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Productivity: How to Stay the Course

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Here we are at the top of the year. You may have made New Year’s resolutions and you’re now looking them over to assess, prioritize and incorporate them into your workflow. Although the year is young, it’s not too early to figure out how to maintain the enthusiasm and discipline it takes to achieve your goals. I think it’s imperative to avoid feeling overwhelmed because for me, at least, that’s the gateway to giving up. Maintaining motivation is what I must do and once in a while I need a flotation device, or something, to prevent me from sinking and keep me swimming toward the shore.

To that end, I suggest a strategy that I discovered that will show you how to break down the huge task that is your goal and will perhaps at times feel insurmountable or even unattainable. This strategy, experience tells me, is especially useful for Freelancers. We are a one-person team. Who’s to know whether or not you achieve what you’ve planned, unless you have a business coach or mastermind group to check in with and report your progress?

As a business owner, I’ve learned that maintaining focus and productivity requires discipline and motivation. One powerful tool that has transformed report on your achievement of your A-level, that is, your most important tasks. I was new to full-time work and my sales manager gave me a very useful book to read—How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life by Alan Lakein (1973). In his book, which also influenced Brian Treacy, a very simple and effective planning method helps prioritize high-value activities, ensuring that the most important tasks are addressed each week. On Sunday evening or Monday morning, you can envision what your workweek will look like and get yourself in the frame of mind to do certain things. Lakein proposes that you rank your projects and goals into A, B and C tasks to implement your strategy, enhance your productivity and drive your business forward. He also recommended the development of SMART goals—Specific, Actionable, Measurable, Realistic and Timely. He understood that success stands on the shoulders of productivity, that is, getting the right things done and feeling in control and not overwhelmed as you do.

What’s in it for you

  • Improve focus: By identifying your top priorities each week, you can maintain a clear focus on high-value activities and avoid getting sidetracked by less important tasks.
  • Improve time management: The big rock report helps you allocate your time effectively, ensuring that important tasks are completed on schedule.
  • Improve workflow: Breaking down your tasks into manageable weekly priorities reduces the feeling of being overwhelmed and helps you tackle your workload more effectively.
  • Improve productivity: Focusing on high-impact tasks ensures that you are making the best use of your time, leading to increased productivity and better results.

Get started

  • Identify and rank tasks: At the beginning of each week, identify the one to three high-value activities that you need to accomplish. These should be tasks that directly contribute to your business goals and have a significant impact on your success. For example, on Monday, it may work for you to identifying/ confirm/ discuss your A tasks in an email, phone, or video call to touch base in strategic planning / critical meetings with key clients, or roll up sleeves and jump into your front-burner A level major project milestone task.
  • Prioritize A-level tasks: Block out dedicated time in your calendar for each of your big rocks. Treat these appointments as non-negotiable commitments to ensure they receive your full attention.
  • Plan your week: Once you’ve scheduled your A tasks, plan the rest of your week around what is of high priority. Schedule medium-value B-tasks and low-value C-tasks in blocks of time where they will fit and your focus and energy allow. B-level tasks probably deserve your attention; C-level tasks might be somewhat worthwhile to you and your business, but they fade in comparison to A and B level responsibilities.
  • Monitor progress: At the end of each week, review your progress on your big rocks. Reflect on what you accomplished, any challenges you faced, and what you can improve for the following week.
  • Adjust as needed: If you find that you consistently struggle to complete your A tasks, reassess your approach. You may need to adjust your schedule, outsource certain tasks, or reassess and recalibrate your A level priorities.

Celebrate achievements

  1. Be realistic: Choose a manageable number of big rocks each week. Overloading yourself with too many high-priority tasks can lead to burnout and decreased productivity.
  2. Communicate: Share your big rocks with your client contact or team to ensure alignment and support. This helps everyone understand the top priorities and work together towards common goals.
  3. Be flexible: While it’s important to stick to your schedule, be prepared to adjust if unexpected high-priority tasks arise. The key is to stay focused on your top priorities while remaining adaptable.
  4. Celebrate achievements: At the end of each week, take time to celebrate your achievements. Recognizing your progress can boost motivation and encourage continued focus on high-value activities.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: r/aviation•5y ago AIRdomination

Cockpit Photo Landing in Seattle

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Give Your Personal Brand A January Jumpstart

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FACT: You have a personal brand—whether or not you realize it or choose to manage it. You may prefer to let it be and let your business acumen and client list represent you, and they are undeniably important factors. Nevertheless, be advised that your personal brand is your reputation. It sums you up, in a brief sentence or two, in the minds of peers, competitors, prospective clients and perhaps even power brokers whom you’ve yet to meet but could still, some day, be in a position to evaluate you, however quickly, and advance or limit your preferred business trajectory.

Especially for Freelance consulting experts and other business owners, the personal brand has impact. Rather than leave public perceptions of who you are and what you stand for to chance, it is far less risky to develop and present your personal brand narrative yourself—perhaps with the assistance of a public relations expert or a business coach whose background is not in behavioral therapy or counseling, nor exclusively in traditional employment, even at C-Suite level, but rather in boots-on-the-ground independent business ownership, Freelance or otherwise, and preferably a coach who has had public relations/ marketing responsibility.

Defining your Personal Brand

I’m no fan of Jeff Bezos, but nevertheless, I feel his definition of personal brand is spot-on: “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” You can also assert a level of control over your personal brand, because it really is about you being yourself—on purpose. It’s both authentic (being yourself) and strategic (on purpose). You have actually have a responsibility to shape and define how you’re perceived, to the extent that it’s possible. Your personal brand exists to amplify your strengths, does it not?

Use storytelling to build, engage and connect with your community

Heads up—branding, personal or business, is not about your company colors and logo design. Those elements represent the company visually, but they cannot build your brand. Your story does the brand building. Branding expert Chris Do, founder and CEO of The Futur, has spent 22 years building design businesses and also teaching marketing creatives and others in search of client work how to succeed. Do quotes Michael Margolis, founder and CEO of Storied, a strategic messaging company: “A product, service, or organization without a story is a commodity.” Do emphasizes that when prospective customers and clients make a choice between a better product or a better brand, they choose the better brand nearly every time because they can relate to it.

Emotion matters. “Facts tell, stories sell,” Do explains. He encourages those with a brand to build and manage, like you, to share your journey. Tell it like it is—be real about your failures; make people feel what you felt. Author and actress Maya Angelou famously said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Always remember that your stories can never be copied by competitors. They describe and define you and they are authentic. Use your stories to stand out in an oversaturated market.

As Do sees it, your background isn’t baggage, it’s your superpower. “The origin story of you is the easiest one to tell because you’ve lived it,” he says. Your home town, what your dad (and/or mom) did for a living, the cultural references that were the foundation of the values that guided your parents as they raised you, the stories that they, and your aunts and uncles, shared with you at home and at family gatherings all shaped your worldview. Like Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a New York City native who grew up in Brooklyn, do not be afraid to keep your accent, your cultural references and your unique expressions. Your story creates cultural currency that connects you with your audience and brings them into your community. Don’t be self-conscious and hide the unique characteristics that define you. Do recognizes those quirks of personality and expression as shortcuts to understanding and trust with people who share similar experiences or just find your background fascinating—and authentic.

Take your personal brand public

Building and sustaining your preferred personal brand requires public exposure and your currency as a Thought leadership is often one of the first thing people think of when they think of a personal brand. You might publish an e-book, but there are other brand-building tools—such as publishing a blog or newsletter, appearing on webinars and podcasts and becoming an active and visible member of a local business group or national professional organization. It’s a great idea to Google yourself to see which links and images appear first and decide what you want others to see when they search your name and your company’s. What impression do your LinkedIn and other social media profiles present to the public? near the top of the search results? Update your headshot, reassess and align your headlines, perhaps revisit your unique selling proposition and align the description across all platforms. 

Finally, evaluate your network connections and go about building a community that is mutually beneficial. Your network is about quality, not quantity. Seek out professional connections across industries, functions, and even geographies. Furthermore, say yes to attending networking events, especially when they’re in-person. So what if you’re doing Dry January—order a sparkling water with a slice of lime and call it your mocktail!

