Bridget Willard | SaaS Marketing Agency

Author: Bridget Willard

  • One Year In: Running Your Own Business is Hard — There Were Tears

    Everyone wants to be an entrepreneur. Through circumstances I didn’t choose, I started my business in October of 2017. Running your own business, not as a side hustle but as a pay-the-rent hustle, is a burden and a risk. It’s not all just WiFi on the beach and every romanticized photo you’ve seen on Instagram.

    It means being serious. It means being self-aware. It’s not a four hour work day, let alone work week. It takes pride and humility. Discipline and creativity. Blood, sweat, and late nights. And tears. Lots of tears. Seriously. Tears.

    The short version of this blog post is that I’m glad I did this but it is hard. It has taxed my ego and self worth and I’m learning to separate those triggers. It’s not personal.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo8HO4TAJvk/?taken-by=bridgetmwillard

    Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned in my first year.

    Set Boundaries with Friends and Clients

    It’s okay to say no. Saying yes too often eats away at your calendar, billable time, and productivity. Plus, if you’re not setting your boundaries, you’ll be resentful. You don’t want that. As a business owner (and sometimes remote worker), you have control over your time. Take it seriously.

    And yes, I’ve told friends that Saturdays (by appointment), I’m available for lunch. It’s completely fine with most people who have day jobs. They’ll understand. If they don’t, then it’s their loss. Protect your time with your boundaries. Be clear. You will have people who will test you. They may say you don’t have a “real job” since you work for yourself. This is even more so with remote work. So I have been practiced but firm.

    I’ve told clients I will email them between the hours of 8am and 6pm. That is reasonable. Then, I keep myself to those parameters. Setting boundaries, being self aware, and sticking to them helps you respect yourself and others to also respect your time.

    Go to brunch. Enjoy your time off. And try not to look at your phone.

    Specialize Your Work and Client Base — Refer the Rest

    “Everyone” is not a client. You won’t sync with everyone. Your personality may not be compatible with a potential customer. They might not be the right kind of business for you and, frankly, you may not be able to serve them well.

    I’ve turned down a lot of work this year. I don’t do press releases or resumes. I refer that. I don’t do Pinterest. I refer that. Find out what you do well and quickly. Refer the rest.

    I rock at Twitter. I don’t do SEO. I write bios, but not white papers.

    Say Yes by Saying No

    If you do turn down a job or client, do so by referring. Meaning, “I don’t write press releases but Jen Miller does. Here’s her email.” Then you are still a resource and helpful. If you just say no, you look like a jerk. That’s bad branding. Saying no allows you to say yes to the right things.

    Instead of wasting your time with the wrong work or the wrong client, spend time on the things that make you money. For me, that’s Twitter. I don’t make money on Instagram.

    Experiment with Pricing

    You can experiment with pricing. When I first started managing Twitter, I did it for $250 a month. Then I started this business and started at $1,000 as introductory pricing. Now, that same scope is $1,200. I know the market value because I worked at an agency.

    I also discount my work for some of my friends. During my WCLAX talk this year, Alex Vasquez asked me what I do about friends who want discounts. I answered by saying a real friend should pay full price. That said, I’ve discounted work for friends who are clients because it’s my business and I can make that decision. But understand why you are making that decision.

    For example, I offered a friend a three month trial at 25% discount. I said, “If you don’t see the results you want, we just stop. We’re still friends. No hard feelings. But if we continue, we go to 100%.” It was a fair price and helped us keep our friendship when we ended the account (temporarily, I might add).

    Know Your Cost

    I spent a long time in construction accounting so this wasn’t a big barrier for me this year. But yeah, $250 a month for Twitter ended up being minimum wage. Know how much you cost yourself to run your business.

    When I started, I reverse engineered my salary, then used that as a basis for my pricing. Create a basic budget so you know what your outgoing costs are. This helps you determine a baseline for your pricing.

    It’s okay to take a part-time job.

    Yeah. In February, I finally admitted. I can’t keep running out of savings or borrowing from family. It’s time to get a part-time job. It was really hard. I felt like a complete failure. In fact, I had to talk to some of my very good friends about my fears and feelings. I felt like the whole world was watching me fail.

