I’m going to show you 3 photo poses for the introvert entrepreneur that you can use in your brand photography to show up on social media with ease (and no sleaze!) Because who said being a business owner meant that we all wanted to be ‘out there’ like Gary Vee or Marie Forleo? What if you’re one of those folks who just ain’t that comfortable with showing your face on camera? That’s fine… There’s many ways you can ‘show up’ on your social media without feeling like you’re on the set of a Hollywood movie.

The face hide pose

So many people think that when it comes to showing up on social media that you need to stare right down the lens… That’s just BS! I dare you to check out my Insta and count how many times I’m actually looking at the camera (you won’t need more than 1 hand!)

Whether you want to use your hand, or edit something in post production… There are many ways you can go for a full or partial face hide technique to act as a comfort blanket.

The prop pose

Props are your best friend, because all of a sudden you’re focused on the object and not the situation. But they can be used in a whole host of ways… even to hide behind!

If it’s something to hold, they’ll keep your hands busy and help with your overall stance.

The ‘at work’ shot

Action shots of you ‘doing your thing’ will always be my absolute favourite, because it’s so natural. You’re at a laptop typing, scrolling on your phone or even setting something up or presenting.

Again you’re not 100% aware of the camera, you’re just doing your job really.

The best thing about this pose is that it’s really useful at getting across what you do for a business, which makes these images absolutely ‘top notch’ for social media use.

The number one thing that will always help in these situations is to find a photographer that you trust. One whose style you like and who you vibe with. It’s always good to build a rapport with a photographer that you regularly use. So that over time that initial “ice break awkwardness” just isn’t there and because they know you inside out they can get right into the shoot.

Setting goals in business is one of those loose things that as business owners, we tend to skip over. It’s up there with business plans and cashflow projections. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in business, it’s that there’s some things which you just can’t gloss over and setting goals is one of them.

I’ve been in business for 6 years (at the time of writing this) and I did what everyone does, jumped in feet first and said yes to everything that came my way, because I think it’s safe to say that every new businesses first thought is making enough money.

When you realise you need to pivot your business

I realised very quickly that some of what I’d said yes to wasn’t exactly working out for me. It wasn’t the flexible lifestyle that I was after. I was tied to my phone, just as I was in a 9-5.

But I didn’t have a back up plan. I didn’t know how to pivot, without risking losing any of this precious money. And so I carried on as I was for 4 more years.

If I had taken the time to set goals, even if I’d done it at the point when I realised I wasn’t happy, I would have had direction.. A timeline. But I was now busy and ‘didn’t have the time’ to make any changes.

How did I pivot my business?

I’m glad to say I’ve now out of that situation, on the right path and I’m now scaling my business in a direction that is duly considered with my dreams, passions and quality of life.

But it didn’t just fall from the sky… It took setting big dream goals, that aligned with my ‘best case scenario’ to enable me to then set smaller goals, annually and quarterly that would steer me in the direction I wanted the business to go in.

So, if you’re reading this and thinking “woah, this is me”, then sit down and get super clear on wat you want from your business. What you want it to do to enable you to have the dream life you want… And really start to pull that closer to you and think what smaller steps can you do in your business to make that happen.

The reality is, it won’t just happen overnight. It takes ‘you’ to make it happen. It’s not chance or even luck… It’s getting crystal clear on what you want, how you’re going to get it and flipping going after it.

So what do you say? Are you going to sit down and set some goals now?

It’s a common occurrence for every business owner. You get so busy in the ‘trenches’ that being able to step back and work ‘on’ the business can feel impossible… You just can’t find the time to tackle that to do list for you.

Whether you’re juggling family, kids, clients… Even downtime. How do you find the time to work on your business?

Here’s the thing… We all have the same 24hrs in a day, so in order to get stuff done, let me talk you through some ways you can save hours in a day and be less stressed out and more in control of your business, your life and your mindset!

