Four Tips for Avoiding Pinkwashing

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Pinkwashing, also known as rainbow washing, is widely defined as when a company uses pride or LGBTQ issues to make a quick buck.

We see this a lot during pride month. Businesses from banks to beers are putting out rainbow everything. And while we appreciate the visibility and the advocacy, it really can fall flat because we in the queer community are wondering, “What do you mean by that rainbow?” If there isn’t much to back it up, then we feel pandered to.

We know which companies have a positive track record (or any track record at all) of real advocacy work over the years. Wells Fargo, for example, used to deny LGBTQ patrons outright any mortgage or funding. Today, they plaster a rainbow across their brand during Pride. It… doesn’t look good.

So if you’re a small business owner who wants to support the LGBTQ community and wants to celebrate Pride Month, but doesn’t want to pink wash, here are four things you can do to join in the fun.

1. Attach any pride products to an actual charity organization.

A great example of a charity with deep impact are homeless shelters for LGBTQ youth. A lot of us get kicked out of our homes at a young age just for being who we are. By supporting organizations that work directly with the LGBTQ Community, you can seriously make a difference. And by attaching your product or service to a charity, you help the LGBTQ community rather than just sell as a product.

2. Don’t only sell the product during pride month.

The LGBTQ Community is under fire throughout the year and around the world, not just in the United States but also in Hungary, Poland, Uganda, and Iran. Just because Pride Month is over doesn’t mean that our security and safety isn’t still an issue. If your product is attached to a charity, you help human rights year round.

3. Don’t only market your Pride products to the queer community.

The LGBTQ community tends to have lower wealth access because of the discrimination we experience throughout our lives and in our careers. If you sell us a product that gives to an LGBTQ charity, not only have we probably given to that charity already, but that means that we’re operating in a closed economy. By marketing the product to the wider community, you bring funds into the LGBTQ community where it’s really, really needed.

4. Consider what your internal business structure is like.

The queer community talks, and we know whose company is dope and whose company is nope. I offer LGBTQ Inclusion Training for small businesses because it can feel overwhelming to learn new lingo and change some of the stuff we learned when we were young, however incorrect. If you’d like to start, now, a few little things can make all the difference. For example, ask for both colleague’s and employee’s pronouns, or invite significant others to the company picnic rather than ‘husbands and wives.’

If you’re celebrating Pride Month with your business, stop by my TikTok on Pinkwashing and tell us what you’re up to!

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Countries that offer Digital Nomad Visas (+ their LGBTQ Equality Scores)

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NOTE: I included the 🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ Equality Index Score to each country offering a Digital Nomad Visa with its. That may change over time, so each country is also linked to its scorecard.

I talk a lot about location independence because I believe that freedom of movement is one of the major requirements for freedom overall. Given that some countries *ahem — USA, Poland* are becoming less friendly for people to live in, digital nomad visas are a quick and easy option for people who want to leave.

Entrepreneurship makes it much easier for one to achieve location independence, as the shape and function of our work are up to us. This is a major highlight of the work I do to scale my clients’ businesses, as more location independence typically corresponds to more freedom of time and greater income.

I knew I wanted location independence long before I had it. It took several years of scaling my business before I truly became a laptop entrepreneur. The first test of my ability to scale came when I decided to backpack for three weeks across Europe. I checked in with my team most days of the week, but they didn’t need me, and the business functioned just fine until my return. Heck yes!

I have since chosen to immigrate to Europe, but perhaps that’s not right for you, or you don’t know which country you would want to live in, or maybe you just want to have an adventure. Whatever the reason, today it is easier than ever to live abroad. Rather than visa hopping, the Digital Nomad visas emerging around the world mean you can set up life abroad and stay for a year (or more!). Got questions? Let’s schedule a chat.

I’ve listed the options and their requirements below. Some countries provide visas as short as six months, while others offer visas for over two years. I’ve been specific about those that are a direct path to permanent residency and which will cover family members. I’ve linked to the country’s own information page where possible so you can verify requirements and apply directly.

NOTE: More countries are opening digital nomad visas all the time. This website keeps the score.

 

👕 DON’T FORGET YOUR DIGITAL NOMAD SWAG!

Anguilla

Don’t love crowds and want sea vistas, beaches, and warm weather? The digital nomad visa for the tiny island of Anguilla is perfect for you. Their visa lasts for one year, costs $2,000 to apply ($3000 for families 👨‍👩‍👦). There is no stated income requirement on their website, which provides a lot of detail for making this working vacation happen for you.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Anguilla scores 66/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it fairly safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Antigua & Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda together sport over 300 beaches to work from. How exciting! The Nomad Digital Residence Programme offers entrepreneurs a two year visa and also accepts families 👨‍👩‍👦. The application is $1500 for an individual, $2000 for a couple, and $3000 for a family of three or more. You must also prove $50,000 yearly income.

🏳️‍🌈 Antigua & Barbuda scores 26/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it unsafe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Bahamas

Whenever I think of the Bahamas I think of bikinis and The Beach Boys song. The Bahamas branded their visa as the BEATS Visa (or Bahamas Extended Access Travel Stay). Their website makes it easy to understand eligibility and apply. The initial visa is for 12 months but it can be renewed on a limited basis, and families 👨‍👩‍👦 are eligible for consideration. Proof of self-employment or a letter of employment is the stated requirement at this time.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 The Bahamas scores 56/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it marginally safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Barbados

Are you up for Island living? The cost of living in Barbados isn’t the cheapest on this list by far, but the vistas and warm weather certainly make up for it. Barbados has a cool visa called the Barbados Welcome Stamp. It gets you twelve months on the island (which, by the way, has really great internet). The application fee is steep — $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for families 👨‍👩‍👦. You also must make $50,000 yearly in order to qualify. Will you do it?

