I am calling it now - 2019 is going to be a year of epic collaborations.

It seems to me, the most successful entrepreneurs I know are pushing right past fear of competition and, instead, choosing to work alongside like-minded brands and businesses. 

So, I'm just going to say it: If you have a total brand-crush on someone, it's time to make the first move. Start by taking some time to think strategically about how you could work together, create a proposal (or at least write your ideas down), then reach out! 

Still feeling those giddy nerves reminiscent of a high school romance? Let's break it down so you feel a bit more sure of yourself.

2. The Ability To Do More: As entrepreneurs and small business owners, we are often only one person (or a small team). That means, unless you have found a way to add more hours in the day… you can only do so much. However, when you collaborate, your bandwidth increases, making it possible to do more in less time! That being said, a word to the wise - be sure to outline in advance who is responsible for what within the collaboration to avoid confusion or frustration down the line.

3. Brand Strength: Working with a strong business like your own can help to validate each of you and position you both as experts within your industry. Clients will feel confident in knowing that another legitimate business thinks you are good enough to partner with.

4. Leads + Referrals: Ultimately the goal is to grow your business. With expanded reach and increased brand strength, you should see your leads and referrals rise as a direct result of your collaboration.

​I’ve said it before, and I will say it again – a rising tide raises all ships. Do your best, support other entrepreneurs just trying to do their best, be nice, and learn from one other.  If you are interested in ways to co-market your business and build your community, reach out! I am always happy to help brainstorm or make connections. 

A few years back I sat front row at a tourism conference with Samantha Brown as the keynote speaker. She was, of course, captivating as she shared stories of her endless travels. Her vivid depictions of unique experiences in far-off places could convince even the most devoted homebody to drop everything, grab their passport and just go. 

Not only is Samantha Brown a fierce storyteller, she is also an advocate for Project Time Off, an organization dedicated to encouraging Americans to actually use their vacation days. According to the organizations website, more than half of all Americans leave unused vacation time on the table each year. Project Time Off is on a mission to reverse this trend. The organization firmly believes more travel will boost the overall economy, and that taking a vacation may improve an individual's mental health, happiness and job satisfaction. 

If there is a mission I can get behind - it is THIS. I may be a marketer, but vacation planning is my avocation.

As a new business owner (with no such thing as paid time off) and a new mom ('nuff said), taking a vacation could certainly be looked at as a luxury I cannot (or should not) afford at this point in my life. Welp - good thing I am not really all that interested in adhering to societal views of what I should or should not be doing. In other words - I refuse to stop traveling. It's too good for my business, and yours. Here's why: 

2. Perspective
I have said this before, and I will say it again: Travel gives me perspective. This does not mean that I must visit a third world country to realize my problems are small. It is actually not about comparison at all. It is about stepping out of my bubble and seeing what it's like out there in the world. Through a travelers lens, I start to see my "normal" a bit differently. When I return home, I do not un-see or un-feel what I experienced outside my comfort zone. Instead, I incorporate this perspective into my daily living, my decision making, and my interactions. It impacts who I am as a person, and a professional.

3. Creativity
A street I have never walked before, the smell of a new city, the taste of another culture's cuisine, the sun setting over a faraway shore. To put it simply - travel lights me up. Nothing stirs my creativity quite like travel. There is so much to see, such inspiration to uncover, so many connections yet to be made. When I sit at home in front of my computer I am brought to life by the people I have met, the visions and experiences I have encountered across the globe. They pour through my fingers as I type, they impact my style as a creator and a writer. They are a part of me in every sense, including my work. 

If you are new to the #digitalmarketing game, you may hear marketers refer to an Editorial Calendar. If you are wondering what the heck that is and why people keep talking about it when discussing your marketing strategy – keep reading. This blog is for you.

If you read last month’s post, you know how much I love a good plan. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to you that I find great value in editorial calendars. In short, an editorial calendar is essentially a master plan for your content. Your content is organized in calendar form and planned in advance. The result of this effort has many amazing benefits. Here are my top three benefits to using an editorial calendar:

2. An Editorial Calendar Keeps Your Content Organized
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With a little bit of planning you can organize your content into categories. Categories are defined by your marketing goals and action points (I realize this requires a bit more explanation – but that’s a whole other blog post). What is important to note is - defining your content categories helps ensure that your content is relevant to your goals, and that you are sending consistent messaging about your brand and business to your audience. An editorial calendar is helpful in this endeavor because you can visually see your content spread out to cover ALL your goals over a time period. This way, you don’t keep hammering the same point home and missing all the others, or focusing on one goal and losing sight of the rest.

For example: Not all your posts should be a sales pitch. Not all your posts should be promoting an upcoming event. Your audience will get sick of hearing about it and lose interest in you all together (ouch).

So, there you have it! My top three benefits to using an editorial calendar. At this point - I think it is pretty clear I’m really into using Editorial Calendars, and I definitely think you should be, too.

If you need a hand getting started – contact me, I love this stuff. 

