.... but she didn't know what that meant. When she was a little girl they told her she was beautiful but it had no meaning in her world of bicycles and pigtails and adventures in make-believe. Later, she hoped she was beautiful as boys started taking notice of her friends and phones rang for Saturday night dates. She felt beautiful on her wedding day, hopeful with her new life partner by her side but, later, when her children called her beautiful, she was often exhausted, her hair messily tied back, no make up, wide in the waist where it used to be narrow; she just couldn't take it in. Over the years, as she tried, in fits and starts, to look beautiful, she found other things to take priority, like bills and meals, as she and her life partner worked hard to make a family, to make ends meet, to make children into adults, to make a life. Now, she sat. Alone. Her children grown, her partner flown, and she couldn't remember the last time she was called beautiful. But she was. It was in every line on her face, in the strength of her arthritic hands, the ampleness that had a million hugs imprinted on its very skin, and in the jiggly thighs and thickened ankles that had run her race for her. She had lived her life with a loving and generous heart, had wrapped her arms around so many to to give them comfort and peace. Her ears had heard both terrible news and lovely songs, and her eyes had brimmed with, oh, so many tears, they were now bright even as they dimmed. She had lived and she was. And because she was, she was made beautiful. ~ Suzanne Reynolds, © 2019 At some point in our life we will each identify with this beautiful woman. Age brings a wisdom and awareness that we failed to see along life's journey. In business, we often get caught up in the day-to-day and forget to remember the struggles and strengths of those who are part of our journey, and worst of all, fail to see our own beauty and victories. Regardless of gender, we love, we hurt, we go on. Remember to appreciate the beauty within you and in others and give grace and love to all. Photo credit: Nina Djerff Model: Marit Rannveig Haslestad If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge and heart with our business community. ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168

It’s not necessary for the whole world to know who you are to be highly successful. You only need the right people to know who you are. For example, if you’re a real estate broker, you want the people in your area to know who you are. If you own a company that provides web links, you want all of the SEO business owners to know your name. If you’re a realtor in Minneapolis, it won’t matter much if you’re a household name in Portugal. However, being famous to the right population can make all the difference in the world. Luckily, being famous on a small scale is easier than you think! Follow these tips to ensure that the right people know who you are: 1. Specialize. It’s easier to become well-known if you’re extremely good at something. It’s easier to be extremely good at something specific. For example, keeping with our Minneapolis real estate example, you don’t want to be a general realtor in Minneapolis. You want to be THE realtor that specializes in high-end Minneapolis properties. 2. Identify your target audience. At NLC, we call it the CLIENT YOU CAN BEST SERVE. Who are you trying to serve that you know you can rock their world? What does your ideal customer look like? Develop a composite of the people that you want to know you. Are they a certain age? Male, female, or both? What income level do they have? What profession are they in? What hobbies do they have? Be as detailed as necessary, but not more detailed than necessary. It’s important to know who you’re trying to reach. Avoid wasting your time with those who aren’t in your niche. 3. Fill the gap. What does your audience need? What is the common problem they all have? Center your message around this need and your ability to solve it. Noise is simply non-meaningful messaging. Be meaningful to your audience. 4. Become an authority. When people want to solve a problem, they want an expert. But how does the average person spot an expert? They aren’t experts themselves, or they wouldn’t need you. Consider these ideas to be looked at as the expert: Put content in front of ready-made audiences. There are others who already have the attention of those you want to reach. Write a guest post for a blog. Be a guest on a podcast. Teach an online class. Create a class and put in on one of the several websites that specialize in that sort of thing, such as Udemy.com. Everyone will assume you’re an expert if you’re teaching a course that you created. Put content on social media and on your own website regularly. It’s important to be consistent with your postings, so stick to a schedule. Use linkedin.com. Keep your profile up to date and use all the features that are supplied on that platform to post content. Write a book. It’s not as daunting as it seems. It only takes a few pages a day to write a book in six weeks. There’s no expense for creating a Kindle book. It’s hard to find a respected expert that hasn’t written a book. Sign up with itellifluence.com (tell them Rebecca sent you!) 5. Make friends with well-known experts in your fields. You can become famous by association. Interview these experts. Contribute a guest post to their website. Ask them to write the introduction to your book. Being famous has its advantages. This is especially true within your niche. The world within your niche is quite small, so it’s not nearly as challenging to be famous within your niche as it is to be famous in general. "A little fame can go a long way toward building your career or business. You don’t have to be a household name. Just a little fame will do." Would you like a partner for your design and branding efforts? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

