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Managing Your Digital Image

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Because the internet plays such a dominant role in life, it’s crucial that you take steps to ensure what’s posted about you is both accurate and positive. Information that appears online and is associated with you—your published content and information that identifies you—is collectively known as your digital identity. This information functions as a virtual introduction to you and tells your online story. Your digital identity is the foundation of your digital image and intended to be an asset. Because what appears online is basically immortal, it’s imperative that your digital image, defined by the published content and other information attached to you and your business entity, is presented in a flattering, trust and confidence-building manner.

It is assumed that prospective clients or employers will search your name and business online before making any meaningful contact to discuss your products or services, so it makes sense to periodically monitor and curate your digital identity to ensure that information is current and represents you well. Your primary objective when editing your info is to corroborate your digital narrative and the talking points you commonly share when meeting with prospective clients or employers. The core function of your digital image and the narrative it communicates is to confirm your credibility and build trust.

According to “Assessing Web3’s Building Blocks,” an article recently published by financial services giant J.P. Morgan that explores digital identity, four factors contribute to the digital identity (listed below). It is incumbent upon you to proactively examine the information included in your digital identity so that your online image and narrative will support your professional experience, education, achievements and, by extension, your personal and business brand.

In addition to ensuring that information is accurate, decide how you want prospects to see you. Remove text and images that don’t reflect your goals or brand. If a friend has posted a not-so-flattering image on a social media site and tagged you, ask him/her to kindly delete it.

  1. Identifiers: Your name, email, addresses and social media handles.
  2. Identity Attributes: Information about you, including educational degrees and employment history.
  3. Reputation: Your online persona, contributions, affiliations and followings.
  4. Digital Collectibles & Assets: Anything you own in digital form, commonly non-fungible tokens.

Always professional

Be mindful to consistently adhere to professional standards whenever communicating electronically, ever aware that text and images posted can remain forever, whether intended for public consumption or personal texts and emails. Be vigilant and safeguard your reputation; avoid committing to writing your uncensored thoughts about potentially sensitive political or religious topics. It may, as well, be wise to avoid expressing your positions on current events. You don’t want to worry about being compromised by a leak and ending up being canceled and in need of expensive and rarely completely effective crisis or reputation management services.

Social media listening and digital presence

It’s important to know what appears in an online search of yourself and it’s a smart idea to periodically consult the major search engines—Google, Bing, AOL, Yahoo and also Yelp, Yellow Pages, or other industry-specific ranking sites that would apply to your entity—and search your name and your business entity to examine the results and assess the quality and reach of your digital presence. To avoid or correct misinformation, take control by claiming and updating an existing listing and, if you like, create a listing for your entity if none appears. Furthermore, make it a practice to regularly conduct a social media audit on yourself, so you can remove problematic content before prospects and competitors see it.

You may also be well-served by investing in a social media listening campaign, a marketing strategy that refers to researching whether positive or negative conversations regarding you, your entity, products and/or services currently appear in social media and other online platforms. Social media listening monitors online channels to detect mentions of your brand, competitive brands and related keywords.

The use of (paid) social media listening tools enables you to gain an accurate understanding of how customers and prospects feel about your products, services and company by discovering what they say on social media channels. Through social listening, you can track all mentions of your brand on social media in real-time and get not only valuable insights into how customers feel about your products or services, but also verify what their pain points are and learn what they’d like to see from you in the future. Social media listening is also an excellent source of competitive intel, as it can monitor competitive brands, trending content and sentiment analysis on topics related to your industry to obtain a comprehensive understanding of what customers and prospects think about your competition.

Social media listening has become a major marketing strategy at national and global brands. It was originally thought that marketers at smaller businesses would not benefit from the practice, mostly because the cost wouldn’t justify the ROI. Yet over the past few years, social media listening is now considered essential and an increasing number of mid-size and small business owners and marketers recognize its value. The biggest motivators are likely greater affordability offered by marketing companies and the explosive growth of online customer engagement fueled by the pandemic shutdown. social media listening data can be used to inform everything from marketing and product strategy to customer service and support, helping you make smarter, data-driven decisions that will have a positive impact on your business’s bottom line. To learn more about social media listening services click: https://www.webfx.com/blog/social-media/social-listening-tools/#:~:text=7%20best%20social%20listening%20tools%20in%202024%201,5.%20Mention%206%206.%20BuzzSumo%207%207.%20Keyhole.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: ©The Bettman Archive. Gloria Swanson (center) as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard (1950). Co-written and directed by Billy Wilder, the film received three Academy Awards, including Best Screenplay/Story.

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On Avoiding A Cash-Flow Crisis

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On any given day, a Freelancer or small business owner might find him/herself in the suffocating grip of a possibly game-changing marketplace challenge. Anything from flood-producing rains to a wily competitor can cause customers to vanish and profit margins to shrink. It’s a nightmare scenario and, obviously, you must do whatever possible to avoid the problem. Stepping up your marketing with a clever campaign and catchy message, to nurture customer relationships and promote your brand, may be an effective response but be aware that money has a role that goes beyond the well known advantage of being a defense against disaster. 

An effective defensive strategy is about more than simply having enough money to outrun your problem. The key to handling money is to treat it as an asset and take steps to manage your cash by following its flow through your business. Do that by studying your sales revenues and accounts receivables, that is, money that flows into your business and also your accounts payable, meaning, the money spent on business expenses such as rent, utilities, payroll and inventory. 

The benefits of vigilant cash-flow management practices are not to be underestimated. According to 2023 data produced by Minneapolis, MN based U.S. Bank, poor cash management and insufficient cash-flow are implicated in 82% of business failures. Poor cash-flow shows its teeth in several ways, including:

  • Cash-flow gaps A cash-flow gap is a frightening emergency that occurs when a business pays expenses, for example, inventory or supplies, but does not receive the expected inflow of money within a reasonable time-frame. A shortfall is a warning that the business needs more cash, in a hurry. Maybe you’re waiting for a customer or two to pay invoices? Consistently expanding cash-flow gaps undermine working capital that can leave your business strapped financially, potentially putting it in a dangerous position if not addressed.
  • Managing seasonal revenue fluctuations  Seasonal businesses frequently face significant cash-flow challenges. A typical example is that of restaurants that operate in summer resort locations. During the peak season of Memorial Day (last week in May) through Labor Day (first week in September), these restaurants welcome an endless stream of customers, who pack the premises and overwhelm staff. Revenues are robust while the peak season lasts but in the off-season, greatly diminished revenues can trigger cash-flow gaps that cause the business struggle to maintain financial stability.
  • Opportunities beyond reach Expecting the unexpected, being agile and ready to act, is among the most valuable leadership qualities of a business owner, whether it’s the owner of a neighborhood dry cleaner to the CEO of a multi-national conglomerate. A business needs to be in a strong financial position to take advantage of interesting opportunities as they arise, whether that’s buying out a competitor, opening a new location, or launching a new product—the ability to act quickly usually makes all the difference. Without sufficient available cash, your growth and expansion plans will be hobbled, causing you to miss the boat on potentially lucrative opportunities.

