Uncategorized Archives - Dawn Mentzer, Freelance Marketing Content Writer

A Thanksgiving-Inspired Four Random Thoughts

‘Tis the season to count our blessings and reflect on all we have to be thankful for in our lives. I also believe Thanksgiving embodies a...

9 Writing Tips to Master during COVID-19

If your company cannot carry out business as usual during the COVID-19 crisis, you’re likely watching every penny spent. Marketing is one of...

The Bare Minimum for Maximal Impact

While visiting my friend Tammy in Phoenix for a few days, I was fortunate to also connect in-person with radio personality and master podcast...

To Emoji or Not Emoji: Using Emojis in Business Communicati

“Smiley face,” “heart,” “kissy face,” “wink, wink,” “okay gesture,” “sad...

4 Reasons to Have Multiple Freelance Content Writers

Outsourcing your blog writing and copywriting to a freelance content writer can save you a lot of time, energy, frustration. Also, it can prevent you...

Is Fear Putting The Freeze On Your Small Business Dreams?

One of the biggest hurdles to accomplishing anything is gaining the confidence to get started. That’s certainly true for launching your own...

5 Ways To Screw Up Working With A Freelance Writer

Nothing can put a damper on your marketing and corporate communications mojo more than not having a consistent and clear brand voice. We all know...

The Satisfaction Of Creating Doesn’t Pay The Bills

Some people would have you believe if you want a profitable business in a creative field, something’s not morally right with you. Sadly, in certain...

Six Ways Running A Small Business Is Like Raising A Rescue ...

I started my freelance writing business in 2010. My family and I adopted an adolescent pit bull mix from a rescue organization in late 2015. ...

Are You Squandering Your Time And Energy?

I can’t recall any event in my 52 years of existence that has distracted people more than this current presidential election. Friends, family,...

7 Signs It’s Time To Kick A Client To The Curb

Not all business is good business. I learned that early on when I first started my freelance writing business in 2010. And it’s a piece of advice I...

Couldn’t We All Use A Little More Of This One Thing In Th...

You might have thought I was referring to money, but that’s not it. While most of us welcome the free flow of cash into our small businesses,...

A Good Product Or Service At A Good Price Isn’t Always En

When you’re a small business owner, your product or services and price will only take you so far. If your customers don’t feel appreciated,...

Avoid This Fatal Small Business Mistake

Small Business Saturday (Nov. 28) is around the corner. It’s a time for celebrating the benefits of having small businesses in the local community...

The Scary Side of Self-Employment

Halloween isn’t exactly my favorite time of year. Scary movies, scary costumes, scary thoughts of my kid not looking before running across the...

Lighten Up! Business Humor To Cure What Ails You

After a take-no-prisoners week of working our @$$es off, I believe a little humor is in order. We’ve earned it, right? And according to the Mayo...

I Took A 9-Day Break From Social Media—And I (And My Busi...

At about this time during last summer, I believed it was ultra-important for my personal brand to stay current and engaged online even while I was...

Why You Shouldn’t Feel Guilty About Guilty Pleasures

Guilty pleasures. Those harmless, little indulgences we enjoy, but feel like we shouldn’t because others would think us silly (or insane). I have...

How Much Should You Pay For Content Writing?

As tough as it is for freelance writers to set their rates, it’s equally as difficult for clients to know whether they’re getting quoted a fair...

Two LinkedIn Messages That Might Mess Up Your First Impress

Within the past week, I received two LinkedIn messages that irritated me. Why? They didn’t respect my time. Both senders required me to take time...

Not Drinking Enough Water? Six Ways To Make It Less Wishy-W

We’ve all got ‘em. Those important self-care things that make a difference in our work performance and our attitude. I’ve written about...

Five Reasons To Stop Complaining Right Now

Nobody said running a solopreneur business (or any business) would be easy. There will be times when you’ll feel defeated. There will be other...

Your Personal Brand: One Thing You Can Do To Get Closer To ...

At the 2015 CMT Music Awards, Carrie Underwood made history. Winning three awards, she reached a total count of thirteen in her career thus far....

Good Businesses Have Bad Moments. Cut Them A Little Slack.

No Business Is Absolutely Perfect. As much as any small business wants to deliver a perfect customer experience during each and every interaction, it...

You Don’t Have Time For That

Your time is precious. I know. You’ve heard that before, but do you believe it? Think about it this way: After you’ve...

