33 Ways To Keep Momentum In Your Business During COVID-19

An Eisley Education Series

As a small business owner, it’s safe to say I have never experienced something like this in our 11 years of being in business. We are all wading into uncharted waters together and that can feel a little scary. I could make an Elsa “Into the Unknown” joke, but I’ll refrain…. 

Since we’re all homebound, we have a choice to make: How are we going to handle this?

Are you choosing to close up shop on your creative business?

Are you choosing to shut down until you know more of what’s going on? 

Or…. 

Are you choosing to use this time wisely?

Are you choosing to learn and grow?

Are you choosing to connect, to share, to show up despite the unknown?

That second choice sounds a lot like my kind of person! A mindset like that is gold right now.

If you’re feeling more like the first option, imagine if you chose to look at this time as the gift of growth. 

How many times have you caught yourself saying: “If only I had time I could do XYZ!”

Well, buckle up! We’ve got nothing but time on our hands. 

Time to work on our business instead of in it. 

Time to make lasting connections within our industry and with our clients. 

Time to learn the things we’ve had on our to-do list forever. 

Time to deep clean. 

Time to restore and revive.

Time to grow and seek personal improvement.

Time to change the trajectory of our business.

And here’s the plain truth: We do not know what the future holds. We do not know what tomorrow looks like. 

What we do know: “Hope in the future is POWER in the present.” - John Maxwell

I have HOPE that when all this passes, our business will be in a healthy position to keep on truckin’ and it won’t be a loss of time and growth opportunities.

So, here’s what I wanted to gift to the creative community: a list of 33 things you can do during this time to bolster your business in the comfort of your home.

1. Update your portfolio. When’s the last time you did that?

2. Re-edit old photos to match your current style for cohesiveness

3. Make a Frequently Asked Questions page on your website

4. Make a social media content calendar plan and schedule them out in Planoly

5. Reach out to current clients for testimonials and reviews

6. Review your favorite vendors you worked with in wedding seasons past on Google, Facebook, The Knot, Wedding Wire, etc.

7. Organize: files, home office, gear, etc

8. Create a workflow in HoneyBook or Trello

9. Set up a QuickBooks account! Since we’re all working from home, you can write off a percentage of your utilities. Talk to your CPA to find out just how much. Financial health in your business is key. Come next tax season you’ll be thanking yourself! Click here for 50% off for 6 months.

10. Re-visit a course you signed up for but never started or completed (we are all guilty of this!). Or maybe you just need a little refresh!

11. Connect with vendors in your industry for virtual coffee or “quarantinis” (you can thank George for that one!)

12. Spring cleaning! Clean out your office, sanitize your gear, shred papers, etc.

13. Website Review from a fresh pair of eyes! I will peel back the layers of your website and dig through your copy, branding, overall messaging, the ease of navigation, image choices, your inquiry form and more! I want you to reach and book your DREAM clients!

14. Do that one thing that you said you’d do “if I only had the time!” Maybe it’s to create simply for the sake of creating. When creators create magic is sure to follow.

15. Blog your dang heart out! Now is the time! I don’t care if you’re using images from 2008. Get it going, friend!

16. Find some good window light and take some self portraits. While you’re at it, hop on your instastories and show your followers your beautiful face. Now is the time to lean into personal connection and personal brand building.

17. Revamp your website! Spruce up the place or maybe try out a new theme all together. Platforms like Showit and Squarespace are two of our favorite platforms. If you don’t want to spend your time on this particular task, now is the perfect time to reach out to an expert who does this for a living! Our favorite is our pal Chantelle Davis-Gray. They offer an amazing service where they can freshen up your website IN ONE DAY. Check her out and tell her Christy sent you :)

18. Listen to creative business based podcasts to learn new business practices and continue your entrepreneurial education journey

19. Seek community. Join your local Rising Tide Society Chapter! We gather on the second Tuesday of every month, but now… it will all happen online! If you’re a New England Wedding Professional, join 2,500+ of your colleagues in the New England Area Wedding Professionals Facebook Group (run by our biz bestie Jenny from All Aboard Event Planning)

20. Find a mentor or coach. If you have the ability to, now is the time to invest back in yourself. Instead of figuring out this whole business life thing yourself, you can find someone to coach you through it all or maybe just a specific thing you’re getting stuck on. I offer one-on-one consulting services and business coaching! You can inquire about my services here.

