If you’d have told me a few years ago that I would be featured on a podcast by Michelle Schaffer , I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have believed you!
I use to listen to the Souled Out Entrepreneur podcast all the time on my commute in LA… so inspired by this amazing woman and her clear calling from the Lord.
I’m honored to be the guest this week on her new podcast, Girl Power Alliance.
Check it out below!
Real quick, let’s get some introductions out of the way, shall we?
Welcome! Nice to meet you!
I’m Kelly Gabel and I am a multi-passionate, Faith-based entrepreneur.
My mission is to take you from Overwhelmed to Empowered in the technology and process aspects of your business!
I know what it’s like to start a business and then wake up one day and realize that running a business is NOTHING like you thought it would be!
I’ve got you!
Your unique talents and voice are so needed in the world and I am honored to have the opportunity to help you take the first steps towards creating the business you actually want!
Most businesses are run by a team of people with different skillsets! So what are your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to running your business? How can you fill in the gaps in your 1-person team? Take the 2-minute quiz to find out!
For more free business training, come join me over on YouTube! You can leave comments there with specific tools and training you need. You can also find me on Facebook HERE. I sincerely hope you hop over there! I would love to connect with you personally!
Check it Out! 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
Don’t have time to watch it right now? That’s ok! Just make sure you Pin It for later!
This month is a month of virtual speaking opportunities for me, and it got me thinking…
Most people, myself included, never gave virtual speaking much thought for our business… but as we all know, 2020 has changed the way we interact forever.
Even as the world opens up more and more, like it or not, the concept of virtual seminars and summits is here to stay!
Some people are completely at home on camera, and some would rather french kiss a skunk 🦨 😜
This week, though, I want to talk to you about some of the best ways to present as polished and professional, especially when you don’t feel that way!
This is going to be a combo of tech and stage presence tips (did you know I’ve been a performer since I was a little kid? Ya, that’s partly why I’m more comfortable on camera… and you can be too!)
It’s time to uplevel your virtual stage presence!
Real quick, let’s get some introductions out of the way, shall we?
Welcome! Nice to meet you!
I’m Kelly Gabel and I am a multi-passionate, Faith-based entrepreneur.
My mission is to take you from Overwhelmed to Empowered in the technology and process aspects of your business!
I know what it’s like to start a business and then wake up one day and realize that running a business is NOTHING like you thought it would be!
I’ve got you!
Your unique talents and voice are so needed in the world and I am honored to have the opportunity to help you take the first steps towards creating the business you actually want!
Most businesses are run by a team of people with different skillsets! So what are your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to running your business? How can you fill in the gaps in your 1-person team? Take the 2-minute quiz to find out!
For more free business training, come join me over on YouTube! You can leave comments there with specific tools and training you need. You can also find me on Facebook HERE. I sincerely hope you hop over there! I would love to connect with you personally!
Be INTENTIONAL about your background
One of the first things people notice when I come on the screen is the environment I have created to set the tone of the conversation. In fact, it often serves as a nice ice-breaker because they typically mention something about it right away!
Whether you are speaking in a virtual conference, going live on Instagram or in a Facebook group, or having a virtual session with a client, it’s important to always set the scene for the desired outcome.
Beyond that, though, setting the environment also puts me at ease and reminds me that I am home…like…literally LOL I mean, how uncomfortable can you possibly be at home?
Test your video/audio settings early
I know it’s annoying, but you need to test your video and audio settings before every session. There is nothing that will throw you off more than having to troubleshoot the tech during the zoom or live. Then you get flustered and it tends to go downhill from there…right?
I get it! It only takes a few seconds to test, but it’ll save you minutes of embarrassment! Totally worth it!
Optimize your lighting
It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it really does make all the difference.
If your space is filled with natural light, then great! Just make sure that it’s in front of you, not behind you!
If you notice a shadow on one side of your face, you will find that it tends to make your features more harsh and ultimately the atmosphere feels colder.
Don’t be afraid to get some curtains if you are looking washed out, or buy a ring light if your space is full of shadows.
You want your video to be inviting, regardless of the size of your audience at any given moment.
Wear something you feel confident in
Ok…so I’m just as guilty as everyone else when it comes to “mullet-fashion” on Zoom. 🤦♀️ but this one is super important.
How you feel in your clothes has a huge impact on how you act…yes, even virtually.
As an audition coach (and auditioner myself), I’ve always coached my clients to be intentional about their audition outfit, and to rehearse in it!
Just like a cute new top can make you feel amazing, sweatpants (even off camera) can downgrade your energy to way too casual…
Create a short visual presentation
Using a free tool like Canva, create a short presentation to take some of the attention off of your face.
Often, virtual stage freight comes from the feeling that people are staring at you, especially when you can’t see them back. By creating a visual aid presentation, you make it far more likely that they will be looking at your slides rather than at you!
And bonus, the presentation will also help you stay on track while you speak!
**Quick tip, when it comes to text on your slides, less is more! The slides are your script, so keep it to the high-level info only. You’ll fill in the gaps while you talk**
Rehearse your talking points
Personally, I don’t recommend that you write out a script and memorize or read it verbatim…however, I do think it’s incredibly important that the first time you speak on a specific topic isn’t in front of your audience.
My recommendation is that you jot down a brief outline, highlighting the key points that you really need to make, and run through it a few times…ideally on camera so that you can get used to the flow.
