Last week’s blog started a thread of conversation about how challenging it’s been lately for me to find the time to write blogs. For two months this spring I was running flat out serving a number of new clients, and the task of writing new blog posts not only sank to the bottom of my “To Do List,” but it kept on going and dropped right off. I seem to have retrieved it now and hopefully will be back on track for the remainder of the year and beyond.

Much as I’m committed to my blog, the reality is that I sometimes work an 80-hour week in order to service our existing client base. I’m the widowed mom of two teenagers, neither of whom is driving yet, and my 83-year-old non-mobile mother lives 15 minutes away and doesn’t get nearly as much of my time and attention as we would both like. I’m writing my fourth book for Manor House Publishing this year, which is a big task that requires hundreds of hours of effort.

The question for me, like other small business owners, remains: how do I carve out the time to work “on” my business, when so much of my time is needed for working “in” my business?

I think the answer to that is to take it one piece at a time and to be motivated to do what needs to be done in order to get the results you are seeking. In other words: Prioritize! As I mentioned last week, I am much more strategic about blogging now than I was in the beginning. I am also conversant with Google Analytics now, and I recognize how crucial a tool it is for generating success. I know that paying attention to my blog and my analytics are key, and years of running my own show have taught me that it’s never a good idea to stop marketing. I might be busy now, but there can be a six month lag between a conversation that my marketing has generated, and the issuing of my first invoice for that new client. Sometimes it’s longer.

I also need to pay attention to whether or not my blogging strategy is keeping up with the evolution of my business. I’ve been aware that I’m out of alignment on this issue for at least the past six months: some of the services Crossman Communications offers have morphed into a whole new, separate business and I now actually run two businesses: a content marketing business and a book coaching and editing business. This hasn’t been reflected well in our web presence and my focus this year going forward is to improve how we present ourselves.

So how am I going to fix that? Stay tuned for next week’s blog, where I will go into a little more detail about what’s next for the CrossCom blog and web presence. In the meantime, feel free to get in touch with me to talk about your own online content at susan@crossmancommunications.com.