How to Maintain Security in the Age of Remote Work

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Remote work is quickly becoming the new normal for modern companies. In a world where many offices were forced to shut down during the 2020 pandemic, team leaders discovered something. Remote and hybrid working seems to be effective at improving productivity. Countless studies show that remote workers are more invested in their work than their counterparts, often working up to 1.4 days more per month. Remote staff members also demand fewer overheads and don’t require massive real estate investments.

Unfortunately, there’s a downside to the remote working trend. 86% of business executives agree that remote workers could increase a company’s chances of a security breach. So, how do you ensure that your remote workers are secure in this new landscape?

Step 1: Create a Cybersecurity Policy

The first step in defending company data is ensuring all your employees are following the right guidelines for data protection. Employees are often the main cause of security issues. They often take shortcuts when it comes to setting passwords and protecting data. Employees may assume they’re logging into a system from a secure environment when they’re actually opening the door to criminals.

A strong cybersecurity policy will outline everything your team members need to do to stay secure. This includes making sure they’re using strong passwords for their accounts and that they never log in to services from a public connection. Your cybersecurity policy could also determine which applications and tools are safe for your remote employees to use when dealing with business data. Be sure to define specifics so it’s very clear what is expected of your team members. For example, describe what your company defines as a strong password (number of characters, including symbols and/or numbers, etc.)

Step 2: Secure Network Connections

Access to an unsecured Wi-Fi network is one of the most common ways for companies to stumble into a security breach. Many remote workers use their standard Wi-Fi connections and home routers to connect to the office. These services aren’t always as protected as they should be. The easiest option for companies in search of better network protection may be to implement VPNs.

A VPN, also known as a Virtual Private Network, allows users to send and receive data via a private network while connected to a public or less secure network. In other words, your team members can connect to their home Wi-Fi connection and then connect to your company’s VPN. Anything sent via the VPN will be sent/received with the same level of security it would have while connected to the Wi-Fi in the office.

Asking your employees to use VPNs ensures that they have a direct and secure way to connect to the business network and access important information. Make sure that any VPN you choose covers every level of encryption that’s important for your team. If you don’t have an in-house IT department or you don’t know where to start with VPNs, consider hiring a freelance web developer or security expert to help you set it up.

Step 3: Consider Password Managers

Password safety is another critical part of running a secure business in the age of remote work. The number of software solutions and accounts used each day by your team members is constantly going up. With that, the number of passwords your team members must remember is also increasing. The result is that more employees use repetitive and simple passwords to access tools. 53% of people admit to reusing the same password for multiple accounts. Password managers allow team members to access a range of tools with just one set of credentials. That means they only have a single code to remember.

Step 4: Explore Two-Factor Authentication

A password manager can help to make your accounts more secure, but passwords still only offer a single layer of protection. Two-factor authentication could be an excellent addition for companies who want to strengthen the security of remote teams. That’s because even if someone was to figure out your employee’s password, it wouldn’t be enough to get them into an account.

Two-factor authentication, also known as multi-factor authentication, requires an additional input of a limited-time code or something similar to unlock access to an account or service. You probably have used something like this to log into your bank or social media accounts. The most common format today is a code sent to your phone or email. But two-factor authentication is increasingly becoming more advanced. It’s possible to build strategies that use a password and biometric data to secure services. Your employees could protect their data with a fingerprint or retina scan.

Step 5: Remember the Basics

Technology like biometric security is opening the door to a new level of protection for today’s businesses. These advanced offerings could be an exciting step forward for a lot of companies. It’s worth remembering though that the fundamentals are still important. Using encryption software with your video conferencing and messaging software is a must-have in the remote world.

It’s also worth ensuring that your employees have up-to-date systems for security on any devices they use. Consider systems such as antivirus software, anti-malware, and phishing protection. Firewalls are even available to cover everything from tablets and computers to smartphones and other mobile devices. Mobile device management tools can also help your team leaders to ensure that apps and security services remain up to date on your team’s devices. These services allow you to implement patches remotely, remove dangerous data from an employee’s hard drive, and even blacklist certain apps.

Remote Work Doesn’t Mean Jeopardizing Security

Remote work doesn’t have to jeopardize data security. Once remote workers are fully educated in the demands of secure working, and you have the right tools in place, you can enjoy all the benefits of flexible working without the security threats.