When you meet new people, focus on generosity. Offer helpful introductions, send links to relevant articles, share timely insights. Always follow up. To all who’ve given you a business card, send a quick message to say something like “Great to meet you! If I can be of assistance, please reach out.” You want to do what’s possible to politely encourage beneficial relationships that reinforce your brand.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year,

Kim

Image: © George Marks (photographer) circa 1950s “Man in the Mirror”

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2025 Year-End Business Report Card

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Reflecting on the waning year is the best way to give yourself an honest and very helpful big picture understanding of what occurred in your business. You will come face2face with planned initiatives, unexpected opportunities and risks that paid off, or at least broke even, and those that, unfortunately, failed to fulfill your hopes. , and what you might adjust to reach your 2026 goals. A year-end review suggests which strategies will likely build on successes, gives insight into what you should eliminate, as least for now, and what might come through for you in the new year, perhaps with some adjustment. A year-end review encourages productivity that brings good results by helping you move forward and build momentum—and ensuring that you avoid reinventing the wheel or repeatedly start from ground zero, which is sure to slow your progress. 

Review the year in business

When reviewing the past 12 months of your business, there are a few questions and metrics that will give you a good baseline of what you would be wise to pursue, adjust, or eliminate during the upcoming year.  After answering these questions, you can more effectively map out your goals for next year. Set attainable, data-driven targets that challenge, but are also within reach. This is also a great time to identify if you might want to outsource certain functions in the next year to help you reach your 2026 goals.

  • How many projects did I work on?
  • What was my total sales revenue?
  • What were the sources for these deals? (e.g., referrals, networking, social media, website marketing funnel)
  • On a scale of 1-10, how would I rate my new client prospecting efforts?
  • How consistent was I with marketing—blogs, newsletters, webinar appearances, social media? Did I create and follow outreach strategies or was it intermittent?
  • What could I have done better in terms of marketing?
  • What did I do exceptionally well that contributed to my success?
  • What area did I struggle with the most? (Hint: this may be an area to either get help with or improve in 2025).

Evaluate performance of lead generation strategies

  • Inbound marketing continues to be an absolute requirement for B2B growth. Creating a consistent stream of leads is very important if you want to build a business that is sustainable and that you can scale and grow. The goal is to invite a steady flow of leads from different sources. Inbound marketing is considered the most practical and method for keeping your pipeline filled with prospects who are curious about your services or products. Inbound marketing is also efficient, with numerous marketing studies confirming that inbound marketing campaigns and activities generate about 54% more leads than outbound marketing. Furthermore, inbound marketing costs up to 62% less per lead than traditional outbound marketing. In 2026, inbound marketing appeals are predicted to remain the primary source of how B2B buyers themselves expect to discover, evaluate and shortlist vendors, as 80 % of all B2B sales interactions will take place across a spectrum of digital channels, from company websites to social media platforms. Think of inbound marketing content and activities as a magnet that pulls in already-curious prospective buyers. The purpose of inbound marketing is to educate, build trust and generate qualified leads by providing valuable, problem-solving, content. Be advised that most of the buyer’s journey unfolds long before a prospect reaches out to a select group of potential vendors to obtain deal-sealing (or deal breaking) information. Those on a serious buyer’s journey already have a list of key questions to ask, to discuss and learn about the particulars of a service, or would like to see a product demonstration. Note that inbound marketing leadgen results in the prospect initiating contact with companies that look promising as they define it. The content you create (or fail to create)—stories, education, testimonials, case studies, conversations—determine whether you’ll be chosen to make the prospective buyer’s vendor shortlist. Review and assess your inbound marketing activity and confirm which campaigns were the most successful and which may benefit from a reworking. Your inbound marketing activity most likely includes some of the following activities.
    • Thought leadership (producing relevant and valuable information—e-book, case study, webinar or podcast appearance, blog, newsletter)
    • Sales/marketing funnel (company website)
    • Social media posts (text or audio/visual formats)
    • Referrals
    • SEO search (company website)

  • Outbound marketing content and activities enable you to broadcast your pitch to everyone in your chosen target demographics. The style is push: you/your brand initiates the contact with prospects whether or not they’re hyper-local in-market as you disseminate your message (“This is who we are and why you want to know us”). Outbound marketing methods are typically promotional—attention-grabbers, such as cold emails and direct mailings (recipients are often taken from membership or other lists), conference or event sponsorships, paid display advertisements/ paid social media ads.
    • Public speaking (guest speaking, teaching, panel/moderator) 
    • Face2face networking events (business groups or social gatherings)
    • Email updates
    • Participating in community charity events 
    • Paid online leadgen (pay-per-click)

Create a content calendar and map out marketing campaigns

Planning and scheduling your content is one of the best things you can do for your business—and your time and creativity. There are a few ways you can look at the year and decide the message of your content. Readers who have been with me for a couple of years or more will, for example, recognize that in late June – early July, I publish an annual Summer Reading List, which consists of 10 business and leadership-themed books that should appeal to those who are independently employed, whether as Freelance consultants or small business owners. Certain books might also appeal to traditionally employed executives in either the for-profit or not-for-profit sectors. In late November, I publish a December holiday client gift suggestions list.

Which events that occur in your industry might serve as focal points for your content? Could it be “back to school,” which could prompt you to present related content in August, or the arrival of a season—wintertime skiing and ice skating, an early spring marathon, an annual national conference that is regularly attended by members of your core target market, or Small Business Saturday in November?

When you develop a plan now, you can expect to emerge with a draft that you can finalize as you get closer to scheduled target dates for your content. Your content calendar draft will support and encourage you to publish relevant marketing content that’s timed to maximize its impact. Planning is so much better than flying by the seat of your pants!

Budgeting

In sum, the year-end review of your business entity can be a catalyst for growth and success. It encourages continuous learning and improvement and inspires you to think and act proactively. Your year-end review is among the most effective processes you have to evaluate the overall performance of your venture and by so doing, give yourself an opportunity to learn from successes and failures, make informed decisions and set challenging, yet realistic, strategic goals for the new year. In your review, you can analyze your 2025 actual spend against your budgeted expenses. You’ll be able to identify spending variances and learn why budget targets were exceeded. Insights from your 2025 budget review will assist in building realistic budget forecasts for 2026.

Keep in mind that forecasting is about anticipating the funding you’ll need to implement marketing campaigns, as well as paying for business operating expenses, from bookkeeping expenses to business association member dues to purchasing customer relations software to enhance your marketing functions. One hand washes the other when your leadgen marketing funnel brings in the revenue that enables you to operate at peak performance (as you define it)!

So—how did your budget and business expenses line up in 2025? Consult your financial statements— Balance Sheet, Profit & Loss (Income) Statement and Cash Flow Statement and conduct a financial health assessment of your entity. These documents provide a snapshot of your company’s assets, liabilities, equity, revenues, expenses and profits throughout the year. It would be a great idea to discuss company financials with your business accountant, to get his/her perspective on how to enhance your company’s sustainability and financial possibilities. Why not send an email now and get a meeting on your January calendar?

Happy New Year and thanks for reading! I look forward to greeting you in 2026.

Kim

Image: © Freepik

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8 Freelance Business Ideas To Become Your Side Hussle or Full-Time Enterprise

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Many people dream of being their own boss and starting a business entity of their own. Operating a business entity that’s based in your home or a co-working space, interacting with clients in their environment or by videoconference, you’ll gain more control over your professional goals and financial aspirations than is possible as an employee. Self-employment may also allow you to achieve a more desirable work-life balance (but there may be lots of hard work to do before that can happen).

OK—so thoughts of entrepreneurship, probably on a small scale, maybe part-time at first and full-time at some point, is a growing presence in your conscious thoughts. But while you’re ready to explore the possibility of starting a business, do you know the services or products you’d like to provide? To assist your decision-making, you’ll find below eight Freelance micro-business possibilities that are intended to help you clarify your goal and chart a path forward.

Some of these opportunities require significant work experience, educational or professional credentials. Some can be started from home on the cheap, while others require dedicated office space and capital investment. I’ve intentionally omitted the usual suspects—such as website building and design, social media marketing, search engine optimization, or marketing content writing—because you can think of those choices without my input. I’d like to get you thinking about the road less traveled (which just might be dog walking!)

To ensure that you choose the right business venture for yourself, it’s crucial to consider a few factors before you pursue a Freelance sole proprietorship. Consider this post as an exercise to evaluate, rule-out and finally recognize what may could have potential to be a good Freelances business venture idea for you and worthy of follow-up?