Loans and credit cards are not the only options

When looking to resolve a cash shortfall, many business owners think of contacting their bank to discuss options for a business loan or credit card. Your business banker is there to support you in many ways but finding a solution to your cash crunch might more logically begin with your bookkeeper or accountant. S/he may not warm to the idea of you taking on debt associated with a loan or an increased line of credit; s/he may be more inclined to recommend that you become more vigilant about your entity’s cash management and make a modest investment in a cash management software package instead.

The power of cash management: cash-flow and forecasting

The purpose of cash management is to ensure that your business is able to pay expenses (accounts payable). Cash-flow management tracks how much money enters the business bank account—e.g., through sales revenue, accounts receivable payments, interest from investments—and leaves the business bank account for accounts payable. Cash management procedures position your business to both monitor expenses (and minimize or eliminate unnecessary expenses), make prudent financial decisions and, hallelujah, create and maintain a healthy cash reserve that will insulate your business from the financial instability. You’ll get your financial house in order and attain the means to pursue business opportunities that can further enhance financial stability.

Cash management software works by shining a light on money problems so that you can take corrective action in a hurry. Cash management software enables the user (you and/or your bookkeeper) to quickly and accurately monitor, analyze and pinpoint cash-flow problems. So, persistently late payments of customer invoices that cripple business cash-flow will be brought to your attention and signal that steps to speed up accounts receivables should be taken. Other cash-flow optimization benefits will likewise be made clear from the data that emerges from your cash management software, including the ability to accurately determine the amount of cash needed to cover accounts payable obligations and create a reasonable forecast of your entity’s future financial health.

Good cash management software will also have cash-flow forecasting capabilities to help you manage cash in the future, by creating “what-if” scenarios that let you evaluate various potential outcomes simultaneously. You’ll also be able to calculate expenses and ensure there is enough incoming cash to pay up. The best cash-flow management software will also have cash-flow forecasting capabilities to help you manage cash in the future and make the future of your business entity bright. Click link to learn how you can get started. https://www.trustradius.com/cash-flow-management

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: Mother Counting Money, by Johann Georg Mayer von Bremen (Germany, 1813-1886)

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Building a Referral Partnership

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Now that you’ve got your business up and running, beating the odds and experiencing some success—congratulations!— ambition may bring thoughts of growing your entity. It’s natural that you’ll want to realize the dream that drove you to launch a business. You’ll wonder how you might continue to grow your customer base and revenue and become a force in your marketplace.

You’re dreaming big but you’re also pragmatic; you’d prefer to attain growth without taking on onerous debt or committing to some other risky strategy. Your choice of strategies may be limited but there is at least one that, over time, has the potential to deliver the growth you’d like to see without putting a dent in your budget. Your ideal growth strategy could be a referral partnership.

A referral partnership is an agreement in which business entities refer customers to one another. A well-chosen and consistently executed referral partnership agreement can become an important element of a business growth strategy and enable the participating businesses to reach new markets and access new customers to whom they can introduce their respective brands as they book additional revenue. While the reciprocal benefits of referred customers is the foundation of the agreement, in some instances a bonus might be paid for referrals that result in a sale or billable hours. Negotiating an agreement that is considered advantageous to the parties is crucial to building a successful and sustainable referral partnership agreement.

The principal building block of a successful referral partnership is your list of potential partners whose customers can be reasonably expected to become your customers as well, as your own customers can likewise be recommended to your referral partner’s business as a potential customer. The viability of a referral partnership rests on what you and your partner can offer one another.

When you think of business colleagues, or even your customers, whose product and/or service line complements, but does not compete with, your offerings you can create a short list of potential candidates and discuss the possibility of creating a referral partnership. There are other factors to consider when selecting those you’d like to discuss a referral partnership, as you might expect, including identifying a potential partner who shares your values and whose customers can be expected to have the motivation to do business with you and vice versa.

Once you have selected a partner, it is important to develop a clear plan for how the referral partnership will work and expectations for its performance. It should also outline the roles and responsibilities of each party.

Building blocks of a sustainable referral partnership

  • Trust

Trust is a core aspect of finding the right fit in a business partner, and evaluating trustworthiness often comes down to conversations, track record and intuition. This is why it’s essential to take the time to have those pivotal discussions around vision, values, professional and personal background. Sadly, the business relationship you went into with such high hopes and visions of the money the parties will make is closer to fantasy than reality. In fact, some 50 to 80% of partnerships fail in the first few years. Before you finalize a deal, build a strong foundation of mutual respect and trust with your referral partner to increase your chances of success.

  • Similar values

To create a beneficial small business partnership, there needs to be common ground. For this reason, it’s important to ensure your prospective partner shares business goals and values that are aligned with yours. This goes beyond the desire to simply make a profit — it means confirming that you share similar core values that guide how you conduct business.

  • Define roles and responsibilities

Although there’s no legal requirement for a written contract that details the terms of a referral partnership agreement, getting things on paper will help participants to establish accountability, avoid miscommunication and defuse the potential for conflict that might arise from an underwhelming outcome, for example. Your referral partnership document can summarize the expected duties that participants will undertake to promote, whenever appropriate, selected products and services of a referral partner. A written agreement demonstrates that each participant is satisfied with the terms, in particular the amount of work that must be done to generate viable referrals. The terms and conditions of your referral partnership agreement might reasonably include:

  • Describe the responsibilities and expectations of participating companies (owners and staff)
  • Define what constitutes a referral
  • When referral bonuses (if applicable) will be paid and the amount paid per referral
  • Length of the partnership
  • Results that define success or failure
  • Timeline for assessing initial results and for declaring the partnership a success or failure
  • How the partnership can be terminated

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Everett Collection, photo by Conrad Hall (1970 Academy Award Best Cinematography) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) starred Robert Redford (L) as the Sundance Kid and Paul Newman as his partner in crime Butch Cassidy. The film was nominated for Best Director and Best Picture at the Academy Awards and won four Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography.

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8 Hacks to Make 2024 Your Best Year!

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At the top of the year many of you—working or retired, seniors or teens, traditionally employed or self-employed— will develop a list of goals you’d like to pursue and achieve over the next 12 months. You know that identifying a purpose that inspires, motivates and gives direction to your professional or personal life makes you feel confident and is a cornerstone of how you define success.

To get started on your annual plans, dedicate a block of time and use it to make an objective assessment of where you are now and where you’d like to be at this time next year. Commit to writing the rough draft of your emerging goals and begin to flesh out the proposed actions and time lines to carry them out, whether you scribble on the back of an envelope or record your ideas on a white board at a company meeting. You’ll find it useful to include monthly or quarterly milestones as a way to document your progress and perhaps make adjustments as you observe the impact of your action plans on the strategies you’ve developed.

Below are a list of hacks (the good kind!) that I hope will nudge you in the right direction and serve as a general road map for your 2024 annual plans.