Four Cs To Stop Pushback On Your Pricing

Competing on price alone is a losing proposition for small business owners who provide professional services. It sets you up for burnout because you...

Can Mistaken Identity And Party Crashing Work To Your Advan

I love when random circumstances transform into something unexpectedly delightful. Like this story for example: Joey DiJulio was minding his own...

3 Facts About Self-Employment Your Friends And Family Proba...

When a national corporation bought the regional telecommunications company where I worked for 17 years, my position was among the nearly 60 percent...

Survey Shows Email Remains Biggest Time Suck For Small Busi...

In its fourth annual survey of freelancers during Time Management Month (a.k.a. February), OfficeTime.net asked more than 1,200 freelancers, small...

One Easy Way To Save Yourself And Your Clients From A Heada...

While most clients have their accounting act together, some don’t—and that can create problems for you as an independent contractor when it’s...

Why Your Desk Should Be A “No Food Zone”

Believe me, I’m not getting all self-righteous here. I’ve eaten at my desk on countless occasions. That’s precisely why I feel qualified to...

How To Avoid Administrative Angst & Procrastination Pi

They appear innocent enough. Those seemingly non-urgent pain in the @*# tasks you figure you’ll get to sometime. Maybe on a slow day or some other...

Got Thanks? Time To Give It!

With the holiday season more hectic than other times of the year, finding time for reflection on what you have to be thankful for can easily take a...

Don’t Just Think, Act—Fortune Cookie Friday

As any small business owner or solopreneur knows, planning can save you from a lot of hardships—both financially and emotionally. You need to think...

Falling In Love Again: Tips For Rekindling Your Passion For...

No matter how much passion you have for your business, you’ll experience moments of feeling overwhelmed, under-motivated, frustrated, confused,...

Never Forget A Friend—Fortune Cookie Friday

I hadn’t expected it, but after starting my career as a freelance writer, my circle of friends evolved. Others who went from working for someone...

Advice. What We Ask For When We Already Know the Answer?—...

This week’s note of wisdom from takeout challenged me. “Sometimes advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer.” I...

“Recognition is the greatest motivator” -Fortun...

What motivates you to do your best? You know, the thing that kicks you in the pants and makes you want to trudge onward in your small business...

Common Sense Tips For Using Humor In Your Blog Posts

We all love to laugh. But our individual tastes in humor vary—often considerably. Think about it. You’ve probably encountered moments...

“Better Is The Enemy Of Good”—Fortune Cookie Friday S...

Complacency to remain “status quo” as a solopreneur or freelancer can mean a shorter shelf life for your small business. This week’s...

Four Tips For Making Sure Your Visit To A Biz Expo Isn’t ...

If you’re a B2B solopreneur or small business owner looking to expand your services or products in your local market, networking at business expos...

Fortune Cookie Friday Small Biz Wisdom: Do You Dare?

What a fine specimen for this Fortune Cookie Friday’s nugget of takeout wisdom. Fortune sides with him who dares.” As...

6 Ways to Rock Your Week, Week After Week

In response to me retweeting one of his tweets on Monday, one of my favorite quality content connections on Twitter, Brett Relander, responded with a...

Fortune Cookie Friday Small Biz Wisdom: You Become Known Fo...

Today’s takeaway from takeout: You become known for your generosity. To give first rather than aim to get is a networking approach...

Why Being A “Solopreneur” Is B.S.

I can already see the angry mob of freelancers and one-person business owners with pitchforks and flaming torches rounding the corner in protest. But...

Fortune Cookie Friday Small Biz Wisdom: A Perfect Statue Ne...

This week’s nugget of “takeout” wisdom… A perfect statue never comes from a bad mould.* How does this apply to you in your small business?...

Fortune Cookie Friday Small Business Wisdom: Do It With a D...

Another Fortune Cookie Friday, another opportunity to make practical use of those readily discarded nuggets of wisdom served as a side dish to shrimp...

Watch Out For Foul Balls

You never know when the unexpected will happen. This past weekend, my husband and I joined a client and his staff at a nearby baseball stadium to see...

Hyphen or No Hyphen: That is the Question?

To hyphenate or not hyphenate compound words? I find myself grappling with that question from time to time as I’m writing. I’ll bet you...

How Solopreneurs Can Tame the Boundless Ideas Beast

Sometimes the biggest hurdle to overcome working as a solopreneur is the very thing you’d think would be the biggest asset: ideas. Most often,...

