But as small business owners, we also know it’s about so much more than that. It’s about flexibility, creativity and freedom.

And yet, how many of us have accidentally created a job for ourselves that feels harder, longer, and more exhausting than the 9–5 we tried to escape?

We don’t have to stick to one rigid way of earning. In fact, that can be the thing that holds us back.

Because money mindset is a muscle and for a long time, I didn’t flex mine. I thought money had to come from one job, one lane, one “offer.” But that’s the myth. The truth? There are endless ways to generate income when you let go of the old rules.

Here are a few creative ways I’ve earned income as part of my journey:

• I’ve picked up dog poop (yep, really, both as a casual at a kennels and then in my own pet sitting business. And it paid well!)
• I’ve sold unwanted items in my home to shift energy and bring in quick cash, including gold and jewellery that earned me a couple hundred dollars
• I’ve led charity treks and cycles through Bhutan, Nepal and Vietnam, having all my trip and all expenses paid for while ticking off huge bucket list items
• I’ve run luxury retreats in paradise locations
• I’ve collaborated with photographers to offer branding shoot experiences, earning a commission
• I’ve done freelance writing for travel mags while on the road
• I’ve taught online workshops from my friend’s apartment in India
• I’ve earned affiliate income by recommending services I use and love
• I’ve been paid to update a friend’s Airbnb listing while enjoying a family trip to the Australian ski slopes
• I’ve stayed with friends and clients on work trips, cutting costs while building deeper relationships

The key is to stop thinking your money has to come from just one stream. Because the truth is, it rarely does.

I’ve had three businesses at once. I’ve also shut down projects, taken breaks, and shifted gears. But the throughline is this: I never stopped creating opportunities. That’s the mindset.

So here’s my invitation to you…start looking at your business, and your life, with fresh eyes. What skills do you have that you’re not charging for yet? What connections can you tap into? What small tweaks could add value and income, without more hustle?

You don’t have to wait until you retire to enjoy your life. You can build income streams that support the freedom you crave. You can rest, travel, grow, and still hit your goals.

The post Reminder: You can earn money in more than one way, business owners! appeared first on Inside Small Business.

I’m not the only one living the bleisure life – bleisure travel has been on the rise in recent years, particularly among Australians.

You won’t be surprised to hear that living a life of bleisure has thoroughly enhanced my wellbeing. But you might be taken aback when I say that it has increased my productivity, too.

Sound too good to be true? Of course it does. But as someone who has been incorporating the concept of ‘bleisure’ into my life for this long, I’m here to bust some of the common bleisure myths.

Myth 1: “Bleisure isn’t for me – I can’t afford to take time off.”

As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

The first step in making bleisure work for you is to believe it’s possible. One small-business owner I know said that after years of micromanaging, she delegated more tasks to her team and allowed herself the freedom to travel. Could you, too, prioritise things you love like travel rather than waiting for ‘one day’?

Myth 2: “Bleisure is just about attending conferences in exotic locations.”

Bleisure isn’t limited to traveling to conferences and adding a few vacation days. It’s about finding ways to mix work and leisure on a smaller, more regular scale.

It can be as simple as taking your laptop to a café in a nearby city, attending a networking event that ends with a leisurely dinner, or even working from a scenic spot like a park or a beach. The idea is to integrate enjoyment and relaxation into your work routine regularly, not just once a year on a big vacation.

Myth 3: “I have a family, so bleisure won’t work for me.”

Bringing your family along for the ride can be the ultimate bleisure experience. Many business owners assume that work trips should be purely business-focused, but why not incorporate your loved ones into the journey?

One founder I know turned a European business trip into a family vacation by scheduling client meetings during the day and sightseeing with her family in the evenings. She was able to make precious memories with her family while maintaining her work commitments.

Myth 4: “Bleisure is just another term for being a digital nomad.”

Bleisure and digital nomadism are not the same thing. While digital nomads often live and work remotely from foreign destinations for extended periods, bleisure is about integrating leisure and work on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis, without requiring long-term travel.

You don’t need to quit your job and move to Bali to experience bleisure. It can be as simple as taking an extra day off after a business trip to unwind or turning a workday into a mini-getaway by working in a new environment. The key is to find harmony between work and relaxation in a way that works for your lifestyle.

Myth 5: “I’ll be less productive if I blend work and leisure.”

The truth is, incorporating leisure into your work life can boost your productivity. By taking regular breaks and allowing yourself time to relax and recharge, you return to work more focused and energised.

A study by the American Psychological Association found that workers who take breaks and vacations have higher levels of engagement and job satisfaction. For small-business founders, who often experience burnout from the constant pressure of running a business, bleisure offers a way to prevent overwhelm.

So, how can you begin incorporating bleisure into your life as a small-business founder? Start by looking at your current work schedule and identifying opportunities to add leisure. Perhaps you can extend a work trip by a day, or block off a Friday afternoon to work from a location that inspires you. Embrace the flexibility that comes with being a small-business owner.

What could you start doing more of to live your bleisure life?

The post What is ‘bleisure’, and why should small-business owners embrace it? appeared first on Inside Small Business.

Launch the website and sales will start pinging through – right?

Have a great product and you’ll always have customers – right?

Wrong!!

One of the most common mistakes made by start-ups is to run out of cashflow and not leave enough money to actually launch their product, so they take a chance and do it anyway. This often leads to disappointing results and makes it an uphill struggle!