What are your credentials—work experience, education and competencies?

For instance, if you already have a CPA license, venturing out as a Freelance accountant would be a natural avenue to explore. If you have experience as a writer, you might consider editorial services, or if you’ve spent years working in the food and beverage industry, you could explore catering or becoming a personal chef. You don’t need me to suggest those options if you own the corresponding credentials and work experience. The list below is to present options to those of you in the “what about this” early phase of possibility.

As you explore your options, consider whether special licenses (for example, hairstylists and electricians) or if the work requires additional education and professional certifications. There is also the necessity of relationships. In some fields, access to clients is defined by who knows (and trusts) you and without that currency building a viable business may be impossible.

Determine the goals of your small business—how hard do you want to work?

For some people, launching a Freelance entity or other small business involves the risk of leaving full-time employment and saying goodbye to a weekly check that produces a predictable and dependable amount of money (even if it’s borderline inadequate), along with vacation pay, sick time and paid holidays in order to commit to the new endeavor. For others, a Freelance entity will be a side hustle gig, a part-time thing that’s meant to deliver a meaningful supplemental income, managed in addition to the primary income. The new enterprise might also provide a creative outlet as it improves your cash flow and grows your bank account.

Consider how much money you’re hoping to earn from the business, how many clients/ customers will be needed to make the venture become profitable and how many hours you’ll need to work each week to make it feasible. In other words, about how much revenue will you need to earn by, say, the 24-month mark to feel that the work involved to keep things going is worth it?

As you conduct further examination of a business idea that might be promising, be certain to research the amount of money needed for start-up and business maintenance (working capital) expenses. For example, if additional education, certification and licensing will be required (or helpful to attract clients) how much will it cost and how long will it take? How much money must you invest to obtain or manufacture the product you’d like to sell?

Time is a resource and must always be a factor in calculating business expenses, start-up or operating. If your projected time frame for the launch is five years or more, then obtaining a master’s degree and gaining three years or more work experience, or saving money to put toward the purchase of equipment or other serious financial investment, may be perfectly acceptable. However, if you’re thinking of opening your doors in 2026-2027, you’ll want to minimize your investment of time and money and choose your business venture accordingly. Regardless of your vision of entrepreneurship, it’s a good idea to create a written business plan to use as your road map from business idea to business launch.

Study your location and identify what’s most feasible there.

Finding customers/clients is essential to every business, so conduct a market analysis before you open shop. For instance, a business as a foreign language translator and interpreter will be more profitable if you live in a community with a significant international population. You should also research what businesses already exist, that is, research the competitive landscape. Are there very few foreign language translator/interpreters in your market? Or is there a glut of the those professionals in your town?

Surprise—competitors are a good sign (up to a point). If you have essentially no competitors, it could be that there is little money to be made. On the other hand, a glut of competitors may leave little opportunity to find clients for yourself. This is why market research is a must-do.

Decide if you want to offer an online or in person service or sell e-commerce.

The digital age has created many opportunities for entrepreneurs to run a business from behind a laptop, meaning that their enterprise can operate wherever reliable internet access and potential customers are available. That’s not for everyone, though. If you prefer, and are able to finance, a brick-and-mortar shop or office that’s located in your community because you are more comfortable interacting with clients and customers in person, then launch a business that allows you to operate in that environment.

  1. Launch a YouTube channel

If you have a topic that allows you to consistently produce content that appeals to a broad viewer audience, you may be able to monetize your YouTube popularity and create a revenue stream. (see the best audience-building practices here.) Advertising revenue is the most common way to monetize YouTube programming. Additionally, you can add to your income by selling branded merchandise, creating ticketed live events that you’ll hold in locations where you have created a sizeable fan base, or by creating sponsored content.

Your earning potential will vary based on subscriber count and video views, demographics and ad engagement. On average, creators earn about $1 to $5 per 1,000 views after YouTube takes its 45% cut. Most YouTubers will top out with a nice side hustle level of earnings, while superstars are capable of generating millions of dollars.

2. Private Sport Coach

Active adults and children alike often seek athletic instruction that provides more sophisticated techniques than they can learn in group formats offered in gyms or at school. If you’re highly skilled in an athletic discipline, you can help take athletes to the next level and maybe put them on the path to turning pro.

  • Golf
  • Tennis
  • Diving
  • Skiing
  • Ice skating
  • Swimming
  • Horseback riding

Your qualifications should include significant coaching skills and experience in order to convince prospective clients that you are prepared to deliver high-level instruction. Depending on the communities in which you’re coaching, you may need to develop strategic relationships and/or have a good idea of where and how to advertise your expert services to ambitious students who are looking to raise the level of their game.

 3. Dog walking, boarding, training

If you have a flexible schedule and can make multiple house calls, you may be able to generate significant revenue as a dog walker. Dog walkers take pooches out for their daily constitutional walks one or more times a day, individually or in small groups.

In some cities, like New York, dog walking alone has become be a thriving business. However, it’s more common for dog walkers to offer additional services, from feeding the pets to visiting dog parks and other spaces that give four-legged customers playtime and/or providing socializing behavioral dog training.

Because people seldom take along their pets when they travel, pet daycare and overnight/ extended stay boarding spaces have become big business in some locales. Freelance dog walkers and trainers are known to make decent money by offering a personal pet-sitting service — either by staying at the pet owner’s home while they pet are out of town, or by caring for pets at your place.

Launching a dog walking and pet-sitting/boarding service requires almost nothing in start-up costs. Your list of credentials should include personal pet ownership — if not currently, then the past — and other pet-related experience. You should also collect referrals and testimonials from pet owners whose pets you’ve previously cared for.

4. Gift Basket Designer

December holiday gift baskets are a huge industry and featured in nearly all holiday gift suggestion lists, including mine. Finding a niche is the best way to start out in the gift basket business. Are you a dog-lover, horse enthusiast, exercise guru, or one who loves pampering and can assemble baskets that hold the things that people with this interest would like?

Do you already create a product that a gift basket could be built around? If so, you could create custom, themed gift baskets that can be shipped across the country or sold in local stores.

5. Foreign Language Interpreter and Translator

In communities with international populations, dependable interpreters and translators are considered quite valuable and assignments are often plentiful. If you already speak one or more languages in addition to English, and you are highly fluent in those languages, you may want to invest in the process of becoming a Freelance foreign language translator and interpreter and you may be able to generate a healthy revenue stream.

Foreign language translators/interpreters are typically certified, by successfully completing a language competency course that involves 40 – 60 hours of training. From there, professional translators/interpreters can determine the specialty niche that you would like to occupy—for example, business, government, technical, medical, or legal. Build a portfolio to showcase your expertise in your preferred niche and surf the job boards to search for work opportunities.

Because translating written materials from one language to another is a significant part of the work, ensure that your reading comprehension and writing skills in your specialized language(s) are at a high level. Translation requires reading and understanding a text thoroughly so you can communicate the context of the material when converting work to another language.

6. Resume Writer

The use of Artificial Intelligence and rounds of lay-offs that periodically dominate the news have encouraged many workers to polish up their resume and prepare to shop it around. If you have the judgment to know how to choose and showcase the skills that attract HR employment specialists and/or hiring managers, as well as possessing a talent to skillfully include those key words that influence the first-round of the candidate selection process, then resume writing may be a lucrative Freelance full-time or part-time enterprise for you.

The art of writing a confidence-building cover letter is another competency that you should hone, to use for clients who need a resume for one or more specific jobs. The ability to craft a cover letter that aligns with the job specifications and your client’s qualifications enhances the success rate of your clients and helps you ask for testimonials that will grow your business (and allow you to increase your fee).

To sharpen your skills and get familiar with what grabs the attention of prospective employers, spend a few months applying for Freelance resume writing assignments on Upwork or Fiverr—it will be a very instructive paid internship for you.

7. Onsite bicycle repair

Bicycles continue to grow in popularity, spurred on by those who want to promote a clean environment, and minimize the use of fossil fuels, as they commute from point A to point B. Riding a bike achieves that those objectives, but it also creates a need for bicycle maintenance—and that could be an opportunity for you.

Obtaining access to a garage or other work space where you can safely store your tools of the trade and also enable you to efficiently perform complex repairs that would be too difficult to execute onsite in a customer house call will most likely allow you to grow your customer base. Then again, house calls to customers may have lots of potential as well, especially for Freelancer bicycle repair experts who plan to operate in a densely populated city or metro area.

