Rita D. Williams, Ph.D.
To My Fellow Non-Business Business Owners- Part 3

Are you ready for the final installment of this blog series dedicated to folks like me who do not have a business background but are going hard to be entrepreneurs?
To quickly recap, Part 1 discussed knowing your why. Why is our purpose, cause, or belief, and knowing our why is essential to small business success. It is the passion that fuels what we do, the momentum that keeps us going when tempted to quit. Part 2 touched on how social media provides countless free opportunities to showcase our products and the people behind them. And if you want to pay for ads to extend your reach further, Facebook and Instagram offer economical avenues.
This concluding entry will focus on leveraging DIY marketing, your time, and your budget.
Leverage DIY Marketing
Canva, Cannnnnnn-va, I love thee! I cannot speak to the free account, but the Canva Pro account is where it's at. The site has templates galore for social media posts, flyers, brochures, newsletters, slide presentations, and yard signs. I even design F1NE-TUNE's T-shirts on Canva. Several friends thought professionals created our marketing materials. Well, in a sense, they are correct. After all, I am a professional. :-)
I also have to shout out Wix. I will forever be grateful for the day our photographer and videographer Cori Brock told me about the DIY website builder. Wix is super easy to use, offers a variety of templates as well, and allows me to make immediate updates. Gone are the days when you need to know coding to build an effective site.
Wix provides analytics to help me understand who visits our site and their behavior while viewing. Our website package also included a blog platform and two monthly email campaigns. Finally, for an extra cost, you can attain email addresses with your website domain, which I highly recommend to increase your legitimization.
Leverage Your Time & Budget
One thing we will never get more of is time. We can complain all day, but 24-7 is it. Therefore, we must make advancing our business a priority. Remember, a little work each day goes a long way. I don't know who said it first, but we must also "grind while they sleep. Learn while they party. Live like they dream!"
Finally, there is strength in numbers, so expand your team of one. I do not have the income (yet) to pay competitive salaries. My team has included college students who need a bit of change, retired individuals looking for low-stress ways to fill their time, and family members who want to see me succeed. You never know unless you ask. Take another look at your circle and see who may be a good addition to your squad, even if it's temporary.
Fellow non-business business folks, I hope something from this series gave you a new idea or affirmed that you are on the right track. I cannot express how excited I am about F1NE-TUNE and its future. As I continue to learn and build, I will be sure to share. I hope you do the same.