Sanity Saving Pre-Vacation Checklist for Solopreneurs

Ahhh. Vacation! Time to unwind, feel the sand between your toes, read a good book, escape your cares, and leave the pressures of work behind. Those...

Solopreneur Tip: Sometimes You Should Judge a Book by its C

I’ve been fortunate as a freelance writer. The overwhelming majority of the prospects I’ve met and the clients I’ve worked with...

Five Reasons Solopreneurs Should Get Away and Go Wild

Not in a bikini-clad spring breaker way (Sorry to disappoint!)…I mean roughing it without the modern luxuries we take for granted at home and at...

Our Accessibility: Benefit or Bane to Solopreneurs and Smal...

Accessibility. It has its advantages and disadvantages for solopreneurs and small business owners. The numerous modes of communication available to...

Solopreneurs: Aim High, but Know Your Limits

Solopreneurs are small but mighty. We’re also one-person businesses with limitations in addition to our strengths. Preserving our non-employee...

6 Time-Saving Tools Worth Spending Your Time On

Solopreneurs need all the time they can get. Unfortunately, each day has a limited number of hours. There’s no way to add more, so saving time...

3 Reasons Why Your Friends Won’t Support Your Decisio...

When you’re impassioned to start a business, you naturally want your friends, family and professional connections to feel excited and show you...

5 Simple Tips to Improve Your Writing Right Now

As a freelance writer, I’ve talked with a lot of business owners and professionals who have shared that writing isn’t among their core...

My Big @$$ Whiteboard: The Old School Small Business Tool T...

Technology has brought us tool after tool to help us work smarter and organize our businesses. But that doesn’t mean we should look at...

7 Reasons Why It Rocks to be a Small Biz Owner

National Small Business Week 2014 has arrived! May 12 – 16 is a time to celebrate the achievements of small businesses – and acknowledge...

Freelance Writer’s Confession: I Love My Work, BUT

About a month ago, I read a blog post that implied…no, it actually said outright…that professional writers who don’t have the...

Satisfy Clients and Keep Your Freelance Biz Whole with R...

Ask any freelancer; pricing projects is a bit of an uncertain science. It requires a degree of research. Before you can offer a client quotes, you...

The Takeaway for Every Small Biz Owner from the Donald Ster...

Most of us don’t have the mass media exposure (or capital at stake) like L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling, but his recent private racist...

Keep Calm…and Make Your Home Office a Productive, Min...

Working from a home office isn’t as free and easy an experience as people often imagine. 1. Distractions abound. 2. You never completely leave...

3 Ways Texting with Clients Can Hurt Your Business

Lots of businesses have started using text messages to keep customers informed about special deals and to creatively enhance the customer service...

Want Your Work to Delight Your Clients? Make Sure This Happ...

It’s impossible to please all of the people all of the time (so goes the cliche). But as a freelancer, pleasing clients stands as the most...

I’m a Solopreneur and I Need HELP: How to Prepare to ...

It’s a tricky spot to be in. You’re a solopreneur – an independent contractor to your clients – and now YOU are at capacity...

You Can’t Please Everyone: How to Handle Argumentativ...

If you blog for your business and occasionally write posts sharing your thoughts and opinions on particular topics, you’ll find not everyone...

Small Business Reality Check: It’s Not Your Responsib...

I’m reading Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”…for the third time. Well, I should say I’m trying to read it again....

Is Your Business a Pain in the Neck?

Running a small business rocks in so many ways, but it can also be a pain in the neck…and the back. Literally. Endless hours at the computer...

Top 10 “Time Killers” that Stalk Freelancers an...

Happy National Time Management Month! For the past three years, OfficeTime (a time & expense tracking app available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and...

15 Moments When Your Business Needs Your Unconditional Love

Starting a small business is exciting. Fraught with novelty and excitement. While it would sure be great if every day from day one onward would be an...

The Four-Letter Word I’m Removing From My Business Vo...

Can you guess what it is? B – U – S – Y Perhaps not what you were expecting, but that’s the one: “Busy” The...

4 “Un” Words to Remove from your Small Business...

Words wield power. While we pay a lot of attention to them in our marketing efforts, it’s easy to forget the words we (and sometimes others)...

The One Thing ALL Small Businesses Need to Communicate

As a small business owner or solopreneur, your communications skills – or lack of – can directly affect your bottom line. Professionals...

