It’s my 36^th birthday today.

That’s Mayank and me today at a FUN birthday lunch date. 🙂

And I thought that one of the best ways I can celebrate is

a) by giving a sweet 36% off on ALL our eCourses and niche services. So, if you’ve had your eye on Content Cookbook, The Social Spread,The Business Blog Brew eBook Grab and Go, Coffee N Critique, or Affiliate Abundance, use the code, BIRTHDAY to save 36% on them. Ends 07/30/2015 at 23:59 PM EST

b) by sharing 36 entrepreneur tips and lessons I’ve learnt while building this business, working with amazing clients worldwide and managing our home and family.

SO, first up.. Use Coupon Code BIRTHDAY to save 36% on:

Content Cookbook: The premium content creation course for creating massive engagement and seeing stunning results from social media and your blog. From Facebook posts that pack a punch to blog content that brings readers back for seconds, you get it all AND you get access to an exclusive mastermind community as well. Use BIRTHDAY to get this $199 eCourse for $127. 

 The Social Spread: Want to boost social media engagement without wasting any time? Get a ready-to-use feast of 600+ social media updates that are designed to amp up engagement and save you tons of time as well.Use BIRTHDAY to get this feast of 600+ updates for only $82

The Business Blog Brew: Is your blog letting you down? Are you struggling to get readers? Wondering what you’re missing? This info-packed eBook will give you 17 mistakes you may be making as well as strategies that help boost traffic, engagement and more. USe BIRTHDAY to get this actionable eBook for only $5.75

 Grab and Go: THIS is seriously one of our bestsellers and we aren’t surprised. It gives you done-for-you social media content that’s completely custom AND scheduled for you too. All at a pocket-friendly price that gets ridiculously affordable when you use BIRTHDAY to reserve your package.

Coffee N Critique: Honestly, I’m “technically” sold out for this one already since I only have 5 spots for this. BUT birthday month and cake tend to make me a little crazy and since I am headed for Problogger in August, I thought why not help 5 others be probloggers as well!

So, if you want me to take an in-depth look at your blog, share my BEST and proven techniques to help you increase traffic, build visibility, generate sales, earn an income, use BIRTHDAY to book a Coffee N Critique now for only $159

And NOW…here are 36 quick-and-dirty life lessons from a Mama, wife, and business woman.

36 Entrepreneur Tips to Help YOU Build Your Business with Intention and Ease

1. Start. Just start.

That is exactly how we started this business. Took the leap, minus a net to catch us. Backs against the wall with absolutely no idea of how we’ll make it, we just knew we had to do this.

2. Always be learning

When I started out, I learnt everything including transferring my blog from Blogger to WordPress, self-hosted.

Now I don’t focus on learning things I wouldn’t be using much, but I still learn. A LOT and every day.

However, if you’re in the place where learning equals overwhelm, you need to read this.

3. Value your time

As a mom and home manager, my time is truly my greatest asset.

I learnt this early on and whether it meant setting and sticking to working hours or using the early morning hours, I respect my time and am constantly boosting my productivity.

4. Face up to failure

Ooh. This is a toughie. There will be times in your business when despite your best efforts and intentions, things will fail. Face up to it and keep moving on. You may change the path but your destination will remain the same.

5. Don’t be afraid to try new things

Yep. This is me being “mom”.

But really, don’t be afraid of experimenting, challenging conventions and trying out new things.

We learnt this while mapping out our marketing strategies. It works brilliantly. 🙂

6. Manage your home like you’d manage your business

One of the reasons we started our business was to spend time with Manini, and not miss out on her early years. However, as business grows, demands on your time grow and it’s easy to let things slip.

Setting up systems for our home just the way we set up processes for our business is what has helped us scale with success.

7. Reach out and help

I love to help. It’s a habit that’s often {and sadly!} ended up hurting me BUT a few sad experiences don’t stop me from helping out because the feel good fuzzies far outweigh the occasional sad experience.

Reach out and connect with a fellow entrepreneur. Offer help for nothing in return. Share genuine advice. Support someone’s success. It takes really nothing but it makes working online incredibly social and fulfilling.

8. Get help

Omigosh. BIG tip here for you. See, when you’re starting out and bootstrapping it’s perfectly fine to do it all yourself. Honest. We did it and we’re proud of it.

But if you want your business to grow and you don’t want to spend 24/7 working in it and on it, you need a team to help you move forward. Even a 1-person team can make a ton of difference.

Hate blogging? Hire help! Can’t keep up with social media? Bring someone on!

9. Surround yourself with success

Mastermind communities are key to a business’s growth.  Surrounding yourself with people who get you and inspire you is an amazing thing.