Managing Time When You Work for Yourself Whatever your work is or whatever kind of company you own, how you manage your time greatly impacts the outcome of all your investments and your bottom line. It also dictates the balance in your life – work, family, time for yourself and friends. We won't even start on health and stress levels! Take a break! Common outcomes of poor time management are missing deadlines and important meetings, unmet commitments, and unhappy clients. To avoid livin’ on a slim nickel, it is crucial that business owners handle their time well. Efficiency over the ever-touted "badge of busyness" will not only make you more money but also make you more fun to be around! Actively Manage Your Team or All Your Roles If you own a large business with people under you who are well versed in their roles, you still need to know what they’re doing and make decisions for the whole company. If you’re running a smaller business, you might be responsible for multiple roles (or all of them). - Make good use of tools . From a simple color-coded calendar to a complete work management system, use tools to organize the various aspects of your work. Post-it notes alone won’t run your business! - Plan for deep work . Failing to work on cognitively challenging tasks without interruptions is what can most put your business at risk. This is the work only you can do and is what makes your business uniquely suited to solve your clients’ problems. Schedule deep work time and consider it non-negotiable. - Plan for interruptions . It’s just as important to plan margin into your day to handle the unexpected problems and employee questions/concerns, as well as to fix the copier that no one else seems to be able to do. If your schedule is too full, you’ll be stressed and actually less productive. - Hire someone. Consider hiring an additional employee or contract someone to complete work on a project basis. While you need to monitor this work, you should save time overall because you have delegated this work and can move on to projects that no one else can do. Prioritize Your Work Decide which details of your business are worth spending time on and which ones you can do without or delegate. - Stop doing unnecessary tasks. Do you spend time writing reports no one reads? Honestly assess all the tasks that you do and see if any can be shuttered. (Read the 4-Hour Workweek!) - Keep track of your time. Even if you don’t have to report the amount of time you work on a timesheet, it’s helpful to track your time for a week to see what you’re actually doing. This will help you determine if you constantly underestimate the amount of time needed to complete a project or if you have pockets of downtime that you could combine into a deep work session. You may discover loads of time you've been spending perusing social media streams or news updates. You have the same amount of time as everyone else, use it wisely. - Use Key Performance Indicators. This helps you pinpoint where you need to improve. However, if you know you won’t analyze them so you can make changes, then don’t bother (see the unnecessary work point above). Prioritize Yourself Don’t forget to spend time on yourself too. The health of your business directly depends on your health. Taking time to get to know yourself better, give yourself a pat on the shoulder, and allow yourself a break will help make you be more effective, efficient, and more pleasant. (see previous post about Annoying Coworkers ) - Schedule things at work to run smoothly for you . If you’re not a morning person, then don’t schedule your most important work or meetings right away in the morning. If you hate meetings, then communicate your expectations in a different way, or create a rule that they can be no longer than 20 minutes. This is your business, so make it work for you. - Draw the line between work and personal life. Your employees will appreciate that your family crisis details are left at home, and your family will appreciate that your work crisis details are left at work. Arrive and leave work on time (yes, that means actually having designated work times!), and ensure that you have a hobby or interest that keeps you from thinking about work all the time. - Take vacation days. It’s hard to leave work for a week, but you need the space away from it. Downtime can improve mental, physical, and social health, and it can also give you the distance to be more objective about your business. If you give your clients advance notice and can work around their deadlines, they will be more than happy to hear you’re taking time for yourself. We hope you have enjoyed this reminder that you are important too. Go have some fun, we will all thank you for it! ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168