1. 5:00 AM wake-up

In the cold, dark winter even those who love early morning can struggle to greet the day before sunrise but you’ll soon learn that the sacrifice will be quickly immediately rewarded with a noticeable spike in productivity that will encourage you to maintain the habit. Here’s the earlier riser secret—as the days gradually get longer and brighter throughout late February and early March, set your alarm to wake up 30 minutes earlier than usual. Every week or two, change the wake-up call to half an hour earlier until you’re waking up at 5:00 AM. Whether you prefer to start the day with a mug of hot tea and a review of email or with exercise, you’ll be off to the races and you’ll win every time.

2. Define your success

Goals help you focus your time and energy and it’s wise to spend adequate time determining the business results you’d like to achieve, followed by creating strategies, action plans and a timetable that serve as the engine to move your plans forward. It’s useful to revisit the previous year’s goals and objectives as you define what success could look like in 2024—you can perhaps build on previous successes or modify that which remains relevant but could benefit from a re-calibration. Your challenge will be to identify reasonable, ambitious, achievable goals for your company and to understand the purpose, impact and ROI of each goal. Finally, you’ll need objective measures for determining success and experts agree that SMART goals are still the best—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely.

3. Follow the money

To properly manage your business you must understand its financial metrics and heed what those metrics indicate. You don’t have to be an accountant to understand the numbers, but I’ve found that my best and most profitable clients know their numbers. They monitor sales revenue weekly or monthly; they analyze cash-flow reports weekly or monthly; they calculate costs associated with client acquisition; they determine profit margins for their products and/or services and price accordingly. Furthermore, those who operate a service business will calculate the hours devoted to billable and non-billable work that’s performed each week or month. It will also be a good time to reconfirm or reconfigure the metrics, i.e. the KPIs, that will most accurately reflect the performance of any new goals or other initiatives you’ll put into place this year.

4. Nurture client relationships

Clients are the lifeblood of your business and it is obvious that cultivating and nurturing client relationships is of utmost importance. Video meetings, telephone calls and emails are the easiest contact methods available and each has a place in a comprehensive client outreach strategy; however, the most impactful relationship-building activity is a face2face visit. There is nothing like the warm and friendly rush of a big smile and a handshake. You may have had innumerable phone conversations with a client or prospect, and a video call or two as well, but can you say you’ve met him/her until you’ve met and talked in real time? You may find that you develop deeper and longer-term relationships when you meet people face to face.

Online meetings absolutely serve a purpose, but humans (and animals) respond most intensely to physical contact. That psychological fact should give you the motivation needed to attend business and professional association meetings, drop into networking events, or simply invite a client or serious prospect to meet for lunch or coffee.

5. Skills development

Ensure that you have the wherewithal to evaluate and, where appropriate, utilize resources offered by emerging technologies and leadership practices that will benefit your business. You can pay to take professional development courses and/or attend conferences but if keeping costs low is a priority, you have other means to keep your skills current.

For starters, make it a ritual to peruse at least weekly the business section of your local newspaper, so that you’ll obtain information that pertains to your local marketplace. Read also at least one national business-themed publication to keep yourself apprised of national trends and happenings that might eventually impact how you do business or influence how your clients might respond to your products and services.

In addition, promise yourself to read at least two business books in 2024. Improve your understanding of financial management and how that knowledge can be applied to grow your business when you read Financial Intelligence (Karen Berman, Joe Knight & John Case, 2006) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/financial-intelligence-revised-edition-karen-berman/1110913346 . You’ll thank yourself for reading Good Charts: The Harvard Business Review Guide to Data Visualization (Scott Berinato, 2016) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/good-charts-scott-berinato/1122655992 when you learn how to design and present charts and graphs that enhance your next client meeting or speaking engagement. Last, here’s an international list of 25 top-rated consulting themed podcasts for your edification https://podcasts.feedspot.com/consulting_business_podcasts/.

6. Exercise

Numerous studies demonstrate that regular vigorous exercise contributes to a healthy body, greater energy and stamina and sharper cognitive skills. You might play a sport and make a date to play once or twice a week and visit the gym on other days. Or, you might swim, bike or run twice a week and lift weights once or twice each week. If the weather interferes with outdoor workouts, you can always find an online class. The point is to exercise regularly. Early morning workouts are an unbeatable way to wake up and get your energy and creativity flowing. Since you’ll wake up at 5:00 AM, why not start your workout of choice at 6:00 AM?

7. Embrace AI

Exploring how to most efficiently use Artificial Intelligence will probably dominate the technology strategy of most of you this year. You may get some insight from the marketing automation and bookkeeping/ accounting software that you use. Expect a continued rollout of AI tools that will save you time and help business productivity. You will be wise to devote a significant amount of time researching and staying up to speed on these very fast-moving developments. Keep an eye on Microsoft, they are in the lead.

8. Strategize growth with your accountant

Your accountant is uniquely qualified to counsel you on ways to promote the stability and profitability of your business entity. All you have to do is ask. Moreover, if you’re percolating an idea of making any major capital investments, or if you envision growth and expansion as goals you’d like to kick-off in the next 12-18 months, a face2face talk with your accountant is your first step. Make it a tradition to meet twice a year with your financial guiding light; May and September seem like good months for a money talk.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: ©️ Getty Images. Jennifer Capriati won the women’s singles title at Roland Garros/ French Open in 2001

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Confronting the Competition—Do You Scrutinize Or Ignore?

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Business owners and leaders expect that competition will be a factor in their marketplace. The most successful among them have learned to not fear competition but instead recognize the hide-in-plain-sight gift that competition reveals—we can make money here! In fact, experienced business owners can even rely on the presence of competitors to help them discover a potentially lucrative customer segment for their line of products and services. But the question remains—when confronting the competition, what course of action would a smart business owner be wise to follow? Does it make more sense to closely monitor the activities of key business rivals or is it smarter to be a contrarian and take scant notice of competitors’ activities?

No matter how you choose to look at it, you will look— competition demands your attention. Even declining to closely follow and respond to competitors is an action that requires both thought and decision-making. Some people say that competition will bring out either your best or your worse. Whether you go head-2-head with an ambitious competitor or avoid a showdown and decide to play to your strengths instead, competition will test your mettle. Information—your company’s Key Performance Indicators, the results of customer surveys, industry sales trends and even the appearance of a social media meme that somehow influences your marketplace—is your best ammunition but how you use that resource is your decision. Let’s look at both possible responses.

The benefits of monitoring the competition

  • You may need to stay on top of things When you plan to carry out a mission-critical initiative—expanding into a niche market or launching a new product or service, for instance—then any key moves made by either direct or indirect competitors will be of keen interest to you. Your launch timetable may need to be adjusted, for example. When there’s a lot on the line, it is imperative that you closely follow all significant competitors, so that you’ll be apprised of any activity that might impact your strategy. Take steps to gather the intel that will allow you to respond decisively to an unexpected challenge.
  • Identify key competitors Conduct enough research to determine your top four or five competitors. Visit their website and social media sites to learn how they communicate with customers and also to refine your thoughts about your organization’s ideal customer. You can also get insight into the depth of customer loyalty, the power of the customer experience they offer and the strength of their brand—all qualities that you may want to incorporate, or avoid, at your company. Keeping an eye on certain competitors can make doing business better for you.
  • Learn from competitors’ mistakes Even if your product or service is poised to rock the marketplace, it’s a good idea to remain humble and prepare for what might go wrong. Business history is filled with examples of products that were expected to become The Next Big Thing and instead, they tanked. Allow yourself to learn from the failures and successes of others (check out competitors that have something in common with your own entity, rather than a multinational). It would be a useful exercise to discover the keywords that propelled them to the top of an internet search (Google Alerts is a great tool for keeping on top of this) and the content they post that attracts sizeable traffic and shares?