If you’re able to access to a somewhat large and secure space, consider offering to store bicycles during the winter months, when cold winds and icy roads take away the pleasure and practicality of bicycle transportation. Bicycle repair is likely to be seasonal in most parts of the country, due to winter snow and cold, but you may find many clients from late March through November or even mid-December but those with the right space accommodation can make money on both ends. If your area is populated with a large cycling community, you might be able to buy and sell reconditioned used bikes and add some revenue through a retail channel, in addition to your repair business.

Finally if you work on weekends, you might consider arranging and promoting cycling meet-ups, that can do very well in locales with a large and enthusiastic cycling community. You could hire someone to act as a regular or occasional distance bike ride leader who might offer midnight rides in the city or daytime rides on country roads.

8. Smart Home & IoT Integration Services

Smart home adoption is growing and thriving, with projections that 75% of US homes will have connected devices by 2026. Consulting with prospective clients, system set-up and support services for smart home and( Internet of Things) IoT devices, especially for seniors or disabled users, could be a profitable Freelance business idea for 2026 and beyond.

Homeowners, property managers and small businesses are interested in customized solutions for, especially, home and business physical security and energy efficiency. Recurring service fees and maintenance contracts provide you with a steady revenue stream.

Surprisingly, those who are 60 years and older are interested in IoT smart home technology, as a way to improve the possibility of remaining in their homes as they age. As technology becomes more complex, hands-on integration and support will be among the most essential business ideas 2026 for local entrepreneurs.

Happy Solstice,

Kim

Image: © Victory Stables Equestrian Academy, Martindale, TX August 2023

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Adopt an Adaptability Attitude

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In a business environment experiencing constant turbulence—from both the advantages and downsides associated with the growing use of Artificial Intelligence powered software tools, to political struggles both domestic and international, to marketplace volatility—adaptability has become a prized leadership attribute. Leaders who can exhibit agility, resilience and foresight when yet another upheaval approaches, showing they can lead, and will not be derailed, by the slings and arrows of instability and uncertainty, stand out among their peers and competitors. Adaptability and its pillars—agility, forethought and resilience— have become the foundation for business transformation, innovation and leadership.

Do you consider yourself able to own the fundamentals of adaptability when the ground beneath your feet starts quaking and you’re wondering what your next move should be? Are you are able to steer the ship when big waves are crashing and causing your Freelance entity to rock and roll? Are you able to decipher when you should stay the course and when a pivot seems the better option? The practical definition of adaptability in a business sense may need some clarification. According to Marlo Lyons, an executive, team and career coach who hosts the Work Unscripted podcast, recommends that leaders prepare for 2026 and beyond should:

1) Model change-ready leadership. Among the many disruptive events that have occurred since the mid-20th century, unexpected shifts in national and global business conditions or new technology may appear and gain traction—like mobile phones (Nokia) and music (Walkman)—that impact the way we live and work. The adaptable leader will display behavior that transforms panic into calm as s/he interprets change and unpredictability as manageable challenges rather than a business threat. The adaptable leader shifts into crisis management mode and is prepared to make sound, data-driven decisions that support responsive strategy development while sharing information and rallying team spirit to maintain trust and productivity. Lyons guides her coaching and leadership development clients to “look through the lenses of growth, transformation and risk and align with that perspective and show that you’re thinking like a leader, shift your language from protecting the past to shaping the future.” She points out that responses such as “This is how we’ve always done it” demonstrate a lack of adaptability; it’s a weak excuse and should be avoided by those who aspire to function as an adaptable, effective leader. Try some version of these inquiries—“What might we gain if we reimagine this?” or “What would this look like if we started from scratch today?” Leadership is demonstrated by asking questions that encourage resourcefulness, creativity, strategic thinking, future-proofing and adaptability.

2) Take data-driven risks, be accountable for outcomes.  The adaptable leader possess the emotional intelligence to balance risk-taking, accountability and empathy when the team is struggling from change fatigue and maybe fear as well. Demonstrating empathy means helping people process the discomfort of change and the unknown while maintaining momentum and keeping both hands on the wheel. A leader who doesn’t attempt to gaslight the team and models transparency by acknowledging that change is often unsettling but reassures team members that s/he is there to help everyone maintain equilibrium while traveling through the unknown, able to meet important deadlines and deliver on mission-critical projects—is the prototype of an adaptable leader. Adaptable leaders create psychological safety and encourage performance consistency. The mission of an adaptable leader is to support your people through uncertainty while continuing to hold them to expectations—high-quality work and timely delivery. Empathy keeps stakeholders and team members engaged and accountability keeps everyone moving forward. Leaders who can demonstrate both will earn trust, model EQ and show the team, clients and competitors that you operate as an adaptable leader.

3) Listen, learn and grow. With the rise of AI, leadgen automation and the powerful algorithms of quantum computing, especially when paired with AI, continuous learning in the form of professional development, self-directed and expert-led, is no longer optional. Leaders aspiring to maintain their skill set understand how emerging technologies will impact their teams and the overall organization.

Adaptability and learning agility have become the foundation for business transformation, innovation, and leadership—in a word, excellence. Strengthening and consistently demonstrating your adaptability is an ongoing professional development seminar—and a required course for those who’d like to function as successful leaders in 2026 and beyond. Lyons says that adaptability is linked to the following:

  • Agility

Agility is the ability to not only pivot quickly when priorities shift, but to also bring others along with you—like your team and other stakeholders. It is not always necessary to blindly agree with every suggestion made by superiors or key stakeholders. Agile thinking is a core component of being forward-thinking and viewing change as an opportunity for innovation.

  • Resilience

Resilience means that you’re able to maintain your composure under pressure. Resilience is a characteristic that supports objective thinking, creativity and your personal best performance—while you’re in the midst of an unexpected turbulent event. Leaders who find a calm focus are prepared to manage the situation, starting with the ability to direct their composure to creating psychological safety for those on their team. Subduing fear and panic, as you know, brings both short and long-term benefits, most notably the ability to contribute and work at their personal best along with you, and thus enhancing productivity and loyalty to both you individually and the company. It will pay to be transparent and acknowledge, rather than attempt to deny, the difficulty of the market and the company’s financial challenges and directed team members to focus on whatever it is they can control. A leader’s continuing steadiness will provide clarity and consistency that allowed their team to keep delivering results amid constant disruption.

  • Foresight

Foresight separates reactive, seat-of-the-pants managers from visionary leaders. A prime differentiator between the two is the willingness to recognize that looking beyond whatever performance metrics are observed in the present to anticipate what tomorrow’s challenges could be. More than staying on top of current company performance and studying market data, as well as paying attention to what key competitors are up to—are there any noticeable pivots?—detecting and studying early signs of instability, or significant change, is how to avoid being blindsided. You always want to be positioned to assess potential remedies (or opportunity) and develop the right strategy in response.

But foresight that pertains to market shifts is just part of the equation. Leaders also need to have foresight in technologies innovation and understand the benefits and outcomes that explain the why and wherefor of leveraging them. Leaders who continuously research and map future capability needs, and upskill their teams to understand how and when to use emerging technologies, will demonstrate the strategic foresight and enterprise readiness that illustrate adaptable leadership.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Spencer Platt/Getty Images. Midtown Manhattan July 29, 2025.

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Storytelling Is the New Advertising

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Not long ago, advertisements you saw in newspapers and magazines were made to capture attention with style and flare. Whether those advertisements were from back in the day, or 21st century pop-ups that invade the screen on your device as you scroll through websites, ad copy displayed flawless visuals and meticulously phrased text, both carefully crafted to dazzle and persuade a broad swath of the ad’s target market viewers. But that was then and this is now.

In the here and now, tightly scripted advertisements appear to be losing their hold on audiences. The viewing public, some of whom are within your target market, are apparently tiring of what can easily be interpreted as ad agency engineered, focus-group tested and totally corporate. Your future clients, and maybe you, too, value what feels genuine, relatable, believable—authentic. Your future clients are hungering for comfort food served in a favorite neighborhood place, not a four- course banquet served in a grand, Michelin starred restaurant.

What future clients are increasing drawn to is storytelling—personal testimony that comes across as unscripted and communicates a set of values and guiding principles that inform how you conduct your business and and even personal life. The influence and impact of storytelling continues to expand and it seems to already have become the future of adverting in B2B and B2C markets.

