Money Monday

Is It Money Monday? YES!

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Happy Monday!

We were all set to send you the juicy answers from an expert on how she landed herself 2 morning show segments back to back - but then upon walking into the office this morning - after doing all of the pre-game money things to make the Monday run smooth - we were asked by co-worker Kat (she heads up the Media Research around here): "Is it Money Monday!?!" as she excitedly waved around a few bills envelopes in her hands.

"Of course!" So we turned this ship around to focus on your Monday and how you're making it a great one, so that you can hopefully slide into the evening feeling a sense of completion as you coast into Tuesday.


3 Tips For A Great Money Monday

  • Update Your Clients First: For the service providers in the house, stay one step ahead of your clients by sending them an update on the project they are doing with you. Could be big update, or a tiny one. Just touch base with them before they reach out and ask for an update.

  • Get Updates From Your Peeps: Check in on your team members to get their status, so that you can pass it along to those who need the status update.

  • Pay A Bill: That's right. Clear that bill and issue yourself a new payroll check if you need to. This propels you forward to earn more money.

  • Buck The Struggle Habit: If you're constantly living on fumes, you may be suffering from an addiction to a hard ass hustle. Is the hustle the only thing making you hungry? You might need to flip that addiction to welcome abundance and growth. This post from Chiara Mazzucco of Boldself might help you buck this habit.

  • Step Away From The Mess: It was a busy weekend, and your house might be a mess. Monday Mornings are great days to clean - if you are compulsive cleaners like us - and if you work from your home. We work both from home and our amazing office on Main Street in Beacon, NY, and would love to tidy up. But, this mental shift can take you off your money making game, so you need to step away from that slime making experiment left on the table.

  • Exceptions to Cleaning: If you are pitching while you clean on your smart phone, you can clean. If you are pitching new clients, sponsors, or the media while you are mopping, then carry on. We are advocates of fast, iPhone-based pitches because it keeps you brief and to the point. You're also in a state of blocked out fear - so you can power through an otherwise staring-at-the-blank-screen zone that can sometimes paralyze you.


Money Monday: That's So Money

Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

That's So Money...

It's real easy to get caught up in the cycle of the day to day. But you need to break free and do something special that is going to push the needle on your revenue and grow your business like you want it. Your to-do list today needs to have one or two top money items on it.

On this Money Monday, here's what you need to do to push that needle. Do at least 1 of these things today. You don't need to do all. Pick one:


Cross-Promotional Partnership

If you have a cross-promotional partnership percolating that gets your company in front of another company, you need to seal that deal and start the promotion. Get your logo and offerings in front of their audience. What can you do to make that happen today?


PR - Dream Feature

Who can you pitch today that would really "get" your business, making a feature easier? If you don't know the answer to this, you need to start reading your target magazines, or watching your target shows. Identify the person in the media that is writing or producing something that is a natural fit with what you can talk about, as it relates to your business, or what you are getting the word out about. This could even be an indirect feature about a concept that your business does, and not a focused feature on your business at all.


Video - Instagram to YouTube

Make one video today - 30seconds or 5 minutes. Something to get your logo up in your Insta Stories and stay in front of your people. Did you just draw something? Did you just have an idea that your audience would benefit from? Tell them about it today. In person. In a video. Then upload it to your YouTube channel so that it stays "forever" and benefits from YouTube's SEO.


Newsletter To Your People

Did you put a new class on the books? Can people sign up for a new workshop? Hopefully you put it on your Instagram at the very least. Now you need to send a dedicated newsletter about it.


Discomfort Zone - Do Something Unusual

What really irks you about your competition? What would your competition do that you would never do?

Do that. Put yourself in your discomfort zone, and promote your business in a way that you would never do. Showcase it in a way that you think is too in someone's face. If it's a photo spread of your rental package, if it's buying an ad in a hip magazine, do it.

Talk To Us

Need help identifying what this is?
Got a plan to go big with a new announcement, and want make sure you're covering your bases?
Join Tin Shingle's owner Katie this Wednesday at the members-only TuneUp, where you can connect in person via video conference to discuss your plans.
Join us.

Money Monday: Show Them Value: Don't Lower Your Price

We hear a lot about pricing here at Tin Shingle. You're getting the word out about something you sell (most of you...some of you are trying to change the world with a great initiative), and when things get slow, you think that pricing is the problem.


Pricing Is Not The Problem!

More often than not, someone isn't buying because they:

  • Don't understand the product or service.

  • Can't find the product or service on your website.

