October 16 is Boss’s Day, generally touted as a day for employees to thank their bosses for being kind and fair, or whatever other virtues the boss may possess.
From a marketing perspective, this is a great day to talk about the gifts, services, or experiences that your business might offer that are boss-worthy.
Or, an opportunity to showcase your boss’s favorite products from your line-up.
Or, a chance to tell the story behind the Boss-Figure at your company (aka founder, ceo, key personality).
Personally, I like the holiday, though it has been pandered as a Hallmark Holiday or some form of glory-hording. Those people must have s***ty bosses.
Here’s why I’m writing about this holiday today.
I AM THE BOSS.
Okay technically, I’m the “Chief Words Officer.”
And over the past 3.5 years this company has grown.
And you know, I’m having a baby in two weeks.
Both facts that have made it necessary for me to develop a small but mighty team of employees and contractors who do incredible things on their own schedule, from all around the world.
They are one of the most rewarding parts of being a small business owner.
The only form of appreciation I want from them, on Boss’s Day or any day, is for them to keep doing such fantastic work. REALLY.
IMO: when you are self-employed, or a solopreneur, recognition of your boss-like virtues is your responsibility alone. You have earned the privilege of setting your own schedule, choosing the work you do and how you charge for it, who you do it for, and where you do it from. You pick your benefit package!
But there is no one but YOU putting guard rails on your time. There is no one, except for you, who will set boundaries for your working hours, or who will enforce the boundaries you set. Recognizing your efforts, creating rewards, celebrating successes and milestones… all of that is YOUR responsibility.
If you are the boss, if you oversee the performance of any small group of people, if you started a side-hustle selling haircare products or designer nails or health and wellness supplements, or if you DREAM of doing that…
DON’T BE A CRAPPY BOSS.
To yourself, or to the people on your team.
Take some time this weekend to contemplate some ways you can better REWARD yourself and your team for the hard work they do. Contemplate tools you might invest in to become a better boss. And review your current boundaries, too. Are you actually setting and enforcing ANY? If you see that your boundaries are a little loose, make a commitment to re-enforce one or two, so that you can truly enjoy the work you do and be present for the rest of your life that isn’t your business, too.
Boss Tools for Solopreneurs and Super-Small Business Owners
Okay, pep talk over, and you’re accepting the challenge to be a better boss to yourself using the prompts above. Now, I want to share a couple of resources. These are free – or low-cost – tools I have used in my own small business with great success. And, some tips for how to use certain tools better.
Go get it like the boss you are.
Use the Free Version of Zoom
The pandemic and resulting ASTRONOMICAL increase in remote work has made Zoom a household name. Now, I am a Zoom O.G. – I started using Zoom in 2018 when I did Seth Godin’s altMBA. And I have never paid a red cent for the service.
If you are currently paying for Zoom, I want to challenge you to go to the free option. Here’s why:
Nobody wants to be on a Zoom that lasts longer than 40 minutes.
ESPECIALLY if there are more than 2 people on the call!
I know it probably wasn’t Zoom’s intention, but keeping calls shorter when there are more parties involved is like a build-in throttle for inefficiency. If you have to keep the call to under 40 minutes or risk being kicked off, you are more careful with your agenda. People who might otherwise have spoken just to make noise in a meeting will stay quiet. And topics that “could have been an email” WILL ACTUALLY be an email.
Use Trello for Project Management (it is also free)
Talk to me about my love for Trello. I’ve been using it since my agency days, and I love that you can customize it for just about any kind of project. I use it to provide transparency to my clients on project progress. I use it to ensure that my products and services are delivered consistently. And as my business continues to grow, I use it to minimize attachments and approvals living in inboxes where they’re harder for involved parties to extract.
Yes, they offer premium upgrades and efficiencies when you get into the paid plans. I’m actually experimenting with a free trial of an upgrade now, and I’m LOVING it. But considering I’ve been able to use this tool at absolutely NO cost for the past 3.5 years with countless clients…
Y’all: dip your toes in the Trello waters if you have been looking for a project management tool that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. It’s really fantastic technology.
Canva + MailChimp
I’ve talked about my love of these free to next-to-free tools in previous blog posts and Learnin’ Thursdays, so I won’t go too much further than to say this:
Without Canva and MailChimp, it’s a distinct possibility my business wouldn’t exist, at least not in its current form.
In Summary: A story
A few weeks ago, I asked Anson what he had done at school that day and he responded by saying they spent some time talking about what they wanted to be when they grow up. I asked for more info, and he said “Well, I told everybody that you made up your own job so that you could be the boss. I might like to do that.”
My heart grew about a thousand percent.
I was quick to point out that being your own boss came with a lot of responsibility that wasn’t necessarily all fun.
“Yea, but you really like what you do, and you help people.”
Not wrong, Anson. NOT. WRONG.
If you love what you do, you are making the world a better place by finding ways to do it better, for more people. If you HELP PEOPLE, you are making the world a better place by finding ways to do it better, for more people. I truly hope that today’s post gave you some inspiration to do what you do for more people, better.
And no matter whether you are the boss or aspiring to be one, you are an example to somebody. Someone in your organization is watching you. Somebody in your family, or your inner circle, sees your efforts. It matters. You matter.
Go be the boss that you are.