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.

People compliment me on my website.
 
 
I have a small cushion of savings (or more than a small cushion).
 
 
I don’t fit in with people who are wealthy.
 
 
My email inbox leaves me feeling overwhelmed.
 
 
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.
 
 
People can sign up for my newsletter on my website.
 
 
I have a succinct and engaging answer whenever people ask what I do.
 
 
I spend a lot of time answering the same questions for clients.
 
 
If I am really honest, the idea of making a lot of money scares me for some reason.
 
 
I would say my spending habits are healthy.
 
 
I have a really good handle on how my prospective clients are feeling before they find me.
 
 
I spend more time than I would like answering general inquiries that come through my website.
 
 
I have professional-quality photographs of myself on my website.
 
 
I get a lot of requests to write guest posts for other blogs, or to be interviewed.
 
 
I am regularly (at least once per month) in touch with my community – either through my newsletter, blogging, social media, or all three.
 
 
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 lot of the time, I feel depleted.
 
 
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.
 
 
My list of newsletter subscribers keeps growing and growing.
 
 
I know what time of day I am most productive.
 
 
I seem to attract people who want to negotiate with me about my pricing.
 
 
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 am happy with how my website has been written.
 
 
I feel deeply valued by my clients, 90-100% of the time.
 
 
I have enough time to do the things I want to do outside of my work.
 
 
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 never worry about having enough money to pay bills.
 
 
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.
 
 
A healthy number of people follow my business on social media.
 
 
I feel very confident that the services I currently offer are exactly the ones my ideal clients are seeking.
 
 
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 get enough rest.
 
 
I have created a gift that’s automatically given to newsletter subscribers.
 
 
My current clients tend to have a lot in common.
 
 
I like the way my website looks.
 
 
I believe money is hard to come by.
 
 
Until they work with me, people don’t really “get” what I do.
 
 
I really like how I handled the “about” page on my website.
 
 
I know how to update the text on my website myself.
 
 

 

The Pink Elephant Small Business Skills Assessment Quiz