Create a pre-live routine
Your pre-live routine is deeply personal. It should reflect who are and help you to balance out your challenges when it comes to virtual speaking.
For example, if you feel that you read too low energy on camera, a part of your routine could be playing an empowering song that gets you pumped up just before you log on!
If you find yourself rushing through you talking points and maybe rambling a bit too (you are in good company! 🙋🏻♀️), then give yourself a few minutes to meditate and/or focus just before you hop on video.
There’s no right or wrong here, only what works for you!
Business process/systems/strategy… OWNERS are not one size fits all. –Me
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
Ya…that old saying “practice makes perfect”, it’s TRUE!
Take advantage of every opportunity you get to practice this skill. Whether that means going live in your own Facebook group or on your profile regularly, or jumping at opportunities to share your expertise in front of a new audience…go for it!
I know it sounds cliché, but the more you do it, the easier it will become!
Running a small business comes with many challenges, not the least of which is how to stay on top of everything you need to do each day! So, what’s the best (and most affordable) way to keep track of everything in one simple place?
I’m gonna warn you right now…I have completely drunk the Trello Kool-aid, but you can do most of these things in other project management tools as well, like Asana,Monday.com,Smartsheet, and others. However, the screenshots and use cases in this post will all be from Trello.
I started using Trello a few years ago as a very basic way to organize my thoughts, travel plans, etc. but in the past year or so, I have really started to tap into it’s potential and, by request, today I am sharing some of my absolute favorite ways to use it to run my business!
Real quick, let's get some introductions out of the way, shall we?
Welcome! Nice to meet you!
I'm Kelly Gabel and I am a multi-passionate solopreneur, just like you!
My mission is to empower you to be (and feel) tech-savvy in your business without busting your budget!
I know what it's like to start a business and then wake up one day and realize that running a business is NOTHING like you thought it would be!
I've got you!
Your unique talents and voice are so needed in the world and I am honored to have the opportunity to help you take the first steps towards creating the business you actually want!
Here is the link you need to grab my freeAutomate Your Biz Mini-Course too! Get ready to activate autopilot in your business so that you can focus on your clients!
For more free business training, come join me over on YouTube! You can leave comments there with specific tools and training you need. You can also find me on Facebook HERE. I sincerely hope you hop over there! I would love to connect with you personally!
Manage Your Time
Keeping track of the repetitive tasks, that revolving to-do list that keeps your business afloat, can sometimes be an arduous task in and of itself! I created my Business Command Center for just this purpose. This Trello board is the first thing I open every morning when I start my workday, and I can easily keep track of what I need to do, as well as any appointments I have that week.
By leveraging the built-in automations in Trello (that's one of the bonuses towards the end of this post) as well as 3rd party integrations, my command center automatically updates itself when clients schedule new appointments and when I mark a task complete.
Sounds awesome, right?
Well, lucky for you, I like to share 😉 Just click the image to get the template for FREE!
Click the image if you want to grab this free template for yourself!
Manage Your Course/Offer Creation
I've been building out my Tech-Savvy Academy Course Catalog over the last year or so. I quickly realized that writing my thoughts on random notebook pages wasn't going to cut it...so I created this board to make sure I didn't lose any of my brilliant ideas! 😜
Manage Your Launch
Have you ever gone though the whirlwind of launching a new course? There are quite a few strategies out there, but the one that I have done the most successfully as been the giveaway, free challenge, launch strategy.
If you have ever launched that way, then you know that it is EXHAUSTING! 😅
Now...I can't promise that using Trello is going to make it less work.
I can, however, promise that once you do the work and create your board, you can use it over and over again, just making the necessary updates and it will save you so much time!!!
Manage Your Pinterest Marketing Strategy
Click the image to follow me on Pinterest!
Pinterest is my marketing strategy of choice this year. I spent so much time last year creating and growing my Facebook group, only to feel like it was sucking my life away (and without much return on investment!). So...as I planned my 2021 strategy, I decided to focus my attentions elsewhere...thus, Pinterest! If any of this feels familiar, check out my free >>Pinterest for Business Masterclass here<<
It didn't take me long to realize that I had to be really intentional as I created content for this platform so I went back to my trusty Trello and create a board to help me organize my fresh pins! It's really helping me pin with purpose and I'm loving it!
Manage Your Content/Social Media Strategy
However, if you are still marketing your business on social media, you can use Trello to help you organize and plan that content as well!
Just check out how my good friend is leveraging this platform to stay on top of her social media strategy! 👇🏻👇🏻
Courtesy of Joelene Mills @ The Virtual Studio. Click image to learn more about The Virtual Studio!
Want a better way to manage your Facebook Group? I thought so!
I've mentioned in a few of my posts that I partner with certain businesses and platforms that offer quality products that I either use in my own business, or that I recommend regularly to my clients. This is and will continue to be a very valuable part of my business plan, so I need to stay on top of my partnerships, as well as the details of my accounts with them.
Do you partner with any businesses as a part of your income strategy? This is a super simple way to keep all of that important information organized and handy when you need it!
Manage Your Team
Trello, and other project management tools, were originally designed to help teams work together, so I would be remiss if I didn't show you one of the many ways you can do that!
As I mentioned above, I am a solopreneur, so it's just me for now, but my biz bestie, Heather, is getting some help managing her thriving Facebook group, so I helped her design this board so that she can plan out her strategy and communicate her plan to the other moderator in the group as well!
