When it comes to building a business or an online “tribe”, I will always say that you can’t do it on your own! No matter how much money you have to throw at your biz, if you don’t work well with others you’re going to sink sooner or later. OMG that sounds so grim… okay, maybe you won’t sink but you will grow slower and you will most definitely feel the freeze of isolation.

Collaboration is a word that makes many people get all sorts of butterflies!
Firstly, not everyone has the same understanding of the word – yes my friends, we are required to communicate clearly with one another in order to get the most out of our collabs and in order to avoid any #AwksFeels.

Secondly, many people struggle with confidence and knowing who to approach and how to raise the subject or pitch an idea. Cue the #WhyWouldTheyWantToWorkWithMe syndrome…. more on that further down… stick with me.

Truthfully. We have to all get over ourselves at some point and embrace collaboration.

Why Collaborate?

When we collaborate with others we open ourselves up to getting in front of a brand new audience. It should be the audience that you want, your ideal customer, but maybe you just haven’t had the chance to get in front of them yet. For the most part, collaboration means a mutually beneficial arrangement, generally at no monetary cost (but not always). Can you see how invaluable this can be for any biz, startup or beyond?

I worked with a fab mix of businesses for baby Jude’s Baptism. It’s always an honour to highlight the works of such talented bizmums at my events.

Cookies by @dough.re.mi. Personalised straws with toppers + cross cake topper by @ohsunnydayparty. Macarons by @mysweetmacaron. Chocolate favour @printandparty.

Personalised Baptism candle by @bespokebabyco. Timber cake topper by @_zilvi

But without a doubt, the biggest benefit of a great collab is relationships. People know people. Great people hang with great people and word of mouth is everything!

My guest speaker and confidence expert, Jodie Bruce Clarke and I met at one of three Mums With Hustle Meet and Eat events in 2016.

Nerves aside. There is another group of people who fear collaboration for a whole myriad of other reasons. I’ve seen these mostly in the workplace but also amongst entrepreneurs and startups.

Here are 6 common reasons why people fear collaboration. Do a mental check along the way and see if any of these apply to you or those you know.

6 Common Reasons Why People Fear Collaboration

1) They want all the glory. Know any of these people? Yep, collaboration scares the pants off them because they fear that they’ll be seen as “working less” or having to share the credit. They don’t like to participate in anything that won’t highlight them as the #AwesomeSauce.

2) They think they’re the smartest and they can do it on their own.

3) They think they can get to the result faster if they do it alone. #ThatsSoSilly

4) They are a perfectionist – too afraid to trust anything with others (cue the micro manager). I’d rather execute 10 things at 70% than only get out 1 thing at 100%. Pace and momentum matters. Perfection will hold you back my friends!

5) Insecurity. Those that struggle with insecurity are often threatened by the strengths and success of others. They question their own worthiness and suffer from the old #WhyWouldTheyWantToWorkWithMe and #WhatDoIHaveToOffer syndromes.

6) They’re genuinely shy. They’re letting their own social anxieties rule their actions (or inactivity). These are the people who watch from the sidelines and say they want to collaborate… but they never bite the bullet and ever actually ask. Don’t worry, if this is you, I have a great resource to help you with your confidence!

It’s time to get honest and self aware. If you did a mental tick of either of the above boxes, and you’d like to change your way of thinking, keep reading…

9 Reasons Why You Need To Get Comfortable Collaborating

1) It’s more fun! You’ll enjoy what you do, so much more. Surround yourself with the right people and you’ll love what you do! You’ll also find that you make great new friends. Friends that walk a similar path in life are hard to come by.

2) When you work on your own, you only have your own thoughts, ideas, fears and frustrations to either make you or break you! You’ll have a broadened perspective. When you invite other people to participate you’ll see things from their point of view, things that you would have never seen before. By adding in diversity and different perspectives into the types of people that you’re collaborating with, you’ll quickly grow your knowledge base. If you want some serious BIG, out of the box ideas, check out my podcast interview with Alli Price.