    Instead, I met new friends. I love my Serbian family and my work doing office work and marketing at the travel agency. And, it’s helped me travel for work!

    I’ve been honest with my boss and she gives me flexibility. We’re both trying to run our own businesses. She’s in year 12 and I’m in year 1. But we need other people.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BgCYX14lK3b/?taken-by=bridgetmwillard

    Cash Flow Can Be a Bitch

    Oh man. This one is tough. One of my goals for 2019 is to have a fun bank account and a main bank account for bills and business expenses. I learned this tip from my friend  Robert. My biggest issue with cash flow is overly-optimistic projections. So, I had to borrow money from family and friends a few times. It sucks. It’s depressing. I’ve had my BFF hold my hand while I call to ask for help. But they were all glad to help. People like to help you.

    https://twitter.com/gidgey/status/1042216811708612608

    Be Honest and Open with Your Peers

    When people ask how you’re doing, tell them. Don’t be a complainer, but be honest. I usually say, “I’m good but can be better.” This gives you an opening. People don’t know you’re taking on work unless you tell them. So, if they ask if I have room for clients, I’ll tell them. Currently, I have two openings. I also tweet about it. Almost all of my work has come from Twitter or WordCamps.

    Sometimes You Have to Alter Your Business Model

    When I first started, a friend reminded me of my previous skills. So, while I was building my client base, I did collections for my friends for a commission.

    Be ready for shifts in perception and need. One of the reasons why I love Twitter so much is you can listen to your audience. So one day I saw someone tweet about how much they hate writing their speaker bio. I spontaneously tweeted that I would write a speaker bio for “$25 fast, fast PayPal Cash.” I’ve written over 30 bios and put  my price up to $50.

    Build Rest into Your Days

    Seriously. I built in the 2:30 nap so much that my dog is trained. When I stop taking 20 minute naps, I get too exhausted. The world won’t stop because you’re unavailable for 20 minutes. I promise. Even if you don’t sleep, lay down, take off your glasses, and close your eyes. You’ll thank me later.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BgChXMiltj2/?taken-by=bridgetmwillard

    Give Back

    Besides being a Make WordPress team rep for the marketing team, I was also a co-organizer for WordCamp Orange County for the second year in a row. I volunteered again for WordCamp Los Angeles, too.

    I became a recurring donor for 4ocean.com as well as Oxfam and FreeCodeCamp.org. Giving back helps keep your perspective in check.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BfzDTcIF-Qz/?taken-by=bridgetmwillard

    Keep Up Your Own Site

    A cobbler’s children have no shoes is unacceptable. The best way to get work is to do work. As a marketer, keeping up my website and social media profiles is important. These are the results that I can show to prospective clients. You may be asked to give case studies or analytics to prove your worth. It’s not for me to share my client’s stats. Discretion is important. But I can show my own. So I do.

    Numbers to Date

    • Written over 800 client tweets.
    • Written over 30 speaker bios.
    • My own Twitter account has over 16000 tweets and 5 million impressions.
    • Two keynotes and 8 WordCamps (two overseas).
    • An average of 24 Meetups attended (2-3 a month).
    • One laptop-less vacation.

    I’m at over 1300 words and I feel it’s important to share these, thoughts, especially after the feedback I got on Twitter.

    More Thoughts – Speed Round

    • Trust your gut. It’s intuition analyzing data.
    • You don’t have to take every client.
    • Ask friends. Have a close circle you can mastermind with.
    • Publish base pricing on your site. This helps manage expectations.
    • Mix recurring and one-off revenue streams.
    • Make sure your social bios say what you do.
    • Keep business cards with you even when at a bar. Never pass an opportunity.
    • Keep going to conferences. Stay top of mind.
    • Partner with your friends.
    • Your value comes through education.
    • Put expiration dates on your estimates.
    • Put terms on your invoices.
    • Follow up with clients.
    • Rely on tech to make things easier but don’t over-automate. I use Freshbooks and Calendly.
    • Discount if you more work but with an expiration (25% for 3 months).
    • Failure is a good thing. I promise. Learn to accept it. Learn from it.
    • Take job interviews anyway. Learn from them.
    • Email people from LinkedIn asking if they want to outsource. Ask them if they’d rather have a vendor than an employee.
    • Stay teachable.