This board is also leveraging the built in automations and saves her so much time!
Courtesy of Heather Boddy @ Geeknasium. Click link to join the free Facebook group!
Ready to outsource your Facebook group management, but afraid to lose control? I thought so!
You're in luck! My Facebook Freedom Formula is now available! Grab the template for the board you see above for just $27!! Get yours today!
Manage Your Business Budget
As a small business owner, if you aren't keeping track of your income and expenses, it won't take you long to start wondering where all of your profits are going!
With this board, I stay on top of all of the financials for my business...and it comes in real handy come tax season too!
Manage your Business Process
Last, but certainly not least, I use Trello to design and visualize my business process. Having a clear picture of the journey that my customers travel as they work with me, allows me to ensure that their experience is as streamlined as possible!
This is what makes it possible for me to create a consistency in my business, rather than simply reacting when I happen to do or say something that interests a potential client.
This, my friend, is my secret weapon! 🤫
Click the image to learn more about my Tech-Savvy 301 program where you can learn how to create your business roadmap (and so much more!)
However, like I said above...I'm not one to keep my secrets to myself, so if you are ready to create your business roadmap to success, click the image above to learn more about my >>Tech-Savvy Academy 301 Program!<<
Bonus: Manage Your Dinner Plan
Ok...I couldn't stop there...because one of my favorite ways that I'm using Trello these days, isn't completely business-related...although, this board does make my life easier, which, in turn, gives me more time to focus on my business so.... 😁
This board helps me to stay on top of dinners for the week! Now that my husband and I both work from home, we should have no excuse to have crappy dinners...or, even worse, to get to dinner time and realize that we didn't put anything out to defrost so that we can eat!
This board has completely changed that!
Bonus, Bonus: Use Butler to Automate Your Business
Ok, I mentioned the built-in automation in Trello a few times above, so I figured I had to include this link!
This link will take you to a recent Tech-Savvy Tutorial where I'm walking you through using Butler for Trello.
While you're there, if you wanna do you're girl a solid, consider subscribing to my YouTube Channel!
Ok, that was a mouthful and I know you are going to want to Pin it for later! You can do that by clicking the Pinterest logo on the left, or share to any of your favorite socials!
Did you try any of these new ideas or do you have a unique way you are using Trello for your business? Let me know in the comments!
This post may contain affiliate links.If you choose to purchase through an affiliate link, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can see my disclaimerhere.
OK, I’ve been asked by so many in my audience to create a list of the essential entrepreneur tech tools for any biz owner.
Since entrepreneur tech and business automation are things I am SUPER passionate about, I figured it was time I do that!
As technology and options change all the time, these are my recommendations as of this blog post. As they change, you will likely see future versions of this list too!
*Heads up…there are alot of links ahead!Business tools are not one-size-fits-all, so I’m going to talk to you about what I think are your best options. If you choose to purchase through an affiliate link, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can see my disclaimerhere.
**When I am comparing multiple platforms, the double (**) indicates the platform I am currently using for my business.
Real quick, let’s get some introductions out of the way, shall we?
Welcome! Nice to meet you!
I’m Kelly Gabel and I am a multi-passionate entrepreneur empowering female #solopreneurs to get tech savvy and make an impact! 💙
I know what it’s like to start a business and then wake up one day and realize it’s NOTHING like you thought it would be!
I’ve got you!
Your unique talents and voice are so needed in the world and I am honored to have the opportunity to help you take the first steps towards creating the business you actually want!
Here is the link you need to grab my freeAutomate Your Biz Mini-Course too! Get ready to activate autopilot in your business so that you can focus on your clients!
For more free business training, come join me over on YouTube! You can leave comments there with specific tools and training you need. You can also find me on Facebook HERE. I sincerely hope you hop over there! I would love to connect with you personally!
Ok, back to my entrepreneur tech essentials
A Planner
Rachel Hollis Planner (Target)
This is a complete non-negotiable. (get used to that phrase…you are gonna see it a lot in this post! LOL)
Whether you are the analog type or prefer the digital, you need an organizational tool to keep you on track.
If you love the smell of the paper and writing out your goals by hand, you obviously already have a Rachel Hollis planner right? 🤣 Did you see her new line at Target?!! It’s awesome… as always!
Or maybe you are like me and prefer to carry as little as possible around with you every day, so you store your life digitally.
There are tons of options there too, like Google Calendar (if you’re an Android), iCalendar (if you prefer Mac), or any number of other calendar and task apps on your phone.
Or maybe you like to get even more customized! You have lots of great options there too! There are Asana and Monday to name a few (I haven’t used either, personally, so I can’t give you much guidance there).
I created my own Business Command Center, actually, that tracks my tasks/schedule for the week.
If you want my template (complete with a video tutorial to help you recreate my time-saving automations), click the image to grab it!
An Email marketing/Opt-In form/Landing Page Platform
Yep, this is another non-negotiable.
I don’t care what type of business you have, you have clients and they have contact info. If your only link to each other is through social media, you are playing with fire. #toughlove
Every business can absolutely take advantage of email marketing. You don’t have to have a blog either. I think that’s a really big misconception, that if you have an email list you have to be a blogger too. Not at all!
