If you’ve got a creative business, I’m certain that you think about investing in it often.
You see a new course that will help you learn how to dominate social media. You stumble upon an ebook that will teach you how to set up a successful Etsy shop. You’ve added every book written by Seth Godin onto your Amazon wishlist. Your favorite biz goddess {wink, wink} offers individual consulting.
And…you want it all!
If you’re in the beginning stages of starting your business, you might also get that gut-wrenching guilt that often leads to devouring family-sized bags of potato chips when you think about putting money into a business that isn’t making you money yet.
April, I feel like you made this video just for me! I have been thinking about this issue all week, and your video has finally helped me end that internal battle. Btw, I love your shirt! Where did you get it? It looks so comfy and cute!
I love when it’s the right timing! It’s actually a dress that I bought at a local boutique in Blacksburg. Thanks!
This video couldn’t have come up at a better time for me. Thanks April! I’ve invested in myself by buying a couple e-book/classes which have assisted me in different ways and prevented me from wasting precious time researching online. I rely heavily on independent and professional reviews but even then I’m not always certain if an e-book or class are right for me. I just don’t know whether hesitating means perhaps it isn’t right for me?
Hmmmmm…that’s a tough one. I think we all hesitate and ask ourselves, “Do I need this right now?” It’s a question I talk about with my individual consulting clients, because no matter what you sell, this is a question that most of your ideal customers ask themselves before buying. And, most of us don’t buy the first time we see something. We have to think it over and come back to it. I think if you think it over and you still think it’ll really help your business, then go for it. If you think it over and you’re still hesitating, wait.
Hey April,
This one really hit home with me. We both blog about what we’re passionate about and what we feel at our most creative doing so, and that’s kind of what drives us. In my case investing in my business meant switching my web host to one that specializes in WP only. What I’ve found so far is that I have like 300% more free time to write, which results in better content and a happier audience. So far so good, I get to write more and “delegate” the overhead to people that are more skilled. So that’s what it’s all about.
Disclaimer : I stumbled upon April’s blog 4-5 months ago and was instantly hooked, even though we’re interested in different topics. Well, besides the amazing drinks that make an appearance every now and then 😉
Thanks for sharing, Frank! I can relate–I pay a lot more than most people for hosting, but for me, it’s completely worth it. It makes my site run faster and that makes a big difference to my bottom line, to my customers, and to my readers. And, I don’t worry about it crashing like I used to when I was on a shared server.
Exactamundo!
April, thanks for making these videos! You are so great at doing them AND they are always full of awesome info and funny too! Thank you for all the hard work you put into doing them for us!
Thanks Kelly! You’re so sweet. 🙂
April you caught me red handed! I’m one of those people who uses information, courses, books and audio to procrastinate. You described my process to a “t” and here I thought was was being so good and sneaky. Nice to get called out. Time to take action.
Do you see me at my computer wagging my finger at you? 😉
I’m a bit different than others because I invested in my business from the beginning to be able to start it. But I’m at the point where I want to start seeing all the time and money has been worth it before I invest any further money ( I’m happy to keep investing my time). You words that everyone was at that point at sometime is quite a comfort.
I am writing a blog post at the moment about doing courses (since I’m doing Blooging For Your Creative Business with you) because I know how scary it can be to sign up for a course. Especially when you haven’t done one before. And that fear translates into doing course after course because it is less scary than actually trying what you’ve learned and risking it not working or going the way you hoped. Confidence to just give it a go and see what happens is one of the hardest things of all.
Love your art room as the backdrop for the video. I wanna come play at your house!
Yep, I get that! After investing, you want to take action and see that some results! And, you’re so right–the action is the hardest part. Not just because of fear, but also taking consistent action is tough stuff–that’s why only a small portion of people make it. Many give up too soon.
Oh man, April, you hit it on the head. I used to spend lots of time & money on webinars etc for my business. I was probably making as much as I was spending. But I wasn’t doing anything with them at all. I’d just take it and maybe do 1 or two things. Sometimes I’d just think about what was said and still not take major action steps. And then there is the one, the most important one that I bought to cover everything about being an artist (statements, bios etc) and I’ve only done 1/2 of it — I’ve had it for over a year (yikes!!!).
Luckily, last year, I only bought 1 course (365 blogging prompts) and although I don’t write every day, I do use it and I do my best to deliver consistent content. So between that and all of the free stuff I’ve got waiting for me to take action, this is going to be a much better year.
Thank you April for the awesome content you bring each and every week.
It’s easy to get sucked into that, isn’t it?!? But, from what you wrote, it seems like you’ve broken out of that pattern which is the first move in the right direction. I hope you have an amazing year!
Thank you for this video. It’s a nice reminder. Something I’m working on doing is figuring out how much one customer spends at my business in the lifetime of that customer. I feel like figuring that out can help me determine whether it’s worth it to invest in the business. Because I can figure out how many customers the investment can bring me, and if I know the revenue that those customers can bring me, I can determine if it’s a good financial decision.
So, you’re trying to figure out whether or not to keep moving forward in your business? That’s such a hard decision, but it seems like you’re trying to be smart about your investments which is very commendable. I wish you the absolute best!
I’m definitely moving forward! It’s more that I figured out how to decide if my money is being spent correctly. By figuring out how much my customers spend with me, I know how much it costs to “buy” a customer. So if I make an investment, it has to translate to customers (through action, like you mention), and then I can decide the value. Thanks for the well wishes!
Gotcha!!! Good to hear! It always makes me a little sad when someone isn’t moving forward even though it can be for the best sometimes. I understand now! I think it’s hard to pinpoint something like that. I have plenty of customers who haven’t spent a lot of money with me, but they refer people who do spend a lot with me. Just something to consider!
Haha, it’s as if you know my story…
Oh wait, you do.
I mailed you while in doubt about entering your course and now I’m in!
And I’m enjoying it to the fullest and learning so so much!
So now it’s time to do some hard work and really take action on the things you teach me.
Thanks for all, April!
Yes, I do know your story! It might surprise you that I receive sooooooo many emails like the one you sent to me. You are not alone. Lots of creative entrepreneurs struggle to decide when to invest in their businesses and what the best investments are. I love that you’re in BFYCB, and I’m so glad you’re enjoying it.
Dolla bills, y’all! April, you’re adorable. 🙂
I, too, fall into the trap of buying books, courses, and programs but only applying some of the teachings…and then not making my money back! eek! I’m working on re-reading a lot of the courses I’ve taken and actually doing the work. It’s hard because everyone has such cute, helpful programs. But it’s about being a business owner, not a program collector.
Hahahaha…thanks, Sage! Yes, exactly. There are so many amazing books, courses, consulting options, etc. You just have to pick and choose wisely and then act before buying more, right?
great video it helped me much I feel informed now