Advertising experts call the emerging storytelling phenomenon the trust economy and it is winning loyalty (and wallets) with its apparently unrehearsed, believable, real first-person accounts that are overtaking the glossy ads of days past. For example, brands that feature storytelling by the company founder—maybe showing a clip that illustrates what’s happening behind the scenes or revealing that a percentage of company profit is devoted to a certain philanthropy and also explaining how the recipients benefit— are winning customers, growing their follower and customer communities and surpassing the usual results of traditional advertising. In today’s marketplace, authenticity—which is a defining ingredient of trust— has become real currency. Authentic storytelling is how you can earn it.

Maybe the rise of storytelling is a reaction to all those banner ads and pop-ups that clutter screens and have come to annoy digital audiences? Ad-blocker usage is high, especially among Generation Z (born 1997-2012) and Generation Alpha (born 2010-2025) cohorts, whose members show skepticism toward traditional advertisements. According to marketing researchers and thought leaders, authenticity is now a leading B2B purchasing driver, with prospective buyers more likely to buy from brands they perceive as transparent and real. This generational demand for “truth” means over-engineered marketing campaigns and content may no longer resonate with your target audience. But the apparently candid testimonials that typify storytelling are perceived as believable, authentic and trustworthy.

Powerful stories

On every continent and throughout human history, people with a gift for telling a story have held power in their community. We like hearing a good story that is told well. Stories told by company founders and even employees have a persuasive resonance in today’s marketplace. For example, entrepreneurs who share factors that motivated them to launch their business entity and tell the company origin story—and perhaps bravely admitting their struggles, pivots, or failures — create intimacy and relatability with their audience that neither impossibly glamorous models or bland-looking actors who were once the faces of hundreds of companies, smiling and spouting the official brand messages—cannot match.

Furthermore, traditional ads—TV, radio, print, or digital— are more expensive than ever and their returns are diminishing. By contrast, trust and authenticity-driven advertising (marketing) campaigns often require smaller budgets and deliver outsized impact in viewer engagement and word-of-mouth.

Storytelling, which is an outbound marketing strategy and therefore defined as a push promotional marketing tactic, is fundamentally different from the typical message broadcasting that defines outbound marketing, from television, radio, or print ads to sponsoring the holiday tree lighting in your neighborhood.

Expert storytelling invites the audience into a journey. Stories are a shared experience, personal and intimate and capable of making what is a transactional relationship—selling and buying— into communities of shared values and beliefs and whose participants can develop loyalty. Harvard Business Review notes that brands that present authentic narratives in their advertising and other content marketing activities see measurable improvements in consumer trust and loyalty. As well, Nielsen’s Trust in Advertising Report highlights that recommendations from “people like me” remain the most trusted source of brand information and vastly outperforms paid ads.

Build trust into marketing strategies

The core of storytelling is about developing a narrative that is believable and therefore resonates on an emotional level with audience members. The goal is to create a connection with your audience that inspires trust in and loyalty to your brand. A marketing strategy whose message prioritizes truth and has authenticity as its core delivers story narratives that your current and future clients will believe in. Your brand story, when effectively told, can connect with your current and future clients on a deeper level, providing feelings of belonging and loyalty. This emotional connection is crucial in building a lasting relationship between the brand and its consumers. When developing your storytelling strategy and choosing key elements to incorporate in the narrative, you might include:

  • showcasing not only the company founders, but also employees as storytellers
  • Sharing behind-the-scenes happenings with humility, honesty and maybe a touch of humor as well
  • Participating in social media as well as selected in-person community events or platforms to create opportunities that invite two-way communication with your clients, prospects and other followers
  • To evaluate the impact and outcomes of your storytelling marketing campaigns, measure not just impressions but also viewer sentiment, advocacy and engagement metrics

Develop your brand story

Storytellers may sound unscripted and in the strictest sense of the word, that may be true. However, effective storytellers, whether they are entertainers or entrepreneurs, know their talking points. They know the theme and purpose of the narrative. They know how to present the story to the audience and make it capture attention and flow. In other words, creating an effective brand story requires careful consideration. Here are key elements to keep in mind:

  • Know your audience: Understanding your target audience is always essential in public speaking. Make a list of what you feel represent your values, guiding principles, priorities and purpose and consider how they impact the company. You may also want to include challenges and pain points and a reach-for-the-stars goal or two. Tailor your story narrative to resonate with your audience.
  • Clear message and purpose: You don’t want to rant, you don’t want to humble brag. You must have a purpose, an objective, that can lead you to devise a compelling story. Your story should have a clear and concise message. Avoid overcomplicating the narrative; focus on the core message you want to convey, keeping it simple. You should have a Call to Action—what do you want your audience to do—maybe make a purchase, so that they can feel philanthropic by knowing that a portion of each sale will be used to fund a worthy cause, e.g., a healthcare or educational organization?
  • Authenticity: Authenticity is crucial to storytelling. Your clients can easily detect inauthentic narratives, which can damage a brand’s reputation. Ensure that your story aligns with your brand values, company vision and mission.
  • Emotional appeal: Incorporate elements that evoke emotions. Whether it’s joy, sadness, inspiration or nostalgia, an emotional connection can significantly enhance the impact of your story.
  • Organize the narrative: Your story must have a beginning, middle and end. It must have an intro that intrigues viewers and a conclusion that inspires them. A Call-to-Action will tell them how to direct the emotions your story has built up; it creates a common purpose among audience members and is a bonding and community-building experience.
  • Visual and verbal aspects: Combine visual and verbal elements to create a cohesive and immersive experience. Use imagery, videos and written content to bring your story to life.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Alejandra Brun/ Agence France-Presse for Getty Images. Charles Robinson, member of the Choctaw tribe (AL, LA, MS, OK), dances during his storytelling presentation in Lima, Peru, August 2003

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Tax Year 2025 Updates for Freelance Workers

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There are two inevitables in human existence and one of them is taxes. The good news is that in many cases, one can prepare and develop a strategy to minimize the impact of the tax burden. The ability to devise a good strategy requires current information and that is the topic today.

You’re probably aware of Federal legislation known as the One, Big, Beautiful Bill. You may not know that parts of OBBB have been revised and proposed changes to federal tax Form 1099-K were tabled and guidelines from previous years have been restored.  

Officially titled the Payment Card and Third Party Network Transactions form,1099-K reports payments received from income generated by self-employed workers and paid to them by Third Party Settlement Organizations such as PayPal, Square, Stripe 2, or Venmo. Revenue received from transactions from online marketplaces, including Airbnb and eBay and also revenue derived from billable hours earned at Freelance B2B services platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork also trigger a 1099-K.

It’s important that Freelance professionals remain updated on federal and state tax legislation so that you can anticipate and prepare for your tax liability. If you’re able to choose your payment method—maybe you’re thinking of offering digital payment options for client invoices?—you would be wise to first assess the impact of that change to your finances. Giving clients additional payment options is now considered a competitive advantage and an aspect of customer service. But when you’d like to initiate payment flexibility, first discuss the matter with a tax accountant and let the tax filing implications, and also other financial advice, guide your invoice payment options.

Internal Revenue Service Form 1099-NEC

What will not change is IRS Form 1099-NEC (non-employee compensation). The form will be sent to self-employed workers, including Freelance professionals, other independent contractors and side-hustle specialists, who’ve been paid $600 or more in a given year. Your earnings most likely will not trigger a 1099-NEC if you billed the client less than under $600 in a calendar year, but you are still responsible for reporting all income whether or not you were sent a 1099-NEC. As a self-employed Freelance consultant, you are required to report self-employment income if your net earnings were $400 or more.

Internal Revenue Service Form 1099-K

As noted above, IRS Form 1099-K reports payments that Freelancers and other sellers of B2B or B2C goods and services received through Third Party Settlement Organizations such as PayPal, Square, Stripe 2, or Venmo for sales transactions between buyers and sellers have returned to the $20,000 billables and 200 transactions thresholds. Upwork and Fiverr will send 1099-K to Freelance workers whose billables equal or exceed $600 in a year, as noted above. Be advised that the proposed $2,500 (for 2025 earnings) and $600 (for 2026 earnings) thresholds are no longer in effect for 2025 and 2026.