How to Build Your Freelance Business as a Work-from-Home Parent

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What if you had a job that allowed you to take an active role in your children’s lives? Building a freelance business enables you to leverage your skills in your career and be present for the moments of your child’s lives you want to: teaching them during the day, picking them up from school, or taking them to soccer practice.

The rise of remote work has transformed the traditional work-from-home landscape. With the increasing adoption of flexible work arrangements, more parents are exploring freelance opportunities to balance their career ambitions with family life. Upwork’s Freelance Forward Report in 2023 indicates a substatial growth in the freelance workforce and its contribution to the US economy. In addition, Pew Research Center studies have shown an increase in remote work adoption across various professions.

Freelancing offers numerous benefits for stay-at-home parents. As a self-employed freelancer, you would be in charge of your hours, work flexibility, and rates. With all of the options available online, you might not know where to start building your work-from-home parent freelance business. 

Here are steps you can take to build your freelance business as a stay-at-home parent:

  1. Write down a list of your skills and interests. Consider your former work and volunteer experiences and how they can be leveraged online. For example:
    • If you’ve worked in project management, maybe you could market yourself as an online business manager.
    • If you have administrative experience, maybe you could be a virtual assistant.
    • Are you great at writing? Maybe you could write articles, grants, or eBooks for clients online.
    • For more ideas, check out our blog article on how to make side gigs work.
  2. Build onto your current skills. Start by paying attention to what is in demand now and what you are most interested in. Then, find free and paid courses to enhance your skills and increase your value as a freelancer.
  3. Invest time or money into learning sales and marketing. One part of being a freelancer is being able to market yourself to clients. Read books, take courses, or work with a coach so you can enhance the way you market yourself.
  4. Use your skills to work your way up. If you can, start with smaller projects to build your portfolio. Consider it on-the-job training! Reach out to friends, family, or former colleagues to see if your services can help them at a discounted rate. After the project is complete, ask them for a detailed testimonial!
  5. Create an online presence. Whether you use a social media platform, a website, or both, you should have a place online where future clients can learn more about you. Let your online platform paint a picture of what it would be like to work with you.
  6. Find a community of other freelancing stay-at-home parents. Get support, ask for advice, or make networking connections with other parents who will understand your unique challenges.
  7. Include taxes and benefits in your rates. As an employee of a company, the company offers you benefits such as health insurance, paid time off, and sometimes 401k matching. They also pay for a portion of your taxes. As you estimate your freelance rates, consider taxes and benefits.
  8. Decide how you will spend your time. Freelancing as a stay-at-home mother gives you the flexibility of time. When will you work on your business? Will it be while your children are at school or napping? Decide in advance times you will definitely spend on your business.
  9. Grow your portfolio of reviews or testimonials. Showcasing reviews or testimonials of your work will help build your trust and credibility with people who want to work with you. Ask former colleagues, bosses, and clients to write a descriptive review of your strengths, skills, and why they enjoyed working with you.

The transition into freelancing may sound daunting at first. But you can make the transition simple by taking everything one step at a time.

Building a business as a stay-at-home mother can give you the flexibility and freedom to be present in your children’s lives. Before you know it, your babies will become adults and parents themselves. Making the time to be a significant part of their lives is priceless.
 
Image from Pexels.

Price vs. Power: How to Choose an Email Service

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Aside from time and location freedom, the biggest benefit to starting an online business is the lack of start-up capital required. You don’t have to buy the inventory to stock a store. You don’t have to spend a lot on equipment. And you don’t have to shell out cash for employees and insurance and all those other costs associated with offline businesses. But that low-cost mentality can cause you to lose sight of the bigger picture, too.

While it is possible to start a business without spending any money at all, it’s truly not a good idea. That free hosting account will no doubt have downtime issues (not to mention the ads they’ll serve up to your visitors). Free word processors will have compatibility issues with other, more common solutions. Free WordPress Themes and plugins can have support issues.

So while bootstrapping is a good thing, making business decisions based solely on cost is not. And nowhere is that more true than when it comes to choosing an Email Service.

Deliverability Issues

Here’s the biggest problem we see with low-cost providers, including those you install and manage yourself: deliverability. Email services such as Yahoo, Gmail, and others vigorously defend their users’ accounts against spam, and will often mark your legitimate email as spam, simply based on the IP address it originates from.

Large email service providers have the resources to fight these false spam reports and keep their deliverability rates high. That’s part of what their users pay for. But when you choose a free or low-cost provider (or manage your own server), this might not happen. Over time, you will probably see your deliverability rates plummet.

