There’s a certain allure that comes from running your own business and working for yourself. We’ve all been seduced by the supposed freedom that comes from this type of work and self-employment is regularly touted as the surest way to riches. The media glorifies this hustle and grind and it seems like everyone and their cat calls themselves an ‘entrepreneur’ nowadays!

Look, I get it.

This narrative isn’t wrong, per se, but the truth is that self-employment is also incredibly challenging, exhausting and exhilarating. The highs are higher and the lows are lower, which is undoubtedly part of the thrill.

If you’ve spent even a hot sec on an inspirational entrepreneurship Instagram account, you’ve come across the quote “Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.”

I’ve built my business to a stable and profitable place, but in all honesty I got here by trial and error. Looking back, there were definitely ways that I could have prepared ahead of time so that when I started out on my own, it wouldn’t have been so daunting and touch-and-go.

Today I’m sharing 5 tips for anyone who is considering making the leap into self-employment.

Whether you plan to start a services-based business or sell products (physical or digital), I hope that these suggestions give you something to think about before taking the plunge.

Let’s take a look, shall we?

4 things I've done differently to improve client communications in my business

Many freelancers/small business owners/entrepreneurs go into business thinking that doing the actual work will be the most challenging part of their job. But in many cases, it’s actually client communications and management that can be the scariest or hardest part of their day. Who’d have thought that?!

Client communication can have its ups and downs, there’s no denying it. Anytime you’re dealing with people and their businesses, there’s an emotional component that can’t be ignored. But now that I’ve been in business for several years, I finally feel like I’m getting a handle on things.

Since I started my business, I’ve made countless changes to my process and learned a LOT about the best way to work with clients. Sometimes that means retraining my brain on the type of language to use, other times it means implementing new organization strategies. I can anticipate what various pushback points might be and I’m able to get ahead of the situation and keep everyone happy.

I’m not saying that I’m perfect or that I’m an expert in client communications, but I’ve definitely learned a lot and want to share those lessons with you today!

BusinessCharlotte O'HaraSeptember 13, 2018business, my business, client management, client communications, client questionnaire, ideal client, referralComment

5 answers to real Squarespace SEO questions I've received recently

Gather round, I’m back with another Squarespace SEO blog post!

As a Squarespace designer and writer who blogs/creates a lot of online content about the topic, people have come to know and think of me as an expert in this (super small) niche. I don’t say this to humblebrag but to let you know that thousands of people find my website every month through Google searches about “Squarespace SEO” and they usually end up sticking around and asking more questions. I want to share some of those real life questions about Squarespace SEO that have landed in my inbox recently, mostly coming from my newsletter subscribers (you guys are the best!).

You know how they say that there’s no such thing as a dumb question? I truly believe there isn’t - everyone starts out as a clueless beginner who is a total newbie with no idea what they’re doing. We only improve and get better by asking questions, learning as we go and seeking information from people who are a few steps ahead of us.

That’s why I’m so excited to share these real Squarespace SEO questions with you today! I know that if one person is taking the time to ask the question, there are plenty of other people who have the same question but are too shy to hit ‘send’ on that email to me. I hope that many people can benefit from these answers and see that they aren’t alone in their questions!

SEOCharlotte O'HaraSeptember 11, 2018seo, squarespace seo series, squarespace, branding, color, Web content, blogging, images Comments

Should you create a custom “404 not found” page for your Squarespace website? - video tutorial

If you've spent more than 5 minutes on the internet, you've probably clicked on a link on a website only to get the "Oops that page doesn't exist!" message. You know the one I'm talking about, yes?

Even if you don't know it by name, you know what a "404 not found page" is.

This fancy-sounding "404 not found" page is surprisingly easy to set up on the Squarespace back end, and it's a quick & easy step that will major improve your website. From both a design and user-experience point of view, I definitely recommend taking a few minutes to set one up.

Many people who go the DIY route forget to customize this page or don't understand why it's important to customize in the first place.

My friend, I know you're not an amateur techie so it's time to get one in up and running if you don't have it created already.

In today's video tutorial, I'm going to fill you in on the humble and often-overlooked "404 not found" page and show you how to create one for your Squarespace website!

If you want a professional website that doesn't look or act like a basic default Squarespace template, you'll want to customize this page asap.

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squarespace seo checklist

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