As with 1099-NEC (and W-2), 1099-K statements must be sent to you, by email or hard copy, no later than January 31, 2026. If your clients pay you directly by credit, debit, or gift card, you’ll get a 1099-K from your payment card processor no matter how many payments you received or the total dollar amount of those payments.

Keep in mind that your state may have a lower reporting threshold for TPSOs, which could result in you receiving a Form 1099-K, even if your total gross payments and transactions did not exceed the federal $20,000 annual reporting threshold. Some states have their own rules for 1099-K reporting and your state threshold could be lower than the federal limit. While the IRS requires payment platforms to issue a 1099-K only if you have at least $20,000 in payments and 200 transactions for 2025, several states have set their reporting threshold at $600, regardless of the number of transactions.

Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction

If your business entity is structured as a pass-through, you could be eligible for a 20% tax deduction by way of the IRS Section 199A Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction. If you are an owner of a pass-through business entity, including S-corporations, Limited Liability Companies (LLC), Partnerships, including Limited Partnerships (LP) and Sole Proprietorships, can claim the QBI benefit whether or not they itemize deductions or take the standard deduction.

The QBI deduction allows eligible taxpayers to deduct up to 20 % of their QBI, plus 20 % of qualified real estate investment trust (REIT) dividends (not to be confused with income generated from rental property). Income earned through a C-corporation or W-2 wages are not eligible for the QBI Section 199A deduction. Eligible taxpayers can claim the deduction for tax years January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2025.

So who can do this? If taxable income (before the QBI deduction) is at or below the threshold amount—and thresholds are different for every year from 2018 – 2025, with the 2025 upper threshold at $197, 300 for single filing status and $394, 600 for married joint filing status—you’ll have access to the full deduction BUT the amount paid by an S-corp or a partnership that is treated as reasonable annual compensation for the taxpayer will not be eligible. To determine if your business may qualify for the QBI, click here to see this older, but useful, IRS form. Most of all, reach out to your tax accountant ASAP and verify your status.

Retirement Plan contribution deferral increase

Have you made a contribution to your retirement this year? If not, you have until December 31, 2025 to slide under the wire and save for your future. These retirement contributions come right off your income, lowering your tax bill and boosting your retirement financial readiness.

The Solo 401(k)—also known as the self-employed 401(k), individual 401(k), personal 401(k) or, to use the IRS’s preferred term, the one-participant 401—is known for its high contribution limits that enable Freelance consultants who have no employees for whom you provide benefits, to save for retirement. That includes Freelancers and gig workers who are Sole Proprietors, or structure their business entity as an LLC, S-corporations, C-corporations, or Partnership. If you have no employees, step right up to launch your preferred version of a single-person retirement fund.

  • In 2025, the maximum contribution is $23,500 (wearing your entity’s employee hat), plus an additional 25% of compensation (wearing your entity’s employer hat). You can also contribute an additional $7,500 in catch-up contributions if you are age 50-59 or age 64 or older. Those between age 60 and 63 may contribute an additional $11,250 in catch-up contributions if the plan allows.
  • In 2026, the maximum you can contribute is $24,500 as the entity employee plus an additional 25% of compensation as the entity employer, with additional catch-up contribution opportunities if you are 50 years or older.

If you file tax form Schedule C as a Sole Proprietor and have a SIMPLE IRA retirement plan, you are also treated as both employer and employee when calculating and reporting your plan contributions. Report both your salary reducing employee contributions and your employer contributions (non-elective or matching) for yourself on Part II – line 15 of Form 1040 Schedule 1, according to IRS info. You must deposit your salary reduction contributions within 30 days after the end of the tax year. For most people, this means salary reduction contributions for a given year must be made by January 30 of the following year. For most individuals, the annual contribution limit for a SIMPLE IRA is $16,500 in 2025 and $17,000 for 2026. Those who are age 50 years and older can also make an extra $3,500 catch-up contribution in 2025 and $4,000 for 2026 if their plan allows it. 

Self‑Employment Tax & Deductions

You already know that Freelance workers must file IRS Form SE no later than April 15, 2026 and pay 15.3% total (12.4% Social Security + 2.9% Medicare) on the net amount of your self‑employment income—because you must fund your own Social Security and Medicare benefits. The good news is that you can deduct half of the self‑employment tax (the “employer equivalent”) from your adjusted gross income.

  1. Social Security Cap: On the first $176,100 of combined wages + self‑employment income in 2025.
  2. Additional Medicare Tax:
  • 0.9% extra if income exceeds:
  • $200K (single/Head of Household),
  • $250K (married filing jointly),
  • $125K (married filing separately).
 Quarterly Estimated Taxes & Penalties

Because Freelancers file 1099-NEC and there is no withholding of earned income, you know that filing quarterly tax forms is a must-do if you expect to owe $1000 in federal tax, including self-employment tax; estimated tax payment must be paid with the quarterly filing. To avoid penalties, pay either 90% of 2025 tax or 100% of your 2024 earnings tax (or 110% of 2024 adjusted gross income if your earnings exceeded $150,000. Quarterly filing deadlines are April 15 (the annual filing), June 15, October 15 and January 15 (because 4Q earnings are reported in the new year).

In closing, I have a gift for those of you who will be 65 years old, or older, in 2025? if so, You’ll receive an extra $2,000 standard deduction (single filers) or $1,600 (joint filers).

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: The Tax Collector’s Office (1620-1640) Pieter Brueghel the Younger, courtesy of University of Southern California Fisher Museum of Art, Los Angeles

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Client Relationship Building 2025: 10 Holiday Gifts @ $40 or Less

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The December holiday season presents an excellent opportunity to demonstrate to your clients that you appreciate the value they bring to your business. In fact, it can be argued successfully that your clients are your business—what would you have without them? Not billable hours and revenue, that’s for sure! Can we agree that in the waning days of November, Freelance professionals have some shopping to do, no matter how modest your budget? No Freelancer can let this occasion pass without showing gratitude for the business clients have done with you—and subtly encourage them to contact you in the new year and make a referral or two, as well.

In our hypercompetitive B2B marketplace, where buyer expectations continue to rise, it was found that78% of companies reported that thoughtful December holiday gifts given to clients improve their retention rates and promote stronger business relationships. It was also found that approximately 62% of business owners feel that the quality of gifts given is important and that holiday gifts can increase client lifetime value (by promoting client loyalty and retention).

Boxing up some generic “gift” will not suffice in our hypercompetitive B2B marketplace, where buyer expectations continue to rise. Today’s B2B clients expect a holiday gift that demonstrates thoughtfulness, relevance and quality. They want to know you’ve considered their preferences, industry and company culture. Consider your December holiday gift and card as an integral component of your marketing strategy.

When putting together your marketing budget for the new year, you may even want to make holiday gifting a line item, to ensure that you’ll have the funding to make an impression that aligns with the customer experience your company provides and its brand reputation. Your holiday gift needn’t be extravagant— over-doing it will likely leave the wrong impression. You want to find the sweet spot between professional and personal, memorable and appropriate, impressive and budget-friendly. You also want to present your clients with a gift they want to use. To that end, I’ve combed through numerous websites and discovered 10 items that should help you express this important element of your marketing strategy.

  1. Expandable Packing Cube Set – Medium/Large $34.95

Organization is integral to travel preparation and the REI Co-op Medium/Large Expandable Packing Cube Set makes it easy to pack—and find—items in your luggage. The set includes one medium and one large packing cube that can expand or compress by three inches to adjust packing volume as needed. Mesh on top lets you see what’s inside and there’s a handle to allow for easy carrying. FYI, the REI Co-op brand is certified to The Climate Label. The company funds efforts to reduce carbon emissions across its business and supports climate projects around the world.

2. Stay Cool Adjustable Laptop Desk $39.00

Clients who work from home or travel for business will appreciate this practical and attractive bamboo portable workstation desk. Its adjustable height and tilt settings accommodate laptops from 11 to 16 inches. There’s enough workspace to keep a notebook, mobile phone, or drink within reach and the anti-slip surface with cup holder indent keeps drinks and devices in place. A built-in side drawer keeps office essentials like pens and earbuds organized. The Stay Cool Adjustable Laptop Desk is also designed with ventilation holes and a pair of built-in USB-powered fans to help maintain your laptop’s temperature and prevent its hot surface from disrupting the workflow (USB to USB-C adaptor required.)