3) It’s that old cliche, two heads are better than one. Yes! It’s true. When you open yourself up to working with others, particularly if they are in a different area or niche to you, you are opening yourself up to a whole range of skills that you don’t necessarily have yourself. We don’t need to know everything ourselves, believe it or not! We NEED others to fill those gaps in our knowledge or skills. We can be that person for them and they can be that person for us. Don’t waste time learning how to do things on your own, if it can be done with collaboration. Know what you do well and know what you don’t do well. Being transparent with your collaboration partners will help make sure that everyone is taking on the right roles to bring about wins! It’s the opportunity to make your product, your giveaway, your service, your project, your biz, your event, SO much better!

Me, speaking to a room packed full of bizmums at the SBB Flatlay and Collaborate event by @themamasorority. My topic… Instagram, of course!

4) When you start collaborating, you notice that your whole world opens up to more quality people and relationships because greatness attracts more greatness! Have you noticed the way that really successful people seem to have a whole tribe of people that support them? Constantly shout them out? Do collaborations and giveaways with them? You may think it’s some secret clique, but it’s not! It’s simply that quality people hang with quality people and like attracts like. This is exactly how Adrienne at Stylish Bump managed to build a successful pregnancy blog and grow her Insta tribe to over 190K!

5) Increase your ability to be more flexibility and adaptable – the ideas of others can sometimes force you to grow and pivot and that’s a good thing! Without it, you will remain in your comfort zone. Change is the only means for growth. Check out this example.

6) RESULTS! You'll get more done because you are essentially being held accountable by the other party. You’ll all benefit from the creative genius because it is being shared across different platforms, and with a broader audience, than what you could have reached on your own. Here’s a brilliant example of the latter in action!

7) Collaboration builds reputation and credibility. Yes! When others decide to work alongside you and share your goodness with their community or customer base, it gives you great credibility. I know I don’t take it lightly when I work with anyone. They are all people I respect and I most certainly am grateful and humbled when I am approached by others to add value to their communities too.

8) Being able to have a larger impact and make a difference is a HUGE reason to collaborate.

The beautiful collaboration of @sheis_sarahjane and @shanghaisuzylipsticks to honour the memory of baby Charlotte Rose and support the work of Bears of Hope, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support. All profits of this lipstick went to BOH.

Sarah Morrissey, owner of @littlerockersradio with Reid and his Dads, Michael and Jarrad from @the_real_dads_of_melbourne team up to raise awareness and show support for rednoseday.com.au

Have I missed any reasons out? I’d love to hear about it so please leave me a comment here or over on my Instagram @mumswithhustle via one of my posts.

If you have identified that it’s your mindset that is holding you back from collaborating, episode 28 of my podcast is just for you!

There’s even a freebie to get you started on your collaboration journey To access my 17 easy ways to connect and collaborate, just pop your email address down below and I’ll send it to you.

[convertkit form=4852342]

Xx
Tracy

The post Quit Fearing Collaboration And Grow Your Biz Faster appeared first on Tracy Harris.

How often do you feel like a slave to your phone? Instead of spending precious time with your little one, you’re trying to capture the perfect image for your Instagram account with the hopes that maybe, just maybe, this picture will be the image that will put your biz on the map.

Instagram can be pretty overwhelming if you don't have a strategy.

Raise your hand if you’re too busy focusing on the less sexy aspects of being a bizmum or simply procrastinating? We’ve been there, and we understand the mummy guilt, partner guilt, and guilt about always being on your phone.

Are you ready to break the guilt cycle and spend more time with your family, while also growing steady engagement on Instagram?

We’ve got you covered. Here are six ways to help you avoid Instagram overwhelm:

1. Get Your Own Look

Do you often find yourself scrolling through your Instagram timeline thinking, “I wish I had photos like that!” or “If only I had the time to do that, my biz would be so much better!?”