If there is one thing that I know about events, it is this: They never go as planned. For someone as plan-obsessed as me, you can imagine the horror. In an effort to keep things as on-track as possible and maintain my cool when the unexpected occurs, there are five things I always do when planning an event: 

 1. Create a PLAN
Call it a Banquet Event Order (BEO), call it a timeline, call it a checklist, call it whatever you'd like; just make sure you do it! This is your living, breathing document that contains every single bit of your plan: the WHO, the WHEN, and the HOW for your event. Share it with everyone involved, update it as details evolve throughout the event planning process, and be sure to have a copy of your PLAN with you on the day of your event. 

​2. Exchange Digits
No, I don't mean with the cute bartender (ok, well yes, actually you'll need his or her number, but not for that). I mean with every single vendor involved in your event. Make sure you have their best day-of contact number, and be sure they have yours. That way, when the band is running late, the linens don't show up and the bartender cannot find a place to park and unload - you can get in touch with your contacts and figure out a solution.

4. Bring Your "Oh Shit Kit"
Scissors, tape, clear nail polish (trust me), band-aids, a cellphone charger, a lighter, snacks, a water bottle, a pair of flats, a paper copy of your PLAN... the list goes on. Never, I repeat, never go to an event without your Oh Shit Kit, and you'll never be stuck at an event saying "oh shit." 

First of all, tell us how you started LYFE and what your vision for your company is.

As a child I was always passionate about Wellness, but I took a serious leap into that world in 2008, when I started having severe anxiety. My doctor’s first reaction was to medicate me, and though I understand that many people need medication in order to deal with their mental wellness, that course of action did not resonate with me. I started researching, and discovered an energy healer near my town and she changed my life. I dove headfirst into the world of healing through alternative modalities -  breath work, energy work, nutrition and movement – and eventually came out the other end of it a lot stronger. After my undergrad, which was journalism, I landed a job in social media and here I fell in love with this incredible tool that, when used for positive outcomes, can be life altering. So when my understanding for this tool began to merge with my passion for wellness and helping others I knew it was time to create a company that does both. ​My future vision for LYFE is help clients reach their full potential, while also providing a trusted source for those seeking recommendations for practitioners in the wellness space. A fully integrated experience where I utilize my expertise, curiosity, and my own journey to wellness to deliver personalized experiences that showcase the heart and vision of my clients. It's two fold in the sense that I want to help wellness practitioners reach more clients, and for the clients to be able to get the holistic help they need.  As LYFE continues to grow, we’ll be creating additional marketing exposure for clients on the Wellness Collective, a searchable hub of vetted members in the wellness sector. This will allow wellness seekers to discover vetted members of, and practitioners in, the LYFE community, and will introduce brands with co-collaborators in respective industries. It’s one more way for clients to help raise their brand’s profile while providing a needed service to those who are looking to connect with wellness practitioners.

What has been the biggest lesson you have learned from starting your own business?
Nothing will ever be perfect, and you need to trust your own intuition and guidance. If you let the opinion of everyone else guide you, the business ultimately wont be yours, will it? Some people will love what you do, and others will not. And that’s ok! What I find has become more and more important to me is authenticity and honesty. Looking at what others are doing will only confuse you and make you more insecure, because there is only ONE you. What you offer, no one else can. And I feel in the wellness industry we need more healers, because there is so much work to do. To me, there is no such thing as competition, only collaboration. If everyone would put their ego aside the world would be a better place.
 
When working with wellness brands that want to put more of a focus on marketing their business through social media – what do you see as the biggest challenge for these businesses? How do you help them to overcome this challenge?

I find social media and wellness to be perfect complements to each other. Social media is such a strong visual tool, and the wellness industry is ripe with beautiful things to photograph: vibrantly colored foods, beautiful personal care products, nature, crystals, props and inspiring objects. I love the creativity that the two embody—stepping out of the box to heal others, or to market a client to their full potential. The challenges I've faced with my clients is they don´t quite understand how this can help them attract clients. Building a following and getting engagement takes time, especially when you do it organically, which why I always tell them to be patient and trust me.

My favorite part about working with my clients is seeing results—and watching them see the results. Whether we’re growing your social media following organically and creating a brand that’s top-of-mind to consumers or watching someone have a “Holy Sh!t! This is actually working!” moment when they see improvements in their health, there is nothing so satisfying as experiencing joy right alongside clients when they’re moving in the right direction. Success to me is when they see the shift.
 
 What are your top three tips for a wellness business looking to grow their online presence?