🏳️‍🌈 Barbados scores 34/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it unsafe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Belize

Belize recently joined the digital nomad club, offering a visa called Work Where You Vacation(cute). Their visa will cover both individuals and families, but the proof of income is a bit steep for what you receive — $75.000 yearly for individuals and $100,000 yearly for families 👨‍👩‍👦 which gets you 180 in the country. Still, if you are interested in living in Latin America, Belize might be a good foot in the door to explore the other options available to you.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Belize scores 78/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it fairly safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Brazil

Ever wish you could attend Carnival in Rio? Brazil became the first South American country to add a Digital Nomad Visa option in January of 2022. The monthly proof of income requirement is $1,500, lasts one year, and (so far) can be renewed one time. If you love coffee, hiking, and world heritage sites, you’ll love Brazil. I personally know several entrepreneurs living in Rio de Janeiro who love it. Brazil requires its applicants to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, and there is not yet any information regarding the inclusion of family or dependents. More information in English here.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Brazil scores 81/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it very safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Bermuda

In Bermuda, we have the aptly named Work From Bermuda visa. This visa lasts for only one year, but the only requirement is proof that you can support yourself to Bermuda standards. The application fee is $250. More info here.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Bermuda scores 92/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it very safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Cabo Verde

Located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Senegal, Africa, this former Portuguese colony offers a well-kept visa secret. The initial stay on the archipelago is only six months, but their visa can be renewed one time. The application costs €50, may include family, and requires €1500 monthly income for an individual or €2700 income for a family 👨‍👩‍👦. More information on their detailed website.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Cabo / Cape Verde scores 62/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it marginally safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Curaçao

One of my best friends does a lot of business with organizations based in Curaçao and highly recommends both the atmosphere and network. The At Home in Curaçao visa offers a six month stay with the opportunity to extend for another six months. The government website offers a ton of information about applications and family stays 👨‍👩‍👦.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Curaçao scores 66/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it fairly safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Cayman Islands

While the Cayman Islands offers a two-year remote work visa, it is not very attractive for most digital nomads, as the income requirement tops six figures. Called the Global Citizen Concierge Program, this visa is clearly aimed at wealthy executives and well-established entrepreneurs. If you’d like to apply, have $1500 ready for the application.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 The Cayman Islands score 68/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it fairly safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is well known for its beautiful jungles, mountains, and wellness tourism. Their nomad visa has been available since before the pandemic and opens the country for 24 months. Applicants have two options — prove $2500 monthly income for an individual / $5000 for a family 👨‍👩‍👦 OR deposit $60,000 into a CR bank. You are not allowed to work for any company but your own. More here.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Costa Rica scores 72/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it fairly safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Colombia

Hooray! Colombia is one of the few South American countries with its own Digital Nomad visa program. What we know right now is that the income requirement is $900/mo, and the visa may last a generous two years. All application details are here.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Colombia scores 68/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it fairly safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Croatia

My homeland! Croatia jumped on the Digital Nomad Visa bandwagon in 2021, and I was pleased to see them do so. Imagine working on the Mediterranean Sea from a castle. Not bad, eh? The visa lasts for one year, but you can reapply after six months away from the country. You must have a base income of 17.822,50 kuna per month. Families can also apply 👨‍👩‍👦.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Croatia scores 58/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it marginally safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Cypress

Another newcomer to the Digital Nomad Visa, Cypress offers non-EU residents access to the Schengen Zone. Cypress offers a one year visa, with the possibility to renew up to two years. This is a great option if you don’t want to move often. The visa will also cover family members 👨‍👩‍👦 (hooray!) but they cannot work. The visa is €140 total in fees and one must prove €3,500 in monthly income. More on the Cypress government website.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Cypress scores 59/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it marginally safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Czech Republic

The Digital Visa in the Czech Republic is called the Zivino Visa and is considered a trade license visa. Processing the visa can take up to 120 days, longer than a typical Schengen visa, so make sure you time your application well. The visa is good for one year and requires a base income of CZK 124,500/mo, and visa holders can visit other Schengen states during their stay (cool!). The application costs CZK 1,000.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 The Czech Republic scores 72/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it fairly safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Dubai (UAE)

No, Dubai is not a country, but the United Arab Emirates has designated a Digital Nomad visa specific to its largest and most lavish city. They offer a one year visa that can be renewed (no specification on how many times). The visa costs $287 and one most prove a monthly income of $5,000 using bank statements from the previous three months. You’ll need health insurance that covers you in Dubai and proof of business ownership. The UAE website has more information.

🏳️‍🌈 Dubai scores 41/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it marginally safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Dominica

Dominica is known for its fantastic hot springs, volcanic landscapes, and year round Caribbean weather. Their visa is called Work In Nature and they invite nomads who want beautiful vistas and enjoy exploring natural surroundings. The visa lasts 18 months and can be applied for as an individual ($1000) or family 👨‍👩‍👦 ($1200).

🏳️‍🌈 Dominica scores 27/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it unsafe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Ecuador

New on the scene in 2022 is Ecuador’s Digital Nomad visa. It was a last-minute addition in October 2022 by the Ecuadorian government to compete with Colombia’s new visa. Ecuador is attractive to Nomads for both its wonderful wildlife (Galapagos, anyone?) and its use of the dollar. You can stay up to two years with a minimum income requirement of $1275/mo. It is suggested that you review your eligibility to enter Ecuador here.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Ecuador scores 64/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it marginally safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Estonia

Estonia has been way ahead of the game for some time. They first created an e-residency permit that allows entrepreneurs abroad to found a business in Estonia, giving international access to EU funds and business. They then became the founders of the digital nomad visa concept, the first in the world to offer such a visa. The permit is one year and you must prove a base income of €3,504/mo.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Estonia scores 57/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it marginally safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Hungary

The White Card (aka. the Singles Under 40 visa) is a digital nomad visa that must be applied for on an individual basis (while some others have allocations for partners and even children) and lasts 12 months. The application is €110 and the minimum income is €2000/mo. Not bad. It can be extended only once.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Hungary scores 52/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it marginally safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Iceland

Funny story — I was almost blown off a mountain in Iceland during one of my visits. Iceland is stunning, and I recommend everyone visit at least once. Sadly, their digital nomad visa is only for six months at the time of this writing. An important stipulation is that, if you apply while in Iceland on a Schengen visa, the digital nomad visa only extends another 90 days. Six months in total is all you will get. The processing fee is 12,200 ISK and you must confirm an income of ISK 1.000.000 per month.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Iceland scores 90/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it very safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Germany