Don’t stress out over the competition

It’s often a given that a business owners and Freelancers will to some extent follow the activities of one or more direct and/or indirect competitors. It’s usually considered good business to be somewhat familiar with the solutions that your prospects may have used to resolve their challenges and achieve objectives. With that competitive info in mind, you can create realistic and more effective talking points that can win new customers.

Still, close monitoring of your competition can potentially become too much of a good thing; the strategy may at some point result in diminishing returns. It’s useful to cultivate a certain awareness of what leading competitors are doing and who their clients are but ultimately, the type of products and services you provide, your method of delivering those products and services and the customer service and experience that your company presents are the value that personifies your brand and attracts loyal customers. When your response to the competitive landscape guides you to have confidence in your company’s vision and mission and perfect the delivery of what your customers value, you’ll always be positioned to rule the day. Find inspiration in the pointers below.

  • Optimize use of resources Obsessively researching and tracking competitors requires time and energy that may not produce a convincing return on investment. It is prudent to direct valuable (and often limited) resources to factors and events that you can control, rather than attempting to influence that which is beyond reach—that is, the behavior of your competitors. You may discover that adapting your products and/or services to better anticipate and meet the evolving preferences and priorities of your customers and prospects. As well, seek ways to improve your customer service protocols as you enhance your customer experience.
  • Focus on customers not competitors The majority of your marketing focus should be on your target customer groups. Conduct demographic and purchasing history research to update your basic customer knowledge and use the intel to ensure that your marketing tells the story that resonates with customers and prospects because it addresses what they value, want (or will want) and what they’ll pay to have it. Moreover, researching your target customers inadvertently reveals a lot about competitors and what it takes to stay ahead of them.

Taking a balanced approach

As with so much that we do in life, finding the middle ground and achieving balance proves to be the most pragmatic and successful approach. When you remember what is most important you can then set your priorities, direct your resources and become more efficient and successful when managing your business.

  • Your Brand Is Your Competitive Advantage Monitoring the competition should be the second priority behind promoting your brand and delivering what customers value. For service businesses, brand reputation and positive word-of-mouth are among the most powerful competitive advantages. That’s what drives referrals, good reviews and leads to more sales revenue. That’s what you want!
  • Competitive Intel Analyzing competitor’s is the core of competitive intelligence. While 99 % of your business’s day-to-day should be delegated on your own core business development, monthly or quarterly competitive intelligence sessions might be allotted to investigating what your significant competitors are doing. It will be your choice to either respond in kind, or emphasize your corresponding strengths and attempt to prevail that way.
  • Google Alerts You’ll cast a wide net and achieve operational efficiency in your competitive intel research when you automate the process and let the results come to you—and that means setting up Google Alerts as a component of your quest to monitor competitors. Set up by industry keywords, competitors’ names and business names or branded product or service and let Google serves up nearly all the info you’ll need. In the meantime, you can focus most of your time on nurturing and promoting your brand in ways drive home the core mission and positioning.
  • Segment Your Time 80/20 One way to keep the time you spend on each of these essential business functions that teach you how to better regard both customers and competitors is to recognize that once again, The 80/20 Rule, formally known as the Pareto Principle and developed in 1896, will guide the division of your attention and resources. From a pragmatic perspective, it will make sense to spend 80 % of your time working on expanding your brand and enhancing other aspects of your business—operational, financial, marketing, tech—and 20 % of your time researching competitors. Developing goals and an action plan for competitive intel could be very useful and will encourage you to focus and streamline your research efforts.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Cary Chu Photography. Jousters at King Richards Faire in Carver, MA September 17. 2023

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New Regulations Will Impact SMBs in 2024

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As if figuring out how to make a decent profit in 2024 won’t be enough to tie your stomach in knots, the federal government has arranged for the New Year to bring a passel of new regulations for Freelancers and small business owners to grapple with. While it’s true that business and labor regulations are created to promote fair, ethical and legal conduct and working conditions, what it takes to comply can sometimes place a burden on Freelancers and small business owners, who may struggle with the required paperwork, the costs of implementation and, always, the threat of penalties for missing a deadline or failing to comply. But cheer up, my friend, because one of the new rules will give you a spoonful of sugar (thank goodness!). Here’s the who, what, when and why of it all, coming your way.

Corporate transparency

As of January 1, 2024, most small businesses will be required to file a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) report with the federal government under the Corporate Transparency Act. The act is intended to increase transparency regarding business ownership and help law enforcement officials discourage the use of shell companies for money laundering, terrorism, fraud, or other illegal activities.

Under the CTA, new and existing businesses that meet the definition of a reporting company must file a BOI Report with the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). The report provides information about the identities of the beneficial owners of the business, that is, those who directly or indirectly exercise significant control over the business or own 25% or more of the business. Entities formed on or after January 1, 2024, must also provide “company applicant information” about individuals who file business formation or registration paperwork and will have until January 1, 2025 to file the initial beneficial ownership.

Unless your entity is exempt, all corporations, limited liability companies and other reporting companies must provide the Treasury Department (FinCEN) with info about the beneficial owners, meaning, a list of those who either own or control the company. New businesses are also required to provide info about who prepared and filed the business formation documents. Reporting companies could face civil and criminal penalties if they don’t file the report. While the CTA may seem as if it applies to big corporations, the rule primarily impacts small businesses, including LLCs and S Corps with just one or two owners.

Domestic reporting companies are corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships and other business entities created by filing documents with the secretary of state or similar office, or with a Native American tribe. Foreign reporting companies are businesses formed in a foreign country that have registered to do business in any U.S. state or Native American tribe. A sole proprietorship or informal business partnership is not considered a reporting company and will not have any reporting requirements under the CTA. LLCs, corporations and limited partnerships must file beneficial owner information unless they fall within one of the 23 exemptions listed in the act. Most exemptions apply to larger companies and specific regulated industries, so small businesses and Freelancers who operate as a C Corp, S Corp, LLC, or limited partnership will likely need to file a BOI Report.

Small business loans

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Small Business Lending Rule would require affiliated financial institutions to collect and report data on small business loan applications, including applications from minority-owned and women-owned small businesses. The rule would also create the first comprehensive database of small business credit applications in the United States.

The goal is to create a database similar to what the mortgage industry has. Per the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975, banks collect data from residential mortgage applicants that includes geography, race, whether or not the loan was approved and at what interest rate. HMDA data is used by regulators and the public to look for possible signs of mortgage lenders discriminating against borrowers (redlining).

