Are you feeling stuck in the weeds of your online business? Are you struggling to grow and scale, despite putting in long hours and hard work? If so, you're not alone. Many online business owners face these challenges at some point in their journey.

The more you focus on your goals, the more likely you are to achieve them. Here are some practical tips to help you stay focused and achieve your goals.

As a fractional director of operations, I specialize in helping online business owners develop effective strategies that drive results. But what is a strategy? And do you have one? You’re probably thinking: "But I have a plan! I know what I want to do and how I want to do it!" And that's great! But having a plan doesn't necessarily mean you have a strategy. Here's why.

Growing a business can be both exciting and overwhelming at the same time. But with the right strategies in place, you can grow your business without getting overwhelmed, I promise. Today, let’s dive into 3 strategies or steps to growing your business without massive overwhelm.

First, you must understand that the team, systems, and business model that got you to where you are now will not get you to where you want to be. While this sounds like a lot to change, you don’t have to do it all at once; it can be shifted in an elegant way. Let’s look at these 3 steps one by one.

I know that a lot of business leaders love to dream about new ideas. However, dealing with the tiny details behind these big ideas (think numbers, systems, processes, deadlines, measurements, indicators, spreadsheets…) doesn’t feel as exciting.

Here’s the truth, though: what got you to the level of business growth you are at now will not get you where you want to go. Whether your goal is more freedom and vacation time, increased monthly revenue, or a business that runs without you being present, a shift is needed and it requires you to be accountable.

At some point in your journey, the only way to grow and scale is to start to delegate some of the day-to-day tasks to someone else. If you’ve reached the point where you’re considering your first hire to help with the current workload, congratulations! To get you started on the right track, here are 8 steps you can take to prepare for your first hire.

Here’s the hard truth: The “fly by the seat of my pants and pray it will all work out” approach will not get you there.

You’ve been able to package up your skills and talents and change your clients’ lives for the better, helping them set major goals, brainstorm solutions and take risks. Now it’s your turn to approach your business growth and goal setting from a strategic perspective.

I know that many of you, as business leaders, are overflowing with creative ideas for new offers. However, all these offers can prove difficult to manage without a clear and concise business strategy. Think about it: do you, the business leader, know how profitable each of your offers even are?

If you’ve spent any time on social media and blogs, I’m sure you’ve noticed the “hustle culture” among entrepreneurs. Essentially, the attitude these posts are spreading is that if you’re not working 12 or rather 17-hour days, then you’re not working. 

To be honest, I totally disagree with this. Yes, working hard is important, but continuously stretching yourself thinner and thinner to make ends meet is going to lead to burnout - NOT success.

The thing that’s stopping you from growing is that you’re working WAY too much.

In the online business world, launches are all the rage. Some love them, and some hate them. Regardless of the type of launch you choose, or whether they are your favorite thing to do or not, using data to design a powerful launch plan will maximize your results. If measuring metrics and crunching numbers aren’t among your many talents, don’t worry! This post has got lots of great ideas to consider designing your next launch plan.

Building a business from the ground up requires you to juggle a million different things. However, there comes a point in your business when you need to shift from being a full-time doer into a leadership role, focusing on vision and strategy. Management and implementation are not your responsibilities as the leader of the business. 

Sometimes we feel the need to micromanage every part of our business rather than focusing on leading our team. In order to see the long-term success you are looking for, you need to own the vision and leadership role and allow others on your team to own the other levels. Today, I am going to share 4 reasons why this is imperative to the growth and success of your operation.

As we are in quarter 4 of 2022, I have been doing some reflecting on my own business as well as my clients’. One thing that keeps coming to mind is what our most valuable asset is as a business owner: time. We all get the same 24 hours in a day, and we need to be as efficient and productive as possible while still having that elusive work-life balance.

Regardless of business niche, all business owners face the challenge of time management at some point or another. There can sometimes be a never-ending list of to-dos, and the thought of gaining control of your schedule can seem impossible.

