It all starts with being truly thoughtful about the content you post, and how you choose to share it. Remember, it’s not just about getting your business noticed in a newsfeed once—it’s about getting people to want to come to your page to experience the real connection and value YOU offer. And they’ll do this when they resonate with your style and your mission, and truly trust in your expertise and insights.

Below are four habits you should put into practice to get noticed by your ideal market and build trust, rapport, and long-term client relationships (and that means more revenues too!).

1. Because your life may change, or you may change your life

No one knows what your future holds. You may love making jewelry or cupcake soaps today, but next year, it may not fit your life anymore. Today, your partner may have a great job, but next year, he or she may lose it, forcing you to come up with some new ways to generate income. Having more than one income stream, gives you the flexibility you need to embrace life’s changes (and your changes) knowing that you will continue to have a way to enjoy your work and support yourself.

2. Because customers are fickle

Customers are fickle. They can love your products today and hate them tomorrow. Markets are also fickle. What is popular today may not be popular tomorrow. If what you sell suddenly becomes passé, your customers may love you the same, but they will not necessarily keep buying from you. Keep a close eye on what is moving in and out of favor in your field, and adapt to it earlier rather than later by putting in place platforms you can build on in case you need to.

3. Because you are less vulnerable to regulatory changes

In her book, Martha Rules, Martha Stewart tells the story of Marc Marrone’s business importing and selling parrots. When the US government implemented a ban on parrot imports, Marc responded by broadening his focus to include breeding birds on his own, and then exporting them to different countries. When Japan, where many of his customers were, promulgated a ban on bird imports, Marc was once again at the mercy of regulatory changes. He pivoted again, and eventually broadened his business to include pets of all kinds, becoming the host of a popular pet keeping show which has aired on several media outlets over the years.

I have heard it said that, “Specialization leads to extinction.” I’m not sure I’d go that far, but the lesson here is that having multiple income streams makes you less vulnerable to external legal and market forces that could stop your business cold.

4. Because it’s profitable

As you grow your lifestyle business, you will discover not only are you good at more than one thing, but you can hire people to help you maintain a solid business core so you can slowly branch out to other things.

For example, Indie Business Network member La Shonda Tyree started out selling handmade soaps online and to local retail stores and boutiques in her Paterson, New Jersey, hometown. Once she established a solid core, she branched out to begin teaching soapmaking classes. Once she became a well known local soapmaking teacher, she began teaching classes on how to make other products. Today, she teaches classes in different states throughout the east coast, and is preparing to host her own signature event, The SoapMasters, where I will be a speaker later this year.

La Shonda now has multiple streams of income from one source — knowing how to make soap. She sells soap, teaches people how to make soap, and host an event to help people take their soapmaking businesses to the next level.

5. Because it’s fun

La Shonda is having a lot of fun. I know this not only because she told me, but because it shows.

My friend, Kayla Fioravanti, is another good example. After selling a business she co-founded with her husband, Kayla began pursuing her lifelong passion of becoming a published author. Since selling the business in 2011, Kayla has published several books exploring her passions for poetry and natural living. Recently, she published a book on how to self-publish your book, and she also speaks on the topic. Today, Kayla is having fun writing to her heart’s content, and her time is free to tend to the most important part of her life these days — raising her two daughters.

How to pursue multiple steams of income

If you don’t have more than one income stream today, don’t panic. Take a look at your business and see where there may be some unexplored territory. Have you become good enough at making what you sell to teach others how to make it? Have you become so adept at figuring out how to tap the wholesale market that you can now teach others how to do so?

If you look closely enough, there is bound to be at least the beginnings of a platform you can use to slowly add on a new income stream.

A quick word of caution. Each new income stream is like a mini-business and must not be approached with a throw-spagetti-at-the-wall strategy. Plan each income stream like you’d plan an ordinary business. Decide what you will sell, who your market is, what your prices will be, how you will market, etc. Create a plan for each new income stream by leveraging the success you are experiencing already.

Don’t go to fast. Start with low hanging fruit. Make slow and steady progress by first adding small things where risk is minimal, and then grow from there.

Visit Kayla Fioravanti on Facebook, Twitter and her website.
Visit La Shonda Tyree on Facebook, Twitter and her website.

QUESTION: How do you leverage you existing business to create new income streams? I’d love to hear your strategies and experiences. Please share your comments below.

His statements were made in a 2006 interview, and I have no idea what made them go viral this week — but they did. Today, Jeffires is on the hot seat as people across the country boycott his stores and hold his feet to the fire on the company’s Facebook page.

But, wait a minute … I don’t like what he said either. It was mean spirited and insensitive. But was it not also wise from a business standpoint? Stop for just a minute and think about his point. As dreadful as his remarks are from a personal perspective, isn’t there a smart marketing lesson at their core?