In typical German fashion, the very long name of this visa is Aufenthaltserlaubnis für selbständige Tätigkeit. It’s important to note that this visa is more of a freelancer resident permit rather than a digital nomad visa. This means that there are a few more hoops to jump through, but the result is a three-year renewable residence permit. Several of my friends in Berlin are here on this visa. If they can do it, so can you! The application is €100 and you’ll also need confirmation of German address and proof of German contracts. From what my friends have said, it’s best to come to Germany on a Schengen visa, then apply for a freelancer visa. This is the visa I would have applied for had I not received Croatian citizenship. NOTE: The freelancer visa is a bit finicky, but other visas are a viable option to those who are looking to immigrate to Germany or Berlin.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Germany scores 83/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it fairly safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Greece

What’s not to love? Beautiful vistas. Amazing food. Wonderful people. Deep history that shines on the surface. And the sea, of course. Greece is working hard to attract worldwide talent, and offers two visas you may qualify for. One is a 2-7 year residency visa that also offers a 50% tax reduction. If you’re looking to immigrate on a more permanent basis, this might be a great visa to help you get started. Otherwise, there is a traditional digital nomad visa good for one year, renewable twice, that costs €75 and requires proof of €3500/mo income.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Greece scores 62/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it marginally safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Herzegovina

The beautiful region bordering Croatia (known widely as Bosnia i Herzegovina) is launching a pilot Digital Nomad program in autumn 2022. The month-long program functions more like a ‘study abroad’ program, in that there is a food and housing stipend, with additional outings organized. It’s a unique offer and one that might feel good for folks who are looking for a bite-sized opportunity to dip their toe. Applications close 31 August 2022. More info here.

🏳️‍🌈 Herzegovina scores 46/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it marginally safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Malta

The beautiful island of Malta offers a Nomad visa available only to Non-EU residents. It lasts for one year, is renewable, and costs €300 for the application, and families 👨‍👩‍👦 are welcome to apply. You must prove €2700 monthly income to qualify. Malta has an entire website dedicated to information about this visa, here.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Malta scores 82/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it fairly safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Mauritius

A close friend lived in Mauritius for several years and has only good things to say about it. This island located in the Indian Ocean just beyond Madagascar (off the coast of Africa) offers gorgeous weather and beautiful vistas, not to mention swimming and hiking. The visa lasts one year but can be renewed and is free to apply. They do not seem to have any income requirement. They simply request that you do not enter the Mauritian labor market (ie. own a company or work for a company outside the country). Their website is extremely informative and in English.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Mauritius scores 62/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it marginally safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Mexico

Mexico City has a thriving art and startup scene. It is a fantastic place for any digital nomad, especially if you already have some grasp of the Spanish language. What’s more, Mexico’s landscape is dotted with beautiful historic monuments, sunny beaches, and fantastic hiking. You can opt for the six-month tourist visa or a temporary visa that can last up to four years. Proof of income is $1,620 a month or a bank balance of $27,000.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Mexico scores 77/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it fairly safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Montserrat

A beautiful Caribbean island that offers dynamic landscapes and gorgeous weather year-round. The Montserrat Remote Worker Stamp is offered to individuals and families 👨‍👩‍👦 and lasts up to one year. If you are hoping to roam the world with your growing fam, this is a great option for you. The application fee varies per person, at $500 for individuals and $750 for a family of three (plus $250 for additional family members). You must prove a base income of $70,000 per year.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Montserrat scores 80/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it fairly safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Namibia

An exciting visa available in one of the most attractive vacation spots on the African continent. Requirements are $2000/mo in income, an additional $1000/mo for an accompanying spouse and/or $500/mo for an accompanying child. 👨‍👩‍👦 One must also present a radiological test, as Namibia has struggled with tuberculosis in the past. The country created this digital flier to give you more information and instructions to apply.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Namibia scores 58/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it marginally safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Norway

The Norwegian landscape is beautiful, with mountains and fjords and iconic architecture. Norways’ digital nomad visa is similar to Germany’s in that it is really an independent contractor visa. It lasts for two years, making it a nice option for those who prefer a home base. The application fee is steep, at €600, but Norway is one of the more expensive European countries, so that seems to reflect their cost of living. You’ll also have to have over €37,000 yearly income and have proof of residence already. Here is more info.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Norway scores 86/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it very safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Panama

Panama has long been in the public eye as an easy immigration point. Up until last year, one could get a golden visa by depositing $5,000 into a Panamanian bank and spending a short stay in the country. Unfortunately, that option has closed, and a Remote Worker visahas been added to their list of options. The visa costs $300 to apply, requires proof of $36,000 yearly income, and lasts up to 18 months, and may cover family 👨‍👩‍👦 or dependents with a letter of proof. Their website is in Spanish (no surprise) so make sure you have a translator plugin in your browser if you aren’t fluent.

🏳️‍🌈 Panama scores 46/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it marginally safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Portugal

Many of my friends in Berlin travel to Portugal in winter because of its gorgeous weather. Portugal is also known for its high rank on the wellness index. It’s a happy place to be! Similar to Germany and Norway, their digital nomad visa is actually an independent contractor visa, which means there are a few extra hoops to jump through. That also means the visa can extend as long as five years! Here is more information — note that the government site is (naturally) in Portuguese, so get your translator ready.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Portugal scores 73/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it fairly safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Romania

Romania launched its digital nomad program in December of 2021. A beautiful country with tons of history, Romania sports the fastest internet in Europe. The visa lasts for one year and can be renewed once. You must prove a monthly income of €3300, which is rather steep if you ask me. Especially compared to the others and to the cost of living in Romania. Here is more info if you’d like to proceed in exploring this option.

🏳️‍🌈 Romania scores 48/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it marginally safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Spain

This is an honorable mention rather than a proper digital nomad option, though Spain is working on legislation that would create a real digital nomad visa. Spain currently has a visa called the Non-Lucrative Visa, meaning you cannot work in the country. I know a few entrepreneurs who have gotten this visa and run their business which is registered elsewhere. The risk is up to you. More info here.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Spain scores 80/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it fairly safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

St. Lucia

The “LiveIt” Visa opens St. Lucia to the digital nomad world. With an application fee of $75, it is one of the most accessible visas available. Not only that, the island nation does not require proof of income in order to obtain the visa (at the time of this writing). Learn more about the visa here.