    Looking forward to the next 12 months.

    I didn’t want to NOT start my business. If I end up failing, it won’t be because of the fear to start. So, looking forward in the next 12 months, I want to start another bank account and put my “fun money” allowance elsewhere. I also want to seriously consider starting a C-corp and putting myself on a salary through a payroll service. I’d also like to add teaching in my business model. I love that moment when someone gets it and they’re now empowered.

    PS

    I met Mark Maunder, CEO of  who makes Wordfence

  • Women in Business — It’s about respect.

    When it comes to being a woman in business, all I’ve really wanted from my peers (male or otherwise) is respect. I am a highly-motivated person who achieves. As a professional, I have experience. That experience translates into intuition.

    I’ve been working in offices for over 30 years from a publisher to a trucking company, churches to schools, construction to tech. All of the businesses I’ve worked in were lead by men.

    For the most part I feel that I get along with men. I don’t have the mindset that all men are sexist and I feel that I am fair in how I approach work.

    I was inspired chat about this today, so here goes.

    How do you get respect as a woman in business?

    So how does a woman in business get respect? I’ve found out that I have to demand respect. Sometimes this comes at a cost. It could be personal or financial. Getting respect means setting boundaries and defending them. I struggle with being dismissed. It’s sad but true.

    Things I’ve actually been told:

    • You’re not a writer.
    • You’re just a marketer.
    • You can’t write about [topic]; it’s too technical.
    • You’re an alarmist.
    • You should learn to code and build a website before a developer will respect you.
    • That’s just your opinion.
    • You just work from home.
    • That’s not a real job.

    Yeah. It’s not awesome. It sucks. It makes me feel marginalized.

    How can you support a woman in business?

    Supporting a woman in business means supporting your peers. I am fond of definitions by contrast so let’s go with what not to do.

    • Don’t mischaracterize the concerns of your coworkers or teammates. “She’s mad, upset, etc.”
    • Don’t offer your advice if she didn’t ask for it.
    • Don’t presume she isn’t educated or informed on the topic at hand.
    • Don’t marginalize analysis as opinion.
    • Don’t ask her about her personal life or plans for children in the interview.
    • Don’t interrupt her while she’s speaking. Don’t presume you know what she wants to say. Rian Rietveld

    How can you support a woman-owned business?

    There are plenty of ways to support businesses, regardless of who owns them. But let’s stick with the gender.

    • Send clients her way via an email introduction — as you would with any of your friends.
    • Send a personalized tweet about them or link to their website.
    • Share about her services and expertise on LinkedIn is awesome.
    • Write a review on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Yelp.
    • Pay her for her advice.

    I’m wondering why this isn’t obvious.

    The problem with diversity can be tokenization. I find most people want to be treated with respect because of their merit, skills, and talent. Not because they belong to [insert group here].

    Thoughts from My Mom

    After reading this, my mom gave me a call this morning. She was part of the generation who wasn’t allowed to wear jeans to school, couldn’t purchase birth control, and at the tail end of not having property rights. It’s worth adding her perspective.

    She says respect is like inspiration — it’s intangible. It’s invisible. You know it when you have it but you can’t demand it.

    It’s completely true and a wise point of view.

    How do I want to be supported as a women in business?

    As a woman in business, with my own almost a year old, what I’d like to see is emotional support and peer mentoring. And I’ve had this. I know I’m fortunate as this is not always the case.

    I believe that if we support one another, regardless of our demographic, things will come our way.

    When, however, you have an opportunity to have influence for good, be aware of how you approach it.  The only way to make “things better” is to change your own behavior. That has a ripple effect.

  • Social Media Success: Adjust and Adapt to Change

    When it comes to technology, you can always expect one thing: change. When it comes to social media, changes happens at a faster pace. Keep up for success.

    Why does social media change so often?

    Why does social media change so often? My answer: welcome to tech.

