The Reading List for January/February 2018
The Reading List for January/February 2018

One of my big goals for 2018 is to read more and actually log those books.

I know, I know. How unoriginal! But hear me out. 

Reading is something that I love doing and, for the most part, I have no problem powering through the latest thriller or mystery. I am a fiction junkie and once I find an author or series that I enjoy, there’s no stopping me.

Over the pat few months, however, I haven’t put aside as much time as I’d like to read non-fiction books that will help my business, mindset and continuing education. And that’s a damn shame because I enjoy those books too!

One of my favourite things about business/lifestyle books is that I basically get full access to someone’s brain and I can learn so much from them by reading their stories and implementing their advice. As I mentioned in a previous book recommendation post, “It would be nearly impossible to get a multi-hour meeting with some of these people but when you read their book, it's basically a masterclass in their teachings.” 

As such, I’m putting it out into the universe that over the next four weeks I will read the following three books. You'll notice that none of these books directly cover web design/development but rest assured that the lessons are applicable to nearly every industry. I’m excited to dive in!

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BusinessCharlotte O'HarabooksComment
Things I’m doing differently in my business this year
Things I’m doing differently in my business this year

2017 was a year of change for my business. 

First and foremost as a web designer/developer, I worked on a lot of client projects, which I really enjoyed. It was great to collaborate with businesses and solopreneurs, be creative with design, and teach my clients how to use their website to strategically support their businesses. I was happy to niche down and work with more small professional businesses and develop a more robust portfolio in this area. 

This year also saw my first foray into diversification. I launched my first digital product, the Website Growth Tracker spreadsheets, and am thrilled that it was a success! I hum’ed and haw’ed about creating a digital product for literally months, and I’m so glad that I finally sat down, cranked it out, and pushed it live for the world to see. 

I also dipped my feet into online marketing by guest posting for industry peers (examples here and here), started a Youtube channel, sent out weekly emails to my newsletter subscribers, appeared on a podcast, was featured in several publications and quoted online, wrote articles, etc. This all pushed my outside of my comfort zone in a major way but the results have been worth it!

Looking back on the past twelve months, I see that I learned A LOT about time management, setting up systems, pitching myself and my services, and getting more comfortable with failure, pivots, and rejection. #realtalk

This is all well and good but you know what they say - there’s always room for improvement. I have BIG plans for my business and how I want it to grow this year, and I know that it’s possible if I work hard … at the right things.

As I sat down and planned out how I want 2018 to look, I knew there would be things I would have to do differently in my business in order to get the results I want. 

Let's take a look.

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BusinessCharlotte O'Hara2018, my business, goalsComment
Five different ways to grow your website
Five different ways to grow your website

If you've taken the time to build a website and put your ideas and business out into the world, I'm going to guess that you want people to actually visit your site.

Odds are you didn't spend all that time, effort and money for nothing!

Most websites have a goal in mind, and that's to GROW. They want to increase traffic to their site and build up an audience who is ready to consume their content, purchase their products and sign up for their services. 

Having a larger audience is desirable for pretty much all types of websites. From hobby bloggers to professional businesses, we all want a wider reach to share our ideas, have a bigger impact and even do a better job at monetization.

Whether you're starting out with a brand new website or looking to take your site to the next level, there are different ways you can get new and more eyes on your site. If the same old "growth tactics" haven't been working for you so far, you might have more luck thinking outside of the box!

Let's take a look!

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BusinessCharlotte O'Harapodcast, speaking, social media, media mentions, HARO, press, contributor, collaboration, webinarsComment
My 2018 goals
My 2018 goals

2018, I am READY for you!

We’re one week into the new year and I am still riding high on all the momentum and energy that comes with it. There are several points in the year that give me this sense of motivation and focus, such as new years, spring and early September, and I absolutely love planning out the next few months.

I’m someone who loves making a plan and coming up with action steps that will get me to where I want to be, and there’s no better time to get reflective than the new year. It’s a time to look back on the previous year, take note of what worked and what didn’t, and how I want things to change and look in the upcoming months and year.

This is the first time that I’ve ever shard my goals publicly on my website but I figured that since I often write about my business, it might be neat for my readers, clients and online business pals to see what I’m planning behind the scenes.

Before I share my goals, I’m going to give you a little insight into how I come up with my goals as well as context on why I set them the way I do.

Let’s take a look!

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BusinessCharlotte O'HaragoalsComment