Let’s talk money, which I know can be an uncomfortable topic. Deciding when and where to invest in your business isn’t easy. Here are a few tips to help you shift your business money mindset and look at wise investment options.
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It Takes Money To Make Money
At my first job in high school, I’d equate a purchase to how many hours I’d need to work. If I wanted that new pair of jeans, that was equal to 3 or 4 hours of working guest services at Target. Were they really worth half of my shift?
When I was a teacher, I’d sigh when I had to make a major purchase. Hello washer and dryer for my first apartment that cost more than I made in a week, I’m looking at you.
As a business owner, I’ve had to shift my money mindset. I have to think of the investments in both short-term cash flow and longterm gain. Sometimes it really does take money to make money, but it’s important to invest wisely.
When I first started my online business, I did as much of the work myself as possible. Looking back, it probably would have been wiser to pay someone to help me with a shortcut that freed up my time to focus on other business tasks that only I could actually do. There were also a few business costs that were unavoidable, like paying for clipart for my educational products since I can’t draw.
Wise Business Investments
Here are a few more wise business investments that I have personally paid for.
website costs
It’s critically important for your business to have a website. Social media accounts can go a long way, but here’s a post with more reasons why you need your own website.
There are totally free website options out there. I personally started on the free Blogspot platform {here are more details on free vs. paid}. However even on the free option, it would be wise to invest in your own custom URL. These are incredibly affordable through sites like Go Daddy.
If you do opt to go with a WordPress site, then you’ll also incur hosting fees. Introductory pricing Siteground can start at roughly $5/month. Ask yourself– can you make that cost back {and more!} each month by having your website??
memberships and licenses
This is one that got me almost right away as a new business owner. I was designing educational printables and teacher blogs, so I needed access to commercial fonts and graphics. As a business owner you need to read terms of use carefully. For example, you can’t just grab a picture from a Google search and use it to profit. Using real photographs in design is incredibly popular right now, but stock art with commercial use is an added cost. There are free options, but reading terms of use and educating yourself is super important.
Sites like Creative Market have introductory-level paid options.
business tools / apps
Related to memberships, there are also business tools and apps to streamline your business life. One of the first things I did as a business owner was to create an email list {learn more about email marketing here}. MailerLite and ConvertKit both have free options for small lists. LeadPages is an impressive paid option.
Then there are apps that can speed up your workflow and help you grow your network. Pinterest and Instagram are incredibly popular ways to market yourself. You can of course pin and post for free, which I did for a long time, but as my business grew I wanted to get more out of my pins so I opted to sign up for Tailwind. Later helps me organize on Instagram (free and paid options).
courses
I’m a big believer in the value of education. Investments made in your own knowledge and talents can never be taken away from you. There are numerous free trainings (often as teasers toward larger paid courses) that are a good start. I often see advertisements for these on Facebook and Instagram, but also keep my ears open for referrals from friends in my niche.
Paid options that can range from $50 to thousands. When deciding on paid courses, I consider a few things: the authors own results/success, testimonials given by past students, and the results of other previous students not promoted by the author. Essentially I look for more than just the highlight reel. When possible, I prefer to take a less expensive course from the author first before deciding to invest in one of his/her larger ones.
expert help
As your business grows, you may also decide it’s time to hire help. You could hire a virtual assistant to take tasks off your plate by running your social media, email marketing, website updates, customer service, etc. You could hire a designer to professionalize your DIY branding, logo, website, etc. if you couldn’t afford that investment at the start.
legal services
I don’t know many people who get way excited for paying lawyers or accountants, but those are key services you will need as you grow. My lawyer helped me with my LLC, trademark, and legal policy pages. My business accountant handles complicated taxes. My financial advisor helped set up insurance policies and investments to protect my business income as it grew.
more suggestions
Visit my recommended resource page for more suggestions.
Money Mindset
If you’re looking at that list above and nervous to swipe that business card, then know that I grew my expenses over time. I considered what the immediate must haves for my business were and what could wait until later.
I also think of my purchases in terms of what they will do for me in the longterm. That first washer and dryer? It served me well for 15 years. The washer literally just stopped last month and the dryer is still going strong. I traded a week of my teacher pay for 15 years of use. Good buy!
As a service provider myself, I know the investment to work with me can be a lot for my clients. It’s my hope that their logo and website serve them well for many years, or that my virtual assistant services save them valuable time and allow them to multiply their profits.
you can do it yourself, but you don’t have to
I help female business owners create profitable websites. Whether you’re promoting your educational products, coaching services, a boutique, or recipes… whatever your passion is, I’m here. Offering logos, websites, social media graphics, and print marketing to beautifully tie your brand together. Virtual digital marketing assistance also available.