    In my talks, I always say the tech changes in 20 minutes so you better keep up. Once you post that tutorial on how to add people to a list, Twitter will change the gear icon into the three stacked dots. It happens. It happens frequently. It happens to us all.

    Here are some examples of change:

    • Facebook lists are going away. I know. Many people didn’t even know they existed. I used them. They’re gone. Whatever. Move on. Right?
    • Instagram is no longer in reverse chronological order. Surprise? Not really since Facebook bought them.
    • There used to be “best times to post.” Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram default to a customized feed based upon the user’s behavior. Throw away those best times now.
    • Auto posting from Instagram to Twitter used to be chic. Then Twitter stopped supporting live previews of Instagram links (not surprisingly, after Facebook bought them).
    • Follow Friday (#FF #FollowFriday) was a huge deal on Twitter. Now if you do it, you’re out of touch or have some robot turned on.
    • Twitter changed retweeting — three times — since I signed up in 2007. This is why I prefer the old “RT” way. (Did you know your retweets can be turned off?)
    • It used to be that Instagram’s culture supported 12-20 hashtags per post. This is changing.
    • Instagram used to perform well with short captions. People now accept longer descriptions, stories.
    • SnapChat was copied by Instagram and Facebook with 24 hour “stories.”
    • Avatars used to be 500×500 squares. They’re are now circles within those squares.

    I could go on and on but those are just some of the changes I’ve experienced since doing content marketing and social media management since 2009.

    Tech changes. Adapt.

    This is why it is so important to be a practitioner.

    How do you start a social media campaign from scratch?

    Starting a social media campaign from scratch is easier than you think. When you start from scratch, you don’t have to relearn changes. You just have to learn the right way (until they change it again).

    My advice is to always start small. Use one platform. Use it often and use it well. For example, if you have a new product coming out, decide where your audience is. Pick that social media platform.

    If it’s a WordPress plugin, choose Twitter. Start an account. Write your bio clearly. Use a square logo ensuring the logo is clearly visible in a square. Tweet about your product linking to your website. Pin that tweet to your timeline. Tweet once a day in the morning and once after lunch.

    With Twitter, a campaign’s success is a ratio of volume. Resist the urge to retweet people who talk about you. Instead reply. Say “thank you.” Respond to questions. Build relationships. This is how to be successful.

    How do I create a social media strategy plan?

    The first step to creating a successful social media strategy is to plan with a professional. You should have SMART goals with an overarching strategy and agile tactics.

    Let’s start by differentiating strategy from tactics.

    “Strategy and tactics are both how you will achieve your goals and objectives. Strategy is our path or bridge for going from where we are today to our goal. It’s our general resource allocation plan. It might be to engage industry thought-leaders to become advocates for our product. The tactics then are how specifically or tangibly we will do that. They might include items such direct marketing letters, face-to-face meetings, key talking point scripts and an iPad app.” Rich Horwath

    • What are your goals? Write them down.
    • What do you want out of social media? Write it down.
    • Who is your customer? The answer is not “everyone.” This question takes some introspection and maybe an audit. Who were your last 5 big customers? What do they have in common?
    • Where are your customers? If the answer is Twitter, then start there.

    There is no real way to be super specific in a blog post about tactics, which is why you hire a consultant. This is where I mention that you can also hire me as a consultant to put together a plan of action. 

     

    How do you create a social media marketing strategy factoring in change?

    Any strategy should have flexibility in the tactics to allow for change. It’s the same in social media. Factoring in change in social media means factoring in failure. Social media tactics need room for error and experimentation. Watch the results — but don’t obsess. Look for long-term trends. Ask “what if” often.

    In order to allow for tactical changes, you must experiment. I did it with this blog post, even. For the first time, I used “people also ask” as my outline. I never outline my posts. I just write.

    That means, as a business owner or corporate officer, whether hiring or outsourcing, you must trust your team. Delegate. Let go. Check in monthly or quarterly. Ask questions. Listen to their answers. Assess. Adjust. Continue.

    When it comes to employees, hire someone you trust and then — trust them. Give constructive feedback frequently. It takes time to learn a brand’s voice — or to shape it. Comedians take about four years to find this. It won’t be overnight.

