Running a business is about trying new things and seeing if they work. I’ve consistently had to make critical decisions along my journey, some good, and some were not so great. But they have all led me to where I am today.

Here are 3 things that have changed my business this year.

Waking up early

I started blogging two years ago. I was a full-time mom at the time, and it was vital for me to make my own money. I still consider myself a full-time mom, but my official working hours are between 8 and 12. At noon, I have to pick up my youngest from school. So primarily, I only work for 4 hours a day. Which means I’ve had to be extremely intentional about how I spend my time,

I’ve spoken about the importance of getting a head start several times in the past. At the beginning of the year, I started waking up at 5 am. It was such a game-changer for me, I decided to push myself a little more. Halfway through the year, I started waking up even earlier, so now I’m up at 4:30 am, which gives me more time for my morning routine. I use that time to meditate, work out and write a blog post. So by the time the day starts, I’ve ticked off three items from my to-do list.

The trick with waking up early, is going to bed early. I get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep a day, and when I don’t, it means I cannot wake up early. Secondly, you need to know precisely what it is that you’ll work on in the morning. You don’t want to waste time or get distracted because you don’t have a plan of action.

I know that we were not all wired the same way, some of us late night owls, and that’s perfectly fine. If burning the midnight oil is your vibe, continue with that.

Better planning

When I started working, I was all over the show. I didn’t have a streamlined process in place. I eventually decided that I needed to get organised—I needed a more streamlined process. I now have a standard weekly schedule. I found that this has increased my productivity because I know what I need to achieve each day.

For Example:

Mondays-

Plan social media content for the upcoming week

Promote blog posts

Respond to blog comments

I know that I have to complete all these tasks on Mondays, no excuses. I no longer waste time trying to figure out what I need to do next.

Passive income

When I joined the online world, I used to hear people talk about the importance of passive income. After doing a little bit of research, I discovered that passive income is money that you can make in your sleep. Sounds great, right? That is why I launched my online store. I have one product at the moment, which is my e-book, but I plan on adding more digital products by the end of this year.

At the beginning of this year, I set out to diversify my income, and I believe I’m well on my way to do so.

Waking up early, planning better and diversifying my income has completely changed my business. What are some of the changes you’ve made in your business? Let me know in the comments.

Regards B

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