  • Maybe they just can't afford it, but this is less often the case.

Think About The "Why" In What You're Selling

What are people buying from you? Happiness (furniture paint)? Craftiness (fabric)? Beauty (a very adorable hat)? An easier life (service)? Confidence (tech support)?


Show Them The Value

Show. Don't tell. Rather than explain in person the benefits, show them in your newsletter. Share a Testimonial on your website and in your Instagram. Email a newsletter to your entire client list with a good idea or a project just completed for another client. Others will see this, and think of how it can apply to them.


Don't Lower That Price

If you sell a membership for $100/year, but signups have been sluggish, don't think that changing it to $40/year will improve anything. Your sales will stay the same, or continue to slow down.

Why?

Because the members at the $100/year level didn't see the value. They either lost sight of it, or you didn't dedicate resources to showing them the value.

  • Did you send them a special newsletter?

  • Did your print newsletter stop going out?

  • Did any organized way of communicating what you do do ever reach them?

  • Did you tell your people of your own business' accomplishments? Were you recognized somewhere for something?

Your people need to know this.


Solution: Study Your Website + Send Newsletters

What to do when you're not getting responses from the media and new customer sales are lackluster?

  • Make changes to your website.

  • Listen to your customer's feedback. If they aren't doing what you think they should be doing, the problem isn't them. It's you. And that's OK! Discovering a problem that a customer has is a golden opportunity to discover the opportunity that 1,000 other customers probably also are having, but never told you about.

TELL US ABOUT IT

We actually talk about this stuff in the every-other-Wednesday Members-Only TuneUp. Your challenges. Your problems. Your joys. All brought out in a very small Tin Shingle Member group meeting. Find out when our next online meeting date is in the TuneUp Schedule.

Happy Money Monday: Stay Ahead Of It

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Happy Money Monday!

Simple tip for you this Monday - because you are going to kick booty this week:

Stay ahead of what you need to pay, or be paid.

If you owe someone a bill right now, go ahead and pay it. We've all been there. Even the small amounts. Just pay them, and get that bill off of someone else's to do list. You'll feel much better.

If someone owes you a bill, send them a kindly reminder. Or if you use Quickbooks, have Quickbooks auto-email them the bill again.

If someone owes you for work, but you haven't invoiced them yet, invoice them today! Don't worry if you feel that it's been too long. You did a great job for them, now just bill for it.

If you need help keeping track of everything, download Tin Shingle's Expenses + Income Tracker spreadsheet. It's a place to put the bills for your brain. You could use apps and software for this, but sometimes a simple spreadsheet suffices.

If you need a better place to track your client work, download Tin Shingle's Client Project Time Tracker. Easily know what projects are complete and open.

Happy Money Monday! 5 Tricks To Get Paid Quickly + New Client Work

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Happy First Money Monday of the New Year!

Keeping up the momentum from 2018, we are going to glide into 2019 with that same bit of enthusiasm and positive thought for what will happen. Making that easier on you is getting paid, getting paid faster, and greenlighting more new projects. If you provide a service to people, you know you are the Hustler In Chief, and you are in charge of bringing in new work, getting paid for that work, and nurturing a family of happy clients - clients you picked by putting out there the type of people and projects that are good fits for your business - and then treating them well.

Keeping an eye on the positive, here’s how you’re going to get paid faster this year, and how you’re going to greenlight more new work - without compromising your price. I’m a pay up front kind of girl. None of us have time to chase rainbows and payments anywhere after 10 days - so the whole 60 or 90 day terms thing is a thing of the past for you. Who can live on that?

Offer Payment Plans

Thanks to payment subscription services from Recurly, Paypal (haven’t tried Squarespace’s yet, so can’t vouch for it) and even perhaps your own merchant bank, you could offer payment plans on larger projects that might make it easier for a client to pay. Consider offering incentives to your client to pay in full, or on a tighter schedule. If you do a payment schedule, like 50% up front, and 25% at Point A and the final 25% at Point B, be sure to kindly stop the work if the payment doesn’t arrive on schedule.
PRO: When using an automated payment plan subscription service, the payments come in on time, automated. No more billing and chasing payments.
CON: If the business goes out of business, your payments might end. Be sure you structure a timeline that is not too long. This is also difficult if you have to pay sub-contractors who do not wish to be paid on payment plans. Have enough cash on hand to make payroll and pay your contractors their bills.

