6 Things I've Done to Invest in My Small Business This Quarter
Do you regularly invest in your small business? No, I’m not just talking about monetary investments, but investing your time, energy, and resources into making your business the best that it can be. It can be hard to work on your business instead of just in it especially when you are a sole proprietor like me, but when I sat down to create this list of ways I have been investing in my small business I was actually surprised by all the ways I’ve been able to nurture and grow it in this busy season.
Here are some ways that I’ve invested my time, energy, and resources into my small business over the past quarter and why I think these were important.
I finally subscribed to Canva Pro and here’s why this little monthly monetary investment means so much: Canva Pro allows you to create profiles for your branding so that in the click of a button you can change any design to align with your own brand. In another click, you can change an Instagram carousel into a pin or any other format too. You’d be surprised at how much time it can save you!
I purchased and almost fully completed an online lighting course from another brand photographer (Abby Grace Photo) so that I can continue educating myself and grow in my skillset as a brand photographer.
I switched which editing program I use for post-processing images so that I can streamline my workflow because it integrates better with Imagen AI which will in turn cut my editing and post-processing times in half (at least) thus helping provide a better service to my clients.
I listened to Jon Acuff’s new book “It Starts with a Goal,” which has been a helpful and motivational tool for my goal-setting efforts.
I signed up for Loomly so that I could bring all of my social media accounts under one platform and hopefully streamline my planning and posting process. So far it’s working pretty well!
I hosted a local small business meet-up in my studio to connect and network with other people who are on this journey of entrepreneurship with me. Community is important and it was so encouraging for me to be with other small business owners.
I started this list thinking I may have 3 ways I had invested in my business over the last few months and boy was I blown away as I kept writing and realizing all the ways I’ve made progress in my efforts to be the best brand photographer and business owner I can be. I’m not saying this to be proud or boastful, but just that I am thankful that I’ve been able to do these things.
I was also surprised to see some themes emerge. Do you see them? Streamlining my work to save myself time (and be able to focus on the more important tasks) was a big one, and so was educating myself on new things that will make me better at my craft. It was cool to get that clarity from making this list.
This exercise reminded me of a similar one that Jon Acuff explained in the first few chapters of his book (mentioned above): The Best Moments List. These are kind of like the start of a best moments list for my business over the past few months. Things I’m thankful for from the past that will bring clarity to what I should prioritize in the future. (Go read his book to find out more about how great this practice is).
If you made a similar list, what would be on it? Share one or two ways you’ve invested in your small business recently in the comments!