Are you looking for ways to move your workplace from good to great? If so, you’re in luck! This article will discuss five tasks that will help you create positive change in your organization. Creating a great workplace isn’t always easy, but it’s definitely worth the effort. Here are five important steps to implement to help create positive change in the workplace: 1. Define the culture you want to create. What kind of environment do you want your employees to work in? Do you want it to be collaborative or more competitive? Do you want to focus on innovation or customer service? ● Once you’ve decided what kind of culture you want to create, it will be easier to develop strategies to make it a reality. ● Use these ideas to help define the culture you want to create. First, develop a mission statement that reflects the culture you want to create. Next, establish values that everyone in your organization can buy into. ● Identify policy conflicts and establish new ones to build cultural alignment. Finally, employees can socialize and get to know one another outside of work. Do this by setting team-building exercises and planning company excursions. 2. Assign clear roles and responsibilities. One of the most critical aspects of creating a great workplace is ensuring that everyone knows their roles and responsibilities. When everyone agrees, it is easier to work together towards common goals. ● To ensure that everyone knows their roles and responsibilities, start by creating job descriptions for each position in your organization. Make sure that these job descriptions are clear and concise and accurately reflect each position’s duties. ● Also, establish expectations for each employee. Let them know what you expect from them regarding their work ethic, attendance, and attitude. By setting clear expectations from the start, you’ll avoid misunderstandings and conflict down the road. ● It’s also important to communicate these expectations to your employees regularly—schedule regular one-on-one meetings with each employee to check in on their progress and give feedback. ● Finally, hold periodic team meetings to keep everyone in the loop on company news and updates. ● By clearly defining roles and responsibilities, you’ll create a workplace where everyone knows their place and how they can contribute to the organization. 3. Set measurable goals and objectives. Setting measurable goals and objectives will help you track your progress and ensure that everyone is working towards the same goal. ● To set measurable goals and objectives, start by identifying the overall plan for your organization. Next, break it down into smaller, more manageable goals. For each purpose, establish measurable objectives that you can track. ● Involve your employees in team goal-setting exercises. Ask for their input on what they think are realistic and achievable goals. By involving them, you’ll build support and commitment to achieving the goals. ● Finally, create a timeline for each goal and make sure that everyone is aware of it. By setting measurable goals and objectives, you’ll be able to track your progress and ensure that everyone is working towards the same goal. 4. Encourage open communication and feedback. Encouraging open communication and feedback is essential for creating a great workplace. When employees feel like they can openly communicate with their managers, it creates a feeling of trust and mutual respect. ● There are a few ways you can encourage open communication and feedback in the workplace. First, create an open-door policy where employees feel comfortable voicing their concerns or suggestions. ● Ensure that you’re accessible to your employees and take the time to listen to what they have to say. ● Another way to encourage open communication is to solicit feedback regularly. Ask your employees for their input and encourage innovation and creativity in the workplace. 5. Celebrate successes and learn from failures. Finally, it’s important to celebrate successes and learn from failures. When you take the time to celebrate your employees’ successes, it shows that you appreciate their hard work. It will help to build morale and motivation in the workplace. ● Celebrate successes by establishing a reward and incentive system. Recognize employees who go above and beyond their job duties. ● Develop a culture of accountability by encouraging employees to take ownership of their mistakes. Help them learn from their failures and avoid making the same mistakes in the future. ● By celebrating successes and learning from failures, you’ll create a constantly improving and growing workplace. Creating a great workplace doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, effort, and commitment. But, by following these five steps, you’ll be well on your way to creating a healthy, productive, and positive work environment. Would you like a partner to work with you on your marketing and branding? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

To keep your small business going during difficult times, you may need to cut costs in a variety of areas. Evaluating the cash flow is healthy and smart when facing turbulent financial times. Use this checklist to help you identify areas where you may be able to save money. Negotiate with your landlord for lower rent or better lease terms. Sublet unused office space. Work from home instead of paying for an office. Have employees work remotely. Pause unnecessary maintenance and upgrades. Sell equipment you don’t need or use. Switch to cloud computing and sell unnecessary computer equipment. Buy used office equipment instead of new. Switch to a cheaper mobile plan. Replace your landline with a VoIP system. Renegotiate terms on leased equipment. Use a smart thermostat to reduce heating and cooling. Power down all unnecessary lights, appliances, and electronics. Replace business meals with coffee meetings. Reduce travel by using videoconferencing. Avoid attending unnecessary events, such as conferences. Print and copy double-sided to reduce paper use. Reuse paper for notes. Go paperless whenever possible. Negotiate with suppliers for discounts. Sell leftover supplies instead of discarding them. Cut back on unnecessary inventory. Compare insurance policies to ensure that you’re getting the lowest rate. Pay a higher insurance deductible to lower your monthly premium. Cut nonessential insurance. Replace traditional marketing methods with low-cost ones. Bring bookkeeping tasks in-house. Cancel unnecessary subscriptions (magazines, newspapers). Stop buying food and drink for the entire company (coffee, pizza). Reduce internet speed. Reduce or cut 401(k) matching. Reduce extra health benefits (gym memberships, dental plans). Cut any unnecessary overtime. Reduce your salary. Reduce employee salaries. Reduce the number of hours employees work each week. Hire contractors instead of full-time employees. Maximize your tax deductions. Automate time-consuming tasks with a service like Zapier. Hire a VA or Intern to help with small tasks. Take some time for yourself to re-energize and meditate on your focus and mission. Clarity proves to be a huge time saver in today's chaotic world. Would you like a partner to work with you on your design and marketing efforts? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

Preventing burnout protects your overall health and your career. However, if the way you work changed radically over the past year, your old defenses may not be enough. How do you know if you’re burned out? Some of the most common signs include depression, irritability, and lack of motivation. You feel tired and unable to control your circumstances. Your physical health can be affected too, putting you at increased risk for heart conditions and diabetes. If you’re feeling down and your productivity has dropped, you can recover. Try these 14 strategies for bouncing back from burnout. Fighting Burnout During Work Hours: 1. Evaluate your expectations. Burnout is often caused by pushing yourself too hard for too long. Look at your to do list and see what you can eliminate or delegate. Focus on your top priorities. 2. Set goals. Working towards something you want to achieve provides instant inspiration. Break long term objectives down into daily and weekly targets, so you’ll keep building momentum. 3. Limit distractions. Burnout makes it difficult to concentrate. Create quiet spaces where you can work at the office or at home. Turn off your phone and stay away from websites and apps where you tend to lose track of time. 4. Find allies. Do you feel isolated or have more conflicts with your coworkers? Burnout can take a toll on your relationships. Participate in social activities at work. If you feel safe, talk with your boss or a trusted colleague about what you’re going through. 5. Have fun. Brighten up your workday. Join the party planning committee. Pass along a funny joke or an intriguing news story. 6. Pace yourself. How many hours are you working a week? Research shows that excess overtime lowers your performance. You’re more likely to succeed with a 35-to-40-hour week. 7. Take time off. It may help to get away from your routines for a while. If possible, use your vacation days to visit family and friends in another city. If you’re short on leave, you could try a spa day at home or check into a local hotel for the weekend. 8. Be patient. Burnout often builds up gradually and it may take a while to turn things around. Give yourself credit for making an effort. Appreciate signs of gradual progress. Fighting Burnout Outside of Work Hours: 1. Address root causes. While there are many things you can do to cope with burnout temporarily, lasting change depends on resolving the source of your troubles. Maybe it’s an event at work, or maybe it has more to do with your disposition or personal life. 2. Set boundaries. Remote work blurs the line between business and leisure activities. Try to keep office items out of your bedroom. Let your job know the hours when you’re unavailable. 3. Sleep well. Go to bed on time, so you can wake up feeling refreshed. Stick to a consistent schedule, even on weekends and holidays. 4. Work out. Physical activity relieves stress and gives you more energy. Design a balanced program of cardio exercise, strength training, and stretches. 5. Learn to relax. Manage daily tensions with stress-relieving activities. Listen to instrumental music or work on your hobbies.Volunteer and serve others is a great way to distract yourself and re-energize. 6. Consider counseling. If your burnout symptoms persist, you may benefit from working with a professional therapist. Some employers have extended mental health benefits as a result of COVID-19. If you’re on a limited budget, contact a community hotline to explore low-cost services. Burnout can seem overwhelming, but you probably have more options than you think. Change your daily habits and ask others for help if you’re struggling. Taking constructive action will help you to regain your balance and increase your job satisfaction. Institute these ideas to make your upcoming holidays much more enjoyable! Would you like a partner to work with you on your design and marketing efforts? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

Another fabulous guest post from a very special guest, Lori Creighton of Homestead Media! We were honored to do Lori's branding a short time back and we have learned so much from her! She is an incredible asset for any team! Check out her site, she is a writing guru! _______ Think about the actions you take as you research and choose a product or service online. If part of your process includes reading about the experiences of other people, then you’re not alone. In the B2B world, case studies are the most effective content to convert and move prospects along on their buying journey. ( Demand Gen ) And in the consumer world, 88% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. ( Search Engine Land ) Publishing proof that you’ll do what you say you can do should be in your content strategy. To get started, learn about the difference between case studies, success stories, testimonials