When you work for someone else, your employer provides you with a computer, a phone, an email address, and business cards.✔️ The company has a logo, a website, and procedures established for how to get the work done.
But … when you work for yourself, you start with none of that. It’s up to you to provide these things for yourself. 🙀
And even though many solo professionals have come from a corporate past, they don’t bring many of these things into their own businesses. 🙅 I think that’s a mistake.
Whether you’re just starting out or already established and sitting pretty, here ✋ are 5 things that let the world know that you’re a professional and that you mean business!
- Get a professional business card. Have one designed by a professional, with up-to-date information and nice card stock.📇 Your card makes an impression every time you hand it to someone – a small investment in a professional-looking card will make a good one.
- Use a real email address. I don’t mean using Gmail, AOL, Yahoo!, or Hotmail. If you have a registered domain (www.YourCompany.com), it’s just a few more steps to use it for email (jane@yourcompany.com). It’s worth the little bit of extra effort to demonstrate that you’re serious. 😎
- Get a professional headshot. 😊 This should be retaken every couple of years and used on your website, your LinkedIn profile, your bio, etc. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should be done by a pro 📷 in a professional setting.
- Have a consistent look. Use consistent fonts and colors, as well as consistent wording, in the way you describe who you are and what you do. 💡
- Don’t skimp on your tools. Make sure you have what you need to run your business well, including a good computer💻 and a reliable printer🖨️. Invest in the software you need to not only do your work but to maintain your business on the back-end too.
All five of these things are easy to implement and relatively inexpensive. By doing them, you’ll give the world a better impression AND you’ll feel like a million bucks! 💰💪