Many businesses are forced to develop their start-up product or service on a shoestring budget and this, I think will never change. It’s sensible to shop around and find good value for your needs – market research, product development, IP, trademarks, packaging, graphic design all cost money so a budget is needed. But what is most important it to plan your marketing strategy carefully and ensure you allocate funds from your budget to actually execute it once you’re ready to launch.

Fortunately, there are a number of ways you can get the word out about your business without it breaking the bank. Here are my tips on developing a marketing strategy for your start-up:

Save your money on website development

Use one of the many eCommerce offerings that provide website templates. You can have a snazzy looking website immediately and make changes yourself – even if you’re not tech-savvy. Shopify and WooCommerce are good places to start.

Create your social media accounts before you’re ready to launch

This gives you the opportunity to start building an audience that will perhaps buy once you’re ready to launch. Start with asking your friends to follow you and get them to share content. It’s important to build excitement! I took people on my journey with me – I shared photos of my prototypes, the state of the office, pictures of my visits to China, talked about my challenges. These things start getting followers invested in you as a person and your business. Then it’s up to you to convert them to buyers once you’ve launched.

Collaborate

Research all the companies that you think have a similar target market to you and approach them to do a collaboration. Remember when you pitch these ideas to potential collaborators, there has to be a win-win for both parties. Don’t just ask them to shout your name to all their hard earned, loyal customer base. Work out how you can help them, too. (Hint: Giveaways and prizes are great!)

If you’re product related, get some retailers on board before your launch

Put together a proposal with great images, pricing, minimum order quantities and launch dates. You may be able to bag yourself some pre-sales so you have income as soon as you launch.

Consider putting some budget in to PR

A good PR consultant can often find angles you’d never think of for your marketing strategy. They pitch ideas to TV, radio and print magazine and you may be lucky enough to get massive exposure for a fraction of the real cost. You must keep in mind with PR that nothing is guaranteed – it can be a little bit like kissing frogs, you may have to kiss a few of them before one of them turns in to a prince!

Paid advertising

There are plenty of ways to make a few dollars go a long way in a marketing strategy. Consider Facebook advertising, Instagram ads and Google AdWords. A word of warning – it’s not a dark art, but there is a fair bit to it and if you don’t take the time to learn or outsource, you can end up wasting your cash.

Emma Lovell, Founder, CoziGo

The post Take your business from start-up to stardom appeared first on Inside Small Business.

So many people come up with great ideas, but in most cases it goes no further than being just an idea as it is a brave step to actually do something to turn a concept into something real.

But as the world is a big place with many bright minds, the first step in taking an idea to reality is to make sure it hasn’t already been developed and introduced to the market. However, even if your concept exists already, this doesn’t necessarily mean you are dead in the water – you may need to just work out how to do it better.

1. Do you have the money?

If you want to move ahead with an idea, bear in mind that most start-ups do not turn a profit for the first three years. That means you need to work out a budget to see if you can afford to launch. Many entrepreneurs continue to work in their full- or part time job until they start to see income from their own business. Carefully research all the set-up costs ahead of you – then be prepared to double the figure. There is almost always something you forget.

2. Are grants or loans available?

There are many grants and loans for which small businesses may qualify. However, the deadlines and conditions are strict, so if you get it wrong you may miss out on tens of thousands of dollars. Two good places to start are: www. AustralianGovernmentGrants.org and https://www.austrade.gov.au.

3. Market your business

It is not a case of “build it and they will come”. Many start-ups make the mistake of ploughing everything they have into getting off the ground then have no funds to get the word out. You may have the best website around, but if nobody visits you won’t be earning any cash. Ensuring you have great SEO is a good first step, but even that is not a guarantee you’ll make it to page one on Google, especially if you’re in a competitive market. And even if you do rank highly, you often have to wait for six months for search engines to crawl your site. It is imperative that people know about your product or service, so be sure you have funds for a marketing plan.

“It is imperative that people know about your product or service, so be sure you have funds for a marketing plan.”

4. Make it relevant

When you’re creating your pitch, remember that it’s not about you. A great pitch concentrates solely on the needs and requirements of your audience. If you do this, you are more likely to resonate with potential customers and spark their interest. If you are product based and pitching for wholesale purposes, be sure you have thoroughly researched the market and know the relevant margins and mark-ups expected, or you might just blow your first impressions and lose your one opportunity. And learn to be brave. Don’t be afraid to keep sending your pitch over and over – people may be interested, but just too busy to respond quickly. For this reason, it is a good idea to research potential buyers’ cycles so you can hit them with your pitch at the right time of year.

5. Avoid paralysis

Most entrepreneurs start off working on their own from home. Paralysis from either being overwhelmed or frightened is a huge risk. If you find yourself overwhelmed, write a list of everything that has to actioned, then concentrate on one thing only at a time. Sometimes looking at the big picture can be just too much, so to get yourself fired up again you need to do some micro tasks.

6. Avoid isolation

Isolation can be another problem of the solopreneur. Combat loneliness by joining business groups, relevant Facebook groups and perhaps finding a friend who also does it alone, and agree to meet for lunch once a week. If you feel that you don’t have time for lunch, opt for a meeting so you can brainstorm each other’s issues. Either way, you need to give yourself space to breath and think outside the box (sometimes, your box is quite literal – my first office did not have a window or any natural light, which started to send me quite batty at times).

Emma Lovell, Entrepreneur

The post Six start-up secrets appeared first on Inside Small Business.