It has happened to all of us at some point. You’re running to the bathroom in the middle of the night, outside walking your dog, or in the middle of a discussion with a business bestie. Suddenly, you get a GREAT idea and try your best to remember it until you can write it somewhere… but where? Most of the time the idea gets lost before we get to document it, and we’re on to something else on our long to-do list.

Do you find that you have great ideas but can’t seem to document them and then fit them into your daily to-do list? Or perhaps you are like some of the wonderful entrepreneurs I work with who come up with many new ideas and then want to implement them all. Today, I have a simple process for how you can start to capture your ideas in one area and keep them away from your daily to-dos without losing them forever.

A lot of online business owners like to spend some time at the end of each quarter looking back and reflecting as well as making plans and setting goals for the next 90 days. It is a good time to pause and check-in and evaluate how you are meeting your goals.

When you start to analyze the previous quarter and decide on goals for the upcoming quarter, it is vital that you review your KPIs and metrics. Remember, friends, that data does not lie. You no longer have to guess or use your subjective feelings to know where you are at meeting your targets; simply analyze the data and the answer will be right in front of you.

Always keep your eyes and your mind open to the possibility of “bad” data. New research from Experian Data Quality shows that inaccurate data has a direct impact on the bottom line of 88% of companies, with the average company losing 12% of its revenue.

Misleading data has become commonplace for entrepreneurs as data becomes easier to collect and more necessary to utilize. Our online business world relies heavily on analytics, but like any other area of life, errors can happen. It’s important to be aware of this fact and to keep our eyes open for misleading data, even when you think your data collection methods are foolproof.

Launch metrics are a way to measure your growth launch after launch. The only way to be certain about what is working and what is not is to track and monitor your data. It is important to remember that metrics aren’t goals themselves, but rather a measurement of goals and objectives. Setting the right metrics and keeping an eye on them is crucial to tracking your progress and making sure you’re on track with your launch strategy.

Did you know that tracking the right metrics means you are 2 times more likely to hit your business goals? That sounds like a good use of effort! Today, we're talking about 3 ways that launch metrics can boost your business and 5 metrics that I recommend tracking.

When you use data to make decisions, they are based on facts rather than biases. Data is objective and therefore remains fair and balanced, as opposed to your gut feelings which are subjective and biased. Data-driven decision making should be a vital part of your business strategy. Remember, the data alone is not transforming your business or propelling you forward. It is the actions you take based on the insights gathered from the data that make the difference.

As a business owner, you have a lot on your daily to-do list, and therefore being productive and spending your time efficiently is absolutely essential. What if you could learn to save time in every aspect of your business? With a little strategy and prep work, you can start delegating, strategizing and planning your time efficiently.
I know you have heard this before, but building systems for your business truly does save you time, allowing you to check off your to-do list faster and start achieving your goals sooner! These tips will help you learn to be more productive with the time you spend in your business, thus allowing you to work less and earn more!

Are you interested in being 19 times more profitable or being 23 times more likely to acquire customers? Who doesn’t want these kind of growth opportunities for their business? Experience and instincts are valuable, of course, but research confirms that businesses that base decisions on data rather than instincts or experience are likely to be way more profitable. Data-driven businesses are those that make their decisions using data to drive outcomes their business wants (i.e. objectives and goals).

You have decided that tracking metrics is important for your business success, but where do you start? KPI tracking is an essential tool for growing your business. Today, let’s review what key performance indicators are, how to determine which ones to track, and how to get started with this important step in your business growth.

How often are you using your traffic data to guide your marketing strategy? Do you regularly look at this data to gain insights into what your traffic is currently doing? If you are like most business owners I work with, the answer to that question is no.

When you make smart data-driven marketing decisions, you will know that you are creating the right content for the right audience at the right time. That sounds sweet, doesn’t it? You can use data to up your marketing game. By learning and understanding more about your customers, you can give them the content they desire.