Join a supportive mastermind group and then, participate in it.

10. Keep your headspace clear

It’s easy to get caught up in a lot of drama when you work online. Learning to step away from the laptop and keep your head clear is essential so you can focus on what you need to do.

11. Listen to your body

When you’re building a business and raising a family, it’s easy to neglect eating right, sleeping on time and in my personal case, exercise.

Listening to our body is one of our biggest lessons. Because honestly, when you disrespect your body, you suffer. When you suffer, guess what else suffers? Yep, you got it.

12. Share the work you do

This was another big lesson for me. As an ISFJ, sharing what I do or even, achievements doesn’t come easy to me. I feel uncomfortable. But the fact is if I don’t share, no one will know.

13. Make time for self-care

Burnouts and exhaustion are a harsh reality of this entrepreneurial life. Investing in my self-care is one of the best lessons I’ve learnt.

Whether it is a weekly massage or regular vacations, we now focus on self-care and plan for it just as we plan for everything else.

If you want to take baby steps to your self-care, make sure you’ve signed up for NOURISH, my FREE 14-day self-care eCourse.

14. Step out of your comfort zone, every now and then

My comfort zone is being on my own. A lot of socializing, even online, can exhaust this introvert.

So, what do I do when I want to step out of my comfort zone?

I sign up for a conference. Yep, an overseas, in-person conference no less.

I’ll be headed to Problogger 2015 this August and am I nervous? You bet. But I’m also excited and thrilled because stepping out of your comfort zone does that.

Try it.

15. Plan and prepare

Mayank and I are both planners. We try to plan our year, quarter, month, week and day.

Planning helps us stay prepared for whatever may come our way, because well, sick days, school holidays, and all these things will happen and if you have a plan, you can work your way through it without losing your mind.

16. Keep moving on

There will be seasons in your life both as a business owner and a parent or home manager when it will all seem too much or just not worth it.

Keep moving on.

I think, I first heard this many moons ago from my friend, Karen Gunton and it’s stayed with me since.

Whenever I feel stuck, overwhelmed or just plain “done-with-it” I take just the next step and the, the next. And before I know it, I’m moving again.

17. Stay grateful

Gratitude is powerful. It’s easy to focus on what’s not working or what you don’t have, but when you start to count your blessing, literally, it just changes perspective.

I keep a daily gratitude journal now and it is the best thing ever.

18. Know yourself

One of my eye-opening moments was taking a personality test to discover that I’m an ISFJ and Mayank is an INFP. It really helps to know yourself so you can focus on your strengths and leverage them to grow and also, manage life better.

19. Learn from those who’s walked the path before you

I am a big fan of doing your own thing but there is something to be said for learning from those who’ve walked this entrepreneurial road before you.

I enjoy seeing what others have done to overcome challenges similar to mine and then, testing and tweaking their strategies to suit my life’s season.

20. Make your mindset matter

A positive, winning growth mindset is a business owner’s secret weapon. Seriously. I have learnt so much about mindset and having the right one while building our business.  Whether it was busting our money blocks or staying positive and praying, we’ve done it all.

Your thoughts are powerful. Think the right ones.

21. Remember to work ON your business and not just IN it

Once business starts growing, it becomes SO much easier to just keep working in it.  That is why you need to consciously make time to work ON the business as well.

Whether it is your marketing or outreach or content strategy, make sure you have time scheduled every week {yes, every week} to work on key elements on your business.

22. Treat your clients or customers really, really well

THIS is a given. But it bears repeating. Treating the people who trust you with their business with the utmost respect and attention is key.

I know that every client may not be your ideal client and sometimes, things may not go smoothly, but at no time, should you let that be an excuse to be unprofessional.

We’ve hired service providers who’ve taken our money and then, not delivered on the work they promised. BIG no-no. Please don’t ever do that. Ever.

Word-of-mouth is how we’ve built our business so far and it is one of the things we really, really pride ourselves on.

23. Own your piece of online real estate

As someone who manages online communities, I see this everyday. Pouring in a ton of effort into Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or now, Periscope.

All at the cost of neglecting your own online home- your website and blog.

Social networks may come and go but what will stay is the website you own and the content you create. Treat your blog with respect and you’ll be amazed at the results that come.

24. Share your business with your family

Mayank and I are lucky that we work together. We talk business all the time.  We get what the other person is struggling with and we have the best brainstorm sessions.

But if you and your partner don’t work together, I can see how challenging it can be.

So, share your business with your family. Aren’t they one of the reasons you’re doing it all?

Talk about what you actually do when you sit down at the laptop. Share snippets of your day. Involve them. Don’t shut them out.