Monthly Retainers

Monthly retainers are dreamy for some, and if you have a client ready to commit, this can be good for both of you. The client knows what to budget each month, and you know how much work to put in. Just be sure to keep track of the time your team is spending on each client. If you begin to put more time in than budgeted, you should kindly bring this up with your client and revisit the budget, or the scope of work.
RECOMMENDED: Present a Status Report at the end of each month to let your client know what you did for them.

Pre-Paid Project Packages

There’s nothing worse than chasing payment for a flyer design. It’s only $30, gah! This is where Pre-Paid Project Packages come in handy. Either estimate spot-on how much a smaller job will cost and bill that amount, or if the client sends in little jobs over the course of the month or couple months, then encourage them to pre-purchase a package of time (discount it if you want), and credit your work to that. Deliver a Status Report to them to let them know how their time is being spent, and how much time is left. Our number for a small job is $2,000. Anything under that gets paid in full before the job starts.

Credit Card Billing - Bye Bye Check

All of these recommendations are based on the fact that you accept credit cards. Getting paid via credit card is much faster. If you don’t like the credit card fee, simply build this into your overall cost of services. Credit card payments will be difficult with corporate clients. But you could try. Unless your payment amount is just too high to justify the credit card fee. Consider Direct Deposit, and offer a (tiny) discount.

Pay After The Work Is Done

This is the traditional way of getting paid - billing after the work is done. This can also be where the race is on for chasing that payment. You may want to consider nixing this, or only offering to clients with “Good Credit History” with you. I’m not talking Dun & Bradstreet or Transunion. I’m talking Good Credit History with YOU. Do they pay quickly and on time? If so, they can remain in the Pay After The Work Is Done crowd.

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Tin Shingle's Easy To Use Expenses & Income Tracking Template

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Party! Expenses & Income Tracking Made Easy

Just in time for your last Money Monday of the year, we have designed for you Tin Shingle's exclusive Expenses & Income Tracking Template spreadsheet. Anyone can use this spreadsheet no matter what your industry. It is a perfect bridge to keeping track of your finances, but not committing to an accounting software like Quickbooks or smart financial app like Mint just yet.

Even if you do use Quickbooks for your business bookkeeping, yet need something to track your personal finances that you may share with a life partner or spouse, this template is for you.

Perks Of This Template

  • At-A-Glance Worksheet Tabs
    Bank Registers
    Balances on Bills
    Work Expenses
    Personal Household Expenses
    Client Payments Received

  • Partner or Spouse Planning
    If you live with someone and are sharing expenses and a financial life, there is a simple way for you to update what cash is in each of your bank accounts, and what is earmarked to clear for spending.

  • Private - Not Connected To Banks or Passwords
    This is an Excel spreadsheet that is not connected or synced with your bank accounts. There are apps where you can do that (like Mint or QuickBooks).

  • Lifetime Access.
    If you have already purchased this Template, you have instant and free access to updates made to the file. Just log in and download!

  • Free for Members of Tin Shingle.
    If you're an All Access Pass Member of Tin Shingle, this is also free for you!

Alright, Monday, What You Got For Me?

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Hello and Happy Monday!

Mondays can be deliveries of good news in the form of people following up from outreach you did during the previous week. If you've been building upon your foundation of outreach, then opportunities begin to trickle in to you - which is always the dream. To help you continue to create your own luck, we have some tips for you:

Here's How You're Going To Have A Great Monday

  • Don't Rely On Your Brain
    Make your lists. Have paper in your bag or pocket, and/or your Notes or Calendar app open on your phone. The biggest trap to losing control of a Monday is thinking you know what you need to do, but forgetting the most important parts. Stick to your list. It's your boss.

  • Send That Invoice!
    This has been a re-emerging theme - people who do good work for people, then procrastinate sending the invoice, and then throwing the invoice out the window all together, fearing it too late. It's not! Send the invoice with a smile.

  • Reach Out To That Store aka Wholesale Account
    You need a new account, and now is a good time to reach out. You may close the deal in the new year, or possibly if you're local, the store wants the inventory now if they are having a good holiday season.

  • Do Fitness
    If it's stretching in the middle of the day, a quick set of pushups in the middle of your office, or walking to the grocery store. Move around! Get that blood moving and those those endorphins pumping. A fun stretch to do is the Back Stroke: move your arms in backward circles while sitting down or standing up.

  • Pitch Someone Who Would Be A Great Fit
    If you sell sponsorships, for a university or a foundation or anything, think of a company or individual who would be a great fit to sponsor what you do, and reach out to them. Feel the enthusiasm you see in the partnership, and let that enthusiasm come out in your email to them.