🏳️‍🌈 St. Lucia scores 37/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it marginally safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Seychelles

Another beautiful island getaway, this time in the Indian Ocean across from the Horn of Africa. It features 115 islands to choose from for your time in the country. The Workation Visalasts for up to one year and costs €45 per person to apply. Proof of income is required.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Seychelles scores 68/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it fairly safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

Taiwan

The Gold Card sounds fancy, and it is. The visa is valid for up to three years and covers your family 👨‍👩‍👦, including grandparents. Taiwan is targeting particular professions, but you may still qualify even if you don’t fall into one of those categories. The income requirement is $5700/mo and the application costs between $100-310 depending on your length of stay. They provide a ton of information on their website here.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Taiwan scores 63/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index, making it marginally safe for LGBTQ Digital Nomads.

— Honorable Mention —

My friend’s travels offer a good case study of creative thinking to move to countries that do not have a nomad visa offering. He is currently living in Thailand on a visitor visa which can be extended up to nine months. From that point, he plans to stay in Thailand even longer by applying for a traditional residence permit now that he has a track record in the country. This could be an option for you as well. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Thailand scores 51/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index.

Another option is Belgrade, Serbia. Serbia has created a comprehensive website to help people apply for visas and gain permanent residency. It is another example of countries that are open to those who want a long-term stay or to immigrate. They don’t have an easy digital nomad visa, however. I include their website to help you get creative with the possibility of living abroad. 🏳️‍🌈 Serbia scores 47/100 on the LGBTQ Equality Index.

Questions about moving abroad? I’ve done it. Let’s schedule a call.

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Three Reasons Why Bullet Journaling is Amazing for Entrepreneurs

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In January 2020, everything changed. My productivity went through the roof. I was suddenly able to keep track of long-term tasks and milestones. I didn’t lose ideas, and I was able to even get things done that I tasked myself months beforehand. Even my assistant said that she could tell that I was much more on point, on task, and able to get things done in a more timely fashion. So what was I doing that changed so much?

It’s not magic. It’s Bullet Journaling. 

We know that the human mind works better when writing. The physical act of writing something down uses more of our brain, which means we remember it better and it has a greater impression upon us.

I’ve used plenty of physical systems before. I even used a Passion Planner while I ran my tech company. Things were always getting lost.

I know you felt the same way. You have a scratch paper here, a notebook there, sticky notes covering everything.

I switched to digital because I wanted everything in one place and I thought that I had to use a cloud system in order to scale a team. But with digital, things were out of sight out of mind, and I quickly forgot that the system even existed.

Then I discovered Bullet Journaling.

This is a system that not only keeps track of your tasks, it keeps track of your projects, ideas, plans, doodles, lists, future plans, calendars, and more. It’s a system designed so you don’t lose things. And that is what made it so powerful for me.

#BulletJournaling is a system that not only keeps track of your tasks, it keeps track of your projects, ideas, plans, doodles, lists, future plans, calendars, and more. Click To Tweet

I knew if I wrote things down, I was more likely to get them done. But oftentimes I wouldn’t get everything done in a day, and then I would lose things or lose the idea for months into the future because there was nowhere to put a half-done task. Bullet Journaling solves that problem.

However, Bullet Journaling wasn’t designed specifically for entrepreneurs. I regularly get asked how to scale using such a paper system. So, I want to tell you my top three favorite features of Bullet Journaling for entrepreneurs. 

The Future Log

The future log is incredible. It may seem simple; it’s just a few pages that catalog the next twelve months. But the Future Log means that you can task your future self, a critical activity for entrepreneurs.

My future log guarantees that I am getting things done, even when I plan something six months down the road.

I know I’m not going to lose it. I know I’m not going to forget about it because it’s in the digital format and it’s out of sight out of mind. I know for sure that it’s going to get done. 

Migration

The reason that I love migration is that it is a system for reviewing and processing what happens every day to make sure that things aren’t getting lost.

Say for example, that you only get half of a task done, today. What happens next?

In a digital format, you wouldn’t change much, if at all, on the task. In the Bullet Journal, you need to interact with the task in order to migrate it to the next day or week.

The process of Migration also forces you to reevaluate your daily tasking, so if something didn’t get done and gets pushed to the next day, you don’t end up with more tasking than you planned. It is an expert system for moving things around without losing a thing.

The Weekly Log

The weekly log is the staging area for your week. It’s where you pull everything together from your various systems and disperse them across the week. What I love about the weekly log is that, because it’s on paper, it means there’s a limited number of spaces. I use that limited space to limit how much I assign to myself in a day.

In the same space also go meetings and appointments. If I have a stacked day full of meetings and appointments, I don’t have a lot of room left to write in more tasks, which keeps overwhelm out of the picture.

I found that a digital platform just couldn’t combine meetings and tasking to generate a balanced day. 

Bonus

I’m calling this a Bonus Feature because this is actually not a feature of the Bullet Journal. This is an idea I found in the Getting Things Done book. It is the someday / maybe concept.

This is a place where you write down your ideas — especially the outlandish wild ones. It’s a place to hold them, plan them, play with them, and either someday move them forward or cross them out.

By externalizing our tasks and ideas, we’re not using the best parts of our minds to hold them. Instead, we can use our minds to create and be the best business owners we can be.

If you’re curious about how all of this works for an entrepreneur, especially if you’re using a tandem digital system, I have designed a Bullet Journaling for Entrepreneurs Course that teaches you how to use the Bullet Journal as an entrepreneur to optimize your business as well as use it in tandem with the digital space because you’re going to be using a calendar scheduler and digital Task Manager, especially if you have a team.

CHECK OUT THE COURSE IN SCALING:LAB

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Schedule Segementing Will Revolutionize Your Work

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Whenever a client tells me they are struggling to focus at work because of schedule interruptions, I tell them about A/B Days. I discovered the concept of A/B Days several years ago, and it made a massive difference to the productivity of my work.

Let me back up. A/B Days means segmenting your days so that you have two different sets of working days — one set is meetings focused, the other is tasking and business improvement focused. Soon after I discovered the concept of A/B Days I wrote a blog post and made a YouTube video because it really changed the flow of my work. That is, I was able to get into a flow state on a regular basis because …

… Well, folks, this is the point! As I wrote this blog post, I realized I was supposed to be in a meeting. And so my flow state was interrupted. Ha!

The point is, meetings and events get in the way of our focus, and A/B Days resolves that issue.