It’s often difficult for small businesses to obtain a loan because there may be scant profit made or an insufficient track record to assure banks of the owner’s ability to repay the loan on schedule. Women and minority-owned businesses especially find it difficult to obtain loans to grow their ventures. To encourage more transparency and equity around business loans, the CFPB in 2023 said it would require banks to begin reporting the demographics and income of small business loan applicants in 2024.

In rebuttal, some small business advocacy organizations claim that CFPB requirements will slow down the loan process and make it still more difficult for small businesses to obtain loans, not easier. Karen Kerrigan, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council President and CEO, says the proposed regulations will “bury small businesses and financial institutions with costly and time-consuming paperwork, expose small-business borrowers and lenders to increased litigation and privacy risks, drive more small banks out of business and limit competition in the financial lending space”.

On October 26, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued a nationwide injunction prohibiting the CFPB from implementing or enforcing its Small Business Lending Rule, the CFPB has stayed deadlines for compliance with the small business lending rule for the moment. The U.S. Supreme Court may take up the matter, so those of you in search of a business loan may want to follow this issue.

National Labor Relations Board joint-employer rule

Also in October 2023, the National Labor Relations Board issued a revised joint employer rule, expanding the definition of “joint employer.” This means that two companies that are both responsible for some decisions about employees—such as a franchisor (entity that holds the trademark and grants license to use the corporate name) and franchisee (owner/operator of one or more individual franchise locations)—can both be held liable for unfair labor practices and the rule goes beyond franchises.

Backstory: in 2019, a group of 1,400 McDonald’s workers filed a lawsuit alleging that their employers had violated California Labor Code wage-and-hour regulations by denying them overtime pay and meal and rest breaks and also forced them to work off the clock. Furthermore, the suit alleged that as “joint employers,” both the Haynes Corporation, the franchisee that owned eight locations in Oakland and San Leandro, and the franchisor, McDonald’s, were responsible. Although the employees and Haynes reached a class-wide settlement, the court ruled that McDonald’s was not responsible, since it isn’t involved in “day-to-day operations” of the restaurants, despite them carrying the McDonald’s name. But on October 26, 2023, the NLRB issued a clarification of the joint employer rule, deciding that both franchisors and franchisees can be held liable for unfair labor practices and labor law can no longer insulate corporate franchisors from liability for what goes on at individual franchise locations.

Unions and workers’ groups say the new rule will benefit and help protect workers, but restaurant associations and other small business advocacy groups say it’s unfairly burdensome to owners. The rule was scheduled to go into effect on December 26, 2023 but pending Congressional and legal challenges, the NLRB extended the effective date of the new joint-employer rule to February 26, 2024.

Wages and overtime

Maybe you own a seasonal business and hire minimum wage employees to keep things going during the busy season? If so, you already know that hourly wages are rising and in fact, more than 20 states will have minimum wage increases in 2024, including Nebraska’s minimum wage increase of $1.50 to $12/hour on January 1, 2024, and Rhode Island’s increase of $1 to $14/hour.

There could be still more action on wages coming soon—in August 2023, the Department of Labor proposed a rule that would allow 3.6 million more workers to become eligible to receive overtime pay. The proposed regulation would require employers to pay overtime to salaried workers who are in executive, administrative and professional roles and earn less than $1,059 a week, $55,068 /year, as full-time employees. That annual salary threshold was increased from $35,568.

Karen Kerrigan, President and CEO of the SBE Council (and who also opposed collecting demographic info on small business loan applicants, as discussed above) said she expects that when the final rule is handed down it will face legal challenges, since raising the minimum wage would have a big impact on many businesses. The Labor Department may issue the final rule sometime in 2024. Kerrigan said, “That’s going to have a lot of disruption for small businesses in terms of cost, but also the models they may use in their workplace in terms of career growth models, compensation models, etc.”

$600 online payments reprieve

I’ve saved the best for last! In November 2023, the Internal Revenue Service for the second time delayed activating the requirement that payments of $600 or more for goods and/or services provided by you and sent to you via Third-Party Settlement Organizations, e.g. payment apps like Venmo and Zelle or online marketplaces like Amazon or Etsy, must be reported on IRS Form 1099-K as taxable income. The requirement was scheduled to go live in tax year 2023.

Instead, the IRS has instituted a threshold of $5,000 for tax year 2024 that will introduce a phase-in of what will eventually include the Form 1099-K $600 reporting trigger for TPSO payments received. The IRS in November 2023 said that in tax year 2023, 1099-K reporting will continue to be required only of Freelancers and others who received $20,000 or more in annual gross TPSO payments for 200 or more sales transactions in that year. Beginning in tax year 2024, the TPSO annual gross payments threshold for Form 1099-K reporting will be lowered to $5,000. 

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Update: In response to a suit brought by the National Small Business Association against the Treasury Department, the U.S. Federal District Court for the District of Alabama ruled on March 1, 2024 that the Corporate Transparency Act is unconstitutional. Presiding Judge Liles Burke granted the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment and issued a permanent injunction after finding that the CTA “exceed[ed] the Constitution’s limits on the legislative branch and lacks a sufficient nexus to any enumerated power to be a necessary or proper means of achieving Congress’ policy goals.” The ruling was handed down only two months after the CTA went into effect on January 1, 2024 and an appeal by the Biden administration is expected.

Image: © (Getty Images) James Stewart (R), as a caring community activist, points at Lionel Barrymore (L), a “greed is good” style real estate baron and banker, in a scene from It’s a Wonderful Life (1946, produced and directed by Frank Capra).

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First Up for 2024: Get A Tagline!

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As you brainstorm ways you might market your business in 2024—content you’ll produce, an updated list of keywords you’ll add to your website and social media, the panels, podcasts and webinars you’d like to appear on, the guerilla marketing campaign that might grow your customer list—you may eventually get the bright idea to create a tagline. A tagline, also known as a company slogan, may not receive priority status as you consider marketing strategies and tactics; however, you know that dozens of powerful taglines have figured prominently in the marketing campaigns of companies they represent, companies that billions of Americans and others have used for decades.

A clever and appealing tagline can become enormously popular and go on to play a role in popular culture, as it encourages current and prospective customers to use and refer the products or services it represents. Developing an effective tagline will strike a personal or even emotional chord in current and prospective customers that moves them to perceive your brand as more than just another provider of goods and services.

The tagline defined

So, what is a tagline? It’s a short, memorable phrase or sentence that sums up the essence of a company brand, products and/or services. A good tagline succinctly distills and communicates what the brand aspires to be known for and what differentiates it from competitors. It is influenced by the company vision and/or mission statement, as well as the value proposition and brand reputation but rather than presenting a lengthy and ponderous statement to describe the company, the tagline wraps those serious intentions in one brief and catchy phrase that keeps the company at top-of-mind mind for future buying decisions by reminding customers and prospects why they should choose to do business there.

A tagline can even become synonymous with the brand. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee elegantly captured the strength, athletic prowess and engaging personality of boxer Muhammed Ali (ne Cassius Clay, 1942-2016) and stands as a brilliant example of an ideal tagline.