Email marketing, when done right, is simply a way to connect with your audience, just like Facebook and IG. The difference with email, though, is that you own and control it.
Remember MySpace? Vine? Yik Yak? Friendster?!! (Do you even remember these?)
Ya…exactly. So the issue with using solely social media as your means of communication with your audience is that FB and IG are looking out for themselves, not you. (did you happen to see the notification about changes to the T&Cs starting 10/1/20? No? Go check section 3.2, it’s eye-opening)
I know that just the thought of using anything other than socials might be making you break out in hives…tech stuff isn’t your thing? Don’t worry! I’ve got you!
If you go to Google, you’ll find a ton of options out there that want your money.
I’m gonna save you a lot of time and frustration and talk to you about the four that I think you should check out and why. I’m linking to each of them as well…and for a reason. You need to take them all for a spin. You can click the links and create a free account (some are a trial some you can use for free for a while) but you need to try before you “buy”. I’ll explain after I tell you a bit about each of them.
This one is a little bit obligatory on this list because it’s really not my favorite but it’s probably the one that all of your entrepreneur friends and Google searches are going to tell you about first. MailChimp is super popular and with good reason. They let you use it for free until you reach 2,000 subscribers! That’s pretty amazing, right? Truthfully, it is a great option for some people and you should definitely test it out while you are making your choice.
Why it’s not my favorite? Honestly, it’s just not very user-friendly. It used to be simple enough, but the more they try to grow, the more I think they are stepping outside of their lane a bit. They are trying to become the only tool you use, but because they are adding so many features so quickly, they aren’t really doing any of them that amazingly…I find that most of my clients who come to me ready to throw their computer out the window are using it…and I think that speaks volumes.
ActiveCampaign happens to be the platform that I use (at the time I am writing this blog, at least). I made the switch from MailChimp, opting to pay for something that I could still get for free over on MC, because I just really prefer the way everything is set up. The automation tree is very easy to follow, reporting is relatively robust (but not overwhelming) and it’s popular enough to show up on most integrations (don’t worry…we’ll talk about those later! 😉).
Earlier this month, as I was researching these four platforms, I almost made a switch to a different option. There was one thing that ActiveCampaign didn’t have and it was starting to become a problem for me…landing pages. For a while, I was still creating my landing pages on MailChimp and then using integration to copy new subscribers over to my AC account (that should give you a better idea of just how much I am not a fan of MailChimp) and then I started creating them as hidden pages on my website and embedding an ActiveCampaign form. Then…the most wonderful thing happened! ActiveCampaign sent me an email notifying me that they now have a beta version of landing pages! So far I am loving how they did these too and super grateful that I don’t need to switch my platform anytime soon! Click here to try ActiveCampaign, free 14-day trial. **Update 09/29/2020** I have just learned that if you create a new account after Sept 1, 2020 then you must be at the Plus level to have access to Sites (what ActiveCampaign calls Landing Pages). That is around $49/mo and is, in my opinion, more than a new entrepreneur should be paying for email marketing and landing pages early on. I will, personally, continue to use this service since I was grandfathered into Sites, but I feel it’s important to note that I would not pay that much for my email marketing at this point.
ConvertKit has always been a really solid option once your list grows beyond the free options available. In fact, a lot of my biz friends would switch to ConvertKit when they outgrew MailChimp. The email automations are simple, the landing pages look great and they have pretty templates too. The one negative I’ve experienced as I played around with ConvertKit doing my research is that the templates aren’t super forgiving. What you see is kinda all you get so choose your template wisely.
During my research, I also learned that they have very recently added a “freemium” option. They also noticed that they were getting a lot of clients from MailChimp once they had too many subscribers to stay on MC’s free plan. ConvertKit finally decided that rather than waiting for users to convert after outgrowing MailChimp, they would offer a free plan as well, up to 1,000 subscribers. You might remember that over on MC you get 2,000, but ConvertKit has included some functionality at the free level that you don’t get over there. For example, on the free plan at ConvertKit, you can create (somewhat) custom domains for your opt-in links…which is pretty slick if you ask me! One major warning about the ConvertKit free plan, though. They have reserved email automations for the paid options only. Personally, I think this is a big mistake on their part. Without automation, you might as well be sending your emails from your Gmail account…well OK that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I’m super passionate about automation so I’m gonna say it anyway. I’m hoping that since this freemium plan is brand new they will continue to improve upon it and offer the automation at that level very soon. Click here to test drive ConvertKit, free for the first 1,000 subscribers.
MailerLite was the only of these four options that I hadn’t ever heard of until the past few months. I was part of a group program and quite a few of the members were using it! I figured I should probably check it out, see what all of the fuss was about! I have to admit, I was quite impressed!
A huge plus of this platform is that their free offering is, from what I could tell, the most all-inclusive free plan of the bunch. I’m not a huge fan of the interface (it’s just a little old school for my taste) but that is certainly not a reason to avoid this option. It’s quite simple and easy-to-use overall. An extra bonus in MailerLite is the fact that within their forms, they include certain pop-ups for your website, including a banner at the top of the screen. While many site builders have their own options for that, not all do, so being able to do that through your email platform is a nice extra! Click here to test drive MailerLite, free for the first 1,000 subscribers.
Pinterest & Tailwind
I’d be willing to bet that you already have a Pinterest account. In fact, dollars to donuts, you probably found this blog post while you were going down a Pinterest rabbit hole. I’m so curious what you actually started out searching for when you ended up here!