    How can social media strategies be improved?

    Remember that a social media strategy is a strategy. These are overarching goals, to be contrasted with tactics. You can and should always improve your tactics. Strategies can be reassessed quarterly.

    Social media strategies can always be improved but you won’t know how to make the changes unless you monitor trends, assess, and adapt.

    A good social media manager won’t be stuck in 2009. As a practitioner, your vendor or in-house employee will know what is best for your industry and your niche.

    This is why it’s important to outsource to a professional, who could easily qualify as an in-house Marketing Manager. Anything less is risking the reputation of your brand — something not so easily recovered for a growing small business.

    If your social media marketing is stuck in 2009, let’s talk.

     

  • Do you want results or convenience?

    When it comes to our businesses we procrastinate on the things that we don’t like including [insert surprise here] marketing. But if marketing produces results, why do we wait?

    The question to you is this:

    Do you want results or convenience?

    Spend 7% of Your Gross Revenue on Marketing

    Budget may be an issue, though you should set aside a good 7% of revenue toward marketing, but it’s not the only excuse. Inconvenience tends to be the leader in the procrastination excuses.

    “The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends spending 7 to 8 percent of your gross revenue for marketing and advertising if you’re doing less than $5 million a year in sales and your net profit margin — after all expenses — is in the 10 percent to 12 percent range.” George Boykin

    For the sake of an example, if you are a WordPress Developer who charges $1,500 per website, $105 of that should go to marketing your business. This is a conservative investment in your future.

    If you do four of those sites a month, $420 should be invested in marketing. To be more aggressive, you’ll have to dedicate a larger percentage of gross revenue.

    [bctt tweet=”Spending $420 a month on marketing instead of something else isn’t convenient; it’s an investment.” username=”BridgetMWillard”]

    What is convenient?

    Pretty much nothing. You’ve heard the saying that nothing worth doing is ever easy? Well, nothing worth achieving is ever convenient.

    Does anyone ask rugby players if it’s convenient that they get so dirty or become injured because of the lack of pads? No. Does anyone ask X Games athletes how many bones they broke to be champions? No.

    There are plenty of things I do that are not convenient. But I choose to invest in my community, my business, and myself.

    [bctt tweet=”Investing in your business is never convenient.” username=”BridgetMWillard”]

    For example:

    • I drive 33 miles to my closest WordPress Meetup. This takes at least an hour in commute time. I do this one to three times a month. Results: friends, business, and fun. That matters.
    • I worked in Santa Ana for 14 years. It was a 27 mile commute and took an hour. Results: That job helped me launch my career shift.
    • I traveled for work while I was with Thought House (on behalf of GiveWP). I hated travel before. Results: I met people all over the world and many of them have become clients.
    • Attending WordCamps can be expensive (about $1000 is an average budget). Results: I get clients all the time from attending, organizing, or speaking at WordCamps. Also: friends.
    • Blogging takes time and focus. I don’t always feel like writing for myself, especially after doing client work. Results: people continue to read my current and past writing and (guess what?) I get business and referrals. This doesn’t even speak to branding issues. (Would you hire a marketer who didn’t blog?)

    I am not even talking about physical or mental fitness either. We all know that being fit is more than looking at magazines and having a gym membership. It’s not any different for your business.

    What gets results?

    Effort.

    Period.

    Start.

    Start somewhere. But stop complaining.

    It’s your business.

    [bctt tweet=”Results require effort. Effort is rarely convenient.” username=”BridgetMWillard”]

    Why aren’t you marketing your business?

    I always tell business owners that they have to care about the future of their business. As a consultant or even their social media manager, I can’t care about their business more than they do.

    So, I say the same to you — my audience. I can’t care about your business more than you do.

    It’s your livelihood. It’s your future. It’s your passion.

    [bctt tweet=”Your business is your passion. Don’t put its future into someone else’s hands.” username=”BridgetMWillard”]

    You should be involved in your business. You should care about its direction.

    When’s the last time you had a checkup for your body or your vision or your teeth? It’s been a year or less. Right?