and reviews. Reviews - Voluntary Customer Comments Reviews can be found on third-party platforms, like Google and Facebook, or right on a website like Amazon or other e-commerce sites. Reviews are an important piece of your online reputation and contribute ranking signals to search engines. If the reviews are on a third-party site, your business doesn’t have control over the comments. You should be monitoring what people say about you online and respond to comments – both positive and negative. If reviews are popular in your industry, you should create a process for asking for reviews. Testimonials – Solicited Customer Comments The difference between reviews and testimonials is that your organization has control over the process. You’re the one who gathers and publishes customer comments on your website and through your social media posts, email, and other digital channels. You can get testimonials through interviews with customers and edit what they say into bite-sized comments. People are usually happy when you help them organize their thoughts. It’s important to not put words in their mouths, and have an approval process in place before publishing anything in your customer’s name. Customer Success Story – Illustration of Customer Experience The terms “success story," “client story," and “case study” are often used interchangeably, but a “story” is different from a “study.” In a success story, the client experience is described starting with the problem that the client needed to solve and moves through the solution and the outcome. People respond physiologically to a story that includes a problem, challenge, or distress, so the result of this kind of story is empathy or shared feelings and thoughts. Interviews for customer success stories can do double duty and provide material for great testimonials. Case Studies – In-depth Customer Experience Case studies and client or customer success stories are sometimes used interchangeably. A case study includes the context, problem, and solution that the customer experienced but can go into more detail about what the company did to implement the solution. Case studies can be more technical than success stories, but they’re not necessarily better depending upon who you’re trying to influence. For example, a CEO probably doesn’t want to know all the details but wants to know how the outcome is going to affect business results, while an engineer wants to understand the technology or methods that make the solution work. It’s About Trust and Credibility If you are presenting and promoting your business online, then you absolutely need content that will nurture trust and build credibility. People want to be confident in their buying decisions, and you’ll help them get that when you show and tell how you helped other people through customer studies, stories, testimonials, and reviews. Lori Creighton, https://www.homesteadmedia.net/contact.html https://www.homesteadmedia.net/scheduling.html Blog first published https://www.homesteadmedia.net/blog/case-studies-success-stories-testimonials-reviews Want to be a guest blogger? Just contact us and we'll get you in the queue! ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168

One of the best ways to build your brand is to build a community where you and the members can all help each other. The value in building a community around your brand is that it gets others involved in helping to promote your brand. Build a tribe of passionate people who care about the same things you do. This creates a pool of potential clients who already love you, know you and would choose you over a stranger all day long. So how can you build a community? Start a group. In this group, people can interact with each other, share ideas, interact with you, raise questions, etc. Whether you start a Facebook group, a Peer Circle, Charity or Networking group, take advantage of the need for people to be part of something outside themselves. Use this platform to leave the world better than you found it this morning. Host live events. Live events allow you to meet members of your tribe in person. Coffee meetups, retreats, workshops, masterminds, and private dinners are all great ways to deepen your relationships with them. Create a membership site. For a small monthly fee, you can give people exclusive access to you and the content you provide. You can also give them access to things like group calls every month, ongoing webinars, and a forum where they can interact with you and other members. Host a Mastermind. Teach, encourage and lead with your extreme knowledge. It allows potential customers to get a taste of working with you, verifies your experience and expertise and more. Would you like a partner to work with you on your design and marketing efforts? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

What Is a Brand? A brand is much more than a flashy logo or a color palette. A personal brand goes far beyond having a nice-looking business card. A personal brand is not just about having a website with your name on it, although that’s certainly part of it. Your brand is personal, it's how you present yourself, both online and offline, to your ideal audience. Your personal brand is the image you put forth. It’s what you stand for. Your values . What you’re all about. The core of who you are as a person. The mission you envision. It’s the combination of your values, unique skills, experiences, stories, personality, and image, all presented authentically to your audience. Every person is a brand. Everyone can constantly put themselves out in front of their audience. Everyone can add value to their audience. Everyone can communicate their message loud and clear. With everything you