Solopreneur Squared: The Benefits and Challenges of Having ...

As a “solo” solopreneur, you might find those around you don’t always understand what you’re doing and why it sometimes...

“Sick” and “Solopreneur” Don’...

Despite our best efforts to take care of ourselves and stay healthy, germs sometimes get their way. Tis the season for colds and the flu, ailments...

3 Ways to Nip Nagging Tasks in the Bud

When you’re a solopreneur, you’ve pretty much got to do it all – or at least see that everything gets done one way or another. That...

Dealing with Small Biz Stress: How Solopreneurs Can Take Co...

Solopreneurs come from all industries, diverse business backgrounds, and with varied expertise and skills. I find it fascinating to discover what...

The 2 Worst Reasons to Become a Solopreneur

Living the Life of a Solopreneur The Right Reasons to Become a Solopreneur There are many wonderful reasons for deciding to go the self-employed...

Do Unto Vendors – Being a Good Customer

It’s Not Right to Not Treat Vendors Right Treating customers right is a no-brainer, but being a good customer doesn’t always come as...

F is for “Freelancing”…and 8 Other F-Word...

F is for “freelancing,” and it also stands for a few other words that strongly represent what being a freelancing solopreneur is all...

Think the Little Things Don’t Matter? Think Again!

By Dawn Mentzer As a solopreneur, your personal brand can make or break you in business. It influences not only how prospects, clients and colleague...

You’re Not Perfect! Get Over It and Get Things Done!

I expect a lot of myself. I admit it. I’m a perfectionist. The problem is I’m not perfect. Not even close. Many of the other solopreneurs...

Solopreneurs: If You Got Hit by a Bus, What Would Happen to...

I think it’s important to have an optimistic attitude as a solopreneur…but it’s also important to have one foot firmly planted in...

File Naming Smarts: 1 Thing You Can Do To Make Your Life Ea...

As a solopreneur, I’ve found that being organized is a prerequisite to being productive. If you don’t have your act together, it’s...

Ways Solopreneurs Can Create a Customer Experience Clients ...

What you need to do to deliver a stand-out “customer experience” isn’t all that easy to pin down when you’re a solopreneur...

Brace Yourself…Being a Solopreneur can be a Bumpy Rid

As rewarding as being the master of your own destiny – and work schedule – can be, a fair share of challenges come with being a...

Oklahoma Tornado Puts “Challenge” into Perspective

I just wrote about the challenges of being a solopreneur for a guest post (to be published later this week on Gainmindshare.com). As I watch and read...

What Do Your Customers Want? The Same Things You Do!

Whether you’re just starting out as a solopreneur or have been running your small professional services business for a while, you’ve probably at...

Lessons That Being a Mom Has Taught Me about Being in Busin

Something that all solopreneurs come to realize while running their own solo businesses is that their “personal” and “professional” lives are...

Three Sure-fire Ways to Pick Up the Slack When You Fall Beh

It can happen. And it does happen. Solopreneurs – by nature of being a one person band – sometimes fall behind schedule on their projects and...

Business Networking 101: Tips for Making Small Talk Less of...

Unless you’re a natural born socialite, walking into a room full of professionals at a networking event when you know very few people can be...

4 Things Even the Thriftiest Solopreneurs Should Spend Mone

Solopreneurs by nature – and sometimes by necessity – tend to be a thrifty lot. I resemble that remark. But make no mistake, “thrifty” should...

No Brainer Ways to Facilitate a Stellar Customer Experience

Though following through with quality stands at the cornerstone of an exceptional customer experience, solopreneurs need to consistently incorporate...

Making Your Mark as a Solopreneur – Trademark Basics

As a business owner, you work hard to make a name for yourself and to find ways to set yourself apart from your competition. One of the more obvious...

Forget Them Not – 4+ Tips for Remembering a Person’s Na

We’ve all had those awkward moments. The time arrives at a networking function or other public gathering when we bump into someone we’ve met...

Clear the Clutter – How to Straighten Up Your Solopreneur...

As solopreneurs, there’s A LOT we need to keep tabs on. Marketing best practices, prospects and leads, our client records, accounting details, and...

I Can’t Believe I Just Did That! 3 Careless Email Mistake...

“Oops! I can’t believe I just did that!” Who hasn’t said that to themselves at one time or another? In this break-neck, fast-paced business...

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