3. Stonewall Kitchen Holiday Sampler $34.95

Perfect for pleasing all sorts of palates and elegantly packaged in a white-and-green gift box that features a festive winter design, the Stonewall Kitchen Holiday Sampler gift set contains mini-sized versions of six Stonewall best-sellers: Wild Maine Blueberry Jam, Raspberry Peach Champagne Jam, Holiday Jam, Red Pepper Jelly, Maine Maple Champagne Mustard and Caramelized Onion Mustard. This ready-to-give gift box is a perfect holiday gift.

4. Mongolian Cashmere Gloves $29.90

Your clients will be happy that you’ve taken a hands-on approach when you gift them with lovely and practical Mongolian Cashmere Gloves. The gloves have a long cuff that make wearers feel extra cozy on a cold winter day. They are made of good quality cashmere that is incredibly soft, long-lasting and three times as warm as wool. They are also sourced sustainably and ethically.

5. Holiday Hygge Gift Box $40.00

Made by BeyondGiftsCo. and sold on Etsy, the Boho Mini Holiday Hygge Gift Box is a warm and wonderful winter care package that will sustain the recipient when the snow piles high and the cold wind blows. The Boho Mini contains items that make those fortunate enough to receive one feel good on a cold and wind-swept day: a nice mug, tea (inside a burlap bag), a gold tea spoon, cozy socks, salted caramels and a holiday-themed wood ornament.


6. Ice bucket $39.20

Elevate entertaining with the timeless elegance of the Asti Ice Bucket. Designed in 1972 by Sergio Asti and crafted from 100% recycled plastic and fully compostable, this sustainable design is a true work of art. Its versatile use as an ice bucket, storage container, or even a vase makes it a must-have for any occasion. Works by the late Sergio Asti, Italian-born industrial designer and architect, can be found in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York City, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the RI School of Design Museum in Providence, RI.

7. Tabletop Dwarf Lemon Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa Wilma Goldcrest) $28.95

The Tabletop Dwarf Lemon Cypress adds a festive touch of nature’s elegance that illuminates holiday decor. The narrow, bright green foliage has a subtle lemon scent and its compact size make it perfect decoration for small spaces, such as tabletops, mantels, buffet tables, or a centerpiece. The pre-wrapped, gift-ready Tabletop Dwarf Lemon Cypress is a memorable client gift that keeps on giving.

With proper care, the plant can retain its vibrant color and health throughout the season and beyond, bringing good cheer to your client’s home or office. Designed to require minimal maintenance, your client can enjoy the Dwarf Lemon Cypress indoors during the holidays and then move it to a patio or plant it outdoors when spring arrives. Your client will be delighted with this gift for years to come—and experience a happy feeling about your brand time and again!

8. Blanket Scarf $14.97

This luxuriously oversized Italian-made Blanket Scarf is true to its name: it’s part scarf, part blanket and made in Florence, Italy from warm and super-soft woven fabric. Including its 4 inch fringe, the Blanket Scarf is 30″ w x 90″ h, made of 100% acrylic and makes a stellar festive statement when the weather turns chilly. You may add your business name and logo, beautifully embroidered monogram for a personal touch by emailing WSIB2BGift@wsgc.com.

9. Cheery Umbrella $22.99

Classy coverage through wind and rain, your clients will be happy to be protected from the elements by the wide, waterproof and wind resistant shield of a Cheery Umbrella. Drawing inspiration from the timeless wooden cane umbrellas but with a modern flair, this rain gear is will add comfort and style to dreary wet weather days.

10. Scout Soft Tote Cooler $39

Pleasure Chest is the perfect size for small family outings, road trips, or a 12-hour work shift—this tall, square cooler is a great shape for stacking containers. Stash napkins, utensils, or chocolate bars (no judgement!) in the outside pockets for quick access. Remember to take ice packs! Because it squishes flat in a suitcase, your client will love the Pleasure Chest for travel—and it makes a great leave-behind hostess gift. Please note that an additional 5-7 days of processing time will be added to your order due to personalization, regardless of shipping method.

  • 9″ W x 12.5″ H x 9″ D
  • Weight: 0.8 lbs
  • Handle drop: 12.5 “
  • Holds up to 30 lbs.
  • Foam insulation layer helps to keep contents cool (ice packs recommended)
  • Fits: 12-oz cans: 15 | skinny cans: 18 | 16.9-oz. water bottles: 8 | wine bottles: 4-5
  • Two exterior pockets: one zip (front) and one slip (back)
  • Heat-sealed, food-safe liner
  • Reinforced straps with velcro fabric handle wrap
  • Zips closed

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate. To everyone, thanks for reading!

Kim

Image: Filene’s Department Store (Boston, MA) toy department, 1938

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How a Social Media Strategy Can Power Up Your Brand

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The old saying is still correct—clients (and those who might become clients) do business with those they know and like and do more business with those they know and trust. If you operate in the Freelance B2B consulting sector, you know it’s vital to continually demonstrate your expertise because that’s one of the best ways to win the respect and trust of prospects who might hire you. It’s imperative to make it clear to those motivated to become paying clients that you’ve got the right stuff, that you can be a trusted resource, that you have the capability to resolve their pain points by recommending the right business solution.

Your mission is to get the word out about your insights and abilities and showcase a brand that inspires trust. Bring to audience attention your relevant and timely info that’s delivered in the form of perspectives and insights that resonate. Seeing is believing and becoming a familiar presence in media outlets that your target prospects visit and trust will pay big dividends.

In the B2B sector credibility, relevance and trust are the building blocks of a winning brand reputation and are the foundation of a successful business venture. You access those building blocks by demonstrating value to prospects and peers. One of the most reliable strategies you can enact when your goal is to demonstrate value to prospective clients is to position yourself as a trustworthy thought leader who provides relevant, timely and actionable information. Among the most efficient channels to broadcast information to your target audiences is social media.

Social media has become a cornerstone of the B2B product and services buying journey. Prospects typically view up to 12 types of content, with 40% of B2B buyers including social media in their purchase research. As your prospects search for info, the right SEO search terms could call up your content and make your thought leadership info available to impact a purchase. Remember also that social media platforms are a two-way street and equally useful for not only broadcasting information, but also for listening and learning by starting and contributing to conversations. By becoming active on LinkedIn, which is the preferred B2B platform, and also X, YouTube and/or Instagram, for example, you’ll not only have a presence on platforms your prospects follow, but you’ll also get confirmation of their topics of interest in the moment, plus a heads-up on what may capture their interest in 2026. Below are four strategies for using social media to enhance your brand and grow your client list.

  1. Provide informative and timely content

By positioning yourself as a go-to source of useful insights and info, you’ll win audience trust—and that is vital. The quality and timeliness of the information you deliver, whether by text, video, or audio, will enhance your value. Distributing your thought leader content on social media platforms favored by your target audience maximize distribution and help you build a following. You’ll benefit from increased name recognition, eventually acquire trust and influence and, ultimately, you’ll create for yourself a solid brand reputation. Insider’s tip: linking your blog and/or newsletter to one or more social media platforms when you publish is a great way to share your compelling content with a wide audience (readers will find my weekly blog at LinkedIn activity/posts.

Video is a growing medium in the B2B sector because social media audiences find it easy to digest and, apparently for that reason, an attractive format. While YouTube is the platform of choice, all major platforms host video/audio content, that runs the gamut from short-form clips to long-form videos and live streams. Posting a webinar in which you took part or the podcast on which you made a guest appearance are excellent video opportunities for B2B Freelance professionals.

Case studies and client testimonials likewise make compelling video content. In fact, it may be easier to recruit your satisfied clients to sing your praises in a video rather than providing a written narrative of the process. Furthermore, if you’d like to present a show-and-tell tutorial that explains the rationale for using your product or service and quickly break down how users can benefit, a video interview in which you take center stage may be easier for prospects to visualize how your solution can be implemented for their needs. BTW, video/audio content, plus any noteworthy information you post to social media platforms, such as a case study, should also be posted on the only platform you own and control—your website.

  

2. Share client success stories

Nothing succeeds like success and sharing the occasional client success story (maintaining the client’s confidentiality, when requested) helps prospects envision the effective solutions that you might create for them. Examples of your willingness to personalize your solutions by, for example, simplifying your solution or providing an upgrade, or facilitating post-sale training or other supportive services—without violating your competitive advantages—are persuasive and make for memorable brand-building content for your organization.