I’ve found that a lot of business owners are a bit intimidated by Pinterest. They might use it for fun, etc. but the idea of learning a whole new platform to market their business can be too much.
I definitely understand that, and if I’m being totally honest I think for some industries, it might not be as necessary to jump into Pinterest as it is for others. You really need to do some market research first and find out if your ideal client is actually spending any time on there first!
Once you realize they are, though, I think you will understand why Pinterest has the potential to be the most powerful tool in your biz toolbelt! Here are just a few of the reasons why:
Pinterest engagement grows over time. Think for a second about how much time you spend planning content. I don’t mean creating programs and courses that actually make you money, I’m talking about your social media content. How much time do you spend finding or creating the most eye-catching picture for IG and drafting the perfect caption only to have it disappear in the over-saturated newsfeed within 24 hours (or less!)? That is one of the BEST things about Pinterest! It does the exact opposite! Over time, your Pin reach will grow and extend so far away from your personal sphere, in ways that social media just won’t. #truth
People are, at least 10 times more likely to share your content. Ok, so I don’t actually know the correct stat here…but how many times have you jumped up and down because someone actually shared your IG post to their stories or feed?! On Pinterest, that’s such a commonplace occurrence, you barely notice! Except, of course, when you have someone randomly subscribe to your email list, or even purchase an evergreen product/service from you completely out of the blue. I always jump up and down when that happens! #celebrateeverywin It’s just that on social media, you’d have to post something truly epic for someone to share it…especially for a stranger to share it. Reposting is just not that common unless the content creator is a major influencer. On Pinterest, that’s literally the whole point of the platform so…
So easy to manage content and consistency on autopilot. So here’s where I’m going to finally talk about Tailwind. Pinterest on its own is amazing. Pinterest + Tailwind is a one, two punch that can really send your content viral! Tailwind is so much more than a content scheduler. Most social media platforms (yes I know Pinterest isn’t social media, but it feels a bit like social media) have apps that can schedule your content or even post it for you. #nobigdeal and Tailwind does that too. However, Tailwind takes it a step farther with Tribes. Tribes allow you to team up with other business owners with a similar niche to cross-post content. Essentially, when you are scheduling content for the next week (or month, or whatever frequency you batch your scheduling) you pop over to your Tribes feed(s). Rather than searching on Pinterest for a while scheduling out random pins, you have a feed of pins that are basically curated for what your audience will be interested in…and bonus you get to support other business owners in the process! My tribe is for female entrepreneurs in any niche so come join us and get your feet wet! PurposeFULL Business Female Entrepreneurs: Grow Your Following In return, they repin your content on their boards, boosting your reach in ways you’ve only dreamed of!! And did I mention this is free? Well, at least for the first 100 pins you schedule it’s free. After that, you can take advantage of their truly generous referral program to help you continue to use the services for free!
Just like a Pinterest rabbit hole, I could go on and on for hours 🤣…but I’ll leave it at that for now about Pinterest and Tailwind…for now.
Social Media Schedulers
While we’re talking about content schedulers, let’s take a minute to talk about social media scheduling apps.
There are a few great options out there and I’ve used pretty much all of them at one point in time but, as always, I will tell you what I’m using now and why I like it best!
I was using Planoly to schedule my Instagram posts up until very recently…but I am not really using any of these exclusively at the time I am writing this point. I don’t have quite enough experience with it to give Planoly a ringing endorsement. That being said, for as long as I was using it, it works great! The app interface is very simple and smooth. I had no problem figuring things out on my own right from the start and only once has it failed to auto-post when scheduled. When it failed to post, it did notify me so that I could post it manually.
The one thing that I did notice was that it was a bit hard to find was the hashtag sets. On the free plan, you don’t have access to the auto-posting of your hashtags in the first comment (IG best practice for hashtags in 2020). The first time I auto-posted, I clicked on the confirmation notification on my phone so that I could go grab my hashtags and manually add them to the comments. It took me a few minutes to realize that on the app, you have to click the three-dot menu and scroll down a little to find your hashtags. I feel like they could make that more obvious, or even a direct link from your post confirmation. I do want to give credit to their desktop version, though. I find it’s always easier to draft a thoughtful caption for my IG post on a real keyboard rather than my phone, and with Planoly, you can easily schedule your auto post from the desktop which makes for a streamlined batching process of scheduling out your IG content. Click here to give Planoly a test drive and see if it’s the right choice for you.
I mentioned up above that before Planoly, I was using the PLANN app for my IG scheduling. I really like the PLANN app in general. It’s not really anything that unique from the rest of the scheduler options, but it was the first one that I really took like time to learn, so for me, it was a bit of a revelation. In the app, you can see your previous posts and plan out your future image patterns in a simple drag and drop interface. I was also able to create multiple hashtag sets to make it easier for me to be consistent with my hashtag strategy which is definitely a game-changer. The only “low tech” aspect to this option is the fact that scheduling a post does not post on your behalf. You receive a notification at the scheduled time with a link to the content you intended to post at that time.
