Truth Telling from the Trenches with Kathrine Baer

I am an Email marketing and e-commerce professional with a mission of changing people's lives.

Where is your business located?

Manitoba

Where did the idea for your business come from?

It took me several years as I started out as a generalist VA. I stumbled of several years until I realized that I had a passion for email marketing and e-commerce and I felt good at it. So I began the process of streamlining my offerings and my brand to where it is today.

What is the first thing you do in the morning?

Make a healthy smoothie! Business wise, check my calendar to see what's on the schedule.

What does your work day look like and how do you maximize your productivity?

Each day is a bit differently, but for the most I work on client email campaign's, respond to or send out follow up emails. Check in on social media briefly.

How do you bring your great business ideas to the world to serve your clients?

Through sharing about this area of business and marketing in conversations with other business owners and through in person networking. I live in a province where they are very behind business wise with most of the country (and from some immigrant business professionals that I've met, the world!). So when given an opportunity to share, I do. I share with them what I have seen an experienced in other places compared to what I see and experience locally. I show them how it answers their need for leads/new clients.

What is one trend in business that excites you?

I'm not sure that it 'excites me', but I rather liked it when people were getting frustrated this last time with the changes on Facebook, especially those in business because it was a great opportunity to remind them to take back their power in their business and personal lives. In doing so in business, it was a great way to remind them that email marketing is the way to take back their control of the message that they want to send out to their prospective target audience. No concerns about it not being seen by those who have said "Yes, I'm interested in your information".

What is one strategy that helped you grow your business?

Just sharing my passion in invited conversation. For where I am right now (physically) it has also meant getting out of the office and getting out and meeting with business owners in person, as they are not big on networking or getting out of their own 'private business box' in order to connect with others.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

It took me years to niche! I'm someone that has to learn by doing. And so I had to learn from failure that I wasn't a generalist VA. Sure I could do it, but I wasn't happy about it. Yes, I've got an ADHD brain and that makes me capable of getting a lot done fast, in a short amount of time. But I found it hard as a generalist to tells others what I did and what I could do for them. Once I niched, I didn't have that problem anymore, the words just rolled off my tongue! I realized my niche when I had the opportunity to work on design and implementation of a newsletter for a couple of different clients. Then I had the opportunity to learn Infusionsoft. It was then that I realized that I wanted to just work on email marketing (and e-commerce) that I loved it. That I truly had a passion for it.

What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to this community?

As I've said before, take back your power! Make sure you're giving out your second best stuff in an email newsletter to attract your target audience! Don't be giving it out on social media. Sure give out content of interest to people online, but always be drawing them back to your site to get them signing up for your newsletter if they are interested in you and what you offer. Then use your newsletter to cultivate that interest to encourage them to be a client. Social media is designed to try to keep you on them for as long as possible and keep coming back. But as business owners, we need our prospects to get off of social media and come check out our website and sign up for our newsletter! THAT is where we get to take back control of our content and delivery of our message :).

What is the best $100 you have recently spent? on What? Why?

Well it wasn't specifically $100 on something, but I did buy some new lovely heels, as well as some health care products that I was needing. I hadn't bought myself something new for my wardrobe in months and since I'm still trying to lose weight, buying clothes wasn't an option, but shoes was! And I loved them and they made me feel good and beautiful wearing them (and they were on sale!). And the health products were things that I felt would be very beneficial to the health of my body to help me to continue to get better after getting really sick late August 2017. And I need to be doing that if I'm going to have the health and energy to keep doing what I love with my business.

What is one piece of software or app that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

Recently I started using Polymail. It's an email client. It does a lot, from being able to 'schedule/send later' to sending calendar invites from right within it (instead of having to do it in my ical) and more. I've also started using Evernote to organize the notes and content from my clients. I have a different 'notebook' for each client, and each page in that notebook has a different message or different content for a campaign that is being done. I will keep it even for later reference of what's already been done (so not deleting after something has been done and sent out, and to be able to remind my clients of what we have done).

What is the best business book you have read? Why?

I don't read. I haven't in years. I'm planning to eventually start using audible. I was diagnosed years ago with a reading comprehension disability. It means that I don't fully process all of the written content that I read, especially if it's a book or something. Think of having about 55%-65% of the pieces to a puzzle, you get the general idea, but there's still enough missing that you're missing the whole picture. Or that your brain is like a sieve and some is going through the sieve rather than sticking.

Who inspires you in business and why?

Kim Duke, the Sales Diva! LOVE HER! I was introduced to her about 13 years ago when she was interviewed on CTV Edmonton noon news. And I just agreed with everything she was sharing and signed up for her newsletter right away. I just so agree with what she shares and teaches about women and sales. And I love her personality and delivery. I've met her in person a few times and just wish we could be BFF's!

What are your thoughts on work-life balance?

lol. What's the saying that when you love what you do it's not work?? It's challenging to let go and stop sometimes because I just love what I'm doing! But I do try. I 'work' M-Thurs and take Fridays off where clients will not get a response from me as I'm busy looking after the needs of my family. My weekends are always full of relaxing with my family so I need my Fridays to get shopping and errands done.

What are the 3 business lessons you’ve learned so far?

The real leads that businesses are looking for, come from your list! That's where businesses have complete control over the message being sent out to their prospective client base. That's where they KNOW who's getting to see their message and who's responding. No guessing like with social media. Most businesses when they talk about looking for new customers/leads are really talking about 'the low-hanging fruit' and that is a very small percent of the client base out there. Most are the ones that will need/take a minimum 5-27 touches before they commit and become a customer/client (numbers from Kim Duke a number of years ago, so those numbers have likely doubled or tripled by now). Finding your niche can take years. It can take trial and error, as it's your own personal journey, your own personal business process of finding out who you are in your business an what works and doesn't work, what matters to you. What you're passionate about.

What is your workspace like?

Currently, it's a portion of my industrial office desk that is in the corner of my living room. It's not what I'd like, but it's getting the job done for now. I need more space, but I just don't have it right now, so I do what I can with what I've got.

Last thing you do at the end of your work day?

Again, every day is different. It could be sending off/replying to an email, or finishing off a campaign for a client.

What is the one thing you can't leave home without?

Cell phone, wallet/purse and keys to the car!

What superpower would you love to have to use for good?

Being invisible or a fly on the wall to find out the truth about things/people/situations.

Number of unread emails right now?

10

Anything else you want to add?

In further response to previous question, I have several email accounts, two business and one personal. It's rare that I haven't read/opened all of my personal emails. My one business account is for all of the stuff I eventually want to look for, the other business account, I'm always paying attention to and reading almost right away. So ten would be for the business account that I'll get to.

How can other entrepreneurs connect with you? (Website, Facebook, LInkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram)

Website - www.baeressentialservices.ca

Twitter - @baeressentials

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/kathrinebaer