As a business owner, you understand the massive impact that being self-employed can have on your mental health. There are reasons that the majority of people choose to work for someone else. Working for yourself is a vastly different way of life from being an employee. Being an entrepreneur often affects every other area of our lives, such as friendships, relationships, and family life. It’s easy to become consumed by your business, and the stress and anxiety that come with that can really take its toll over time. Many seasoned business owners have managed to strike the right balance so that their business gets all the attention it deserves and requires while still finding time to enjoy everything else that life offers. However, this balance can be a tricky one to find, and if you’re struggling, these self-care tips might be just what you need.  Self-care, in layman's terms, is most commonly used to describe routine tasks that a person can do or a regular practice they can develop, to improve or maintain their mental and physical health. The following are five self-care practices that will help you establish and maintain your mental health.

​1. Set Working Hours
It might seem simple, but many business owners never set strict working hours for themselves, or if they do, they don’t stick to them. Setting strict working hours is important because it means that when you’re off, you’re off. You can relax, rest, enjoy time spent with loved ones or take time doing the things you love. Having a schedule can help you provide real respite for your mind and body. You can go back to work the next day feeling revived and ready.

2. Turn Off Notifications
Taking time off work means no email notifications. Time off work isn’t really time off work if you see those emails popping up on your phone. Even if you manage to exert the willpower not to read them, they’ve still caught your eye and registered in your mind. They’ve still taken you mentally away from your downtime and placed you momentarily back in the role of business owner. The constant distraction makes it difficult  to fully enjoy your time off. You’re not maximizing the benefits of that time for your body and mind.

3. Delegate or Outsource
It might sound cliché, but even business owners don’t have to do it all by themselves. Trying to be the bookkeeper, marketing manager, administrator, human resources and social media manager, and everything else in your business is just too much for one person. It causes incredibly high stress levels, which don’t do your mental or physical health any favors. Start delegating. If you’ve got other people working for you, give them more responsibilities. And if you don’t, start outsourcing some of those time consuming tasks that take you away from focusing on more important things. Hire a virtual assistant to manage your administrative tasks or a social media manager to care for your digital marketing needs. Find some way to share the burden.

​4. Make Time For Hobbies
Hobbies are significant for overall wellness. Many business owners spend all of their time working crazy hours running their businesses and doing little or nothing in their time off because they’re too exhausted and mentally drained. They find themselves vegging out in front of Netflix, binging on the latest show. Having hobbies helps fill that time off with something you’ll actually look forward to and enjoy doing. Try taking up a sport or going to dance classes. Learning a new language can be a great way to spend time off. Going hiking and taking photographs are excellent hobbies. Whatever it is, find a hobby that you can enjoy outside of work and maybe includes some time with friends and family.

5. Take Proper Breaks 
This is so important and super basic but commonly overlooked or ignored. Taking proper breaks throughout your workday has several benefits. It helps to break up your day and re-energize you to continue to be productive. It helps you to relax and regain your focus if you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Sometimes it just feels great to step outside, breathe in some fresh air, and stretch the limbs.

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Believe it or not, even the simplest landing pages have been thoughtfully optimized to get more clicks. After all, little tweaks to the smallest page elements like where to place a call to action, word choice, or image use can net some huge wins. Or, done wrong, leave you wondering why no one's clicking. So you want to make sure that your landing pages are doing most things right, right out of the gate.
Here are just a few of the most basis things you need to consider before pushing your page live.

1. Does your headline address a challenge or pain point that you product or service solves?
2. Are your product features supported by compelling benefits?
3. Is the design clean and functional?
4. Is there a single, clear, obvious call to action repeated on the page?
5. Does your landing page show up correctly on mobile? (BTW - Leadpages landing pages are automatically mobile-friendly)
6. Have you optimized how you appear in social media posts and search engine results?
7. Are you relying on your intuition, or are you running A/B tests to get optimal results?

What else can impact your pages' results?  Believe it or not, even the simplest landing pages have been thoughtfully optimized to get more clicks. After all, little tweaks to the smallest page elements like where to place a call to action, word choice, or image use can net some huge wins. Or, done wrong, leave you wondering why no one's clicking. Connect with your audience, collect qualified leads, and sell your services with Leadpages. Click here for free trial and to check out the Landing Page Guide.

