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How to Create More Freedom In Your Business

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Twitter Smarter chat with Margie Analise - May 30, 2019

Most entrepreneurs today run into a lack of time. They’re always at work thinking, or at home thinking about work. Not only does this affect their physical health, but it also impacts their social and family life. So how do we get around this problem? We sought Margie’s advice.

Margie Analise is a lifestyle entrepreneur who spends her time helping other business owners build a brand without breaking a sweat. Despite having a successful career in the corporate world, Margie decided to break free and give herself more freedom. She was the ideal person to ask about having more freedom in business.

Here’s a quick recap of how our #TwitterSmarter chat on May 30th, 2019 panned out.

Guest: Margie Analise
Topic: How to Create More Freedom In Your Business
Format: 8 questions directed at the guest. Everyone’s welcome to share.

Q1: Why is the way most entrepreneurs run their businesses destructive to their freedom?

It’s so true when you think about it. Most people are so focussed on their business that they forget they have a life outside of it.

They spend every hour of their free time thinking about a single client, and so when it comes to expanding the business to include more clients, they’d need more time—which they don’t have. The sad result, as Sabrina says, is a tough burnout.

Not to mention the disastrous imposter syndrome. You know what I mean—the undeniable voice in your head that makes you think you’re not good enough no matter how much you do.

Q2: What does it mean to work smarter in business?

Alright, now that we know why people take the self-destructive route in business, let’s talk about the solution for it. How do you be smart about your work?

Well, for starters, don’t do everything yourself. You’ll only tire yourself out and be a pain for your team members. As Margie explains, to work smart is to make use of your knowledge manage your time accordingly.

Also important is to stay on track. When you’re new in business, it’s so easy to get carried away with all the great ideas you come up with. And when you have a killer team sharing wonderful suggestions, it can be tempting to try all at once. Pause. Take a moment and identify what you need to do and follow a systematic approach. Not only will this streamline your work day, but it’ll also give you a lot of after-work time to enjoy the sunset.

Q3: What is one of the biggest keys to working smarter?

Do only what you need to do. Well, that’s sage advice. But how do you know what you need?

We’ve all been there—taking on a new venture, excited for an adventure, only to discover that we’re lost for direction. Luckily, Margie has some step-by-step guidelines that can help us get on track:

Step 1: Identify your target market or ideal audience
Step 2: Solve a real and pressing problem they’re facing
Step 3: Develop a deeper understanding of the topic and audience—become a subject matter expert
Step 4: Share it with the world. Set up online course and let people gain from what you have to offer.

P.S: Note that Margie says “for sale.” It’s not only about helping others, but also about helping yourself.

Q4: Are online courses a passing fad?

This is a big one. For a while now, online courses have become an immense learning method. With platforms like Lynda, Coursera, and so many other easy-to-access MOOCs, anyone can sign up and take away something valuable. That said, we’ve also seen a lot of internet trends fade away as fast as they appear.

If we are to package our knowledge as an online course, what happens when (if at all) the trend dies?

You have to admit, that’s a valid concern. But hey, Margie gives us some exceptional news.

Wow, and it’s only 2019! If the learning industry is expected to hit a $325 billion market by 2025, then we’re looking at a solid growth between now and then, and even afterward.

Rest assured, folks. With so many professionals eager to develop their skills, online courses won’t go away anytime soon. After all, more and more graduates are realising that their formal education can only get them so far. To be relevant in the real world, you have to keep learning—and what’s more convenient than online?

Word of caution, though—

Even if you’re not a business owner, put that subscription, and brain, to good use. You never know when a skill will come in handy. Many companies prefer candidates who can do more than their designated duties. Multi-faceted is the new smart.

Q5: How does using social media help when creating an online course

That’s right, of course. Social media is the ultimate listening platform. Not only do you get to see and observe what your potential audience is saying, but you also get to understand your competition and the pain points customers are facing. And to make it all even better, social media gives you a community of like-minded people who’ll help you nail down exactly what to include in your course, down to its last minute.

Q6: Share some tips to handling business and personal life as a solo entrepreneur.

People say this a lot more than they follow it: Be unapologetic in taking time for yourself. If you make it a big deal, then no one else can steal that time away from you. The best way to reclaim your time is to exercise regularly and make it a priority to stay in shape. Ignore the distractions, dissenters, and the destructors. Oh, and most importantly,

You can do it. Believe.

Q7: What can someone do to get started creating a course?

Let’s get practical for a moment. Yes, it’s important to have the right mindset and the right support, but most of us get confused with where we need to start when making an online course. Margie had some helpful tips:

Don’t force yourself to start from scratch. Work from what you’re already good at. Offering customer support to disgruntled customers? Compile your most valuable answers into a course. Or put together a set of dos and don’ts that fellow customer service reps can learn from.

Margie is the best example—she’s a business consultant and one of her courses is all about building your first online course!

Q8: What tools will help you work smarter, and not harder?

One of the things we established during this chat is that you should never try to do it all by yourself. That’s the quickest recipe for failure. Instead, use productivity tools to help you plan out your work. Seek help from knowledgable colleagues and team members to work with you.

As Margie says, Kajabi is a good place to start hosting your online courses. And Active Campaign is a simple campaign management tool to help you streamline your marketing activities.

And as always, our #TwitterSmarter community shared their favourite tools as well:

  • Google Calendar
  • Canva
  • Notes
  • Google Drive
  • Slack
  • WhatsApp

All great resources! Now you tell us. What’s your take on these questions? Do you have a specific question you’d want to ask Margie?

About me, Narmadhaa: I’m a writer of all things—technical and marketing copy to fill the pocket; haiku and short stories to fill the soul. A social media enthusiast, I’m a member of the #TwitterSmarter chat crew, and always happy to take on writing gigs.

Say hello: Personal blog | LinkedIn | Twitter

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