then you would just be a dumbed down version of someone else? And who wants that? It’s a beautiful thing.

So tell me, what makes you special? Cuz you are. You are special.

Xoxo,

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WWDC iOS 12 Updates for Entrepreneurs

If you’re an Apple Nerd like I am then you know WWDC kicked off yesterday with a keynote discussing all the OS updates for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. I was watching the live stream yesterday and there are a few things that I’m particularly excited about that would be really practical for entrepreneurs and creatives!

Let’s start with iOS 12. Though it seems that Apple is focusing more on performance updates (not complaining here) there are some new features that I think are going to be really useful for us productivity nerds.

1. The Photos app is getting an update with a better search option. If you’re someone that uses their phone to take photos almost exclusively like I do, this is going to be a big one for you.

2. Siri is getting an update. I honestly only use Siri for my HomeKit functions but have always wanted to use it more. I have to admit she wasn’t as great as she used to be so this update will be a good one. From an entrepreneurial and productivity the things I’m most excited about is the Shortcuts app which will give you the option to add commands to Siri. For example, if you tell Siri you’re “going home” then it’ll trigger a series of commands such as showing you the latest traffic with the quickest route home, it will play your specified playlist, and turn on your lights and fans at home.

This feature was an app called Workflow in the past, and while I’ve had it for a while I’ve never really been able to use it to its full potential. When I got word that Apple had acquired it I was really curious to see how they would implement it. I’m also excited to see how many apps will utilize this feature (I hope they do!) cuz yo’ girl will be all over that ish.

3. Voice memo comes to iPad. I use this often, not that often but have always wondered why iPad didn’t have this standard.

4. Grouped notifications will be great since my notifications drive me crazy some times!

5. If you’re an entrepreneur that has a lot of remote workers or you work with fellow entrepreneurs FaceTime group calling is going to be great!

6. I’m also excited about the new Do Not Disturb features that are coming to iOS. I’m the type that is glued to my devices since I use technology in almost every aspect of all my businesses. It’s easy to get distracted because of a notification. The notification leads to opening the app that leads to scrolling and next thing you know over an hour has passed. This is a feature I’m definitely going to use to up my productivity.

Now, for watchOS 5 updates. The updates didn’t really apply to me since I have the series 2 but if you do have the series 3 and an LTE version this will be an exciting update.

1. Podcasts are coming to Apple Watch! Podcasts are my new jam so I’m excited about that one.

2. Truthfully I’m excited about the walkie talkie feature! This would be soooo useful at Ninong’s! But only a few of us have apple watches. Not even sure if this works for anything but the newest watches.

Last but not least, MacOS. This was probably the most impressive update for me personally. I think there are numerous things in the Mojave update that are going to be great for entrepreneurs or even just help with every day productivity.

1. Dark Mode is coming to MacOS. Though I don’t use my laptop at home anymore like I used to (I use my iPad more) if you use your computer in low light situations this is going to be great!

2. Desktop Stacks are going to help me keep my desktop so much more organized.

3. Finder has some really great updates that I’m most excited about! Nerdy, I know. But you can now apply customizable buttons that could create multi page PDF’s, cut and video, and edit photos right in Finder. So excited for this one!

I know a lot of people thought that this keynote was pretty boring. WWDC keynotes are always software focused, so I don’t know why so many people were expecting hardware releases. I think these updates are going to be really good for the end user and are necessary. Some of these things are features users have been asking for while others are nice surprises. Let me know what feature you’re most excited about in the comments!

Xoxo,

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