1. Know the visual aesthetic and the voice of your brand, then 50 percent of the work is already done. I always tell my clients to look at their feed as a mood board. What’s the story they want to tell? What is the message they want to give? Social Media is a lot about story telling and captivating an audience, if you're lacking the thread in your feed then growing an online presence will be more difficult.
2. Patience. This might be the hardest thing to practice. Because clients want to see results right away, and I don´t blame them. But in that “world” there are millions of accounts and finding one with a fewer following rate or a brand new account is more challenging. Which is why I always execute a three-month aggressive brand strategy. We make goals for each month, and I make sure every goal is reached. But again, it takes patience.
3. Have fun! It´s not life or death, and social media can be so much fun. You can be as creative as you want in terms of video, pictures, memes, gifs. There is no limit on how you want to present your brand, you just have to get up and do it. Don’t be intimidated by what “everyone else” is doing, because that has already been done. Be authentic and be real, I've experienced faster and better results that way,
   
   

How do you balance the rigors of being an entrepreneur in New York City with your own self-care?
I need to get out of the city from time to time, and I make that a priority. Connecting with nature and shutting my phone of is the best thing for my over all wellbeing. I meditate and move every single day, even the days I don´t feel like it. Just by moving my body for 10 minutes followed by breath work, I immediately feel better, especially days where I am under a lot of stress. I also practice to actually listening to my body and being in whatever emotion comes up instead of trying to ignore it. There is a reason for this emotion, if I keep rejecting it, it will only come back more intense. So on the days where I have negative emotions I stop what I am doing and I sit. I feel. I listen. Whatever comes up during those moment of silence gets to come up. This release method has been so clearing and cleansing for me I don’t know why I haven’t done this sooner. Which is why I am focusing a lot on anxiety and depression in the holistic part of LYFE. I curate every single program based on my own experiences, and what worked for me. It took me 10 years to figure out by body, mind and spirit – and it was hard work. But I know I went through it for a reason, because now I can help others. And to me, that is also self-care. Because you also help yourself through helping others. 

I swear a lot. I have to remind myself when I am teaching yoga to use words like "seat" instead of "ass" and "challenges" instead of "bullshit." I eat meat, I love wine (anything with bubbles), I worry too much, and I can't get enough of the Kardashian's. This does not necessarily paint the most perfect image of me, so... why am I telling you this? 

Because it makes me a real person. 

Now don't get me wrong - I am also hyper-organized, motivated, intelligent and well-spoken. I have excellent customer service skills, I can manage myself in front of a crowd, perform under pressure, and teach a heck (hell) of a yoga class.  But if that was all I told you about me, would you relate? 

Here's the thing - there is SO much NOISE out there today. By noise I mean marketing and advertising. We are constantly being sold to, marketed to, fed content and click-baited. That being said, pause for a moment and think about what you actually choose to click on and engage with. 

If I had to guess, it is highly likely you choose to dive deeper into topics you feel passionate about, news that affects you or your community, articles that help you improve a skill or teach you something that you can apply to your work or daily life, and probably also a few vice clicks as well - sports, celebrity gossip columns, etc. I can only assume you do not like to be tricked into clicking on something, only to find out you have been led somewhere entirely different. 

My point? You click on things you CONNECT with. If I am a representation of my brand, and I want to connect with you, then I have to share a bit of my story with you. I have to be transparent or you probably won't trust me. This does not mean that I have to tell you my deepest, darkest secrets. It does not mean I have to tell you what I have for breakfast everyday. I can still maintain a level of privacy, professionalism, and clarity with my content while sharing a piece of what makes me and my business unique. 

When your brand can set itself apart from others by being authentic and honest yet still very clear with your messaging and mission - THIS is what will separate you from the noise. From there, the people who are a good fit for your business and your services will connect with you and likely stay loyal because they trust you. Need help figuring out how you can do this with your brand? Let me know, I am happy to help!

#TransparencyIsTrending 

Additionally, when your business is represented across multiple platforms (your website, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) it shows your consumers that you are active (that is... as long as you are engaging with your audience on these platforms!). In other words - you are open and ready for their business! Consumers can also use social media to "check-in" at your physical location, further validating that you do in fact exist. 

2. Word of Mouth 
One of the best ways to market your business is through word of mouth. Since everyone lives on social media these days, it is the perfect place for people to talk about you. Social media platforms can be used for reviews, ratings, to share photos and tell stories - the possibilities for others to promote your business across social media are endless.  

3. Influence
People are easily influenced by their friends. If my friends are all posting delicious looking food pics from a local bakery - you better believe I'm going to try it out! When it seems like everyone in my feed is posting vacation photos from Palm Springs - I'm booking the next flight to the desert so I can get that instagram worthy photo in front of the cactus, too. 

4. Customer Information
Social media platforms provide a plethora of information about our consumers that we can use to make strategic and educated marketing decisions. By keeping track of our browsing habits, search history and personal information (that we all so willingly share), social media platforms know a great deal about each of us. Far beyond basic demographics - both Facebook and Twitter provide incredibly detailed and interesting information about who is visiting our business profiles. This information can be used to our marketing advantage: We can send specific messaging to targeted groups, find new potential customers that share similar interests and profiles to our existing consumers, and beyond just our social media pages, now we can even link our business website to Facebook and get details on who is browsing our site. 

​5. Everybody's Doing It
Truth - Mindwell Marketing is all about being an individual, in fact, we preach being your own badass business self. But that doesn't mean be a loner... we need our community of consumers to keep our business afloat! So get online and engage with your consumers there, and then get excited to greet them in person when they come to your business!