So now, the reason I switched. To be fair to PLANN, it seems that Instagram/Facebook asked to audit their back end systems which led to the glitches I, and many others, have been experiencing. You are continually prompted to reconnect your app to your business Facebook account which gets very annoying. Additionally, during this seemingly unending period of time that the audit is going on, we have lost the ability to see our previously posted content, which makes it that much more difficult to plan out the image patterns. They say that this will all be fixed when IG is done poking around, but we’ve been given no timeframe for that resolution and it’s been going on long enough now that I didn’t want to wait indefinitely anymore. It’s also important to note that even prior to this audit, I never really felt like the desktop version and the mobile app was syncing properly and since it doesn’t auto-post, that sync is vital. However, as always, click here to try before you buy.
Later (formerly Latergram), was the first app of its kind that I was aware of. Like all tech nerds, I created an account right away to look around but I was still so new to IG in general and didn’t have much of a strategy at the time, so I never really used it properly. For this post, I’ve logged in again and I’m doing a little research to see what it’s capable of and how it compares to the rest of the options I’m mentioning here. One thing I noticed right away is that Later seems to be the only one that allows you to schedule posts for IG, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. If your business strategy includes all of those platforms, that it would be well worth your time to test drive Later. Anytime you can use one platform for multiple tasks in your business, it’s worth giving a chance! Click here to try it out!
I know, we just talked about Tailwind! I have to mention it again, though because while it is great for Pinterest, they also do IG scheduling as well! I’ve used the free version of their Instagram scheduler and it works really well. It is capable of auto-posting so there is a true autopilot aspect that some platforms lack. They also allow you to create hashtag sets (complete with hashtag suggestions) and will auto-post them in the first comment. That’s pretty slick. I’m actually considering switching back to Tailwind for IG since I love it so much for Pinterest. One less app to worry about. 🤷🏻♀️
They have also recently started offering a landing page they call smart.bio. Remember linktree and the like? This is the same thing. It allows you to use one link to give your followers multiple ways to connect with you. I definitely think that’s cool, but I’ve heard conflicting philosophies on this in general. Some believe that it’s better to give only one call-to-action (CTA) to your audience at a time to keep things simple. The idea here is that they only need one entry point into your community and you should point them to whatever you are currently promoting most. The jury is still out for my opinion on this topic, but I do see the logic in that argument and I have found that giving just one path forward can be quite effective. As with everything in business and biz tech, you should always try before you buy. Click here to test out the Tailwind Instagram scheduler, free for the first 31 posts.
Ever wonder how all those other biz owners make such awesome branded images for their social media?
If you are thinking you can’t do that because you aren’t a graphic designer…you are so wrong! Their secret is most likely Canva!
Canva is a drag and drop platform of graphic templates for just about everything you need for a small business (ie. Instagram content, Facebook posts/page covers/group covers, Email headers, Pinterest pins, even virtual backgrounds for your Zoom sessions when you want to look professional but your house is a mess, and a ton more!)
You can start from scratch if you are good at design, but if not, grab a pre-made template and get going! You can add your logo, images, branded font, etc. to just about any template you choose.
Canva has also recently added scheduling tools as well, so just like with Later, you have the opportunity here to consolidate some of your tasks onto one platform. Make sure you take the time to check it out!
Most of Canva is totally free too! You can access your account from your desktop and your phone so it’s super easy to transfer your images where you need them.
I know that there are other options out there for this type of work, but I think you’ll have a hard time finding something so user-friendly for a newbie at graphic design.
Whew!! That was a TON of information! You’ll probably want to Pin this post so you can refer back to it later.
Do that by clicking this image ⬇
Have any questions about anything I shared here? Feel free to comment with your questions below!
Also, I happen to offer some great programs to help you get started with any and all of these parts of your business. In case you didn’t grab it up above, here’s that link again for my FREE Automate Your Biz Mini-Course!
Don’t be intimidated by the tech parts of your business. You don’t need to be a tech-wiz to do it yourself, you just might need a little help!
I can’t wait to help you get all set up to grow and scale your business all while spending less time fighting with your computer and more time serving your clients!
Are you ready to take action and dive into creating an efficient back office for your business using this new entrepreneur tech?
We are in the middle of a really unique and challenging time in our history. Each of us experiences this pandemic and self-isolation in completely different ways and we face unique challenges.
Between the anxiety of social isolation, financial fears, and worries for our health and the health of our loved ones, it seems that crisis always brings our deepest fears to the surface.
So how can you be one of those people who rises to the challenge and makes the most of a difficult situation – COVID-19 and beyond?
Before we dive deeper into this topic, let’s get some introductions out of the way first.
Welcome! Nice to meet you!
I’m Kelly Gabel and I am a multi-passionate entrepreneur empowering female #solopreneurs to get tech savvy and make an impact! 💙
I know what it’s like to start a business and then wake up one day and realize it’s NOTHING like you thought it would be!
I’ve got you!
Your unique talents and voice are so needed in the world and I am honored to have the opportunity to help you take the first steps towards creating the business you actually want!
Here is the link you need to grab my freeAutomate Your Biz Mini-Course too! Get ready to activate autopilot in your business so that you can focus on your clients!
For more free business training, come join me over on YouTube! You can leave comments there with specific tools and training you need. You can also find me on Facebook HERE. I sincerely hope you hop over there! I would love to connect with you personally!
I am not about to pretend that these tips are going to work for everyone. There are so many variables to our circumstances and how we react to adversity is a deeply personal journey.
However, these tips have been life-changing for me, and I hope they are the same for you!