25. Invest in what you really need, not what you want

This is a key lesson for us. Mainly because we are very careful with how we spend our money. Being wise financial stewards is something we strive for.

So investing in our business means evaluating each decision to see whether we really need it or is it merely a “want”.

Doing this will help you invest in tools, courses and people who will actually make a difference to your business and not just your mood 😉

Speaking of invest…remember you save 36% onContent Cookbook, The Social Spread, The Business Blog Brew, Grab and Go, Coffee N Critique, or Affiliate Abundance,. Use BIRTHDAY to save 36% on these premium eBooks, eCourse and done-for-you services.

26. Find your passion then fine-tune it

My passion is writing. I love to create content. But when I started out, just being passionate about writing wasn’t good enough. I had to really up-level my skills and fine-tune my processes.

So, if you’re passionate about your business idea, that’s awesome. But make sure you fine-tune it so that it stands out and becomes your personal superpower.

27. Take regular vacations

Please do this. You’ll be a lot saner and successful.

Working online can be isolating and exhausting. Running a business can be mentally and physically challenging.

Vacations are a great way to regroup, refresh and recharge yourself while spending time with loved ones too.

Mayank and I have made it a point to take short breaks every 3 months and a long holiday at least once a year, if not more.

We’re headed to Singapore for a week off on the 30^th. Yep. Walking the talk.

28. Dress for work

As trivial as this may seem, it makes a difference to how you feel when you dress for work.

It is a great productivity booster for me, at least. Sitting down at my desk after a shower and having dressed smartly makes me more focused and I feel more professional and yep, successful.

29. Don’t be afraid to quit

That’s right. As important as it is to stick to your path and stay the course, it is also important to recognize when something just isn’t working out and needs a change.

Maybe it could be a product you launched, a service you offered or a whole business idea.

If it isn’t giving you joy or bringing you results or both, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate the course.

30. Outsource smartly

Honestly, if you want to scale, you can either clone yourself or outsource stuff. I’d rather choose the latter.

So, we’ve outsourced a fair amount of our work and have 2 full-time employees as well as a small team of contractors who not only help us expand the services we offer but also, free up our time.

Look at the tasks that aren’t your core job or strength and start by outsourcing those.  Take baby steps to start with.

How do you know if you’re ready to start outsourcing without bankrupting yourself?

We have a simple “put 10% of the net income back into the business” rule. So, as long as we have that in place, outsourcing becomes easy.

31. Identify your money-makers

This is an exercise we do regularly, like every quarter. We review our services and info product offerings and  narrow down on the ones that are our money-makers so we can continue to leverage them.

The ones that don’t bring in the money are either fine-tuned, tweaked, or totally dropped. Yes, that is why it’s important you shouldn’t be afraid to quit.

32. Know who you want to serve

Being clear about who your ideal customer is will help you create offerings that they’ll want and need, share content that they’ll resonate with and most importantly, give you the opportunity to truly be of value to them.

33. Set boundaries

THIS is vital.

Whether it is for your clients, your team, your family, you need to set boundaries. Not in a limiting, “I’m the boss of you” way, but in a loving, understanding and sanity-saving way.

For instance, with our team, we have a weekly check-in to see what’s done and what will everyone be working on in the coming week. I don’t do daily meetings because well, ISFJ, people

Also, with friends and family, we are clear that weekdays are workdays. So we don’t do dinner parties and such on those days.

34. Respect your partner’s personality

Whether you work with your husband or not, you two do live together so even at home, it’s essential that you both respect each others’ personalities to help bring out the best in one another

Mayank and I work together but we couldn’t be more different

I’m a complete Type A, driven by goals and deadlines and competitive too. He’s a typical Type B. he knows his abilities, strives steadily, is way more relaxed than I am

Knowing this as well as our Myers-Briggs types helps us to work well with each other and not get irritated or stressed when the other person doesn’t respond or react in a way that we would.

35. Stay connected to your passion

This is something I’ve learnt is key to keeping you excited about what you do.

Knowing your why.

Savoring the real reason why you’re doing what you’re doing

Sometimes it will get tough. Business is not all roses all the time. Far from it.

It will be challenging. You will get discouraged.

There will be competition

There will be copy-cats

You will hurt

You will stress

You will still enjoy what you do and not have it any other way, if your why is clear.

36. Being and staying YOU

THIS has to be my biggest entrepreneur tip or lesson. It is so easy to get lost in the online noise and chatter and slip into Comparisonville without realizing it

Knowing who YOU are and staying true to you will be one of the key ways you’d be able to grow your business and stay sane as well.

Keep your eyes on YOUR goals and grass. Not mine. Not someone else’s.