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katydidpgh

Where are my overthinkers at? I get it. I can't

Where are my overthinkers at?

I get it. I can't tell you how many years I spent thinking about starting something new was impossible.

Why? Because as overthinkers we agonize over what the correct first step is. On top of worrying about what the first step is, you also worry about whether or not it's the correct first step.

The trick is to do your best to let the idea of starting something perfectly go and just start. Be brave enough to suck at something for a while. Give yourself the grace to figure it out and stop agonizing over the first step.

This. This is something I wish I realized 10 years ago.

You see being an overthinker is exhausting. Overcoming your brain snowballing thoughts is easier said than done. It takes practice. Lots of practice and lots of time for that matter.

Here is what I do. If I feel like I am being particularly overthinky I will make a list of everything my mind is telling me. Seeing my thoughts on paper help me get space from those thoughts. It also helps me challenge those thoughts.

Today I am overthinking how confident I was about a website project and now I have to pivot that client in a completely different direction. I am worried they will think I don't know what I am doing when the reality of the matter is that I didn't realize how complicated their inventory was and it makes sense to pivot rather than keep on the path we are on.

What are you overthinking today?

#womenwhohustle #careerdevelopment #moneymindset #smallbizsquad #logodesigners #womensupportingwomeninbusiness #instabossmob #askmeanything #worksmarter #girlbosshustle #bossladymindset #womenwithaplan #womenwhodo #sheslays #obm #hustlewithheart #slaytheday #staybossyladies #femalecreatives #bossmentality #womeninspirewomen #findingyourfearless #girlbossgang #busyentrepreneur #pghbusiness #multipassionate #pittsburghconnection #hustlewithheart #womanartists #madeinpittsburgh

Calendly - it has been with me from the beginning.

Calendly - it has been with me from the beginning.

I couldn’t have asked for a better tool.

Doing the back and forth emails trying to find a time to meet clients, it cuts into my productivity. Plus I do not have the multi-tasking energy to schedule meetings and keep a calendar up to date.

I have better things to do, like empowering clients with awesome websites.

One of the greatest hits of confidence I get is when I wake up in the morning and someone I don’t know has scheduled a consultation with me. It still surprises and delights me to no end.

Calendly has so many integrations. My favorite is how it integrates with my google calendar and automatically checks to see if I have a conflict in my schedule.

What is your favorite scheduling took to use?

#calledtobecreative #calledtocreate #inclusionmatters #searchengineoptimization #womenentrepreneurship #seotips #worksmarter #worksmarternotharder #accessibility #hustleandmotivate #womensupportingwomenbusiness #createyourhappiness #helponeanother #mysmallbiz #bossmentality #femalecreatives #womeninspirewomen #businesstipsandtricks #createyourdreamlife #bossbabesquad #theimperfectboss #womenwithpurpose #bossladystatus #busyentrepreneur #pghbusiness #multipassionate #pittsburghconnection #hustlewithheart #womanartists #madeinpittsburghwithlove

Do you work the same hours everyday? When I first

Do you work the same hours everyday?

When I first quit my office job I gave myself some flexibility when it came to my hours. I just had to give myself some leeway when it came to my new career adventure after regularly waking up pre-dawn to have minimal time to myself, rushing around to get ready, sitting in a car for my commute then sitting in an office chair for hours on end just to do it again the next day!

You see mornings have always been difficult for me. They felt basically impossible. I would go to bed anxious just thinking about my alarm going off in the morning. It had been like that for me for as long as I could remember.

I was one of those people who would hit the alarm and reset it over and over again. Until my husband put a pretty angry stop to it about a decade into our relationship.

So when I quit my 830-530 office job I told myself I was going to give my body a chance to tell me what it wanted to do.

I woke up and started working when my body naturally told me it was time. At the beginning it ended up being around 830. I would get coffee, take care of my dogs and roll up to my home office still in pjs starting around 9.

Guess what I found out. I am still not a morning person. Buuuuttttt my morning anxiety has definitely chilled since I am waking on my terms.

Then when business took off during the start of the pandy , I had to structure my day better. I now get up at 6 and work 8-5 on most days.

I did permanently get rid of my alarm clock though. The hubby, who is a freak of nature and gets up at 430 agreed to wake me up everyday at 6. I think the sound of alarm clocks has given me some kind of emotional trauma because every time I hear one my whole body clenches and I am immediately overcome with a sense of dread. Anyone else?