1. Eat a Balanced Diet
You may be wondering why this is my #1 tip. It seems far less relevant in this situation, right? Wrong!
When I say balanced, I truly mean balanced. It is extremely important for your health that you are eating nutrient-dense foods that are fueling your body and boosting your immunity.
It is equally important for your soul that you allow yourself some grace when it comes to comfort foods. It’s OK to indulge in some sweets or savory treats to help yourself cope with the emotional and physical stress…but all in balance. Listen to what your mind and your body are telling you they need!
2. Prioritize Sleep
Sleep is vital. Lack of sleep is affecting you in ways you don’t even realize (physical health, emotional health, spiritual health, relational health, etc.) I could probably do an entire blog post on this topic, but I’m just going to keep it really simple.
The quantity and quality of your sleep during difficult times are directly affecting how you respond to whatever is coming your way.
It may not be possible to sleep 8 hours a night, but make it a priority to sleep as much and as well as you can.
Both your body and your mind desperately need this time to repair and refresh after a long day, so do yourself a favor and give them the chance to do that.
3. Manage Your Stress
I know this is easier said than done. Stress is inevitable even when you aren’t being told to stay home indefinitely with no clear end in sight. During a crisis, the stakes are simply higher and we are, typically, less prepared to handle it.
Stress is a killer, though. Physically, for sure, but stress will also absolutely murder your positive attitude.
Exercise is one of the easiest ways to manage your stress. The endorphins released when you workout go a long way towards improving your mood and releasing stress. High-intensity workouts like kickboxing or running are an awesome way to release tension, while yoga is a great way to work on breathing techniques and meditation to help you refocus anxiety into something productive.
In addition to exercise, I also like to supplement my nutrition with adaptogens that help my body handle stress, and essential oils to calm my mind. These are my favorites right now.
4. Time Management and Routine
Parents and parenting coaches always talk about how important schedule and routine are for kids to feel safe and secure, but did you ever stop to think about what it does for you?
There are a LOT of people working from home right now, some of whom have never done it before. While the idea of working from home sounds awesome to most people, it can also be really overwhelming…especially when it’s all of a sudden, every day, and you have no idea when it will end.
If this is where you find yourself right now, time management techniques are going to be your new best friend (no social distancing required!).
There are typically two different types of struggle when you work from home.
1. You Find it Hard to Focus
This can happen to anyone, but it seems to be exacerbated when you have kids in your home as well. Whether you are rolling out of bed and straight to that conference call or Zoom meeting, or you start your day by getting your kids set up for distance learning, it’s a real challenge to manage your time well to be fully present in each of your roles.
2. You Can’t Set Work/Life Boundaries
On the flip side, you might find yourself feeling chained to your home workspace, unable to fully “clock out” when you should. Hours go by before you realize that you haven’t moved from that spot…or even taken the time to eat. This is just as detrimental to your health and ability to be a good remote employee. Your mind and body both need breaks (and sustenance) to refuel and refresh so that you can be fully present in all of your roles.
So what can you do to fix this?
There are a few simple things that you can do to create routine in your day and help you create that necessary work/life balance.
The Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique is a simple way to divide up your time and help you to be fully focused and present while you are working, while also not forgetting to take your necessary breaks.
You may need to use different quantities of time, based on how your business works, but the concept is the same.
Time Blocking
If you are unfamiliar with time blocking, it is essentially a style of time management that is based less on how much time each task will take and more on focusing on one thing at a time (rather than the multi-tasking that so many of us pride ourselves in!)
For a more in-depth look at Time/Calendar Blocking, check out this blog post where I dive deeper into Calendar Blocking.
Morning Routine
Don’t worry, I’m not forgetting about those of you who are not able to work during this time. I think that time management, and especially routine, are even MORE vital for you during this time of anxiety and uncertainty.
The first few days of sleeping in and binging Netflix all day may or may not have been awesome for you. The thing is, we need structure and schedule in our lives or anxiety and even depression start to creep in.
The best way to prevent that from happening is to start your day the same way every day. This is super important all the time, but especially in a time like this!
You can (and should!) build other routines throughout the day/week as well, but how you start your day is a big part of determining how that day will go.
You might not be able to leave your house to socialize right now, but that certainly doesn’t mean you are alone!
In fact, I have personally spent more time catching up with friends all over the world during this time of self-isolation than I have in the past year combined!
When friends move away, we always say we’ll stay in touch because that’s “so easy” with technology these days. It’s true, the tech is certainly there, but when do we make the time?
That is what I am loving the most about this crazy time. It’s forced me to slow down and take the time for the things that matter to me most.
During this isolation, I am working 40 hours a week at my corporate job, working on awesome content and programs for you guys (yay!), working out almost every day of the week, AND spending more time with my friends! (virtually, of course!)
I’m also getting more and better sleep…hmmm go figure!
I know that this time is really hard and I don’t mean to downplay it at all, but I think we have two choices when we face adversity:
Survive or
Thrive!
Which do you choose?
To Your PurposeFull Life,
Kelly
* This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through an affiliate link, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can see my disclaimer here.
When crisis comes our way, like the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we find out what we are truly made of. Do you wish you knew how to thrive when times are tough? I am sharing my top tips on how to make the most of the struggles in life. Repin and grab my Perfect Morning Routine guide too!
It’s that time of year again…cold and flu season. (and now in 2020, we have COVID-19 to contend with too!)