What makes a good tagline?

A tagline can be a powerful marketing tool and although it will most likely take time to create the right one for your entity, it could be well worth the effort. It would be best to use your tagline to identify what your business does and highlight its benefits to current and prospective customers. Why not create a rough draft and keep the following in mind as you brainstorm possibilities?

  • Brief: Your tagline doesn’t need to cover every aspect of the business or explain your company values. It should be brief, unambiguous in describing the essence of the business, likeable and easy to remember.
  • Clear: Creativity makes your tagline unique, but you don’t want to be so creative that the intended audience misses the point. The wording must be clear, concise and immediately understood.
  • Memorable: Since the best taglines have but a few words, make every word count. Your tagline should be memorable for its creativity, uniqueness, or other positive aspect that inclines customers and prospects to remember and like it.
  • Reps the brand: The tagline should communicate the core of the brand identity. It should succinctly convey the brand image and voice, whether that’s upscale and formal or frugal and casual.
  • Customer-centric: While the tagline refers to the company, its focus should be on the customer and what the company can do for them, for example, save time and/or money, be trustworthy and dependable, give great service, or be convenient. “Have it your way.” (Burger King)
  • Relatable: A successful tagline has a personal appeal and speaks to the customer on an emotional level as it expresses the benefits of what the company’s products and/or services can do for them.

Short and simple

An effective tagline is direct and to the point, brief, uncomplicated, engaging and easily remembered. Aim to use no more than 10 words. A good tagline rolls off the tongue, is properly descriptive of the company’s purpose or benefits and is easy to remember. A useful way to test your tagline in development is to ask your friends, family or even new acquaintances and ask whether they understand what your company does and their overall impression of its message. “I ❤️NY” (Empire State Development Services)

Relevant to customers and prospects

The best taglines are about the customer, not about the company. A tagline focused on your company could possibly cause customers to wonder how it relates to them. By focusing on current and would-be customers, you’ll more effectively promote brand recognition and loyalty. Be sure to incorporate your company’s brand voice and persona. Avoid making promises in their tagline, which will put the focus on the company, and emphasize benefits instead. “Breakfast of champions” (Wheaties breakfast cereal)

Make your tagline match your brand

A tagline, like a logo, helps to define your brand. Ensure that the style, brand voice and other elements of your tagline match the style, voice and other aspects of your logo design. Because your tagline will be part of your overall branding, you’ll want the tagline to reflect your company’s personality. “Where’s the beef?” (Wendy’s)

Who’s your competition?

Knowing your competition is an important consideration of effective marketing. Study the marketing tactics used by your most prominent direct competitors and examine their taglines for both inspiration and to understand what not to do. Use the marketing of competitors to identify the elements of your company that differentiate it from the three or four who are closest. This could refer to the customer service, customer experience, and/or the comprehensiveness of your products and services (e.g., one-stop shopping) that differentiates and would be advantageous to convey in your tagline. Ensure your tagline sounds distinct from your competitors and larger brands around the country that your customers are likely to know as you communicate your competitive advantage and value proposition. “We try harder” (Avis Car Rental)

How you help customers

Think about how your company or products and services help your customers. How do your solutions solve or avoid problems, help achieve objectives, or make life easier and more enjoyable? Make a list of the ways you provide tangible and intangible benefits to customers, as well as any statements your business makes relating to them.

If your business is growing, consider your entire range of services or products. What value are you delivering to your customers? Think about what your products mean to people in their day-to-day lives, and list all the positive adjectives you can think of that relate to the core promise. “It keeps going and going and going…” (Energizer batteries)

Positive vibe

A considerable body of research shows that negative statements generally don’t sell well, whereas positive messages are conducive to brand building over the long term. Because taglines reflect the brand over time, keep your tagline positive and focused on benefits that customers seek out, depend on and appreciate. Avoid a vague reference to the good things that your company provides and make it unabashedly specific, descriptive of what drives your customers do business with you. “Yes we can” (2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign)

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Survey: Freelancing in America 2023

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Upwork, the global marketplace that connects businesses in need of capable and reliable Freelance professionals and talented independent workers who are looking to generate billable hours, has just released the results of “Freelance Forward: 2023,” the 10th annual comprehensive study of the U.S. independent workforce. The study found that 64 million Americans participated in Freelance work during the past year, adding 4 million more self-employed workers over 2022. Freelance workers now comprise 38% of the nation’s workforce and contributed nearly $1.27 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2023.

Highly skilled professionals

Most Freelancers perform highly skilled professional work. Nearly half (47%) work in the knowledge economy and provide B2B services such as computer programming, marketing, IT, graphic arts and business consulting. Another 23% of Freelancers create influencer and other marketing content that fuels livestreams, social media videos and images, blogs and newsletters. 

Freelancers are also at the forefront of embracing new technologies. When asked about generative Artificial Intelligence use in the past three months, Freelancers were 2.2 times more than traditionally employed workers to say that they frequently use generative AI tools. In total, 20%, approximately 12.8 million Freelancers, use generative AI tools regularly (multiple times per week), compared to just 9% of traditionally employed professionals. When asked the functions for which Freelancers use generative AI, research (46%), brainstorming and ideation (35%), translation (33%), proposal writing (32%) and coding (28%) ranked at the top. 

Why we Freelance

Results of Freelance Forward studies produced over the the study’s 10 year history show that respondents enter Freelancing for various reasons, but flexibility and control consistently emerge as prime motivators. Beyond earning a living, when asked about reasons for Freelancing, “to have flexibility in my schedule,” “to be in control of my own financial future” and “to work from the location of my choosing” top the list. This is mainly because unlike traditional employees, whose work schedules are largely imposed by the company, Freelancers are our own bosses. We determine when, where and for whom we will work and therefore, we are able to control our schedules and lives.

The evidence of this freedom is apparent in where Freelancers perform our work. Although return-to-office mandates have brought many professionals back to their cubicle, the majority of Freelancers work from home, at a co-working space, or in another location of their choosing. In fact, 60% of Freelancers work remotely, as compared to just 32% of traditionally employed professionals who work remotely. Furthermore, Freelancers also choose the hours and amount of work they’ll do at a given time. While 77% of Freelancers say they work consistently, they do so based on a schedule that best suits their lifestyles.