I think there is, and I know not everyone agrees with me, as is clear from the Indie Business Facebook page where I raised this issue a few days ago.

You Must Target a Particular Market

It is callous and nasty to say things that cause people (especially young fat people, who already feel ugly) to feel ugly because of their size. Let me be clear: I wholeheartedly abhor Jeffries’ apparent personal opinion that fat kids can’t be cool. However, I don’t disagree with his perspective from a business marketing point of view. After all, to be successful in business, you have to target a particular market.

If you look at the company’s history, you will see an obvious pattern of niche marketing. Their advertising features only muscular men and skinny women. Jeffries’ statements give words to what has been obvious for decades — the company only makes clothes for muscular men and skinny women. (And not old people and mostly, not black people … but we won’t go there …)

The Fortune is in the Focus

In February 2013, Abercrombie reported 4Q 2012 net income of $173.2 million. I’d say something is working, and working well. Do you think it’s partially because they are not trying to be all things to all people? What’s wrong with making clothes only for skinny people? Is that any more wrong than making clothes only for fat (or “plus-sized,” to be more politically correct) people? If it is, then why isn’t Lane Bryant behind called on the carpet for making clothes only for larger people?

I’m not saying it’s smart for a company leader to make hateful and hurtful remarks about fat people. But I am saying it’s smart to position your company to sell to people who are of a certain size — especially if you sell clothes. And if you sell to those particular people, your marketing will obviously be geared to make them feel good about themselves.

If your business serves everyone, your business serves no one. (Tweet that!)

As a large lady, I am personally offended by Jeffries’ callous remarks, and by what seems to be an ill-perceived tendency to value or not value a person just because of his or her size. But the business strategy to prefer one type of customer over another is spot on.

If You Try to be All Things to all People, You Will Fail

Create a business that serves a specific target audience. Engage that audience. Care for that audience. Let the people in that audience know that you believe they are the most amazing, beautiful, wonderful people in the face of the planet.

Focus on the people who are most likely to buy your product, not on the ones who are not.

Serve With Clarity

I don’t like how Jeffries expressed his company’s market strategy, but there is much to be learned from it. Decide who you are going to serve, make that clear publicly, and then go after that target market with a vengeance.

Regardless of Jeffries’ choice of words, or even his personal opinion, that’s what he’s doing. And it’s working.

So, that’s my bit.

QUESTION: What’s YOUR take on this issue? Is it possible to simultaneously reject Jeffries’ personal comments and embrace a marketing lesson? Please join in the discussion below …

For the past decade, I have blogged almost exclusively from websites associated with the Indie Business Network (IBN), the trade organization I founded in 2000 to serve creative, handmade and artisan beauty and lifestyle entrepreneurs. The main blog was first located at the trade organization website, and then moved to its own location, and is now housed at the Indie Business Network.

At it’s new location, Indie Business Blog will continue to focus on IBN, covering our members and the small business news and information that affect their lives.

Here at donnamaria.com, this blog will contain my commentary as a person, Donna Maria Coles Johnson — the Lifestyle CEO. I’ll explain exactly what that is in a future post. For now, just know that it’s all about being a person who designs a profitable (and fun) business around a life, instead of the other way around.

There will be some overlap of course, because my work as IBN’s leader overlaps with my position as a Lifestyle CEO. After all, I created the organization so I could have a business that allowed me to serve others, pursue my passion, enjoy my life, and generate income on my own terms.

The main point of distinction between the two blogs will be that this blog will be more personal in nature, while Indie Business Blog will focus a bit more focused on IBN activities and the policy issues that impact members and the larger community of small and independent business owners nationwide.

Here’s what I envision for the foreseeable future:

• 1 or 2 blog posts a week at this blog (unless I cannot resist, which happens now and then), one of which will be a video post

• 1 weekly blog update, which you can request via email or via RSS

• 4 or 5 blog posts a week at Indie Business Blog — focusing on our members and issues affecting them

I will soon continue with my Indie Business Podcast, though the format will change. More about that later.

It’s a Work in Progress

As you can tell, all of this is a work in progress. Like many of you, I am figuring out how to continue to logically connect myself as a person, Donna Maria, with myself as a business. I am both at once, yet I am each at once.

Indie Business Network must continue with or without me, so the overlap can only go so far.

It’s an interesting journey and I’m figuring it out as I press forward. I hope you’ll come along with me. Maybe we can figure it out together. That would be fun.

Thanks for reading.

Your Turn

How do you deal with the overlap between yourself as your business and yourself as your self?

Do you feel the need to ensure that your self does not take over your business, so your business can go on without you at some point?

How do you integrate your self and your business?

I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

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