Pink Elephant Writing Academy for Small Business

Guilt-free, do-it-yourself marketing for nice people

I think you’re better at business than you think.

happy writingHi, there! I’m Carrie and, among other things, I’m the founder of Pink Elephant Writing Academy for Small Business and Pink Elephant Creative. I work with self-employed people in helping professions. My aim is to help the helpers.

And something I’ve noticed? When it comes to business, the helpers don’t always know what they’re doing well. Or what easy skills they could pick up that will make the biggest difference for their businesses. Or who the best, trusted teachers are.

After years of studying (very) small businesses and solo-entrepreneurs, I’ve identified eight essential capabilities for holistically successful self-employment. Happy, healthy, balanced, wealthy-in-the-fuller-sense-of-the-word small business owners share a mastery of: client empathy, sustainable pricing, clear communication, website savvy, community building, healthy relationships with money, productivity, and personal resource management.

Where are your strengths?

Take this friendly, do-it-yourself small business skills assessment

It’s 40 questions and shouldn’t take more than five minutes. And it’s not one of those viral quiz thingies that you’re supposed to share all over the internet; this is private, just for you. I want you to know what you’re already good at and I want you to know where to look to find the opportunities.

I would say my spending habits are healthy.
 
 
I never worry about having enough money to pay bills.
 
 
I like the way my website looks.
 
 
I spend more time than I would like answering general inquiries that come through my website.
 
 
I am regularly (at least once per month) in touch with my community – either through my newsletter, blogging, social media, or all three.
 
 
My list of newsletter subscribers keeps growing and growing.
 
 
I have professional-quality photographs of myself on my website.
 
 
I don’t fit in with people who are wealthy.
 
 
I have a lot of support, personally. For the most part, I’d say my family and friends understand why I want to be self-employed and what my work means to me.
 
 
I believe money is hard to come by.
 
 
I feel like I’ve worked through any hang-ups I might have had about money. Me and money, we’re on really good terms.
 
 
A healthy number of people follow my business on social media.
 
 
I feel deeply valued by my clients, 90-100% of the time.
 
 
I know how to update the text on my website myself.
 
 
People compliment me on my website.
 
 
I get enough rest.
 
 
A lot of the time, I feel depleted.
 
 
The challenges my clients face are challenges I have experienced in my own life, too, or in someone close to me. I understand it intimately.
 
 
I have created a gift that’s automatically given to newsletter subscribers.
 
 
I spend a lot of time answering the same questions for clients.
 
 
I seem to attract people who want to negotiate with me about my pricing.
 
 
I have a really good handle on how my prospective clients are feeling before they find me.
 
 
Until they work with me, people don’t really “get” what I do.
 
 
I know what time of day I am most productive.
 
 
People can sign up for my newsletter on my website.
 
 
I have a pretty good idea of the books my clients like to read, the places they like to shop, the ways they spend their free time.
 
 
I get a lot of requests to write guest posts for other blogs, or to be interviewed.
 
 
I really like how I handled the “about” page on my website.
 
 
I am happy with how my website has been written.
 
 
I find it difficult to decide on prices for my services or products.
 
 
I took a one-week total break from work at least once in the past six months.
 
 
I have a small cushion of savings (or more than a small cushion).
 
 
I have a lot of incomplete projects when it comes to things I want to do for my own business because my clients’ needs come first.
 
 
If I am really honest, the idea of making a lot of money scares me for some reason.
 
 
I feel very confident that the services I currently offer are exactly the ones my ideal clients are seeking.
 
 
My email inbox leaves me feeling overwhelmed.
 
 
I spend very little time doing things I don’t enjoy in my business. I have a virtual assistant or systems in place that do most of that stuff for me.
 
 
My current clients tend to have a lot in common.
 
 
I have enough time to do the things I want to do outside of my work.
 
 
I have a succinct and engaging answer whenever people ask what I do.
 
 

 

The Pink Elephant Small Business Skills Assessment Quiz