The future is Freelance

Freelancing continues to grow as a viable career choice for professionals and according to survey participants, the future of Freelancing remains bright. To understand the future of Freelancing, survey respondents were asked to assess their feelings of optimism, or pessimism, ahead of 2024. Overwhelmingly, Freelancers are optimistic about prospects for their professional growth (80%), personal income and revenue increases (76%), opportunities to earn billable hours (74%) and personal development (84%). When asked about the future, 85% of Freelancers say the best days for Freelancing are ahead. Key findings of Freelance Forward 2023 include:

  • Freelancing remains a significant part of the U.S. labor market and economy: Freelancers contributed $1.27 trillion in annual earnings to the U.S. economy in 2023. This was a 78% increase from the estimated $715 billion contributed to the economy in 2014, the first year of Freelance Forward.
  • Freelancing hits a new all-time high: The number of professionals Freelancing increased to 64 million Americans, or 38% of the U.S workforce, an increase of 4 million from 2022.
  • Freelancers are 2.2 times more likely to regularly use generative AI frequently in their work: 20% of Freelancers use generative AI tools on a regular basis (multiple times per week), which compares to just 9% of traditionally employed professionals.
  • Nearly half of Freelancers provide skilled knowledge services: 47% of all Freelancers, or nearly 30 million professionals, provided knowledge services such as computer programming, marketing, IT, and business consulting in 2023.
  • A quarter of Freelancers are creating influencer-style content: 23% of all Freelancers, or 14.7 million professionals, created influencer content including livestream services, social media videos, images or blogs in 2023.
  • Generation Z and Millennials are the most likely to explore Freelancing: In 2023, 52% of all Gen Z professionals and 44% of all Millennial professionals performed Freelance work.
  • Older Americans continue to be part of the Freelance market: In 2023, nearly 8.3 million professionals, or 13% of all U.S. Freelancers, were aged 59 or above.
  • The future is bright, according to Freelancers: Over 85% of Freelancers say the best days are ahead for Freelancing.

Happy New Year and thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: Frontal Lobe Coworking, located in the Nationally Registered historic downtown of Howell, MI, opened in 2013 with the intention of attracting workers to a shared office space while also utilizing empty downtown buildings.

Business Strategy , Leave a comment

Think, Plan, Do: How to Think and Act Strategically

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By now, I’m certain you’ve figured out that life is a game of chance that’s impacted by luck (good or bad) and planning (strategy or happenstance). You cannot really “make your own luck” (only lucky people think you can), but by thinking strategically and implementing your strategies, you’ll be able to influence certain variables that may tip the outcome in your favor.

Strategic thinking is an essential skill that promotes success both in the business world and in your personal life. Business owners and leaders rely on strategic thinking to make informed decisions and plan for the future, to promote innovation, respond to changes in the marketplace and recognize good opportunities. Strategic thinking depends on reliable information that you’ll analyze to identify the potential outcomes of a decision and ensure that decisions align with your company’s long-term goals. Strategic thinking can begin when you address three basic questions:

  • Where are you now in terms of achieving your preferred outcome (the goal, success)?
  • Where do you want to be (the preferred outcome)?
  • What actions will you take to bring about your preferred outcome?

Rich Horwath, author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller Strategic: The Skill to Set Direction, Create Advantage and Achieve Executive Excellence (November 2023) and founder and CEO of the Strategic Thinking Institute, a strategy workshop facilitator where he is an executive coach and strategic advisor, defines strategic thinking as the ability to Think, Plan and Do. Horwath believes that strategic thinking leads to insights that allow us to recognize or create competitive advantages that lead to success. His coaching experience has shown him that strategic thinking can be learned, that we can assess our own strategic fitness level and apply the skill to create value for the business.

Acumen

Howath points to acumen, the way you think, as the basis of strategic thinking, along with context awareness, insight and innovation. Acumen gives you the ability to size up a situation, see the big picture and generate new ideas that move the organization from its current state to your preferred future. The components he assigns to acumen work in tandem and are what separate strategic thinkers from the rest:

  • Context awareness—informs your vision of the big picture and reflects your understanding of both your internal situation (culture, purpose, processes, guiding principles) and external situation (market trends, customer behavior, competitive landscape, business conditions). This awareness and perception informs your choices to allocate the resources you’ll use as your pursue your goals.
  • Insight —the ability to learn and draw conclusions, however preliminary, from current conditions and past experiences. This requires curiosity and an exploratory mindset. A key trait of strategic thinkers is their discipline to continuously record, categorize, share and reflect on insights.
  • Innovation —can occur when you focus your awareness and insights to create new value. It typically generated by the brainstorming or problem-solving involved in overcoming a challenge or obstacle.

To evaluate your acumen, ask yourself:

  • Do I regularly assess my business’s current situation, both from both the internal and external perspectives?
  • Do I share valuable insights with my team?
  • When problem-solving, do I stick to the tried-and-true, or do I look for new approaches?

Allocation

Howath sees allocation as how you plan. Strategic thinkers set goals, distribute resources, recognize the risk and tradeoffs when making decisions and create advantages that bring value. Where you invest your resources — time, talent and capital — is a primary driver of your effectiveness and it requires the following components:

  • Ability to focus resources: Resources are usually limited and should be used judiciously in service to achieving your goals. An effective strategy involves the ability to focus resources, confirming that resources are sufficient to produce the desired impact and confirming how the resource should be applied to achieve the desired effect.
  • Decision-making: Strategic thinkers generate and evaluate a range of viable alternatives. Since trade-offs are being made with each decision, they analyze the pros and cons of each alternative, as well as the level of acceptable risk.
  • Competitive advantage: A competitive advantage is created when the value created by your resources and actions exceeds the value that prospective customers assign to your competitors. Once an advantage is attained, strategic thinkers continue to refine it in order to stay ahead of the competition.

To evaluate whether you allocate effectively, ask yourself:

  1. Do I recognize when it’s time to redistribute resources from underperforming areas to projects that show more potential?
  2. Do I spend time on activities that align with my goals?
  3. How do I measure myself against the competitors?

Action

Action is what you do, that is, carrying out your plans. Preparing a business strategy is but one step; how you execute your strategies is pivotal to your success. Action requires the ability to collaborate with others and optimize your performance.

  • Execution involves using your resources to achieve your goal. It requires focus, discipline and follow-through, as well as monitoring to ensure interim results and a contingency plan to salvage a plan that fails to produce the expected result.

To assess your ability to take action, ask yourself:

  • When it comes time to implement a strategy, how prepared am I to take action?
  • Do I ask others what their goals are at the beginning of the conversation?
  • Do I easily get side-tracked by other obstacles along the way?

Merry Christmas and thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: Jackie Gleason as a fictional pool hustler in The Hustler (1961).

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Subscription Model Spotlight

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The subscription-based business model is an American classic. From the newspaper that the neighborhood paperboy delivered every day to your parent’s house, to the magazines you looked forward to receiving from the mailman each month and, of course, the Book-of-the-Month Club, founded in 1926 and enjoyed by your grandparents, millions have bought subscriptions over the years. We trust the process.

As the e-commerce revolution lured millions of newspaper, magazine and book readers to digital formats and software as a service (SaaS) introduced a menu of business services that make back-office operations much faster and efficient, the number of products and services available by subscription has exploded. There are now hundreds of subscription-based businesses to indulge you, from cable TV and movies to goodie gift boxes for you (Hot Sauce of the Month Club) and your dog (Barkbox).

