5 Ways to uplevel your business. First and foremost, I want to say I hope each and every single one of you are staying safe during this time. I realize this pandemic has become worldwide in a matter of weeks and my heart goes out to all of you. During this time we have been going through many difficulties but also have been given some good as well. We have been given time, time that everyone usually says they never have. We have been gifted.

For all of you business owners/creatives I realize that many of you are out of jobs for a month or months on end. If you are like me, you feel the urge and NEED to stay busy, expand your business & better yourself so that when things DO pick back up, and trust me IT WILL, that you will be 100% ready to tackle that and uplevel your business!

Here are 5 things that I personally have done recently and you can do as well to uplevel your business during this slow season that has been created. Take this time to ensure you and your families safety first and foremost, spend time with loved ones and also focus on your passion and creative outlet to come out of this time BETTER & STRONGER. Now, let’s get this dang thing started!

Now is the time to soak in every single bit of education & knowledge possible. POUR INTO YOURSELF. What type of education have you been putting off but wanting to dive into? Maybe it’s been podcast that you haven’t had a chance to listen to, business books, one-on-one business calls online, online courses or a mentor session. These are all AMAZING pieces of education you can learn during this time and broaden your knowledge in business. I will give you my top fav business education places to find where it’s at:

PODCASTS: THE HEART & HUSTLE PODCAST & GOAL DIGGER PODCAST

BOOKS: YOU ARE A BAD*** AT MAKING MONEY & GIRL, WASH YOUR FACE

COURSES: INDIA EARL PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES & JENNA KUTCHER COURSES

BUSINESS CHATS: ANELA BENAVIDES MENTOR SESSIONS

WOW, this is a HUGE ONE! If you are not already you should HIGHLY look into the legality of your business. Have you made your business a legit business? Have you paid your taxes or hired a CPA? Have you looked over your contracts to make sure if clients postpone or cancel during this time?! Do you have insurance if anything was to happen?

If you are not already, a HUGE task to look at during this time is to ensure that your business is legal, functioning properly and have the proper tools to support your business if a client was to cancel/reschedule. During this pandemic, more clients than ever are having to push back dates or cancel until further notice. So you want to make sure your business has the proper contracts and tools to put in place in this difficult time.

Some business owners create their own contracts and if someone was to take you to court your contract would not hold up. You want a professional attorney/lawyer who has created your contract to ensure your business. The best place to find contracts to help with signing new clients/Cancellations/Reschedules/Force Majeure and so forth is: THE LEGAL PAIGE

If you aren’t already thinking about how to move your business online, START NOW. Whether you create art, take photos, sell clothing and so forth think how you can sell that online. You should be considering: what could I offer to others online? What could I provide others with? What would they benefit from?

Just one month ago I launched my digital product: ANELA BENAVIDES PRESETS. Luckily, I had that up & running before the whole pandemic struck. I am also considering adding new digital products in the long run. Right now isn’t the best time to launch a BRAND NEW product because money is tight for some. HOWEVER, you can do all the back-end work so when the world is back to normal you have an entirely new product ready to launch ASAP.

THIS IS A HUGE ONE! Right now I would be considering how you can revamp the back end of your business so your client experience is THROUGH THE ROOF! I am talking finding a client management service such as HONEYBOOK 50% OFF right now. You could also come up with a way to create client gifts for those that book you, improve your overall experience, creating email templates, redesigning your pricing guide, or giving your website a face-lift!

Whatever it is, think of the projects/tasks that you’ve been putting off. Something you’ve always wanted to do for your business but always thought “if I just had more time”. Well, NOW IS THAT TIME. You have that chance to do that thing you’ve been waiting for so get on it ASAP and make it happen! You will thank me later, trust me!

As creators, we are constantly thinking about how to expand, how to get better, how to share our craft/art. How to visualize something in our head and put that out into the world to see. During this time find ways to still CREATE and expand! Think of ways to share your passion-maybe taking photos in your living room with your kids. Maybe you can get all done up and take photos in your yard. Maybe during your walk, you can take photos of the sunset or videos. Whatever it is just find a way to create. Please be safe and don’t go out of your way to put anyone in danger and of course under the regulations of the law but find ways to still share your passion. This lights me up every single time. It makes me inspired & motivated to create art and even if that means going in your yard to make it happen, DO IT!

If you take this tip from me to create no matter where in the world you are. Please please please do it and share with me on the gram: @ anelabenavides that way I can share with others! I want to see you sitting on the table taking photos with your laptop, I want to see fancy photos of you all dressed up to go nowhere but the yard, I want to see photos of you and your husband baking and making cookies. Whatever it is, JUST SHOW UP! Show up for your community, show up for your followers, show up for your couples. They want to get to know you and like you so share & create with others no matter what!

I realllly hope you found this blog post helpful. As a mama of two young babies, I realize that our safety and health is the importance first and foremost. So stay home, love on your family, spend time and with that extra time in between work on your business, expanding and getting BETTER, because when things pick up and IT WILL you want to make sure you are 100% ready to take it on! Up-leveling your business NOW, will set up your business for a successful future long-term! Think of how your future self will THANK YOU for putting in all that extra work while others weren’t. YOU GOT THIS! And if you found this helpful share with me in the comments below or on the gram!

GO KICK BUTT!