10 Awesome People Who Can Help Skyrocket Your Business - Part 2
If you want to grow your business, an important realisation is that you cannot do it all. Trying to will result in a waste of your time and money. You need to work on the business, not in the business. 'On the business’ involves strategy, networking, nurturing leads, research and developing ideas. ‘In the business’ covers administrative, bookkeeping, making products, marketing management and sales processing. Guess which makes more profit? In the early days of business, I felt like my job was part secretary, part accountant. That was until I had a strong word with myself: unless I wanted to consider full-time employment again, I had to delegate these tasks.
In my last blog, I wrote about the social media marketer, the photographer, the website builder, the graphic designer and the VA. But there’s more support available to a growing business. Let’s meet the networking group, the business coach, the mentor, the accountant and the copywriter (hi!).
The Business Coach
In recent years business owners have recognised the power of coaching. A great coach will help you:
Define your goals.
Work towards your goals.
To challenge your mindset.
Identify limiting beliefs, such as ‘but they are doing better than me’ or ‘but I’m not confident enough!’ or ‘I haven’t got time.’
Celebrate your wins.
Reflect and learn from your mistakes.
I’ve had a few coaches over the years for different stages of my business. My first coach helped me identify that I wanted to write for a living. One day I sat down with her to strategise my social media business—but we realised that my real calling was to become a copywriter. Another coach helped me when imposter syndrome was becoming a huge threat to my dreams. I also used a coach for getting back into my novel writing after the pandemic.
Before you work with a coach here are some tips:
Find the coach that suits your niche, your goals and your personality. If you’ve ever tried to find a counsellor, it’s similar. You need to find someone you can work with not only on your business, but on your personal growth. The two are not separate. Make sure you have established trust and connection from the outset. An excellent coach will go deep. It's also wise to know that coaching is not counselling.
The Networking Group
Find a networking group you love, and you will thrive! If anyone follows me on social media, you’ll know that I’m a member of Six Degrees. Last year, I dipped my toes into in-person networking for the first time since working for myself. I signed up to a few different events and although it was daunting, I grew in confidence with each one I attended. But Six Degrees knocked it out of the park for me. I have never felt so seen, comfortable and inspired as I do in their community of women. So if you don’t find a group that suits you, keep trying! Or, as Six Degrees founder Sarah Jepson did, set up your own! Here are some more tips:
Arrive early. That way, you can sort yourself out with a drink, settle in and wait for others to join you. It avoids that daunting moment of walking into a packed room full of people. Starting conversations can be much easier than joining in.
Buddy up with another person in business who feels shy about networking. Not the friend you haven't seen for ages!
Introduce yourself to the organiser - either by message beforehand or if you arrive early. If they are kind, they will see that you need support and introduce you to someone to chat to.
The Accountant
Are you an accountant? If not, hire one. There are many advantages to delegating your bookkeeping and tax returns (and they all support the theory of working on the business, not in it).
Hiring an accountant should save you:
Time
Looking for receipts and invoices.
Inputting records.
Working out how to use your accounting software.
Trying to remember which account you posted that to last month (how has a month gone by already! And oh gawd, does this means VAT is due again soon?)
Stress
See the above brackets.
Money
If you input your accounts wrong, chances are you'll have to pay an accountant more to correct it later on.
Avoid late filing fees by being compliant.
Why spend the day bookkeeping, when you could be earning money doing your actual job?
Before you choose your accountant, do your research and write down what you need. Bookkeeping? Cash flow planning? Quarterly goal setting? The fees and the services offered by accountants vary. Working out what you need will help you decide on the accountant for you.
The Mentor
Finding a mentor in your industry who inspires, motivates and educates you is a game changer.
A mentor can help you on a 1:1 basis or as part of a group. They can also offer guidance and support in online communities and courses.
Tamsin Henderson is my copywriting guru. I discovered Tam’s CopyKooks community back in 2020 and since then when I get stuck I think “what would Tam do?” (sometimes I will ask and she’ll reply, which is kind, since she’s got close to 20K members in her Facebook group alone!) There are thousands of mentors I could have chosen. But Tam’s #BigSisterVibes, her excellent teaching, and her magical way with words had me captivated from the start. I’m forever thankful to her for helping me find my way in the copywriting world. Sign up to Tamsin Henderson’s newsletter here.
The Copywriter
So on the subject...why hire a copywriter? What can a copywriter do for your business?
A copywriter will get your brand voice heard by the people who matter to you - your ideal customers. They will write content to engage your audience and compel them to click, sign up, follow and buy. They will also refine your brand message and ensure that your communications are consistent and effective.
Most copywriters are savvy digital marketers. This means they can also help you develop a content strategy to reach your target audience and achieve your business goals.
Tips for working with a copywriter:
Know your audience. If you don’t, then you haven’t got a marketing plan. When I take discovery calls, the first question I ask is “who are your clients?” Even if you’re a startup, you must know your market to have any chance of succeeding in business.
Once you know your audience, you can decide on tone of voice and content strategy. Some copywriters will help you develop this.
Decide on your goals. What do you want browsers to do when they read the copy? Subscribe? Download? Enquire? Having one CTA (‘call to action’) is better than confusing readers with several.
Work out your priorities - what do you need the most? A sales converting website? Emails to nurture your audience? Or some case studies to showcase your customer success stories?
Finally, know that copywriting takes skill and time. Copywriting for business involves:
extensive research
brainstorming of creative ideas
analysis of the features and benefits of your product or service
writing
editing
proofreading
The final result is marketing gold: content unique to your brand and words that sell.
So tell me, which of these awesome people do you use in your business? And who is on your wish list? Let me know—and feel free to tag your recommendations!
Do you need a word wizard on your team? I am Tilly Lander Williams, a copywriter and content expert. I work with big-hearted, female-led businesses to attract your dream customers using the power of words.
Tilly Lander Williams
LinkedIn: CLICK HERE
