The Design Blog

One of my friends says every book has little “nuggets” of truth or knowledge to be learned in them. You just have to mine sometimes.

I’d say I count every finished book a success if I walk away with one new thing I didn’t have before. New knowledge, a different perspective, a new truth.

I typically try to switch back and forth between business/self-help books and christian or leisure reads. So in my (short) list of books I read this year—because let’s face it, who ever reads as much as they hope to—you’ll find a variety of genres.

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As business owners, we all wear many hats. Designer, bookkeeper, social media manager, marketer, email manager. The list goes on.

It can often get overwhelming.

The best way I’ve found to maintain sanity and keep things running smoothly, is to use systems. I have a system for just about every portion of my business from client design process, to invoicing, to content creation.

In order to stick with those systems and processes, I use programs designed for those specific tasks. So I’ve put a list together of which programs I use that help keep this business running.

 

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Pinterest is a great way to drive traffic to your site, especially if your intended audience consists of women. I know several successful entrepreneurs who get a lot of their traffic, and ultimately clients, from Pinterest.

Pinterest is considered a search engine, even though most of us lump it into the social media category. I personally go to Pinterest anytime I’m looking for help on a business topic, or searching for design inspiration.

If you have a blog, Pinterest will be your very best friend. You’ll want to get setup with a business account so you can view analytics, create ads, and expand your audience.

 

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When I first took Casi Long Design full-time, I quickly realized how much went into running a business. There were so many moving parts—from client work to marketing and business development—that I quickly became overwhelmed by it all.
 

I was wandering aimlessly and I needed help.

But the problem when you first start out on your own, is you have no money. You’re struggling just to make ends meat and every paying client is just so darn valuable. I, like a lot of entrepreneurs, fell into the trap of thinking, “I can’t spend any money on my business when I’m barely making enough to get by!”

So I would spend hours scouring Pinterest and different blogs trying to piece together a plan for my business. Trying to come up with a way to quit treading water and actually start gaining momentum. But honestly, I was guessing and had no clue where to even start.

I knew something had to change.

 

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If you work from home, you know the struggle. The struggle to ignore the dishes and laundry and switch on work mode. The struggle to get out of those jammies and turn off Netflix. The struggle to turn off work mode at the end of the day and enter into quality time with your family.

When I started my business, I had no idea how many obstacles I would have to overcome to feel like I was being successful on a daily basis. I found myself sleeping in too late, and then working all evening until I was so exhausted I could barely function. I found myself struggling to make time to workout, shower, get dressed, leave the house. My schedule was all out of whack and it was taking a toll on my mind and body.

Over time I’ve developed a pretty good system that keeps me feeling productive and accomplished, all while keeping some resemblance of a work/life balance.

 

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Like many of you, I’ve always known I wanted to be an entrepreneur. But like a lot of you, I had to work in the corporate world before I could make that dream a reality. It’s often difficult to enjoy your 9-to-5 when you’re hoping to go out on your own. You go to work everyday thinking, “If only I were going to a job I was passionate about.”

Luckily, I didn’t hate my 9-to-5, however, I was constantly dreaming of “one day” when I would own my own business. While I was able to design every day, I wasn’t passionate about the work I was designing or the clients I was working with. I knew what I wanted and that wasn’t it.

I found it difficult to see past the annoyance of not having what I wanted immediately. And once I had set a timeline for myself of when I planned to quit, everyday at my current job seemed like a waste of time. I’m willing to bet several of you reading this feel the exact same way. You know it’s not your forever job and you’re just trying to get by until that glorious day of sunshine when you hand in your resignation and head out into the world of entrepreneurship.

Friends, I’m here to tell you take heart. Your time is coming. For now, even though it may seem like a waste of your time, it absolutely is not. You are being molded and shaped into a better you. The BEST you who is going to accomplish amazing things when your time comes. But for now...

 

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We all know the person who talks the big talk, but rarely walks the walk. They are constantly spouting off the things they're going to do, saying how much they hate their job, or dreaming of moving somewhere exotic. Do they ever actually do the things they love to talk about? Not very often.

On the contrary, we also know the person who just gets things done. I call them doers. They hardly ever go on and on about what they're up to, but all of a sudden they've accomplished great things.

There's a reason they don't spend time talking about it—they're too busy actually doing it.  After all, actions really do speak louder than words.

 

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