Social Media Business Part time to Full Time

Do you want to take your Social Media Business Part time to Full Time?  You may have started your business on the side but now you want to scale and it might feel a little daunting.  Well never fear, in the words of my friend Phyllis Khare, “It’s totally doable.”

I was doing social media management part time for a long time because I was also caring for my two young boys.  But as they got older, I started to scale my business up.  And I put together my thoughts on what helped me grow in this blog post.

Find out what it takes and get tips from people who have done it.

#1 Manage Your Time

Time management is one of the most critical skills you have when you are freelancing.  If you are building your business on the side while working a full time job, long hours are going to be part of the deal.

But even as you grow, you will need to make sure you aren’t burning yourself out and doing things that aren’t furthering your business.

Guy Kawasaki says, Spend less time “consuming” and more time “baking”.  Not sure if that is an exact quote but what that means is that we can get caught up in reading every little thing, or doing too much research and what we really need to do is get things done.

Block time for a task and honor it.  When you let your time bleed into the next time slot, all your work gets pushed back a little and you get less done.  Put recurring tasks in your calendar, add in specifics for client tasks or marketing tasks.

Google calendar

Here’s a good related tip from a Social Media Manager School member:

Don’t be afraid to say ‘no’!” If you feel the client or project will be difficult to manage or their expectations seem too high, don’t be afraid to turn down projects even if you need the money. Because taking on a difficult (high maintenance) project ties your time up and you won’t have time to take on awesome projects when they come along. – Tracy Raiteri

 

#2 Focus on your Most Profitable Service or Skill

One thing I realized was that what I enjoyed most was Facebook ads.  And I was faster at it and was better at it than other types of social media tasks.

So I stopped offering the other things I had done like Audits or general social management.

When you narrow your focus you can often increase your revenue quickly because you become better at attracting the right clients also.

Here’s a good related tip from a Social Media Manager School member:

First, ask current client(s) if they need extra hours. Ask them for referrals/testimonials. Take on new clients slowly (maybe even one at a time) so you don’t bite off more than you can chew. – Maria McGowan

#3 Network in Your Industry

Networking both locally and at events can help you grow and scale your business.  Not only will you get great ideas from others but you may develop some wonderful collaborations.

Seeing what others are doing who are further along in their journey will inspire you with what is possible.

SMMW18

Love these people!  Steve Dotto, Lee Odden, Brian Clark, John Jantsch, Mike Stelzner and Chris Brogan hiding in the back 🙂

 

#4 Hire Help Sooner than You Think

One of the challenging parts of being your own boss is that you initially have to wear all the hats – marketing, billing, IT, and actually doing the work too.

When you start making more money, hire someone to do the task that you hate the most.  For me that was accounting.  I did not get along with Quickbooks at all and by hiring someone who was better at it than I was, I then had more time for doing the work that brought in more income.

#5 Find a Good Mentor or Support System

One of the best ways I’ve grown my own business is to hire a coach (I’ve had several fantastic coaches including Gary Barnes and Jenny Blake).

Another way to grow is to connect with a group of people who can give you advice and answer the questions you can’t.

I’ve been a part of several Mastermind Groups but I’ve also been a part of many online training courses that have helped me grow my business.

In our Social Media Manager School we have an amazing Facebook group for support but we also gather for a retreat to brainstorm and dive deeper into business plans.

SMMS Brainstorming

 

Bonus tip:  Have a Savings Buffer

When you start, your income will go up and down.  That is natural.  If you put some money away when you have an up month, you will have a much less stressful down month.  After time, your income becomes more predictable.

I started by just adding a little bit to my short term savings account and even that helped me relax a little knowing that I could cover expenses.

BONUS TIPS from Social Media Manager School Students who have scaled their business

Generate free leads with no paid ads or commission as a LinkedIn ProFinder recommended expert! Saves you time as hand-raisers come to your inbox! – Pat Roque

Bonus Case Study – Part Time to Full Time Social Media Consultant

This is an interview with Janet Kennedy, who is a part of our Social Media Manager School (open now until July 19th!).  Click below to get the case study.

Social Media Manager Part time to Full time case study

Want more case studies?  Get them here:  https://socialmediamanagerschool.com/case-studies/

 

What about you – any tips to add to this on how you may have gone from Part time to Full time in your business?  Share your thoughts in the comments below!

 

Join us in Social Media Manager School

Social Media Manager School is officially OPEN for enrollment from July 12th until July 19th, 2018!

Social Media Manager School is the premier place to learn everything you need to know about starting your own flexible business as a social media manager or consultant.

This is the LAST time the course will be priced at this level. The next time we open our doors, the price is going up – get all the details here:  https://socialmediamanagerschool.com/