Lindsay Teague Moreno

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It’s Not You, It’s June

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Does your business feel super, super slow right now? It’s not you, it’s June.

I just want to come on here and give you some encouragement if it feels like your business has come to a screeching halt!

June is notoriously slow for a lot of industries. Retail is a big one, but I have found it spreads to so many others.

I totally get it too.

It’s the start of summer. Kids are getting out of school. The weather is nicer and the vacations are planned.

Moms have a lot more to think about whether their kids are home, or in camp, or with the nanny.

People just aren’t thinking about buying, especially if it’s a product they need to learn something about first.

Keep pushing through.

June is almost over and you’re going to make it.

Maybe you’re the Mom with too many things to think about and you aren’t able to focus as much on your business. I get you.

I want to encourage you because I know you’re doing the best you can.

We all are!

When business is slow there are a ton of other things you can focus on too.

Maybe you haven’t sat down to read a book in 8 years. Or you really want to learn a little bit more about Instagram.

Take some photos for your social media and edit them in batches. Send out those postcards to your customers. The ones that have been sitting on your desk for months.

Watch TED Talks. Listen to audiobooks. Listen to the Boss Up! podcast! 

Go on a date with your spouse or partner. Have fun in the pool with your kids. Get you a massage.

It’s up to you! I find that just doing something versus nothing makes me feel a lot better.

XO,

The Cure for the Summer Mom Blues

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We are days away from summer break up in here. Today I’ve got a pep talk for the mamas because I need one myself.

Ready for some truth? Sometimes summer break makes me want to cry. I love my work and I love my break from the kiddos. There. I said it.

I love my kids. I love my space. I have a lot to do. Kids do not enjoy my work like I do. They also enjoy making the most annoying sounds ever invented which is not conducive to my love of quiet time.

I’m going to tell you my secret to experiencing more joy in the summer months with my kids constantly around me and having less time to dedicate to work.

Ready?

Count how many you have left.

Kids are on a timer. The day they’re born that timer starts and it ticks for around 18 years. About 5 days into motherhood I started to feel like the timer was too long. I can’t do this. It’s too hard. I need sleep and a real meal.

As soon as my kids hit 5-years-old I had a renewal in my love for being a mom. Things became a bit easier. They could put their own clothes on and buckle their car seat. Praise the Lord.

I still struggle though, you guys. I’m not the doting mom that’s always there to wipe tears and keeps band-aids in her purse. Not by a long shot. You’d find a bottle of wine before bandaids, I promise you.

So I count how many I have left of everything. Count the summers. Count the holidays. It shows us how few we get to be a part of. It puts a timeline on the things we are taking for granted.

When I realize I only have 8 summers left with my kids all at home (and maybe less that they want to be with me and not friends), it sure puts that time into perspective. Now I’m ready to be summer mom.

Make a summer bucket list with your kids. It can cost zero dollars. Kids don’t care. They want your attention.

Go do the things they want to do because your summer breaks aren’t infinite (even when it feels like it will never EVER end, nomsayin’).

Count how many are left and then make this one count.

XO,

How Stock Photography Can Save You Time

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Hey, Moms!

Summer break is coming at you, fast and furious. Kids will be home and your time is about to get a lot more limited. Some of you are worried about how you’re going to fit it all in. I feel you.

As much as you love your kids, it can be overwhelming.

Want to know my best tip?

Work smarter, not harder.

You might not be in a place to hire help yet, but you can still find ways to take some tasks off your plate.

One that has helped me so much is investing in stock photography.

You must know that feeling of spending an hour trying to find the perfect photo for your post, right? It’s exhausting!  Or maybe you don’t post at all because you can’t find time to take your own photo.  Now your social media is a ghost town.

I’ve been there!

The problem I’ve been running into is not being able to find stock images that feel like my brand. That’s really important when trying to build trust online and stay authentic.

I’ve thought of shooting my own stock photos but I haven’t found the time. So, I did the next best thing and partnered with some of my favorite photographers, The Ulmers, to shoot for me!

I’ve been dreaming of this for years and can finally say that LTM Stock Shop is launching on June 1st!

We’re going to bring you affordable, modern, bright stock images that will take your brand and business to the next level.

I’m SO PUMPED!!

Stock photography makes my business a lot easier because I can just grab an image and post it or overlay a quote or text!

These examples of Instagram posts and a Facebook banner are using photos from our first release that’s launching on June 1st!

If you want to learn more about LTM stock, sign up for the mailing list to get info about subscriptions, discounts, and bonuses. Oh, and we’re sending FREE photos every single month. BOOM!

LTM Stock

LTM Stock

LTM Stock

Summer is coming, but we can do this Moms. We can rock motherhood AND our businesses. Promise!

How To Create An Action Plan For Your Goals

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It’s time to create an action plan for your goals. By now you should have one SMART goal ready to go, but what do you do next?