What if it’s not just two things?

A/B Days work because there are tasking days and meeting days. But what if you’re like me, where you have tasking, meetings, clients, events, and other commitments? What if you are building an empire with multiple income streams and focus areas? Do A/B Days work?

That was the experiment I started several weeks ago. There are five major areas my work is focused on: the EMPIRE Retreat, my 1:1 clients, the Stories of COVID study, my writing, and a team position in a local accelerator. Each of these takes a lot of work and focus. As a result, I regularly felt scattered at work.

So I decided to take the concept of A/B Days and turn it into A/B/C/D/E Days. My theory was that by focusing each day on one specific area, I could stay in flow all day, from meetings to tasks. If something came up that didn’t fit into that current day’s focus, I would task my future self on the next appropriate day.

What happened to my productivity.

I’ve been using A/B/C/D/E Days for three weeks, now. I can honestly say that my productivity has improved dramatically, but I feel more at peace. I know exactly what I’m supposed to be doing each day, and I don’t get dragged in when something comes up that isn’t part of that day’s focus.

It feels really good. If I find my mind wandering, I pull myself back to the day’s focus. If I realize that something got missed the day before (and it’s not urgent), I delegate it to my future self. I don’t get yo-yoed through my business, and it’s great.

I created a YouTube video about this system and how to adapt it to your own work. Check it out and please share your results with us in SCALING:lab!

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Systematize for Peace of Mind

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It’s Tuesday morning. You have an event to put on tonight, and you’re scrambling, even though you’ve done this before. Every event you host feels like a cobbled-together project, and each time you hope that no one notices.

You wrack your brain, trying to think of any last minute items that need to be included, promoted, or planned. Is everything ready? Is everything in place?

Unfortunately, you’re making it harder on yourself.

Business does not have to feel this way. Yet, if you’re resonating with the feeling of anxiety in the above story, you wouldn’t be alone. There are thousands of entrepreneurs just like you who feel stressed whenever they take action in their business, despite it being something they’ve done many times.

It’s not the first event.

It’s not the first proposal.

It’s not the first client.

Still, anxiety gets the best of you every time.

My dear, your system is down.

via GIPHY

I was just like you. Totally overwhelmed by every little thing I was working on in my business. Even though I done each task multiple times. It felt like being on a hamster wheel.

You don’t have to live like that.

If you ever wonder why other entrepreneurs seem so happy, it may be because they have systematized their business. It runs like a fine clock, chiming predictably on the hour, telling them where to be and when. They’re not juggling mental checklists. They have a real checklist that keeps them on track.

And you can, too.

You’ve already written your systems — you’re just keeping them in your head. Let’s change that.

The Second Pillar of Business Scaling™ is Systems. Systems apply to anything in the business that is repetitive but needs some human intervention. An app can’t plan your next retreat — but a well-documented system can make it very easy for you to put it together like a Lego set (without the pieces to step on).

An app can't plan your next retreat — but a well-documented system can make it very easy for you to put it together like a Lego set. Click To Tweet

Start by brain dumping anything that you’ve done more than once in your business.

Next, break them down into the individual parts and tasks that turn the big chunk (like putting on an event) into small steps (like scheduling social media posts, finding guest speakers, and scheduling the Zoom room).

Finally, be vigilant in your business. I am certain that there are more opportunities for systems than you have thought of. Document them. Write them down. This is your chance to learn from yourself. A well-documented system is study-able.

I’ll say that again.

A well-documented system is study-able.

Imagine finding all the cracks in your business and fixing them so that your business runs even better, has higher conversions, and generates a greater income.

You can’t study what you don’t know. And if you’re mentally juggling, you’ll never have that big beautiful efficient business you’ve always dreamt of.

Let’s get started.

PS — want help? I’m just a Zoom call away.

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Free Tools to Start Automating Your Business Now

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Make money while you sleep. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? It could be your reality with technology at the helm.

The First Pillar of Business Scaling is Automation. That is, using tech to manage recurring tasks within your business that don’t need a human touch. While many founders would argue that the former is the difficult part, it is, in my experience, the latter that needs help. Many founders believe that they must have their hands on the wheel 24/7, despite tech that is free and ready to take the helm of many tasks.

For example, the other day I had coffee with a friend I’ll call “M.” M had launched a webinar, but didn’t want to pay SamCart $49/mo to manage the checkout process on her website. Instead, her call to action was to email her directly in order to sign up.

That’s a whole lot of extra work for her when there are many free services that can do the simple task of taking money for you. We added one such tool to M’s website and, just like that, she could make sales in her sleep.

It’s time to do that for your own business.

Below I’ve put together a guide of the FREE (ie. no upfront cost) tech tools that will help you automate your business so you can generate leads, sell products, and make money in your sleep. This is an ever-growing list, so do check it regularly.

So let’s go!

Payments & Invoicing

Good payment and invoicing portals should be able to schedule and auto-send invoices and receive payments while you sleep. Even better if they will auto-draw from your clients at desired intervals and generate accountant-worthy reports.

Square Payments

Square has taken US small businesses by storm over the past decade. When I started my first business in 2012, Square had just emerged on the market. Since then, it seems one can’t go into a coffee shop without paying through a Square portal.

What makes Square so disruptive is their low fees (lower than PayPal) and easy to use interface. They have since added many products to their offerings, but if you need a checkout button for your website (for either one-time or subscription payments) Square can easily meet that challenge.

Stripe

Stripe competes with Square on price, but not on usability. That is because Stripe is the big brother to Square. Stripe can take payments from banks and apps worldwide, making it the go-to for international businesses (like my own). Luckily, Stripe can also now generate a checkout button for your website for both one-time and subscription payments. Woo hoo!

Wave Accounting

I jumped on the Wave bandwagon in the very early days of its creation. Wave is free to small business owners who need a simple accounting tool to manage their revenue. It will generate balance sheets, profit and loss reports, and more — great for keeping your CPA happy.

What’s more, they offer a fantastic invoicing tool that allows you to send beautiful quotes, invoices, and receive payments. What I love about their system is that it both can handle subscriptions and recurring payments without your needing to spend any time on it after it is set up. Perfect for making money while you sleep!

