February 2025 Being a business owner is hard, let’s not make it harder than it should be. There are simple ways we can promote our businesses and ourselves. So let’s get into the 5 I want to talk about today. Set up a coffee meeting I said this last month, and I’m going to say it again — and again and again. Use 👏 your 👏 network 👏 to build growth within your business. Consider this a challenge to reach out to and set up one coffee meeting with a reporter or a fellow business owner or someone...
2 months ago • 3 min read
January 2025 2025 is here. Not sad to see 2024 end, to be honest. It was so hard in so many ways, and I spent entirely too many hours trying to figure out what’s next for NPatel Communications. Finally got my act together in Q4, and I’m already seeing the fruits of that labor (and I do mean labor!). No new clients — yet — but we’ll get there. But that’s enough about me. Let’s talk about how you can set yourself up for business success this year. ’Cause 2025 is going to be our year! It has to...
3 months ago • 2 min read
December 2024 Guys, 2024 has been a hard year. So hard. Professionally it’s been crazy hard for small businesses across the country (mine included), and, personally, it’s been hard juggling all the things that come with being a wife, mom and business owner. However, with challenges comes opportunity, right? That’s what I keep telling myself anyway. My goal with this newsletter is to build a strong community of small businesses who support each other. So, in full transparency, here are 4...
4 months ago • 3 min read
November 2024 The power of a good story lies in its ability to capture people’s imagination and take them to a new place. At least that’s what the experts say. And I agree. Even for small businesses – ESPECIALLY for small businesses. At its simplest, storytelling for your brand is really just about making an emotional connection with someone. Now, emotion doesn’t have to be tears (though that’s obviously a big one). An emotional connection with someone can include joy, peace, amusement,...
5 months ago • 3 min read
October 2024 It’s time to do business prep for 2025. I know. I know! Don’t panic, but it’s time. And I’ve got some steps for you to take below to help prepare you for next year. 2024 has been….wild….for small businesses, but I know we’ll come out stronger in 2025. Before we get started I want to say that I know this is go-time for a lot of product-based businesses, so if this is your busy season, just move this whole exercise into Q1. For more service-based business where this is your down...
6 months ago • 2 min read
September 2024 The last couple weeks I have been consistently getting up every morning at the….ummm…we’ll call it the butt crack of dawn…to get movement in. I walk my neighborhood, do weight training, and just move my body. I usually try to listen to a business podcast or some of the classics — I’m talking Ludacris, Juvenile, OutKast, NKOTB, Dave Matthews Band. But I digress. If you know me personally, you KNOW I do not like getting up early. Hate it. But I’ve got goals — and a wedding to go...
7 months ago • 3 min read
July 2024 Is anyone else feeling the pre-ss-ure of July? Not just the pressure of another day of my kid at home all day every day saying he’s “bored.” Or the pressure of this insane, oppressive heat wave. I’m talking about business pressure; you know the one….the pressure of “failure.” Well, it’s not actually a failure, but it sure feels like it. I’m talking about being halfway through the year and not hitting some of our big vision goals we set for ourselves and our businesses back in...
9 months ago • 2 min read
June 2024 So, as you may know I’ve been retooling my business, setting actual business goals, ya know, little things like that; and as part of that journey I decided to re-read the book Building a Brand Story by Donald Miller. And let me tell ya, it got me thinking. This is my second time reading through this book, and it struck me this time that perhaps in the past I’ve spent too much time trying to find that perfect creative message (because it’s fun! Duh.) and maybe haven’t spent as much...
10 months ago • 3 min read
May 2024 Sometimes, Reader, you have to pivot... Being a small business owner is hard. Being a mom is hard. Being a small business owner who’s also a mom. Yea. So freaking hard. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to pivot, adjust my plans or reschedule meetings because something came up with one of my kids. Love them, but, man. Their timing isn’t the greatest, right? Take last week for example, I had a working meeting scheduled with a freelancer friend who is helping me (spoiler alert)...
12 months ago • 1 min read