Top Mistakes Of The Self-Employed

© Georgie Johnson

I was 23 when I started my first officially registered business as a wedding and event planner. I operated it for a year and I made zero; that’s nothing, not one paying gig. The problem was I opened the business before I knew how to operate a business. I didn’t take the time to look before I leapt into self-employment. Wedding and event planning was one of a number of different business ideas I tried before I found my current success in self-employment.


Next I became self-employed as an independent consultant of a leading direct sales giftware company. It was the type of business based on home parties and corporate support; I was sort of like a franchisee. Everything I needed to operate my business was handed to me in a neat little kit with bi-weekly training meetings with other independent consultants. I was a recruiting machine and grew a large team, but consistently was the lowest earner of the bunch. What was my problem?


I have my suspicions of where I went wrong. Take a look at this interesting article on the top 50 mistakes entrepreneurs make. http://business.financialpost.com/2012/02/13/fifty-ways-to-screw-up-your-business. Which one are you most guilty of?


Miranda Vande Kuyt is a self-employed project and communications consultant. She is also the facilitator of the "Look Before You Leap: Self-Employment Survival Strategies" online course through www.LifeStrategies.ca.

Who's The "Boss" Of The Self-Employed?

© cliff1066™

I’ve heard the phrase, “be your own boss” so many times that it appears to be synonymous with the term “self-employed.” But, is that really an accurate description? The formal definition of “boss” is, “an employer or supervisor” or “one who makes decisions or exercises authority” (Nelson Canadian Dictionary, 1998). Although self-employed people have authority over their business activities and make decisions on what work they accept, they still have to answer to a number of others. Let’s take a look at who else has some authority or influence on the work of the self-employed, the ones that keep the self-employed accountable for their business activities.

Clients: One of the largest influences of the self-employed is their clients. Without clients the self-employed are just working, which, in itself, does not generate any income. Business activity is only worth something if there is someone willing to pay for it and unless clients are happy with the product or service, they won’t buy it. Therefore, in a sense, the self-employed answer to their clients. I think of each client as one of my bosses; this keeps me accountable.

Family: The successfully self-employed know how much they need to make in a month to cover expenses and make a profit. The standard of living their family is used to will have some authority over how much money they need to bring in each month. Also, the demands of family responsibilities will impact the time the self-employed have available to dedicate to their business.

Colleagues: Observing the activities of colleagues and competitors can help the self- employed gauge if they are doing all they should be doing to run a successful business. Networking through events and social media is an effective way to keep up to date on their activities and glean feedback on business ideas and practices.

Accountant and/or Bookkeeper: Without reputable financial guidance, the self-employed could find themselves in a nightmare when tax time comes. The self-employed must submit to the authority of the revenue experts to find financial success.

Professional Associations: Joining professional organizations are an effective way to build a positive reputation in the marketplace. With membership comes the adherence to ethical codes of practice and the authority of the professional association.

Mentor/Coach: A coach or mentor is only effective if the advice is considered and acted upon. Without compliance to their subject matter authority, meeting with them is an expensive and timely façade.

Investors: Some start-ups require financial backing of investors. Whether its subsidies, family, friends, or venture capitalist–they probably invested because of a convincing business plan. Therefore, the plan and the investors will influence the business decisions of the self-employed.

Board of Directors/Business Advisor: Similar to investors these people are committed to seeing the business of the self-employed succeed. Adhering to their guidance is paramount to self-employment success.

There may be other influences that have authority over the self-employed. Can you think of any others that keep the self-employed accountable?

Miranda Vande Kuyt is a self-employed project and communications consultant. She is also the facilitator of the "Look Before You Leap: Self-Employment Survival Strategies" online course through www.LifeStrategies.ca.

The Leap To Self-Employment

© Eric Fernhout    

Understanding self-employment is more important than ever. Over 2.5 million Canadians are self-employed, making up over 15% of the Canadian workforce1 and the number keeps growing. As large as those numbers are, very few career practitioners understand what it takes to be successfully self-employed. Most career practitioners work within government-funded programs2, and for many, self-employment is not on their radar, for themselves or their clients.

However, we live in transformational times where job security is shaky at best. Self-employment is a very real option that should be considered by everyone facing a career transition. That is not to say that self-employment is the right option for everyone; characteristics such as knowledge and skills are important, as is the right attitude (e.g., passion, drive, vision) and proper preparation. Read More...

This is an expert from a recent Life Strategies article that was published in the www.ContactPoint.ca Bulletin.

Establishing Your Online Presence Without Social Media

© office.microsoft.com

Whether you are ready to leap into the world of social media or not, people are already talking about you online—and they may not be saying what you want them to say about you. It might not be that they are saying bad things; they just might not be saying what you want them to. By establishing your presence online you are able to influence what people are saying about you, by framing who you are and what your business can do for others.