Scheduling

Not ready to hire an assistant to manage your diary but tired of the back-and-forth in scheduling? There are several free apps that can handle this for you. Note that they must be able to integrate into your calendar so they don’t double book you!

Calendly

I remember the week I added Calendly to my tech company. It felt like I’d hired an assistant! There was no more back and forth with clients trying to find the right time. I just sent a link and boom, my scheduled filled up.

Calendly is free for one calendar type, which is typically enough for a small business that is in the early stages of scaling. The next level is $15/mo, which may seem steep, but includes the ability to get paid for appointments, which is very nice indeed.

Tasking

Good task management software should help you task your future self so you don’t have to hold all the items in your head. Imagine deadlines popping up on your computer or phone that you set weeks or even months ago, helping you to stay on track and seize opportunities.

Trello

The first task management software I used was Trello. It is a simple drag-and-drop system using cards and boards, almost like an old school newsroom plan. Move things around as needed, set deadlines, assign roles and tasks, and customize accordingly.

Asana

Today, I’ve graduated into Asana, which offers both traditional task lists and the drag-and-drop boards that Trello boasts. An added feature is the ability to zoom out and view tasks on a calendar layout so you know exactly what is coming up next.

Team Management

One of my clients once said to me, “I have six teammates and I have no idea what they are doing with their time.” Eep! Use the below tools to track their activities so you have the full picture at a glance.

Clockify

Need a simply app that can tell you what your team is spending their time on? I love Clockify because it’s free, integrates into Asana and Trello, and generates simple reports that help keep everyone accountable.

Client Relationship Management (CRM)

I’ve written extensively on CRMs in the past, but the most important features to look for are organization along a pipeline so you know which category and stage in your sales process your clients are in, as well as reminders so the technology tasks you (rather than the other way around).

Streak

Streak was the first CRM I ever used. I like it because it integrates seamlessly into Gmail and GSuite and allows one to organize contacts, keep notes on deals and progress, and reminds one to check in with a contact if they haven’t replied to recent messages. It’s free for a single user and up to 500 contacts, perfect for a growing small business.

Hubspot

Hubspot is a powerful marketing tool that provides a lot more than a simple CRM. It is a graduation from Streak in many ways, but what Streak has over Hubspot is the email integration and the ability to have multiple pipelines/categories for contacts on the free plan. I personally keep track of both my coaching clients and my anthropological work in my CRM, so Hubspot wasn’t the right fit in the early days of my work, despite its powerful offerings.

Social Media Management

Ever wonder what it would be like to post to social media in your sleep? I’ve gotchu.

Later

If your primary market is on Instagram then you need Later. This app is optimized for managing Instagram, including beefy stats and analytics that Instagram itself doesn’t provide. You can schedule up to 28 posts per 10 posts per month for free. That’s plenty for a growing business!

Hootsuite

This is the app I used when I launched my first business over a decade ago (gosh, it’s been a while!). It is free for two accounts and one user, and comes with some beefy stats as well.

Course Creation

Courses are a fantastic offering that codifies your knowledge so you can scale without increasing your time commitment per student. Many course platforms use a freemium model — free for the first few students. Here are my faves.

Thinkific

I like Thinkific because it makes course creation super easy. It’s free to use for your first course, making it a great platform to start flexing your course creation muscles and test your ideas.

Teachable

I launched my first courses on Teachable. The platform offers all its features for free for the first 10 students. That made it easy to play around with and brainstorm on while I was still developing my own course plan.

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Stop Being A Robot

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“If you are working like a robot, a robot will replace your work.” — Gerd Leonard

I watch many entrepreneurs do exactly this. They work in the minutia of their company because it feels controllable. Move this piece here. Move that over there. Take this action. Make this call. Schedule that appointment.

When they come up for air, they are exhausted and no closer to their ultimate goal. They have fallen victim to being the founder-doing-everything instead of being a CEO Visionary. This often involves the time-for-money trap — trading your time for an hourly rate. No passive income. No profits while you sleep.

We do this because it is what society trained us to do. It’s what our summer jobs and first employment taught us. Entrepreneurship can equal freedom, but only if you work your way out of being the robot in your business and start employing technology to do the work for you.

I know this because I was one such founder. Two years into running my tech company — a company that naturally should have leveraged tech solutions — and I was burning out. I had built myself another job when I had intended to create something that could grow exponentially.

It wasn’t until I discovered the first pillar of scaling — automation — that things really changed for my business. Suddenly, my time opened up. My business ran smoother. I was able to focus clearly on the next big leap I wanted for my company. It was glorious.

But you have to want it. If you feel comfortable or safe holding on to all those tasks, then perhaps entrepreneurship isn’t for you. If, however, something screams inside you, “Of COURSE entrepreneurship is for me!” then it’s time you did the work to expose just how robotic you’ve been. It takes honest self-examination to reveal and let go of the tasks that make us feel safe. But if you want that freedom, if you want that impact, and especially if you want that income, it’s time to grow. I’m happy to help if you need it.

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How to Build an Empire Through To-Do Lists

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Tasks. To-dos. Getting things done. Checking the box. Crossing it off. 

As entrepreneurs and leaders, our days are filled with task lists and executables. We entrepreneurs love that, for our work, the sky is the limit. But when there is always another mountain to climb, it can seem like the work is endless, and the joy gets sucked out.

Tasking and to-dos are the building blocks of our businesses. They are akin to the steps a hiker takes while scaling Mount Everest. Some are harder than others, but each task completed means another step forward as we scale our work.

This can create a sense of overwhelm. One of the most common requests I receive from clients and members of SCALING:lab is how to manage tasks. How does one organize, prioritize, and make time for the meetings, team, and work/life balance when the list never ends?

Sound familiar?

I’m going to show you how to tackle your list each week so you feel in control and capable of the big leaps you’re taking in your business. So let’s get started.

How to Build an Empire Through To-Do Lists Click To Tweet

1. Write it all down.

It’s brain dump time! Keeping our tasks and to-dos stored in the mind uses up executive function (the part of the brain that makes decisions and holds relevant information). This can lead to mental fatigue as you are spending precious energy on simply storing tasks.

Start your week by writing down everything that you want to get done. Do a total brain dump, including the things that you’re not sure you’ll have time for. If you Bullet Journal, do this brain dump alongside your weekly review to gather any outstanding tasks from the previous week. Don’t worry about organizing in any sort of way. Editing and organizing use different mental functions, and for now, we just need to get everything out.