share with your audience, you’re building your brand. Take control of your brand. Do you want your brand to develop on its own, with no guidance from you, or do you want to be actively in control of the process? It’s always best to be the one in control of your brand. Hiring a professional marketing team like NLC can help you fine tune the magic of your message, the big idea you bring to the table and craft it into a full representation of your heart. It is worth the cost and effort because a great brand markets itself. Why Do You Need to Build a Personal Brand? Every entrepreneur, coach, consultant, freelancer, etc. should be building their own brand. If you are trying to build a business of any sort, it’s important to build your own personal brand. Personal branding allows you to stand out from the competition. Your competitors can’t bring what you bring to the table. They simply don’t have what you have to offer. You’re unique. Only you are you. You have unique experiences, strengths, beliefs, perspectives, skills, and insights that set you apart from everyone else. Building your personal brand allows you highlight your strengths. Personal branding allows you to charge a premium price. Because you bring unique value to the table - value that no one else offers - you can charge a premium price for your services. When you craft a strong personal brand, you can charge a higher price for your products and services because they’re exclusive to you. Personal branding highlights your expertise. A significant amount of personal branding involves the content that you share with the world. The more valuable the content you share, the more you demonstrate that you’re an expert who should be trusted. With every piece of content that you share, you establish yourself as an expert in your field. The more you show that you’re an expert, the more people will trust you. Personal branding allows you to attract your ideal audience. When you’re an expert, you attract those who need your help the most. They want help from you because you’re the expert. It also generates more referrals from others in your field. Personal branding puts you in charge of the narrative. Your personal brand will evolve, whether you want it to or not. If you use social media, have an email list, write a blog, or speak to groups, you’re already building your personal brand. The question is whether you’re building the brand intentionally. Personal brand building ensures that you’re the one forming people’s ideas and opinions about you. You’re in control of the story. Personal branding increases your visibility. As you build your personal brand, you’ll become more visible. You’ll attract more fans on social media, who will share your content with their tribes, which will then attract more fans. You’ll also be featured in more media outlets since they’re always looking for experts. And you’ll be invited to speak at more places. As you build your brand, your platform will also grow. Personal branding shapes the content you share. Without a personal brand, you have nothing guiding you in terms of what content you should be sharing with your audience. Personal branding gives you guidelines as to what you should share with your audience. You should only share things that are in line with your brand. Anything off-brand shouldn’t be shared. Personal branding connects you more with individuals. People connect better with other people than they do with companies. The more you work to build your brand, the more individuals you’ll attract. They’ll be attracted to your values, personality, and insights. The more individuals you attract, the more you’ll build your overall business. Personal branding allows you to become an influencer. An influencer is someone who significantly shapes the opinions of their followers and has a big influence on how they behave. There are some significant benefits to being an influencer. Big brands want to work with influencers, which can generate revenue for you. You often receive free things from companies who are interested in partnering with you. And you frequently get requests from the media to speak or just to attend events. Would you like a partner to work with you on your design and marketing efforts? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

Now Is the Time to use Your Personal Brand to Become an Influencer The simple truth is, you have a personal brand, whether you want to or not. Every single thing you share with your audience either adds to or takes away from your influence of those that follow you. You absolutely must be intentional about what and how you put content into the world. As Kathy Klotz-Guest says, “We all have a personal brand whether we think about it that way or not. So, let’s be intentional about it.” If you’re an entrepreneur, it’s critical to devote at least some time each week to strengthen your brand. Your brand is one of your biggest assets. Being a true influencer can take your business to places you never thought possible. You can become someone who can lead others in your industry which can result in speaking engagements, higher premiums, more sales and publicity. Your competitors can’t bring what you bring to the table. They simply don’t have what you have to offer. You’re unique. Only you are you. You have unique: Experiences Strengths Beliefs Perspectives Skills Insights ...that set you apart from everyone else. These are incredibly valuable and distinguish you from your competitors. You offer unique value that no other person can offer. No one else can bring to the table what you can. No one else has your unique combination of skills, insights, and experiences. The more valuable the content you share, the more