There are two types of online profiles. In previous posts we discussed interactive profiles (aka social media) and the basic elements of an online profile. This post discusses non-interactive profiles (aka static profiles), places for one way sharing of information; you talk and your audience listens.
Some static profiles to consider are:

• Online Business Directories: These are like listings in the phone book except they are online. Many postings are free and many sites may already post your information from what they can find out about you on the Internet. Start by doing an online search for your name and see what comes up. If you find yourself or business listed then you can then “claim” your profile and update your information. You can also create a profile on other popular business profile sites. Take a look at YellowPages, Goldbook, Hotfrog, Manta, CanPages, and ZoomInfo. Also take a look at listings that professional associations you are affiliated with may have. Be sure to record your login information for posting updates. As well, make note of the sites that have interactive features such as reviews and recommendations. You can encourage your happy customers to recommend your business for other customers to read. 

• Website: A static website is a traditional website that posts company information and/or articles. It may or may not be updated frequently and differs from a blog in that it does not include any interactive functionality for engaging your customers—although some static websites do link to a blog hosted on another platform or other social media sites such as Facebook.

Social media profiles take time to maintain on a daily basis, but static profiles take time to set up initially, and then require maintenance only when something changes about you or your business. I recommend setting up profiles on as many free static sites as you can so your customers can easily find out what you have to say about your business wherever they look.

Miranda Vande Kuyt is a self-employed project and communications consultant. She is also the facilitator of the "Look Before You Leap: Self-Employment Survival Strategies" online course through www.LifeStrategies.ca.

7 Social Media Sites For Building Your Online Presence

Establishing your online presence is essential to influencing what others are saying about you on the internet. Previously we discussed the basic elements of an online profile. Now we’re going to move into the types of profiles to consider: interactive and non-interactive. Interactive profiles are built on Web 2.0 technology and are often referred to as “social media.” These are platforms for you to interact with your target audience, virtual meeting places for people to get to know each other.

Some popular social media sites to consider are:

1. Facebook: A platform for sharing information of a personal nature on your Facebook Profile or business nature on your Facebook Page. Pages are great for sharing tips, articles, videos, promotions, and other valuable information. It’s also a great place to ask questions, post polls, and get feedback from customers that you can incorporate into strengthening your company. It is the most widely used social media platform in the world. 
2. LinkedIn: A platform targeted to professionals for sharing portfolios and resumes virtually. It has a unique area on the profile for your contacts to leave recommendations of your work for others to read. You can also join or start LinkedIn discussion groups where you can share your expertise. 
3. Twitter: Twitter is a networking platform that allows you to share your expertise, interact with others, and search what others are saying about you, your company, as well as your competitors in 140 characters or less.  
4. Youtube: An online video sharing and viewing site. Users create their own Youtube “channel” to upload and share videos, while viewers can comment and share the videos with their networks. 
5. Blogs: A blog is an interactive website that usually is updated regularly in reverse chronological order. Others can comment on blog posts and share them with friends. It also can have non-interactive pages to house common information such as your “Contact Us” or “About” pages.  Blogs are useful for demonstrating your knowledge base and expertise.  Some popular free blogging platforms are: Wordpress, Blogger, and Typepad. 
6. Google+: This is a powerful profile page that increases your visibility in search rankings and acts as a central location that links to all your online profiles, websites, alternate spellings of your name, contact information and much more. You should link to your Google+ profile on all your other profiles and include it in your email signature. Sooner than later, when someone does an online search of your name they will find your Google profile at the top of the search results.
7. Forums: Forums are virtual discussion platforms that are targeted to specialized groups. They are a great place to share your tips and set yourself apart as an expert in your field. Search Google or ask other professionals in your field where they go to connect with others virtually. 

You should set up accounts on most of the popular social media sites even if you don’t plan to use them, as this prevents others from taking your desired username. Your profiles will require ongoing maintenance that can be very time consuming. I recommend choosing the top one or two that will have the most impact for you or your business, and learn to use them well. To ensure success, try accessing the help pages on each respective site, reading articles, doing webinars, watching videos, or asking another professional for tips. In my next post we’ll discuss non-interactive profiles.

Miranda Vande Kuyt is a self-employed project and communications consultant. She is also the facilitator of the "Look Before You Leap: Self-Employment Survival Strategies" online course through www.LifeStrategies.ca.

5 Elements Of An Online Profile

People are talking about you online!  A simple Google search will reveal where your name is popping up, and you might not like what you read.  All self-employed individuals should engage in online brand management to influence what others are saying about them.  This includes having well-crafted profiles on several platforms where you will find your target audience.  Chris Kulbaba of LinkedIn Heavyweight explains it this way:

"Marketing is made up of the four "P's": Product, Price, Placement, and Promotion. With Social Media, you get the four P's leveraged for free, as well you get the two "T's": trust and transparency.  So, in the new world of business, 4P's + 2T's = customers buying your product!"

The first step to establishing an online presence is formulating a winning profile that will be consistent on all platforms.  This includes the following:

1.  Headshot: A good individual headshot is a clear picture of your face that is centered on a non-distracting background.  If you don’t have a professional looking headshot then get one immediately.  It should represent what you look like and how you want to be recognized.  People want to do business with people—not cute pictures of puppies, logos, or cartoons.  A picture creates trust in your potential customers.