2. Mark each task as Urgent, Important, or Neither.

Now you get to review! Go down your list, taking the time to consider how each item affects your business, team, clients, and your own work. Create symbols that symbolize Urgent and Important if you’d like (or their first letters will do). Some tasks will be both Urgent and Important, some will be neither (and won’t get a mark). This organizing process is called the Eisenhower Matrix. It helps us sort through our tasks logically, rather than emotionally (which is how we typically approach our task lists). Again, don’t concern yourself with when you have time to complete these tasks.

3. Schedule each task.

This is where the rubber meets the road. Now that it’s clear what priority your tasks have, it will be much easier to give them time and attention. Open your calendar and begin placing each task in open time slots.

Be sure to add a break in between tasks. Our brains need a few minutes (10-15min is great) to reset for the next thing. Going from task to task is exhausting and will make you want to rage quit — totally defeating the hard work you’ve done to get to this point.

Tasks marked both Urgent and Important should receive your first open slots. Then come those that are Urgent but not Important (these can also be delegated to a team member so they get done faster and relieve you of stress). Then schedule the Important tasks. Finally, review the tasks that are neither Important nor Urgent. Do they really need to happen? If so, maybe they’re a weekend task. It’s also totally okay to keep a parking lot of non-urgent and unimportant tasks that you want to complete in a spare minute. I keep mine on a “Someday/Maybe” list, á la “Getting Things Done.” Eventually, if they never get done, I just cross them off, as becomes clear that they just are rosy ideas but not worth my time.

If you have any tasks that are both Urgent and Important and you need a tiebreaker, here’s what to do: First review which are most urgent / have the shortest deadline. Those come first. If you have several that have the same urgency, then look at which are most important. Those with similar urgency but higher importance take presence next.

One final note on scheduling tasks: inflate the time you’re allocating for your tasks by 50-100% each. That is, if you think it will take a half-hour to review your email inbox, block 45min on your calendar. Our imaginations tend to be more efficient than reality. Adding extra time will save you the stress of running out of time, and give you a longer break if you finish early. Don’t try to fill your breaks with more tasks — this leads to exhaustion and burnout.

Rinse and repeat each week!

Need help with tasking? I’d love to help you get organized so you can confidently build your empire. Here’s the link to my calendar for a complimentary session.

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The Anthropological Consultant

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Anthropology is one of the most versatile fields one can enter. Unfortunately, it has been repeatedly called one of the worst degrees to invest in due to a lack of understanding of its strengths. In this article, I’m going to explain how anthropological consultants could be helping today’s COVID-19 businesses manage their work from home transition like never before.

First, let’s step back and look at what anthropologists are good at.

anthropology and culture
Anthropology is the study of human cultures. Cultural anthropology studies living human cultures, while archaeology studies past human cultures.

How could this benefit a COVID-19 world? And how could it benefit business owners?

Today, our culture is shifting, not just individually from mask wearing and standing in line to go into a grocery store, but also from a vast change in the work-from-home cultural norms.

Suddenly, businesses that have traditionally offered only in-person employment have been forced to allow their employees to work from home in order to stay safe during the pandemic. And, overwhelmingly, their employees are loving it.

Many companies work hard at creating a company culture that is welcoming, engaging, and unique. How does a company maintain a culture when their employees are scattered across the city, across the region, and across the world?

enter the anthropological consultant
Anthropologists are experts at understanding the fabric of culture. They don’t just study and document culture. They understand how culture works, whether it be their own or others. Anthropologists are trained to remove their own biases in order to become a tabula rasa, the ability to see, hear, and understand without the influence of one’s own assumptions.

Anthropological consultants have been used for years in companies like Zappos and General Motors in order to support sales in different markets (read: different cultures) around the world.

But to believe that anthropologists would only be useful in selling to other markets would be missing out on their true potential in a COVID-19 world.

Many entrepreneurs and business owners are in a panic because they suddenly lack the daily in person contact with their employees that put them in the driver’s seat of reinforcing company culture. They feel out of control of their company culture. This is where an anthropological consultant could shine.

Anthropologists are trained to understand culture. An anthropological consultant can enter a company, study its messaging, its employees, its methods of communication, the very fabric of that culture, and understand it immediately. An anthropological consultant can then formalize and translate it, even when many of the company traditions were built in person and its staff is now primarily working from home.

building a work from home culture
So what are some solutions that an anthropological consultant might provide to an entrepreneur or business owner who is feeling like their company culture is suddenly out of their hands?

This is something that I did with one of my own entrepreneur clients at the beginning of COVID-19. They are an event company, and wanted to continue to engage with their target market — couples — by offering virtual events.

How could we bring a dinner and a show to the customer even though we couldn’t do it in person? As an anthropologist, I understood that what was lost between an in person and virtual event wasn’t the food and music, but an experience, and a physical one at that. And so myself and my client bridged that gap by creating a physical kit that was sent to every customer who signed up for tickets to the show. Higher paying customers also received an additional pre-show session with a chef in order to make a special meal.

Inside the kits were things like candles, snacks, and other things that would make the night feel that much more special, replicating in a small way the change of scenery of leaving our homes in order to change our physical states and feel like we can focus on our partners.

An anthropologist understands the moving parts that help form a culture, and how to replicate them in a work-from-home environment. In addition to a physical kit for employees, an anthropological consultant might also suggest regular company meetings, employee contests, and other forms of engagement in order to continue to weave a fabric of culture and support into the foundation of the company, even through working remote.

Finally, there are tools available to small business owners and entrepreneurs that can help facilitate an in person in office environments. Despite not being in the office, tools like Moot or Visual Office offer the feeling of understanding where and when your coworkers are working, which help replace that loss of the in person office flow.

If you are a business owner and you feel unsure about the future of your company culture, I highly suggest hiring an anthropological consultant to support your work from home transition, so you can confidently move forward even after the pandemic has passed.

If you are an anthropologist and an entrepreneur, it may be time to reach out to fellow business owners in order to support them using the superpowers you gained in your training.

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How to Build a Fiverr Empire

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Fiverr, an international freelancing website, is a platform on which one can build an entire career and six-figure income. Yet, as with many platforms, I see entrepreneurs make the classic mistake of assuming that the website will do all the work for you. While this may be true once you’ve built momentum, the critical early stages of your Fiverr career are up to you.