you demonstrate that you’re an expert who should be trusted. With every piece of content that you share: Social media posts Blog posts Emails Videos Inspirational graphics Meditations Affirmations Audiobooks Podcasts ...you establish yourself as an expert in your field; as someone who really knows what they’re talking about; as a thought leader in your arena. Demonstrate your knowledge and insight into a watching world. You’re proving just how much value you offer and that you’re the go-to person in your industry. Connect with other influencers, share techniques and platforms to expand your reach. See Intellifluence.com When you’re known as the expert in your industry: It attracts your ideal audience - the people who need your help the most. You get more referrals from others in your industry and related industries. You can ch arge a premium price - the kind of price that only an expert can charge. Tony Robbins is a prime example of this. For years, he has been sharing the same message of self-empowerment. Everything he says, every video he puts out, every book he writes has the same brand message: you can develop into a powerful individual and I can help you to do that. Over time, he has established himself as one of, if not the go-to person in the self-development arena. The results? He attracts huge audiences of people who want to fulfill their potential. Millions of people read his books and follow him on social media. Tony can charge a premium price for his services. Why? By consistently building his personal brand over many years, Tony Robbins now has people flocking to him for advice. Do you want to experience the Tony Robbins effect? Do you want to be known as the go-to person in your industry? Then it’s absolutely essential that you begin building and sharing your personal brand today. Find a step-by-step process for building your personal brand here . Avoid waiting any longer to build your personal brand. Get started on it today! Your audience needs you. Get out there and start serving them. You’ll be glad you did! Would you like a partner to work with you on your design and marketing efforts? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

Who wouldn’t like to be charismatic? The person who lights up the room? We all know someone that seems to have a magical power over other people. This person can attract and influence people in a way that is hard to describe, but you know this type of person when you see them. We all know what charisma looks like, but it’s not easy to figure out what charismatic people do that sets them apart from the rest of us. The good news is that you don’t have to be born charismatic. Charisma can be learned, and not be fake! You can boost your charisma significantly with some time and dedication. Before you know it, you’ll be the one that everyone wants to invite to their party. Increase your charisma by incorporating a few simple strategies into your life: 1. Smile. Smiling is cheap, easy, feels good, and is a good way to put others at ease. We feel better when we deal with someone that is smiling versus someone that is scowling. People will feel more comfortable around you if you’re smiling, and you appear more open to communication. 2. Listen. We love people that listen to us. Hardly anyone can pay attention long enough to have a decent conversation anymore. If you want to be popular, listen to others when they’re talking to you. They’ll leave the conversation thinking that you’re a great conversationalist! 3. Have great eye contact. Maintaining good eye contact is another way to make someone feel important. Ensure that you’re not looking around while interacting with someone. Give them your full attention. 4. Give an authentic compliment. Remember that being charismatic is largely about making others feel good in your presence. A compliment is an easy way to make someone feel great. Just be certain that your compliment is sincere. Most people can tell a fake compliment from a real one. 5. Ask questions. Another way of showing interest is to ask questions. It’s also an easy way to keep a conversation going. Most people love to talk about themselves and will be excited if you show interest in them. 6. Let your grooming speak well for you. It’s hard to be considered charismatic if you look like you haven’t bathed or put clean clothes on for a few days. Your grooming and clothing are one way to demonstrate your status to the world. When you look sharp, others think more highly of you. 7. Show confidence. Confidence shows that you are at ease and helps to put others at ease, too. We’re naturally attracted to confident people. Confidence is challenging to fake, so this one might take some work! 8. Be enthusiastic. Have a life that excites you. Allow your enthusiasm to show. A negative and grumpy person will struggle to demonstrate charisma. There are only three things you really need to do to be more charismatic: be interesting, be interested, and make others feel good in your presence. You’ll notice that all of these tips address at least one of these three items. You don’t have to be born with amazing people skills to implement these strategies. You just have to practice. You can be more charismatic tomorrow just by choosing one strategy and begin applying it. One day at a time. It may take time for it to become natural, but it’s worth the journey. Just remember what Maya Angelou said, "People won't remember what you said or did, but they will remember how you made them feel." Mastering these items will make you one of the most charismatic people you’ve ever known! Would you like a partner to work with you on your design and marketing efforts? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.