2.  Bio: A well-written bio should be concise and presented in the first person.  It should answer the questions: Who are you?  Where do you come from?  What expertise do you have to offer?

3.  Job Title: A well-crafted job title summarizes what you actually do.  If you can’t be clear on what you can do, no one else will know either.

4.  Branding Statement: A branding statement is the one liner that you want people to think when they hear your name.  It’s your tag line: your purpose and mission all wrapped up in a few words. I like Forbes.com's formula for crafting one.

5.  Username: If your name is very popular (e.g., John Smith) you will have to come up with a way to make your username distinguishable from the many others out there (e.g., use your middle name or a pseudonym).  If you have a unique name, use it.

Once you have these items ready, it’s time to create your profile on platforms that will help you reach your target audience.  In my next posts I will discuss the two types of profiles (interactive and non-interactive) that you could use to establish your online presence and the benefits of each.

Miranda Vande Kuyt is a self-employed project and communications consultant. She is also the facilitator of the  "Look Before You Leap: Self-Employment Survival Strategies" online course through www.LifeStrategies.ca.

Seasonal Self-Employment

© Sam Szapucki

The holiday season is approaching and with it comes the spirit of giving, often disguised as that incredible urge to buy things for those we love, even if we can’t afford it. Many people blow their budget and feel the pain of their overspending when the credit card bills arrive in January; however, seasonal self-employment could be the answer. This is when you provide a service or product temporarily for the holiday season to help you bring in a certain amount of money. Although it’s a great way to bring in some extra cash to keep the holidays affordable and the bank account healthy, what opportunities are really our there?

Tap into your hidden skills, some self-employment ideas are:

• Shoveling snow in the neighbourhood
• Delivering flyers for local companies
• Cleaning houses or providing a laundry service
• Providing personal Christmas shopping
• Babysitting hours that no one else wants (e.g., evenings and weekends) so the parents can attend holiday parties, finish Christmas shopping, etc.
• Selling your unwanted things online through Kijiji, Craiglist or other forums
• Working as a delivery driver (i.e., they are in high demand at this time of year)
• Taking what you do for full-time work and picking up some extra jobs (e.g. hairdressing, personal training, writing resumes, small engine repair)
• Baking Christmas treats
• Making/Selling crafts (i.e., although enjoyable, be realistic, these often take more time than the income they bring in)
• Decorating for the holidays or hanging up Christmas Lights
• Planning Christmas/Birthday parties
• Writing Christmas cards
• Organizing and de-cluttering to get homes ready for holiday parties
• Providing virtual admin assistant/data entry services
• House sitting or pet sitting

Think about what products or services people need around the holiday season. Do some research online (e.g., Kijiji, Craigslist) to see what other types of temporary self-employment ideas that may work for you, and how much the going rate is in your area.

Having a money-making idea is just the start. Next you need a short business plan to help you accomplish what you intend (informal is fine). This should include:

• Your income goal: It is best to start with the end in mind (e.g., if you need to make an extra $1000 to make it through the holidays you would need to find 8 houses in the neighbourhood to shovel for the month, or do a combination of jobs).
• The time you will have to give to self-employment: How many hours (e.g., 10 hours a week) and when (e.g., evenings)?
• Your target customers and how will you market to them: Keep it simple and your overhead costs low by trying free online sites such as Kijiji and Craigslist, or create your own free website through blogging platforms such as Wordpress, Blogger or Google Sites. Harness the power of your personal network face-to-face or through Facebook, local forums or meet-ups. If they don’t need your service or product ask them if they know someone who may. Think about where your potential customers hang out and meet them there.
• The resources you will need to start: Keep your costs low, but do keep your receipts so you can calculate what you have really made. Instead of purchasing equipment, see if you can borrow or rent it for the season.
• Licensing, registration, and insurance: If you keep your business simple and under a certain income you may not need to register it. Check with local bylaws to see what regulations are in your area, as well as the Canada Revenue Agency for the current allowable income. Ask your insurance agent if you need additional insurance for your activities. It’s also a good idea to write a simple contract of what customers can expect from you and what you expect from them in return.
• Your budget: Keep track of your earnings on a simple spreadsheet so you will know how much you made after expenses (e.g., who, when, what, how much you brought in and supply costs).  This is also important to know if you plan to do it again in the future.
• Who will support you: You will need your family’s support, and possibly friends as well. Depending on your skills and equipment, you may need to reach out to others for help.

The holiday season isn’t the only time of year for seasonal self-employment: summer, spring break, and anytime that you need to make some extra cash may be the time to take on some extra work. I’d love to chat with you about the ideas you are considering? Please leave me a comment or get in touch with me through my contact information below.

Miranda Vande Kuyt is a self-employed project and communications consultant. She is the facilitator of the "Look Before You Leap: Self-Employment Survival Strategies" online course through Life Strategies.