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Why being busy is overrated
For many, being busy is a badge of honor. It may even feel dangerous not to be fully occupied because people might conclude that your services aren't in demand. And, there's an adrenalin rush of feeling like you're in the thick of the action.
The problem with being busy
At the start, it feels important and even satisfying to be that busy leader. The more you take on, the more you achieve and the more you are rewarded. But longer term, being that busy leader will ultimately hurt your career and relationships (and probably your health too).
When your calendar is packed with back-to-back meetings, there’s no time to think strategically. Having a to-do list that keeps expanding makes it hard to prioritize what matters most, including taking care of yourself and building key relationships at work and at home. And leaving it too long leads to people giving up trying to talk to you because you’ve made it clear through your actions that you’re too busy doing more important things. When the channels of communications close off, that’s where the real trouble begins. You’ll miss out on opportunities to tap into your team’s creativity, coach them to better performance, address issues before they become big problems, and advance important-but-not-urgent projects that set your group up for next level success.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. How to stop being busy
It starts with realizing that it’s not always good to be busy. Only if it’s the kind of busy that serves your bigger mission and purpose, and not the “busy work” that simply keeps you looking like you’re gainfully occupied. Then figuring out what’s causing your busy-ness so you can do something about it. Once you understand the cause and benefits of your being so busy, the range of possible solutions will become clearer. You may even find that making one or two small changes are all that’s needed to set you on course for letting go of the “busy work” and living the life you want. 
What will you do? 
Whether you decide to delegate more, say “no” to non-essential meetings, let go of perfection as your standard, or something completely different, it’s in your interest to take action to address your “busy-ness”. Wherever you stand in your career, know that busy-ness is overrated. The upside is open to debate and the downside is the potential to damage your career, your relationships and your health.
It’s time to give yourself permission to create some flexibility in your schedule so you can stop being so busy and start focusing on what matters most.  
How could you create some flexibility in your schedule so you can stop being so busy and start living the life you truly want?

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This post includes affiliate links to products I really love and recommend, which means I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I will use the earnings to maintain my blog and business.

​I just had to let you all know about this awesome tool.
Recently, I discovered a unique service and couldn’t wait to tell you about it. It’s a new twist on techniques used by top Internet marketers — one that involves videoconferencing. Here’s how I’ve seen it used in the past.
Some marketers keep it simple. They invite their email subscribers to sign up for a free online event, such as a webinar, training session, or product demo.
Other marketers make it more interesting. They design a “sideways sales letter” — a drip campaign delivering fresh content every few days. One message is text. Another might be video. Another links to a landing page. The eventual CTA is the same — sign-up for their free webinar.
What’s their goal? Getting face-to-face with prospects.
Now, I like to find out what’s new, so I enjoy receiving this type of campaign. And if the drip content is interesting, I sign up for the webinar.
We all know the webinar will end with a sales offer. And I admit — sometimes I buy. No, not every time. But the format gives me all the information I need. Then I can make a decision that’s right for me.
I’ve always wanted to try this approach — but it sounds complicated, right? I’d have to manage my contacts in multiple systems.
And then there’s the expense. When you combine landing pages, email marketing, video conferencing and external tools from various providers, it can cost upwards of $250 a month.
Then I discovered an innovative approach. GetResponse introduced a Pro package for do-it-yourselfers with no programming skills (like me), with all of those systems integrated into one account. And since they designed it for growing small businesses, it’s priced at only $49 per month.
If you’ve ever wanted to combine email, webinars, video email and landing pages to juice-up the flow of your sales funnel, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Here’s a link to the details — no opt-in required.
Check it out and let me know what you think.
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Have you ever wondered how to write email marketing subject lines that will get your emails open and make you more income? The first thing you have to focus on is subject lines.

So if your subject lines aren’t good and they don’t increase your audience’s curiosity, your emails won’t get open. To be a successful business owner, you need to get your email marketing on point.
If you are new to email marketing or you are thinking about starting with it but you don’t know how then you may need to consider hiring a virtual assistant.
The first thing people see is email marketing subject lines and who sends the email. So you actually have a split second to build curiosity and make them click on your email.

The best and most powerful email marketing strategy or any kind of strategy is building a strong personal brand. But that can take a long time. So to get higher email open rates, you have to use different tactics and hacks that will help you along the way.
Did you notice the emojis in some emails? You probably did, but also you see email subject lines without emojis. Which pop out more? Go check your email account and make a quick analysis 

This was tested out, using emojis and not using them. I get higher email open rates if I use emojis. There are a couple of other things that will help you as well:

• Use emojis with bright colors (red, orange, green)
• Start your email subject line with an emoji (don’t put it at the end)
• Build curiosity (don’t tell them everything in the subject line
  
  Include the tips I shared above, and test everything. Don’t forget to give your subscribers lots of value and share your story. They have to get to know, like, and trust you. Then you will be unstoppable.​

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Design is the silent ambassador of your brand. Build your brand identity.
Good design is good business! Branding is such a crucial component of success. Think of some of the largest companies in the world. Everyone is familiar with the brand they've created. Is you business ready to outshine the rest? Do you want your customers to remember you by identifying and connecting with your brand?
Click button below and complete a short questionnaire  about  your branding ideas. It will help us to understand your brand and include this in your custom design. Check out this Logo Deal. Get a basic 2 color logo with tagline option. Ideal for entrepreneurs and start-ups. Stand out from the rest. If you don't have a logo, you can bet your competition does!