Productivity is important because it relates to income and time. The more productive you are, the more money you can earn in many situations. You can also save time. That time can be spent on anything you like, including making more money! There are many obstacles to productivity, such as a lack of focus, a lack of intention, a lack of stamina, or too many distractions, to name a few. Hack your brain and increase your productivity with these strategies: 1. Set an intention-Visualize success. Most people can’t focus because they’re not truly clear on what they want to focus on or for how long. Give yourself a fighting chance by choosing a specific task for a specific amount of time. For example, you might decide you’re going to work on your tax return for 30 minutes. Set a timer and do your best for those 30 minutes. Your brain will do its best to give you what you want if you give it clear instructions. 2. Meditate. Meditation helps to build focus and calm your mind. Meditation is incredibly popular right now, so there is plenty of free information on how to meditate effectively. Educate yourself and get started. It’s simple and effective. 3. Take regular breaks. Experiment with break frequency and duration. The best option for most people is either 25 minutes of work and a five-minute break, or 50 minutes of work and a 10-minute break. Discover what works best for you and then stick with it. Timers can be powerful tools. 4. Avoid giving in to temptation. Most of us give in to the temptation of distraction far too easily. It’s a very difficult habit to break. We quickly go from feeling bored or stressed to amused. It feels good to check email or read a text. The most productive people are able to overcome the urge to break their attention from their work task. It’s important to avoid these distractions during your breaks, too. It’s too hard to get back on task, and your breaktime magically extends from five minutes to 25. Learn how to say “no” to your urges. 5. Alternate high and low-focus tasks. Many people report greater productivity when they alternate between cognitively intense activities and those that require less intellectual effort. It’s similar to interval training in the gym. Lower-level activities might include returning calls and emails, or other routine work. The lower-level activities give your brain a rest and the chance to recover. Soon, it’s ready for another round of more intense activity. 6. Drink plenty of water. Most people are partially dehydrated. The solution is to drink plenty of water. That doesn’t mean you must chug 20 ounces of water every hour. But, a 20-ounce bottle of water every few hours would be beneficial to most. So many metabolic processes require water that you’re not at your best if you’re dehydrated 7. Develop a positive mindset. A positive outlook on life makes you more productive. Studies show that mindset affects productivity. Work on having a positive outlook and you’ll accomplish more each day. You’ll also be a lot happier. Productivity should be important to everyone. Time is your most valuable asset, so do what you can to maximize it. We can all be more productive, but it doesn’t happen by magic. It must be a priority if you want to see real results. Dedicate yourself to maximizing your productivity. Give your brain every chance to be your ally on this important journey. Would you like a partner to work with you on your marketing and branding? Give us a call for a FREE brand audit! We'd love to help! Linktr.ee/neonlizardcreative ©Neon Lizard Creative 2021 | Rebecca Rausch | neonlizardcreative.com | 952.452.0168 If you would like to guest post on NLC's blog, let us know! We'd love to share your knowledge with our business community.