I’m curious do you have a regular work schedule? How do you feel about it? You don’t have to be a business owner to answer.

I’ve said it before but I’ll keep saying it! A

I’ve said it before but I’ll keep saying it! Accessibility matters!

Obviously you want as many humans as possible to be able to use your site, so does Google. That’s why SEO and accessibility goes hand in hand.

Don’t know where to start? Page titles. Here is why:

They are what Google uses to detect the subject of the page.
They are the first information users see in search results.
When users have multiple tabs open the Page title is what is visible in the tab.
Screen readers use page title to describe when users navigate between pages.

When you are choosing a page title think about what keywords users will search for. It may not be the first thing that comes to you because you are already familiar with your site content. Think about someone who has never seen the subject matter of your site and ask yourself what would they be searching for.

Follow me for more SEO tips and tricks!

#calledtobecreative #calledtocreate #inclusionmatters #searchengineoptimization #womenentrepreneurship #seotips #worksmarter #worksmarternotharder #accessibility #hustleandmotivate #womensupportingwomenbusiness #createyourhappiness #helponeanother #mysmallbiz #bossmentality #femalecreatives #womeninspirewomen #businesstipsandtricks #createyourdreamlife #bossbabesquad #womenwithpurpose #bossladystatus #busyentrepreneur #pghbusiness #multipassionate #pittsburghconnection #hustlewithheart #womanartists #madeinpittsburgh

Who here has ever tried their hand at following cu

Who here has ever tried their hand at following customer service documentation for Facebook? 🙋🏻‍♀️

What about the documentation at GoDaddy? or Bluehost?

Let me guess. You got so frustrated you wanted to throw your phone at a wall. It happens to business owners every day. When the pandemic hit and lockdowns of brick and mortar stores happened, Facebook business overhauled its website. If you go on it now, you can see what I mean. The language still reads like they are here for support. Ummm, but are they really? I have overwhelmed business owners asking me for help with their Facebook storefronts constantly. Pardon my french, but the documentation is poop. For me, it's questionable if they ever did any user testing. Nevermind. It’s not questionable, it’s apparent they never did any user testing. Steps are missing and they tell you to click links and buttons that don’t exist, making Facebook for business un-navigable.

Just FYI user testing is only good if the user has never actually tried the process before.

Facebook is not the only culprit. Social Media and Tech companies have been gatekeeping with horrible documentation for years.

It’s one of the reasons I started Katydid PGH. I wanted to learn more about running a business in the digital age, but readable resources are hard to come by.

I am not letting this soapbox go, trust me. I want to fight the good fight for small businesses. I want to make running a business more accessible.

Let me know what documentation you’ve struggled with recently.
In the meantime, I got your back! I offer troubleshooting and zoom sessions for all your documentation headaches. Check out my site to set up a consultation!

Have you ever been called unprofessional? I asked

Have you ever been called unprofessional? I asked this on my stories Monday. I certainly have. It’s something i've been thinking about quite a bit.

Working in customer service being called things other than my given name is something I am pretty familiar with. Honestly, I still consider what I do customer service. I hear people throw it around like its a bad thing. It is not. I give credit where credit is due. I thrive at customer service, it's what makes my business different. It’s why 90% of my new clients are word of mouth recommendations.

The last time I was called unprofessional was a few months ago. It killed me. I am my own worst critic and although it doesn’t bother me anymore in that moment I wanted to call it quits.

Then I started practicing Cognitive Restructuring (something I learned in therapy). Basically you challenge those negative thoughts logically. Am I really unprofessional? What evidence do I have? If I am so unprofessional then why do I have such a crazy client return rate? If I am so unprofessional why are my client testimonials so amazing? If I am so unprofessional why I am set to make more this month then I have in any other month of my adult life? I am a professional so inherently I am professional.

Here is the thing as soon as you start challenging those thoughts they get harder to listen to. If you surround yourself with people who are smarter and more ambitious than you and actually listen to their high quality honest feedback and don't take it personally those thoughts get even harder to listen to. If you make YOUR mental health your number 1 priority those thoughts get quieter.

Mental Health is Health period end of story. I can even make the argument it is the most important forms of preventative healthcare that we have. Society and Insurance companies don’t treat it as such but that has to change. So I am going to keep talking about it and in my opinion so should everyone else.