If you haven’t read my post on setting SMART goals yet, go do that now. 

Before we start I want to say, don’t be intimidated if your goal seems like a giant, unattainable task. That’s normal!

Setting goals can feel overwhelming and I think that’s why people who aren’t intentional about action plans don’t achieve theirs.

Not you though. You’re going to learn how to crush your goals!

To make it easier and more achievable, we’re going to break it down and tackle it a little bit at a time.

Let’s take a look at how to create an action plan for your goals:

  1. Write your major goal down in a notebook or my favorite Productivity Pad. You can also use an app like Wunderlist if you prefer digital.
  2. Give yourself a deadline on when the goal needs to be completed by.
  3. Break down the smaller parts of the goal. What needs to happen to achieve it? For example, if you want to write 6 blog posts in May you’ll need to jot down ideas, research the subject, write the copy, edit the copy, make graphics or take photographs, finalize and schedule the posts.
  4. Schedule each task depending on your timeline. What must you do today, tomorrow, and the next day to meet your deadline?
  5. Choose your most important tasks and do them before anything else. Don’t check your phone or your email or Facebook until you finish these.
  6. Check off your smaller tasks and watch them add up to achieving your big goal!

If you do this every time, goal setting should feel easier and more rewarding. You will achieve more goals if you write them down, make an action plan, and refer to it often.

This only works if you do! You have to keep it in front of you every day and work your small tasks in priority.

Once you master this, you’ll be on your way to being a goal crushing machine!

XO,

1 Trick For Defining Your Business Goals

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Anywhere you look, there’s someone telling you to set goals for you business, but defining them isn’t always easy. Or is it?

What if there was a trick that would help you define and measure your goals, and even motivate you to achieve them?

It’s time to get SMART!

Maybe you’ve heard of setting SMART goals, but haven’t put them into action. Or if you have, it hasn’t been for long enough to make a difference.

Let’s change that. The SMART goals method is your ticket to achieving more.

Here’s a breakdown of what all this means:

S is for SPECIFIC: You need to dial down and spell out exactly what your goal is. For example, one of your goals might be to build up your email list, but that’s not specific. You need to answer the WHO, WHAT, WHY, and WHEN first in order to find out what’s required to achieve this goal. Who are you targeting to get on your email list? What will you do to get them? Why do you want to build the list? When does this need to take place? A specific goal would be that you want to build your email list giving away free PDFs, in order to build a potential customer base for your next product launch.

M is for MEASURABLE: How will you measure building your email list? Maybe you want to increase the overall number by 20% in the next 3 months. This is pretty easy to set once you’ve got a specific goal.

A is for ATTAINABLE: So now you know you want a 20% increase in your email list in the next 3 months. Is that attainable for you? Take a minute to compare this goal to your previous performance and see if you need to scale it back a little. You might even need to increase it. The point is that we want to achieve these goals so stretch, but don’t reach so far that you’ll never achieve it in that set time.

R is for RELEVANT: Let’s say want to build up your email list, but you don’t even have a website yet. Would this goal move your business further or do you need to work on the website first? Make sure your goal is relevant to your growth right now.

T is for TIME BOUND: This is one of the most important parts so listen up! You must give yourself a deadline on this goal. Give yourself a due date and stick to it!

Seems doable, right? You can totally do this!

The next step is to set up an action plan – stay tuned for that post.

XO,

5 More Ways To Practice Self Care For The Busy Momtrepreneur

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Last week I wrote a post giving five ways a busy momtrepreneur can practice self care.

You can read it here: 5 Ways To Practice Self Care For The Busy Momtrepreneur.

Self care is super important when you’re running a business and raising a family.

I don’t think it’s talked about or practiced enough so I wanted to touch on this again.

Here are five MORE quick and easy ways to get self care.

  1. Stretch: You can stretch your body almost anywhere. If you’re at home, take 10-15 minutes to move through different parts of your body. If you’re out you can raise your arm over your head and take a few breaths. Switch arms and repeat. You will feel better instantly and this doesn’t take a lot of time.
  2. Write down how you’re feeling: This is a quick way to disengage from your emotions so they don’t affect your work. When bad days happen just recognize them, write down your feelings and let it go. Don’t make this super involved – a few lines will do.
  3. Change it up: Sometimes just adding a new dinner to the rotation or trying a new walking route is enough to break that autopilot feeling we get stuck in. Of course, you can go big and change your hair color or get a new lipstick too!
  4. Declutter one space: Pick an area of your house and get rid of a few things. Clean up and put things where they belong. For me this always starts in my office. A clean workspace is a great way to feel ready to work.
  5. Write your Monday to-do list on Sunday: I know this sounds like more work, but it feels good because as soon as you get your Monday on paper, you can forget about it and enjoy your Sunday.

I’d love to hear how you felt after trying these!

XO,