Plan out your day the night before

Paper or digital, however you map out your day… Take 5-10 mins at the end of your work day to just map out how ‘tomorrow’ is looking. If you don’t reflect on it from the starting line, then you can end up over committing to your day. And you know how that feels, right… Half way through the day you realise you aren’t going to get everything done, but you did all the non urgent stuff first and now you have no choice but to work late.

Look at it the night before, you can spot these things and go into the day better prepared and approach your workload in the right order and minimise the stress and distribution.

By doing this, you will get more clarity and find time in your day you just didn’t have (trust me, it’s there!)

Do ‘you’ first

When you’re planning out your tasks make sure you do your ‘on the business’ tasks first, not last. We’re programmed to prioritise other peoples work first before our own, but just because you do yours first, doesn’t mean you’re being selfish, or that they’re less important… It’s a business. If you don’t work on the business, how do you think it will grow and enable you to expand, maybe hire help?

So, by doing ‘you’ first, you’re servicing both the business and the clients.

Look for ‘blockers’

When you’re mapping out your day the night before. Why not glance to other tasks in your week… Can you see any tasks that you can’t start until you get more information? These are blockers. When you sit down to do it, you’ll realise you can’t start it! That’s when deadlines get missed. Maybe you’re working on something, but you can start your part until you get images from a client, or the ‘go ahead’ from a team member.

Well, a quick email reminder to those people the night before, even better if you can identify those days before, will at least give them some time to pull these things together. Some people will need a few reminders… Just keep a keen eye out for those blockers.

This will reduce the time you spend delaying and ‘rejigging’ work. Allowing you to seamlessly flow from task to task.

Reduce distractions

Ok, so this one might be super obvious, but it always has to be reminded. The world is not going to end if you’re not glued to your phone or email.

Check emails at set intervals during the day and put your phone on silent.

It takes your brain 15 mins to get itself back in the zone, so the more you can reduce those interruptions when you’re working, the better!

Your website is more powerful than you know. It’s more than just a space and presence, it’s your sales team, your cashier, your marketing department, your PR team all pulling together to make sure that what you offer is getting discovered on Google, that it’s clear, captivating and most importantly selling for you. When it comes to website must haves to make sales, there 5 key elements every website should have.

Easy navigation

First up, your website should be easy to navigate. People can enter your website in so many ways. Literally every page or blog post is an entry point for someone to land on your website. You need to be thinking about where they would want to go next.

This needs to be done in a real easy almost seamless way, like walking down a guided path.

It’s so easy to think that you don’t need to direct people with links, because there’s a menu bar at the top “they’ll figure it out”. Never assume. Always make it feel real east and natural for the user.

Which leads me nicely into…

Build it for them, not you

So many businesses make their website a walking talking CV, rather than a sales tool.

Now if you ARE the business, then this can seem a little confusing, but always remember to approach it as what you do for them, not who you are. Think about that transformation, the end result that they desire.

So, think about how you solve their problems, what the solution is and how you do that.

Serious sales strategy

You didn’t write all those blog posts to have people read and run. They’re on your site…. The modern day equivalent to someone walking into a shop. You wouldn’t let someone walk in and out without approaching them, would you?

How can you do this online? Pop ups.

Capture those email addresses. Whether it’s a newsletter sign up, opt in, free webinar, 10% off… They are clearly interested in what you do and are in need of what you sell… So, bring them into the sales funnel and position yourself to shower them with value through newsletters and nurture them through to a sale.

Social Proof

FOMO (fear of missing out) is a real thing… People need to be able to see that you are in desire. It’s the same as crowds attract crowds.

Having those product reviews, or service testimonials on your website reinforcing those who are at the purchase stage of the buying cycle and it’s easy to put them in place and have them doing the nurturing for you.

Confidence

People need to have confidence in your website. It needs to look and feel like somewhere that they are prepared to buy from… To enter their payment details with confidence.

The most important thing to factor in here it that you have ‘https’ in place, but that your website looks the part too. That it looks professional.

So, there you have it. Make sure you stamp your personality on your website and showcase that business persona and it’ll be converting for you in no time! For more support on selling online, check out The Content Academy. A membership for busy business owners looking to simplify selling online.