How many of you have started your businesses but gotten stuck or overwhelmed with all of the set up, marketing and general day to day admin tasks? You are not alone my dear, dear friend.
It's easy to get your head spinning.
I've helped many business owners launch, grow, and scale their businesses.
There's no need to get bogged down or caught up into thinking that you have to go it alone.
Hiring a virtual assistant is all it takes to free up your time so you can focus on more important things like growing your business. Here are my top 7 jobs that you can outsource.
​
First things first...What is a virtual assistant?
In case you’re new here, I wanted to cover what a Virtual Assistant actually is.
There is no cut and dry description. At Presto Virtual Assistance Services, a (VA) is any type of remote assistant who provides administrative, creative, or technical support services for online or brick-and-mortar business owners.
There are so many things you can outsource to a VA, that sometimes it’s hard to choose where to start.
As promised, here are my top 7 jobs to outsource to a VA.

#1 - Data Entry; there are so many reasons why you should outsource data entry projects to a VA. One of the benefits is to gain better use of your time. 
#2 - Email Management; This is HUGE and definitely one of the most popular jobs that is requested by my clients. It's one of the first things that many clients will hand off in their business. Your VA can organize, respond and filter emails.  If you're using advanced systems such as HelpScout, your VA can answer your customer service emails, create templates and automatic replies. There is even a tag feature to track and monitor different types of emails, subjects, actions and more.  There is so much you can get done simply by outsourcing email management.
#3- Calendar Management; By using tools like Calendly or Acuity, a VA can book appointments for you without having to email back and forth. However, sometimes, that's necessary too.  You may want your VA to provide you with a daily report of what's on your to-do list or meetings you have booked for that day.  If you work with a team and need multiple users to view the same calendar, I would highly recommend Team\Up. 
Plan upcoming blog posts, events, conferences and more. 
#4- Facebook Page Management;  When you need somebody to post content, respond to messages and comments, a VA can help you with this too.  This task can include posting a few times a day, content creating ad what graphics or images will be used.  It could also simply be giving you prompts so that you can create the post yourself.  Maybe you already have posts and you just need someone to schedule them for you.  Page management can mean so many different things and can be very time consuming. It is definitely a job that can be outsourced to a VA.
#5- Facebook Group Management;  On the best of days, managing a Facebook group can often be very time consuming for the avid business owner. Many business owners don't have the energy to actively admin their own groups.  As an admin for your group, the VA's goat is to take some work off your plate.  Things like responding to comments and posting inside of the group, process member requests or create events. Tasks that would otherwise take up a good chunk of your time.  These are all pretty intensive tasks but are very essential to grow your Facebook group and make sure it remains healthy and keeps its purpose. 
#6- Graphic Design; I'm a creative at heart and I love using Canva to create beautiful graphics for my clients. With this tool, your VA can create logos, social media graphics, Pinterest pins, branding boards, templates and much more! 
#7- Visibility and Outreach;   What does this mean? Simply put, it means that you want to get eyes on your business and to get your business known. One way a VA can help with this is to get you on podcasts that are a good fit for your business. 

Whatever it is that you need help with, a VA can be a God send.  Trust me, there's more to running a successful business and it's impossible to know or do all things.  Hiring a Virtual Assistant is the first thing standing between you and success!   Book a free 1:1 today. Your freedom is waiting. 

Whether you are selling a product, collecting email addresses, optimizing your landing page to maximize website conversions should be top priority.
Think of a landing page as your sales pitch.  It should grab your viewers attention and invoke curiosity. You’ve only got one chance and just a few short minutes to convince a visitor to take action.  Like all great sales pitches, there are several key strategies you can implement to convince visitors to accept your offering.
An optimized landing page transitions a visitor to a conversion in as little amount of time as possible. This transition needs to be smooth, seamless, and a free of any unnecessary distractions.
A common cause of distraction is messy content layout. The content on your landing page should be enjoyable to read and simple to comprehend. Aim to write the content the way you would say it. Writing the way you would speak helps keep the sentences light and your message crystal clear.
Break up messy blocks of text by sticking to 2 – 3 sentence paragraphs.  Provide illustrations to help visitors quickly absorb the presented information. Another possible distraction is having too many links on your page.  Too many links will give your visitors the option of clicking away from your landing page.  They can also make your call to action difficult to identify. Not including a navigation bar and a footer on your landing page will make your CTA easy to identify.  It leaves your visitors with only one possible course of action:  completing the conversion process. Want to learn how to create an amazing, converting landing page to increase your sales?