And, Happy Last Night of Hanukkah! Today is going to be a great day, even if you're snowed in down South. Today is Motivation Monday pretty much everywhere, but at Tin Shingle, it's also Money Monday. Go out there and make some. You can do it!

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This Could Be Good - A New Disability Insurance Provider from Freelancers Union Founder

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Happy Money Monday!

For the creative, or the self-employed, a sick day often means no pay. Disability insurance is usually too expensive to consider. Perhaps until now...

One of the best known advocates for freelancers and self-employed people is Sara Horowitz. She is an attorney, a MacArthur Award Winner, the founder of Working Today, and the founder of the Freelancers Union which is a way for self-employed people to get health insurance before Obamacare.

Sara is now the founder of Trupo, a disability insurance provider for self-employed people.

If you break your hand, and you're a writer, you're in a pickle. If you hurt your back and you're on bed-rest and you're a wedding videographer, you're not going out on jobs.

These are real life fears that most small business owners live with and hope they never happen. Disability insurance can be hundreds of dollars a month, and you've got a payroll to make and inventory to buy.

Trupo, which is funded by venture capital firms and partially owned by the Freelancers Union (Sara says that part of the earnings from Trupo will go back to the Freelancers Union to continue their advocacy work), is setting out to pay its insured for up to 8 weeks of work at 50% the rate that would be your normal intake if you were working.

Trupo is rolling out first in Atlanta, GA. So if you're down there, sounds like you can go Beta with them. Everyone else can sign up for their newsletter here to be kept in the loop, and you can keep an eye on their progress on Instagram.

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DailyWorth Online Magazine Change of Ownership - Acquired By Jean Chatzky

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Happy Money Monday!

In honor of today's Money Monday, we're updating you about the exciting news over at the online magazine, DailyWorth. Founded 10 years ago by Amanda Steinberg, it has long been the go-to source of information for women's financial needs and questions, delivered in an honest way that Normal People can understand.

We've watched the online magazine itself go through many changes, including major newsletter design changes (we watch them closely for what is working or not working, as newsletter-based websites are very effective), and changes in editors and contributing writers. They even had a paid membership of experts at one point.

The New Owner of DailyWorth, Jean Chatzky

Jean Chatzky is the new owner, and she was an early investor in DailyWorth. Jean is the Financial Editor of NBC's TODAY Show, as well as the host of her own podcast, HerMoney, and the creator of the community HerMoney private Facebook Group.

How You Can Pitch DailyWorth

Our Super Sleuther Ashley Cox 🕵 is on the case to update Tin Shingle's Super Easy Media Contacts Database (available to All Access Pass Members at Level 4), verifying new or current Media Contacts at DailyWorth who would make a great fit for your feature idea.

You'll want DailyWorth if you want to gain exposure from a wide audience of women who are looking to improve their financial lives and make smart life and business decisions.

Ideas for Why You'd Pitch DailyWorth

This is a great source for service-industry experts who are looking to gain exposure for their brands, and want to be quoted as an expert - even if you're not a financial expert. If you know how to guide someone in the right direction of making a financially smart decision, this is an outlet to pitch.

Service Industry Ideas:

  • How you have mastered writing and/or designing proposals that get accepted.
  • How to get paid - and not ignored on an invoice.
  • How you've mastered being awarded grant money.
  • How to feed your family as a self-employed person.
  • How to work from home with kids (either big kids, or little kids...pick a focus).
  • How to employ your kids and pay them through your business (usually an accountant's trick).

Ideas for People Who Sell Products

Pitch perhaps less for the actual product, and more for the financially smart side of you and decisions you've made and learned from.

  • Did you finance your business using a creative solution?
  • What was your experience working with a bank?
  • Products that have to do with managing or saving money are of course great candidates to pitch!
  • Do you advise people on how to work with non-profits, or best ones to donate to?

So many ideas. These suggestions will get you started.

How to Hook In with DailyWorth and HerMoney

You want Jean on your side! She wants to know about the great money things you are doing. And you want her advice, and that of her community of experts. Start listening and reading. This will make your pitching easier, so that we can watch or read what you have to say!

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How To Be A Known Entrepreneur and Expert In Your Industry


So you want to be a go-to expert in your industry? Are you hoping to reach more people and get your message out there, building buzz for your business and your brand, but perhaps you're not sure where to begin? This Training TuneUps webinar will give you a jumpstart in the right direction.

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