Content writing. It's everyone's worse nightmare.

Content writing. It's everyone's worse nightmare.
I get it.
Just ask me how my website redesign and content are coming along.

Writing about yourself or something that you created out of your blood, sweat, and tears is scary.
You want it to be perfect, and you want everyone who reads it to understand what you are trying to say.

No task is worth that amount of pressure.
You have two options higher a copywriter ( I know some good ones, dm me for recs) or write it yourself.

Here is the thing.
Like everything in life, the first thing you come up with doesn't have to be perfect.
Allow yourself to suck at it.

More is better than less.
Just write what comes into your head and keep writing.
Don't worry about spelling and grammar. Just write.

Get out of your head.

This is what I lovingly refer to as a braindump.
Braindump, walk away, and come back the next day.
Circle things you like.
Rework stuff you don't.
Walk away.
Then start asking for help. Someone you know is going to give you high-quality feedback. (The brutal truth)

I promise you will come up with something good.
Something you can use.
Something people will understand and resonate with.

#womenwhohustle #businessadvice #moneymindset #accessibility #womenentrepreneurship #accessibilitymatters #ladybosslifestyle #worksmarternotharder #empoweringothers #hustleandmotivate #empoweredwoman #createyourhappiness #helponeanother #mysmallbiz #abundantbossbabes #immyownboss #womeninspirewomen #accessibilityforall #createyourdreamlife #bossbabesquad #walkinyourpurpose #buildanempire #bossbabesunite #womendesigners #virtualdesign #multipassionate #themakers #hustlewithheart #womanartists #keepsocialmediasocial

Why is website hosting scary. Let's talk about som

Why is website hosting scary. Let's talk about something that I feel gets neglected when building a site for a small business.

It's something I'm kind of a stickler for.

That's hosting. I know it's complicated. But I promise it is not SCARY.

Hosting.

If a website is like a house your domain name is your address and hosting is like your house.

Would you buy a house with a rotting foundation? Hopefully not.

You want to buy a house that is sturdy and secure.

You want to pay for hosting that comes with these essentials included.
SSL/ TLS certificate
Daily Backups ( that you can access)
High level customer support.

Would you live in a house with no locks on the door or windows? Then please I beg of you do not buy hosting that does not come with a free SSL/TLS certificate.

Godaddy and Bluehost are popular options because they are CHEAP. In the biz we like to say....

"Godaddy for when you want something that takes 10 minutes to take 2 hours and then you have to pay extra for it."

Okay maybe that's not what we say in the biz that's just what I say.

Please I am begging you don't buy a house with a cheap foundation and don't buy hosting from a company with bad customer service.

These are my favs
@siteground
@chemicloud

Babe: [beyb] n. Awesome human. This is the truth.

Babe: [beyb] n. Awesome human.

This is the truth. I started my business pre-2020. After freelancing on Upwork for about a year, I felt confident enough to attract people outside of Upwork. I had no idea what I was doing. So I immersed myself in any training I could find Skillshare, Udemy, @northlandlibrary.

Terrified but determined, I set goals and started marketing. I soon found out that reading and doing are two different things. So I did what anyone would do and started googling every question I had. Let me tell you weeding through Google search results to find specific valuable information is not it.

Frustrated and exhausted, I started reaching out to anyone I came in contact with that was running a business. And you know what? They were more than happy to answer my questions. Finding humans willing to give me relevant business advice was so refreshing.

Not everyone I asked was willing to help, but everyone willing to help become a network of boss babes I still talk to today. Because of this positive experience, I promised myself to help anyone willing to ask for it.

My number one goal for Katydid Pgh is to create a safe space for everyone. That's why when I say DM me questions, I mean it. It might take me some time, but I am here to help.

#womenwhohustle #purposedriven #moneymindset #smallbizsquad #logodesigners #womensupportingwomeninbusiness #instabossmob #askmeanything #worksmarter #girlbosshustle #bossladymindset #womenwithaplan #womenwhodo #sheslays #obm #hustlewithheart #slaytheday #staybossyladies #femalecreatives #bossmentality #womeninspirewomen #findingyourfearless #girlbossgang #busyentrepreneur #pghbusiness #multipassionate #pittsburghconnection #hustlewithheart #womanartists #madeinpittsburgh

Coffee Break. A quick chat on how I started #freel

Coffee Break. A quick chat on how I started #freelancing on @upworkinc .

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