3. Be authentic and consistent

X and LinkedIn are the usual go-to platforms for serious conversations. When you have something relevant to contribute, whether you make a thoughtful reply to a comment or offer a new perspective that you expect to generate comments from other readers, you demonstrate your authenticity, as well as your expertise and maybe out-of-the-box creativity. Joining one or more LinkedIn professional groups that are related to your industry or subject expertise can introduce you to a good forum, where you can contribute insights and learn new perspectives from thought leader peers.

4. Be transparent about values and culture

A growing number of consumers, B2B and B2C, are interested in the values and culture of companies with whom they do business. Storytelling is a relatable format and social media is an ideal platform for you to demonstrate and express what your company stands for and how your values impact your business practices. Your clients and prospects are not dismissive of a company’s purpose, vision, mission and guiding principles and may be very pleased that you’ve shared this foundational information.

Moreover, don’t hesitate to show behind-the-scenes evidence that shows you immersed in community work, be it a corporate social responsibility initiative, board service, or other volunteer participation. If you participate in a charity event, such as a holiday toy drive for local children, or sponsorship of your neighborhood Christmas tree lighting and party, consider documenting portions of the proceedings and, better still, invite top organizers to contribute a short interview to describe the goals for the event and the constituency it benefits in a video (be sure to respect the privacy of other participants). Clients and prospects like to know that you’re giving back or paying it forward.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Statista May 2025

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B2B Sales Best Practices

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In our last post we examined a few B2B marketing best practices, basic strategies and activities that have earned a reputation for dependably producing successful outcomes; marketing strategies and activities augmented by AI-powered technology have proven to be especially effective. Marketing best practices are routinely followed by those who are considered leading marketers—a savvy and practical lot who avoid the miscalculations of strategies that are, unfortunately, associated with marketing laggards. Marketing leaders know that strategies and activities grounded in best practices are capable of not only producing your organization’s personal best year-end revenue and profit, but also generate business momentum that can propel you into a very happy 2026.

Now that we’ve taken a dive into marketing and learned what’s likely to inspire prospects to ask that you schedule a sales conversation, we can next examine what can be said to represent B2B sales best practices, in particular as they apply to Freelance professionals and small business owners. As always, the goal is to produce healthy revenue and profit results and avoid being seduced by strategies that make sense for, perhaps, an enterprise national or multinational corporation but are probably unattainable for smaller entities. In our continually evolving B2B marketplace, it’s necessary to recognize when to follow traditional B2B basic business practices and when (and which) of the dizzying array of new technologies are capable of facilitating your revenue and other business goals.

Navigating the complexity of B2B purchase decision-making 

B2B sales cycles are typically much longer than their B2C counterparts. The purchasing approval process often requires input from influential stakeholders and it is standard for multiple decision-makers to be involved. Complicated negotiations may be needed to reach agreement on pricing, payment terms and logistics before a sale can be approved. As a result, it is common to meet not just with the project team leader, but with a decision committee when you are invited into a sales conversation.

So—let’s figure out how to survive the lion’s den and earn a chance to rack up as much sales revenue as possible before the 2025 finish line. As usual, the best sales techniques follow a “work smart and keep it simple” philosophy. An effective sales process focuses on more than a financial transaction—the necessity of relationship building, the customer experience and also repeat business and referrals that grow the client list remind you that your sales strategies and skills are building blocks of long-term business growth and are integral to future-proofing your organization. The five steps detailed below are sure to help you improve your sales performance:

  1. Whenever possible, schedule face2face sales meetings to facilitate relationship building opportunities. Teleconferences are useful and very convenient but when possible, especially for the first meeting, find a time and place that will enable all participants to attend in person. Furthermore, it will also benefit you to schedule a face2face meeting at what you anticipate will be the meeting during which you expect to clinch the sale. Facilitating good communication and encouraging transparency and collaboration are easier to achieve in face2face interactions and make it easier to both encourage the sale and plant the seeds of a good client relationship.
  2. In-person meetings provide a forum for you and the decision team to get to get comfortable enough to share relevant information and build trust. The intimacy of in-person interactions are the fastest way to learn what really motivated the prospect’s team to seek out and evaluate your company’s solution. It’s much easier to bring this type of info to the surface when all players are in a room together. Face2face meetings encourage the development of communication and trust whose depth will surpass a merely transactional agenda. Like marketing leaders, sales leaders want to add to their roster clients who are willing to bring repeat business and make referrals to your company. BTW, you can also make referrals for your clients, an action that is certain to strengthen your business relationships.
  3. Sales meetings are typically the setting in which you receive previously undisclosed info that reveals why your prospect is willing to resolve a certain pain point by seeking a solution (that you hope to provide). The prospect’s team might divulge false starts, frustrations and failures that were the outcomes of other solutions. You can move the discovery forward by developing a list of open-ended questions that may encourage decision team members to talk, so that you can actively listen and take notes. Obtaining a clear understanding of client motives, goals, past experiences and concerns will allow you to personalize a solution that addresses what matters to the prospect.
  4. Prospective clients in most cases are concerned with maximizing value for the spend. Therefore, you are advised to focus on the dependable benefits of your solution’s outcomes and results, rather than reciting a list of features that are associated with the service or product.
  5. It is often said that half of life is about showing up; the other half is about the right kind of follow-up. If you’re waiting anxiously for an answer that concerns the proceedings of a recent sales conversation, by all means reach out and make contact. Your job is to add value to the communication and not bring pressure. Good meeting notes will help you to diplomatically present information that addresses client needs and priorities and moves the sale toward a successful conclusion. Maybe you can send a case study that was not previously discussed, or there is an add-on or upgrade that is not costly in terms of time and/or money for you to provide, but will bring value to the client and make your solution more attractive?

Sales skills are critical for B2B sector Freelancers and SMB owners. Those who sell are the revenue engine, making periodic professional sales skills training a must-do. If you’re the company’s one-person sales team, you’ll be much more successful when you sharpen your ability to persuasively and clearly articulate your product or service value proposition/unique sales proposition, refine your responses to prospect questions and objections so that you instill confidence—and close deals in a way that builds client relationships. Keep in mind that utilizing sales best practices tactics alone will not ensure success in the hypercompetitive B2B sector. Producing sales revenue and profit that achieves your targets will also require that you stay abreast of the evolving expectations of your clients and prospects and updated on industry developments and trends.

  1. Instituting an efficient sales system is essential for B2B sector Freelancers and SMBs. A CRM (customer relationship management) system that helps you to monitor leads, sales offers being considered and prospective client interactions should be a part of your sales system. You should establish an inbound sales pipeline that helps you visualize your sales process and identify areas where you can improve. Refer to your marketing buyer persona and use that profile as a snapshot of the client(s) you’re selling to, so that you can tailor and personalize your sales process to fit their needs and expectations. 
  2. Freelance consultants and SMBs operating in the B2B sector must develop a sales strategy.  Your sales strategy will guide you to identify reasonable and attainable sales revenue goals and identify potentially useful sales distribution strategies. Might facilitating website online ordering of certain of your products or services be attractive to your clients and persuade them to do more business with you? Your sales strategy will also guide you to identify principle competitors and learn how to persuasively articulate your unique sales proposition.
  3. Make your sales pitch simple and easy for the client to envision how your solution can be incorporated into the workflow and operate in the real world. Provide information about how your solution can meet the prospect’s specific needs—that is, benefits and outcomes— rather than the ins and outs of service or product features.
  4. Recognize and introduce opportunities to up-sell to premium level service or cross-sell add-on services or accessories. If your service or product line does not currently feature options to “trade-up” or ‘add-on,” consider how you can include such options. For example, designing an “economy” level service may attract interested prospects who are on a budget but are motivated to become buyers. On the other hand, those who have more expansive needs and a budget to match may be ideal candidates for up-selling to premium service/product options, or add-ons.
  5. In 2025-2026, the payment options you offer to prospects can be presented as a competitive advantage. As fintech expands what’s possible, know that buyer expectations are shifting toward flexible, personalized payment terms. Furthermore, cybersecurity and other risk-mitigating considerations are at top of mind. Confirm that your current payment options meet buyer expectations of payment transaction security and give yourself another pathway to encouraging sales and developing good business relationships.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Rido/Dreamstime