One surefire way to stand out among other Instagram users is to get your own look! Stop trying to be the same as everyone else. Find your own unique angle and run with it!

Need some #inspo? Here are two accounts we love:

• @kablooiestore is amazing for their cute and consistent photos with an awesome use of emojis that make the brand seem fun!
• @labohemehouseofthewishingtrees will immediately make you say, “hello, boho!” by always posting chic images that show users how they can add their brand to their home.

2. Photo Planning

Take some time to plan out your posts ahead of time. What seven posts do you want to share in the next week? Figure this out and you’ll be set with our next tip!
Keep in mind that it’s good social media marketing practice to balance your posts with “three gives” and “one ask.” If you’re after more Instagram etiquette advice then check out our two-part episode on How To Frustrate Your Instagram Followers.

3. Picture Day

Your little one is not the only one who should be excited about picture day!
If you schedule at least one day to take your photos and edit them, you won’t feel as if you’re constantly on your phone trying to capture that perfect shot.

A great editing app to check out is VSCO! It’s free for IOS and Android, and it has gorgeous filters for your images.

4. Caption This

So, you planned out what photos you want to take, you took them and edited them, now come up with some catchy captions!

Plan out which captions you want to put with the images in advance and schedule them into apps like Evernote or Trello.
You can even save the captions into your calendar with a set time that you want to post.

Think about investing in an Instagram scheduling software like Later and schedule your entire week ahead of time.

5. Set Time Limits

Do you casually check Instagram and end up on a post from September of 2012 and can’t remember where the last 45 minutes went?

Just like setting time limits for your children playing video games, you have to set time limits for yourself.

Don’t fall into the pit of endless scrolling. Limit your time on social media and schedule your Instagram time into these 10-minute intervals:

• Ten minutes to post (unless you’ve already scheduled your images!).
• Ten minutes to engage. Keep up the conversation with your followers in your allotted amount of time.
• Ten minutes to hustle for new followers. Like, comment, and chat with new accounts that you want to follow you, but don’t get caught up and spend more time than necessary.

6. Radio silence? No, Instagram Silence

That’s right! Turn off your notifications and keep your phone out of reach. You don’t need to open the app every time someone likes your image or comments. Trust that you killed it with this post, let the attention pour in and focus on something else while it does.

Another great way to silence Instagram is to put the app in a folder and on your second or third page of your phone, never the homepage or else you’ll always want to check it.

Using Instagram to your advantage and grow your biz, while still having time to spend with your family is what we like to call the perfect balance.

Have you experienced any success from our tips? Comment below and let us know!

SNAG A FREEBIE:

How do I connect with my tribe? With Instagram! I am madly passionate about teaching bizmums strategies that will electrify their Instagram efforts, and avoid any Instagram overwhelm.

Here's a tip: Instagram Stories is generating a TON of engagement right now. Learn how to do them right with my FREE Instagram Stories Planner.

Enter your details to grab the direct download:

[convertkit form=5074797]

Meet Tracy

Hi, I’m Tracy and I’m the proud founder and chief Mum-boss at Mums With Hustle.

That’s the entrepreneurial me but the everyday me is probably very similar to YOU. I’m a wife and mother to a very typical toddler boy, he's into everything! I’m also just had another baby boy who I named Jude! That’s sure to throw a few cuddly curveballs into my life as a wife, mum and as an online entrepreneur.

In my ‘spare time’, you will find me… reheating a cup of tea that’s gone cold, trying to organise a date with hubby, baking something quick that doesn’t require every bowl and electrical appliance known to man, or simply trying to catch up with some girlfriends. I do love myself some sneaky Kardashians time too… eek! Do you hate me or like me more now?

Web: https://tracyharris.wpengine.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mumswithhustle/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mumswithhustle
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MumsWithHustle
Biz Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mumswithhustle/

The post How To Avoid Instagram Overwhelm appeared first on Tracy Harris.