What we’ll cover in this guide:

  • Why use Fiverr
  • Getting started / setting up shop
  • How to promote your new profile & gigs
  • Using your early work to rank high on Fiverr
  • When to raise your prices

So let’s go!

Why Use Fiverr?

Fiverr is an internationally recognized platform for hiring freelancers, serving 160 countries in 2019. When business owners and companies need an expert outside their network, they typically go to Fiverr. In fact, Fiverr boasts 2.4 million active buyers and 500 million tractions monthly. In 2019, the average project cost was $170, and that number has grown year over year since Fiverr’s inception in 2010. That’s a whole lot of opportunity!

But what if you want to be an entrepreneur, not a freelancer?

Fiverr is still an incredible source of lead generation and reputation building, especially when starting out. A great example is my former eBlast Writer. He was highly recommended on Fiverr, and we worked together on a few projects over the course of six months. During that time, he slowly raised his prices, and soon was able to leave Fiverr to launch his own firm with many loyal clients in tow.

Starting your Fiverr Empire

Getting yourself launched on Fiverr is relatively simple. Follow the steps to create your login credentials and start populating your profile. As you do, open another tab in your browser and search Fiverr for similar professionals in your field. If you are interested in content marketing, search for fellow content marketers. If you are interested in consulting, look for consultants in your area of expertise. Select in the search filter to view top-rated sellers first so you can see just how they describe themselves and put together their gigs. My guide on Marketing will help you with this stage.

Fiverr has a great FAQ about becoming a seller, and I suggest you also check that out before diving deep.

After your profile is created, it’s time to create your Gigs. Gigs are the work that you’ll be doing on Fiverr. You can offer different levels and depth to your customers. Again, I suggest looking at your competitors to see how they’ve structured their Gigs.

Here are a few considerations as you are planning your Gigs:

  1. Start low. Your profile is brand new, and you don’t have any recommendations, yet. Price yourself low so you can compete on price (for now) until you are a rated seller.
  2. Be mindful when setting the time frame for each Gig. Can you accomplish one blog post in a day if someone selects your lowest level? Sure. But the goal here is to build an empire! So let’s plan for that. If you’re flooded with work, how much time do you want to complete each Gig?
  3. Take the time to create a beautiful cover for each Gig. Gigs that have a photo that is creative, relevant, and includes the image of the seller (you) sell better because they feel personal and cared for. If you care for your Gig, buyers will know you’ll care for their work, too.

If this feels overwhelming, start with just one Gig for now. Buyers can’t purchase from you if you don’t have any Gigs on offer, so this step is critical, but not to be overthought.

Time to Promote Yourself

Self-promotion feels pretty scary to a lot of people. Put another way, you’re selling yourself and your skills, which can feel a bit odd. Don’t worry! We’re going to make this easy.

Once your profile is polished and your Gig is live, it’s time to promote your profile. Luckily, we all have loving, supportive, creative networks that want to see us succeed. Oftentimes we know that our friends are talented, but have no way to buy from or support them. I’m personally happy to support my friend’s careers wherever possible! So think of this step as an invitation. My Marketing Guide in the Academy will help with this step, too.

Do not overthink this! Start with where you have the most people in one place. Is that on Facebook, LinkedIn, or on an email list?

Here is what you need to include in your invitation:

  • What it is you’re doing
  • Why you’re asking for their support and help (a specific goal like seller ranking helps your friends focus on a cause, rather than feel like you’re begging for money)
  • How they can help
  • The benefits to them
  • Your Seller link
  • A request to share if they don’t need your services

My friend and fellow entrepreneur Kristin Lajeunesse created the PERFECT post to her social media asking for said support and engagement to launch her Fiverr empire. She made mid-four figures in the first month alone from this ask! Here is that early Facebook post:

Dear friends, I have recently joined Fiverr, as a seller, and am looking to reach the platform’s required 50 “gigs”/services WITHIN 60 days, in order to get their “badge of approval.” This will rank my profile higher in organic search AND allow me to charge more reasonably priced services. As such, if you know anyone looking for SUPER affordable copywriting work (we’re talking $10-$25 per gig) I’m currently offering 3 different options: (1) website auditing, copywriting/editing and content/article writing, (2) LinkedIn profile rewriting- includes cover photo design, and (3) done for you Facebook content/posts. Thank you in advance for any referrals! 🙏💜

Not only was this worded well, explaining exactly why her pricing was low and what she hoped to achieve in a short period of time (getting ranked on Fiverr), she also asked for shares and referrals. And boy did she get them!

What Happens Next?

After you’ve shared your audacious post to your network, you’ll start receiving orders. This does two things (aside from bringing in the bucks). One, it tells Fiverr’s algorithm that you are a desired Seller, and it will start promoting you higher in its own search engine for your industry. Second, it gets you the stats you need to get to Level One as a seller. Once you’ve been ranked, you will find that Fiverr sends you a lot more work organically, so you won’t be hustling your network forever.

It is critical that you fulfill your orders on time and at the level of expertise you would put in if they were paying you $150 instead of $15. Your network will be impressed and share your Fiverr profile with other contacts. You also need positive reviews and on-time deliveries, as well as prompt replies to messages, in order to receive the coveted Level One rank. The ranking cycle is monthly, so if you miss it your first month, don’t worry. You’re not disqualified. Keep hustling!

A quick expert note: Include both text and a file in your delivery, even if it’s the same information. Fiverr sometimes pulls your replies into your Gig photos to help promote you.

When Can I Raise My Prices?

We all need to raise our prices, eventually. You’ll know it’s time when two things happen:

  1. You’ve been ranked as a Level One Seller
  2. You are receiving more work than you can realistically deliver within the set timeframe (even though you followed my advice above and thoughtfully set your delivery time to scale 😉 )

As you raise your prices, do so incrementally. Don’t shock the market. If you start your lowest Gig at $5, raise to $10, and raise the medium and top-level offers in that Gig accordingly. Rise your prices again as you level up and continue to grow your client base on Fiverr, so the time spent on each Gig is matched by a reasonable hourly rate. This will take you a few months, so be patient.

Now, come on over to SCALING:lab and share your work so we can help!

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