    When’s the last time you had a checkup for your marketing plan? What worked ten years ago may not work now. What was true in social media last year, may not be true now. Changes in tactics are sometimes required.

    Maybe it’s time.

  • 25 Things You Spend More Than $25 On – An Argument for Managed WordPress Hosting

    Twenty-Five Dollars. $25. In 2018 when this article was first published, That’s all with my former client) . That price is now $45 as of this May 6, 2022 edit. Yet, most people think $25 is expensive. Is it?

    Let’s look at other managed WordPress hosting costs updated as of May 6, 2022.

    Your website is for your business. Isn’t it worth $25 a month?

    The List: 25 Things I spend more than $25 on

    I’ve left some of the original list and added a few bonus items. What are you spending $25 a month on?

    1. Cazadores Tequila. At Hennessy’s it’s $9.50 a shot. Two shots plus a tip and tax is about $35.
    2. Pedicure. A plain pedicure at Happy Nails is $22. With a $5 tip that puts the cost at $27.
    3. Starbucks. Every reload on my  Gold Card is $25. I do that at least once a month.
    4. 2 for 1 burgers on Tuesdays. Again. This with a tip is about $35.
    5. A tank of gas. My last tank of gas at Chevron was $39.42.
    6. Monthly massage at White Lotus Day Spa. I’m a member so it’s $75.
    7. Jewelry. The last bracelet I bought was soft leather. $40
    8. Home Decor. I bought some pillows and paintings at Ross for $34.
    9. Office Supplies. Last run to Staples for misc pens and post-it notes was $67.
    10. Pizza. Domino’s large pizza, soda, delivery fee, and tip. $37.
    11. Sunday Brunch. Pierside blueberry pancakes and bottomless mimosas, tax, tip. $42.
    12. Toll Roads. My last statement was $39.
    13. Uber. I lost track of how much I spend monthly but it’s over $100. It’s why I prefer to walk. But when traveling, you have to do what you have to do.
    14. Hair coloring. I pay about $75 a month to not have gray hair.
    15. WiFi on Swiss Air flight. $39. It is admittedly less expensive on other airlines, but I had no problem spending this to get connected.
    16. Keepsake Frames. Print of a photo for my mom. $39.
    17. Monthly Flowers. I just purchased a subscription from Enjoy Flowers for $68.
    18. Airport Parking. The last time I parked at SNA it was $60. (Not everyone has a person who will drop them off and pick them up at the airport.)
    19. Choosing your seat on Swiss. I was glad to pay $55 each way to choose an aisle seat on my international flight to Belgrade.
    20. Vacation. Even though I won a two night stay at an all-inclusive resort, I had no trouble paying $215 for the airfare.
    21. Premium Plugins. and $30 on Better Click to Tweet without any reservation.
    22. Shorts. The last pair of shorts I bought from Old Navy was $22. Tax and shipping put that over.
    23. Advertising. $30 for LinkedIn. More than two $20 boosts on Facebook.
    24. Makeup. My last order was $100.
    25. Donations. I donate $20 to Natured Conservatory and $5 to FreeCodeCamp every month, plus the odd request for someone in need.
    26. Hootsuite is $79 a month and how I run my business.
    27. Fiber Internet: I pay $80/month for AT&T Fiber.
    28. Cat Food & Litter. Easily $40/month.
    29. Therapy: Twice a month at $65 each is $130.
    30. My last meal at Chuy’s was $44.64.

    None of these include utilities, rent, cell phones, internet, insurance, taxes, groceries, or car payments. My business costs about $1500 to run for recurring services, health insurance, and vendors. That doesn’t even include my salary.

    So, is $30 – $50 a month too much to spend on your business website? If the answer is no, then re-evaluate your business.

    People Speak up on Twitter

    https://twitter.com/joe4ska/status/1023601314704515073

    Your Time is Worth Money

    It doesn’t matter to me which host you choose, but pick managed hosting. The race to the bottom is real. Get good service. Invest in your own business by investing in your website.

    This also means blogging on a regular basis but that’s another post.

    This post contains affiliate links which means that if you click on them and buy I may receive a bit of compensation.