Subscriptions are the original recurring revenue business model, able to bring a fairly predictable amount of money into a business at predetermined intervals, making subscriptions adored by business owners (and increasingly, Freelancers). Customers also appreciate subscriptions: they make obtaining frequently used products or services more convenient and often less costly, since there is almost always a discount offered as compared to the price of a one-off item. Plus, time is saved and inconvenience spared when there is no need to repeatedly make purchases; a subscription guarantees that your order is complete and payment settled just once a year and renewed annually as desired (and sometimes renewed automatically, which means you do nothing beyond reading the renewal confirmation if no changes will be made).

What’s not to love? Monthly (or annually or quarterly) recurring revenue represents predictable cash-flow and every business owner wants it. The smartest, most forward-thinking business owners and leaders, including Freelancers, are brainstorming ways to integrate a subscription service into their company’s offerings. The good news is that the acceptance level of subscriptions in the general population makes it relatively easy to persuade prospective customers to buy. Persuading subscribers to renew the deal, however, can be another kettle of fish.

So, if the idea of selling your products or services by subscription comes to mind, first ask yourself which of your products or services customers regularly purchase throughout the year but might prefer to order and pay for just once a year and save themselves time and money? Float the idea with two or three of your steady customers and heed the reply. Adopting a subscription model requires serious forethought and planning and this is especially true for many B2B service businesses, where value is intangible and not always immediately recognized. For example, the value of software subscriptions is continually demonstrated with tangible and actionable information that’s generated on a regular basis and by frequent use of the platform by the customer. The value of leadership and Emotional Intelligence coaching, however, can be less immediately obvious.

Subscription business model experts reveal two critical success factors—perceived value and the subscriber experience. Regarding value, subscribers accept a recurring subscription fee when the product or service subscribed to consistently demonstrates its worth. Should the subscriber feel that s/he is not receiving value that justifies the subscription cost, the possibility of service cancellation is imminent. The benefits derived from the product or service subscribed to must be front and center in the subscriber’s mind. S/he must clearly witness or perceive the expected value, preferably through a noticeable, if not measurable, improvement in whatever need the service or product addresses.

Regarding the subscriber experience, quality control and the consistency of the expected outcomes delivered by the product or service are key. There is an ongoing need to maintain, and periodically upgrade, the subscriber service and experience delivered. Subscribers tend to expect service enhancements at regular intervals. Suggestions of other critical factors you may want to examine as you and your team evaluate the potential viability of a subscription model for one or more of your products or services are below:

1. Is the subscription model is right for your business?

 As noted above, do yourself a favor and confirm that enough of your customers will feel it advantageous to commit in advance to the purchase of one or more of your company’s products and/or services by subscription. Is it important to customers to reorder what you sell on an ongoing basis, or are sales typically intermittent or even one-off? Discuss with your accountant the amount of monthly subscription revenue needed to make offering subscriptions feasible for your entity. If you get a green light to move forward, it will then be necessary to develop strategies that promote and defend subscription revenue and minimize subscriber churn (i.e., cancellations). Be prepared to develop marketing campaigns that describe to current and prospective customers how buying your product or service as a subscription service will make life easier or doing business more cost-effective for them.

2. Subscription or retainer fee?

Even if you do a steady business with a certain client, for example, providing payroll solutions or website maintenance and security, a retainer agreement may be more appropriate than a subscription (both generate recurring revenue). A retainer fee is a fixed amount of money that a customer pays to a company/consultant in advance and for a specific period of time, typically, a month, quarter, or year. The retainer fee covers an agreed-upon scope of work or number of hours that the company/consultant agrees to provide to the customer. The customer can use the consultant’s services as needed, up to the limit of the retainer agreement. If the customer does not use all of the hours or services included in the retainer, the consultant still keeps the entire fee; if the customer exceeds that limit, the consultant can charge extra fees or negotiate a new retainer.

A subscription fee is a recurring fee that a subscriber pays to a company/consultant for access to a predefined service or product. The subscription fee is billed monthly, quarterly, or annually and the subscriber can cancel (sometimes) or renew the subscription at any time (usually toward the end of the billing period). The subscription grants access to the product or service, which the subscriber can use as desired. The consultant/company provides the product or service on a continuing basis or provides access to an online platform or membership access site.

3. Try before buy 

Consider offering a short free trial to allow prospective subscribers to experience the advantages of subscribing to your product or service—first month free, for example. Tempting current customers and prospects with a sample of your subscription service could convince a number of them to sign up and pay. Furthermore, you’ll make subscribing still more attractive when their pricing options are uncomplicated. Offer one standard monthly (or quarterly or annual) fee; if you also sell premium and/or economy versions of your product or service, price those subscriptions accordingly.

4. Set clear expectations:

Set clear expectations from the start of the subscriber relationship. Customers must understand what they’ll receive for the price they’ll pay–services, products, tools and/or supporting technologies. Subscriber info should walk customers through what the subscription offers, the level of support available from your team and company contact info.  Ensure that prospective subscribers fully understand the value they’ll receive, tangible (the product or service) and intangible (training, additional info and/or support).

5. Discounts for longer-term subscriptions

The monthly fee should reward longer subscription commitments—24 or 36 months, for example—with correspondingly progressive discounts. While some subscribers desire only short-term use, others will use your product or service basically forever. By offering subscribers a variety of subscription options and offering deeper discounts to those who agree to pay upfront for long-term commitments, you’ll have a better chance of attracting more subscribing customers and increasing recurring revenue.

6. Easy or automatic renewing

The subscription model is an excellent vehicle for customer retention, but your organization must implement strategies to further remind subscribing customers of its relevance to them and provide various incentives for renewing the subscription. Make renewing frictionless and enable subscribers to auto-renew (with an opt-out option). When you make renewal easy for subscribers, they’re more inclined to do so.

7. Quality control and customer experience

Subscriber satisfaction is not to be taken lightly; it is never a given. Ideally, you’ll find it in your budget to assign or hire (W2 or 1099) a subscriber experience specialist who will be responsible for ensuring that expectations are met. That person will also document and report on the turnaround time for resolving issues, as well as any recurring problems. Proper quality control offers you much-needed insight into subscriber concerns, which will drive ongoing service enhancements and continue to enhance subscription value. 

Furthermore, marketing experts have convincingly demonstrated that personalized communication is a deciding factor in reducing churn, building loyalty and re-engaging lapsed customers/subscribers. Your organization should collect as much subscriber data as possible and apply that info to generating email updates and personalized special offers that aim to encourage renewals. The goal is to maintain subscriber enthusiasm and reinforce the convenience, enjoyment and/or habit of subscribing. You want to avoid disengagement, complacency, or other dissatisfaction that may result in a lapsed subscriber.

8. Don’t skimp on packaging

If your subscription is a physical product, invest in premium packaging. With all due respect to the U.S. Postal Service, your product deserves better packaging than a flat rate priority box. While your physical product will require shipping, it is highly recommended that you avoid the temptation to save money by packing and mailing yourself. Instead, find a fulfillment house and outsource packing and shipping.

Your logistics provider will fulfill subscription orders for your product, packing and shipping those orders directly to subscribers in a way that effectively communicates the value of your brand and enhances the subscriber experience. The fulfillment center will also manage product inventory and store the inventory.

Thanks for reading,

Kim