21. SEO Optimization. Now this may not be your first choice, but it’s our favorite. Having solid SEO on your website is another way your business can work for you in the background. To learn more about this visit my friend Galen with Local Creative Company. That’s kinda her jam!

22. Read something that’s non-fiction. Pour into yourself with a biography, self-help, history, business practices, financial wellness, etc.

23. Portfolio review & editing audit. Having trouble landing a cohesive style? Need an extra pair of eyes on your body of work? Not sure what to show on your website and where? Want to fine tune your editing to be more consistent? Hoping to learn how to appear as a high end service while building your portfolio? I’ve got you covered.

24. Use a year at a glance calendar. We have our custom made laminated wall calendar hanging in our workspace. Being able to write on it with dry erase markers and using washi tape makes rescheduling a breeze. Don’t want to create your own? We created five different calendars you will fall in love with.

25. Find your ideal client. All of the above gets so much easier when you know who you’re talking to. Instead of making broad statements about any general person who may be seeking your services, when you know your ideal client you can speak directly to their wants, needs, pain points, and the things that keep them up at night! 

26. Find a Client Management System you love! If you’re not using one yet, just imagine a little home on the internet for all your business needs. Your inquiries get directly imported, you contact with your clients in one place (say goodbye to searching through your clogged email), sending brochures, contracts that can be e-signed, collecting payments, sending questionnaires and so much more! We use HoneyBook. To be honest, our business simply wouldn’t function without it. Here’s my full review and thoughts on it + a free trial for you!

27. Email List. Keep in touch with your people! Especially at a time like this. Flodesk is offering 50% off their monthly subscription + they have a template email to send to your clients regarding COVID-19.

28. Update all social media, business card and website with ONE current photo of you. Being cohesive and showing who is the face behind the brand is just the kind of trust building business practice we will all appreciate right now.

29. Watch an educator’s YouTube channel. You won’t believe the amount of free content out there. We love Katelyn James & Jasmine Star!

30. Look into new businesses to use for your client experience. Whether it’s for a gifting company like Greetabl or an album company like KISS Books or a new online gallery system like PASS Gallery ( for a free month use: 74CA9L), do some homework. Compare what you like and don’t like, how much they are, and what value they would bring to your client experience.

31. Social Media Check up. Conducting a social media audit is the best way to ensure the time you are spending on various social marketing streams is positively impacting our businesses. It’s like a health check up so you can do better :)

32. Figure out the elusive Facebook Ads. Our friend Samantha Grant has the best course in the game and a free Facebook group for her Booked Up Ads community! Join today and start learning.

33. Self Care. Eat some chocolate. Hang out in your pjs a little longer. Do your full skincare routine. Drink a lot of water. Go to bed early. Hug your puppy. Allow yourself space to process all of this. It’s a lot. 

Just know, that if I was in person with you right now this is when I’d probably close out this major Leslie Knope energy pep talk with a dance number. Maybe some High School Musical “WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER” or Hairspray’s “YOU CAN’T STOP THE BEAT” or The Greatest Showman’s “THIS IS ME” but, this is your pep talk. Imagine me going all out to whatever song you need, friend! I got you.

Comment below with how the corona virus has effected your small business.

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Ps. if you like practical business tools and want some more goods like this, join my FREE education group! Yeah, I’m slinging goods like this EVERY TUESDAY. You can expect a Live training from yours truly in the Eisley Education community - where workflow meets lifeflow.