#MaishasMondayMotivation

Hello, my fellow entrepreneurs! February is over and March is here. Or as marketing people with a content calendar say, Black History is over ( more on that later) and Women’s History Month is here. I started 2024 with REBUILD as the theme and as I continued I realized ACCOUNTABILITY is another word to add to my theme of the year. This blog is a way for me to be accountable to myself. I am lucky to be a part of The What Now Movement team who are phenomenal and insightful coaches and they are always holding me accountable to the goals I set for myself, short and long term.

So as we navigate the rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship and as you read this let’s acknowledge and celebrate the wins that keep us motivated on this wild journey. So, this post is Maisha’s LemonDrop Toast to the victories, big and small, that we’ve conquered this month!

Hustle and Heart

I am this close to closing the possibility of my first marketing contract of 2024. And I have two new proposals to write for March. Stay tuned.

Innovate, Elevate, Celebrate

As much as I love a business model, process, and consistency, I recognize that to grow you have to change. You can’t be afraid to try, to innovate in your business. Innovation doesn’t have to be a big thing either. It can be as small as adding AI as a resource to your business or as big as adding a new product line. The point is when you start something new and it changes how you operate in a positive way, CELEBRATE it.

This month, I tried a new proposal template for a new marketing contract. My previous template was in-depth and based on the Customer 1st mentality I bring to all my client engagements:

• Understand the client’s goals
• Share how we take the time to understand their customers’ needs
• Create a unique methodology for reaching their customer
• Get ambitious with the BIG IGEA marketing goal

Normally, the only questions the clients had were concerning pricing. This time my potential client had questions about my methodology. That is new to me but not unexpected. It will be interesting to see if I continue with the new template or if I need to go back to my roots.

Small Changes. High Hopes.

I have a new look for the KUUBOB website. I was told by an expert that the message wasn’t compelling and that my Call-To-Action (CTA) weren’t obvious. I sent him the new look and hope he sends back positive feedback. More importantly, my affiliate model started last month. I was able to add six new black-owned brands to KUUBOB and the approvals keep coming. Thank you Afrofilliate for adding new black-owned brands to your platform.

Building Bridges, Not Walls

They say no person is an island, and in the world of entrepreneurship, collaboration is key. I am also happy to announce I have my first collaboration with a Black-Owned Brand, Akrasi Boutique. The conversation started with my need for a logo and new products to add to the site and became a collaboration. That is my favorite type of conversation. Ideas, actions, and learning something new. Join us on Thursday, March 7 at 7 PM.

Embracing the Grind

Remember, every setback is just a stepping stone on the path to success! I may have to cut a client loose as they haven’t paid their invoice in a few months and prices are about to rise. It will be sad as we have seen a lot of growth together but I can’t waste time and my efforts on a client who can’t pay for my services. I wrote about this in another post, When Clients Don’t Pay.

Viewing analytics, I saw that the number one page being visited on KUUBOB is the “create accounts page” so I was very happy. Imagine my joy when after less than 30 days of the “relaunch” of KUUBOB new customers were visiting the site and creating accounts. That is until I saw the accounts are fake. Names and emails don’t match at all. 😒

I spent a lot of my February grind trying to stop BOT attacks on KUUBOB. The solution was quick as I had to turn on an additional spam captcha. It hasn’t helped my subscriber rate and it took hours of my time trying to figure out what was happening but it’s done. The good news is that new accounts are down. This article from Omnisend gave me the steps, https://bit.ly/3VkuX5x and I recommend it for all of us on Shopify.

Always Be Learning

Luckily my CCP offered an e-commerce class this month so I took time to learn. Every day, I get more and more hits to KUUBOB but I need to understand why folks aren’t buying. I loved the class and started to implement all the digital marketing actions I can but will happily ask my digital marketing and website partner, Technomind Software, to take over.

March Roars In and So Do We

It takes resilience, tenacity, and a hopeful spirit to make it as an entrepreneur. So for those of us in our first year or our 10th, I toast you again. 🍸

Join the Conversation!

Share your wins, challenges, and lessons learned from this past month. Let’s inspire and support each other as we continue our entrepreneurial journey this March. Drop a comment and let’s keep the motivation flowing! 🚀🌟

The best part of my day is speaking with new businesses so if your marketing strategy needs another look, let’s talk, https://meetings.hubspot.com/mhoye.