As I’ve reflected on previously in my book, 20 Simple Shortcuts to Small Business Success, running a business never really gets easy, and it’s pretty much always stressful. As fast …
How I won my battle with entrepreneurial stress in 2018 Read More »
Back at the start of it all, (October 2006), Swish Design was just me – Kelly. Let’s call that iteration of the business Swish 1.0. I’d set myself up in …
We ungrew our business and it was the best thing ever Read More »
Sleep. It’s the first thing that gets sacrificed when life gets busy. And there’s no busier life than that of the average business owner. We’re never on top of our …
10 things business owners can do to get better sleep Read More »
We can’t change the number of hours we have in a day. But we can change the energy we bring to those hours. That’s why I do my best to …
8 great nutrition tips for a maximum energy work day Read More »
Business success. For many people today, those two words tend to conjure up an image of someone lying in a hammock on a tropical island, cocktail in hand, with their …
Swish Design has always had an office. Right from the very beginning 11 years ago when the business was just ‘me’, I sub-let a little 3m x 3m room in …
That feeling when … you pay your last ever office rent bill Read More »
When you’re a business owner (who’s not in retail or a restaurateur), it’s tempting to use the quiet weeks over Christmas and New Year to ‘catch up’ or ‘get ahead’ …
Three years ago, Anthony and I attended a conference. It was a 5-day ‘live at a resort’ affair and when we arrived we were both so burnt out we could …
Are you working hard now and planning to live later? Read More »
So, it’s been a stressful day. All you can think of is the glass of wine or beer you’re going to have when you get home. It’s the least you …
So, we’re into the final quarter of the year and there are nine weeks till Christmas. Traditionally, this is a crazy time of year. Our personal obligations increase markedly at …
5 things to do before Christmas to set your business up for 2018 Read More »
Many years ago, I found myself in a very bad place mentally. I’d been running and building Swish Design for four or so years and was stressed out of my …
One big lie all business owners believe about their poor mental health Read More »
Don’t like watching videos? Here’s the transcript! Okay, so today, I want to kick off with a quick story. I was out running earlier this week, and I was doing …
In this video I talk about burnout in business. It was sparked by a response I gave when somebody asked recently how they could help their partner manage their burnout. …
Back when I first started Swish Design a major point of difference was my responsiveness to people. Clients loved how fast I got back to them; morning or night, weekend …
Is your point of difference killing your business? Read More »
When it comes to outsourcing stuff in our business, the equation is simple: If we charge $100/hr for our time, and can pay someone else $40/hr to do something we …
The one thing every business owner should outsource, but doesn’t Read More »
Imagine if, every time you needed to make a decision, big or small, you had to stop, evaluate and come at the decision from all directions. If you’re thinking, ‘Gee, …
5 ways your brain is secretly sabotaging your business Read More »
Nam Baldwin is a mindset expert who specialises in helping people achieve success under extreme pressure. This makes him a natural fit for elite athletes and, unsurprisingly, he’s worked with …
‘The harder I work, the luckier I get.’ We’ve all heard this, and probably subscribe to it too. But, if it were true, every person we know would be lucky …
5 things lucky people have in common (hard work isn’t one) Read More »
So, it’s June, tax time is just around the corner, and you’re in the enviable position of having made too much money and you’re looking for something to spend it …
9 business building things to spend money on before the end of financial year Read More »
In 2012, I wrote a series of posts on my personal blog detailing how being a typically Type A, serial over-achiever and dedicated people-pleaser led me to such a hopeless place, …
Courage, failure and what you can achieve when you re-think fear Read More »
Regardless of whether it’s a service or product you’re selling, pricing is always a vexing topic. Even when we’ve done all the hard work of: Communicating how that product or …
5 psychology hacks to make your price seem like a total steal Read More »
As a rule, small business owners and solopreneurs don’t have a heap of cash to splash around when it comes to making their business better. And, even if they did, …
3 no-brainer ways to spend $199 on your small business this year Read More »
2016 has been a big year on the Swish Design blog with 33 new posts for the year including 20 in May – the month I challenged myself to write …
It’s hard to believe but ten years ago yesterday, I left the marketing agency I’d been working for as a graphic designer, and went out on my own. My new …
The 10 books that most influenced my 10 years of business life Read More »