People all around us are coughing, sneezing, blowing their noses and clearing their throats and we do NOT have time to get sick.
Why is it that the times of year that everyone around us is sick are the busiest seasons for us as performers?
Getting sick is an inconvenience to most people, but for us, it can literally mean the difference between booking that next audition and watching the production from the audience.
So how can we protect ourselves and make it through this season unscathed?
Real quick, before I share these tips, let’s get a little business out of the way.
Hi! I’m so glad you’re here!
I’m Kelly Gabel and I am a multi-passionate entrepreneur helping women to create their Purposefull life. 💙
I am so glad you are here and taking the first steps towards taking control of your auditions and more importantly, your audition mindset!
Have we met? Since you clicked on this post about vocal auditions, I want to make sure you know that I also have the following blogs to help you prepare to NAIL your future auditions:
You’ll also want to grab my FREE Confident Audition Cheat Sheet where you will find my personal strategy for preparing for the practical and mindset aspects of auditions!
Ok, back to the reason you clicked that link…Cold and Flu Season!
Here are a few of my best tips for staying healthy when it seems like the whole world is trying to give you their germs!
Never underestimate the value of a good night’s sleep.
During our busy seasons, we tend to burn the candle at both ends. We are up late each night at rehearsals, and in most theater towns, that includes a LOT of commuting across town in traffic, adding stress to the mix. We are also around lots of other people, many of whom are carrying germs that just can’t WAIT to attack us. Most likely, we are up early each day too, heading out to our day job…ya know, that thing we do each day to support our theater habit?
Cute snuggly buddy not required, but a bonus!
When we don’t get enough quality sleep, our immune system is weakened…so in addition to being exposed to more germs than normal, we have also crippled our natural defenses. The combination leads most of us to get sick at the “worst possible time” which typically means RIGHT before that big audition we’ve been preparing for, for weeks.
In our teens and twenties, our bodies can handle fewer hours of sleep without causing us to feel so tired the next day that we can barely function (which of course changes overnight when we hit 30!!) but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t having negative effects. If you find it difficult to fall asleep at night (I know I struggle with this after rehearsals when my brain is on creativity overdrive) find what works for you so that you can count on a good night’s rest.
Whether it’s supplements, essential oils (my favorite!), meditation, a hot shower…there are TONS of great options! If you need some suggestions, let me know in the comments and I’ll share some things that work well for me!
Make sure you eat right.
Eating healthy at rehearsal!
OK, this one can be especially tough when we are running all over town. It’s really difficult to bring healthy, nutrient-dense foods around with you (most of them need to stay refrigerated) and continually stopping to buy healthy options can be time-consuming and pricey! We tend to end up eating fast food at least a few times a week, or not eating at all!
By not fueling our bodies well, we open ourselves up to all kinds of problems…including the tendency to get sick more easily and often. I am all about my superfoods because they are so easy for me to have on the go! If you see me around, I’ll probably be drinking a shake or eating a yummy chocolate protein bar.
I know that when I give my body the nutrition it needs, it gives me what I need: more energy to get through my crazy day, NO feeling of bloat or “food coma”, and the all-important strong immune system.
Wash your hands often
I don’t have a picture for this one…and it SHOULD be a no-brainer…washing your hands (or using hand sanitizer) isn’t just for bathroom trips. We touch SO many things we don’t even realize during the day and we are picking up germs all along the way. Your best defense is a good offense!
Hydrate
Yep, I said it. Drink your water. I know…I suck at it too, but it really does make a difference. Getting in your 8 glasses a day gives you more energy, makes your skin glow and helps to flush germs out of your body, thus boosting your immune system. (yes, I said thus…get over it LOL) If you are like me and all the fun gadgets help you achieve your goals…check out these awesome water bottles, etc.
OK you’re sick, now what?
I’m all about the power of positive thinking, but sometimes…we still get sick, right? So now what?! What if you are sick but you can’t reschedule your audition? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered there too.
Personal Steam Inhaler
There are a bunch of different brands…some are a bit more expensive but have the added bonus of not needing to be plugged in, others are roughly $20-30 at any drug store or at Target, like the one here.
These are a great way to add much-needed moisture to your vocal cords when they are tired and your throat is dry and scratchy. Include this as a part of your vocal rest leading up to the audition and you will be in MUCH better vocal condition than just vocal rest alone.
Throat Coat Tea
I LOVE this stuff. I drink it all the time really, but especially when I’m sick or vocally fatigued. It tastes great, soothes my tired throat, and drinking a warm beverage out of my favorite mug is always comforting.
Never, EVER mention your cold/flu in the casting room
This last one is arguably the most important tip of all. Never make excuses for your audition and NEVER give them a reason to expect you NOT to do your best. Make the most of the opportunity and sing your heart out. Any music director worth his salt will be able to hear a stuffy nose or swollen throat, and truthfully, most of the time, our voices aren’t nearly as affected by our illness as we think they are.
Do you agree with my picks? Anything you want to add? Leave me a comment below and share!
* This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through an affiliate link, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can see my disclaimer here.
To Your Purposefull Life,
Kelly
What is worse than having to sing when you are sick? You want to rest but the show must go on! Here are some of my best tips for staying healthy as a singer and how to sing when you are sick. Repin and grab my FREE Confident Audition Cheat Sheet!