Limited Features

Deliverability aside, many low-priced email service providers can afford to charge lower rates because they limit the features. For example, you might only be able to collect 500 addresses, or you may only be able to send a few emails each month. Even worse, you may not be able to segment your list or automate your emails.

Before you make the choice to use a low-priced or free email provider, be sure you fully understand the limitations of the account. While some concessions might be okay for you and/or your business model, others might put a serious crimp in your business-building efforts.

It’s a Long-Term Choice

Finally, keep in mind that changing providers later (when you’re “ready”) can be a huge undertaking. You’ll have multiple landing pages and opt-in forms to edit, connections with your shopping cart, webinar host, social media accounts, and countless other integrations to deal with. And you’ll have a list of names to import to your new provider, many of which will either opt-out or be undeliverable at your new host. Rather than go through all that trouble, the better option is to choose the right provider from the start.

Speaking of integrations, if you need help integrating your email service with your website, social media accounts, or anything else, we can help!

Final Thoughts

One option that can work with your budget and your long-term needs would be to choose an Email Service that can grow with your business (we like MailChimp, but there are a lot of options out there!) Many have plans that start at a lower cost with limited features but provide you with the option to upgrade your account as necessary. This can solve the problem of needing an Email Service at the start (when budget might be an issue) while providing you with options in the future when features will be the main concern.

Want to keep learning? Check out our blog post on where to start when looking for an Email Service!

New Facebook Layout Being Tested on Some Users – Here’s Where They Moved Everything

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In March 2022, Facebook launched a new layout for a small subset of desktop users. While there doesn’t seem to be any change to the mobile layout, this is still a huge change. The new Facebook layout seems to be compulsory for those “selected” to receive it and Facebook doesn’t seem to be offering much in the way of support for it. Everything needed to navigate the site has been moved and some are finding it very hard to use. There hasn’t been any official word from Facebook regarding the new layout – or even that they’re testing it – but there are enough users who were “voluntold” to be Beta Testers that there can be no other conclusion.

Although no one here at Steady Radiance Design has had the change forced on us, we were able to get access to an updated account so we can show you exactly what’s changed and how to navigate this new Facebook layout. Check out the video below, or if you prefer to read through the differences, we’ve written out our full comparison, complete with screenshots below the video.

For the purposes of this description, we’re going to call the current/standard layout the “old” layout and the new Facebook layout the “new” layout. Don’t read anything into that though, we have no idea if this “new” layout is here to stay or not!

Top Navigation

The biggest change with the new Facebook layout is that all the navigation options across the top of the page have been moved to a menu on the left. Here’s a side-by-side comparison showing where the old navigation options are in the new layout. You can see just by the number of markers we had to use that they really did move everything.

 

Accessing Your Profile

One of the more confusing changes is the way you access your profile. On the old layout, you simply had to click your profile picture to view your profile. Although the location of your profile picture has changed once or twice, we’ve all been taught that clicking your profile picture – no matter where you see it – takes you to your profile. Not anymore! Depending on where your profile picture is on the page will determine what it does in the new Facebook layout.

In the new layout, if you’re on your home page (a.k.a. your Newsfeed, which you access by either clicking the Facebook logo or the “home” button), you can access your profile by clicking on your profile picture at the top of the page, just to the right of the Facebook logo or by clicking your profile picture next to the “What’s on your mind…” box where you can start a new post.

If you’re on any other page – such as a Group or another friend’s profile – the only way to access your profile is by clicking on your profile picture at the bottom left of the screen, then clicking your name/profile picture on the flyout menu that opens.

 

Group Pages

The last significant change in the new Facebook layout is the navigation on Group pages. A lot of people use groups as a main source of sharing/receiving information, so this change has caused quite a stir, especially among Group page admins who suddenly “lost” some options they use frequently. Here’s where you can find the navigation options and tabs in the new layout.

 

Final Thoughts

If you have the new Facebook layout and you’re having difficulties finding anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

Fast and Easy Products

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How many partially completed products, books, or group coaching programs do you have sitting around on your shelves or in your computer? If you’re like most entrepreneurs, the answer is a resounding “far too many!” And frankly, the reason you have all of those incomplete projects isn’t because you don’t know your subject, or because you’re a poor writer, or even because you don’t have time. The real reason is because you’re overthinking the whole process. Fast and easy products are much more simple than you may think.

Right now, you’re probably buying into the belief that you must:

  • Create something from scratch.
  • Make something that looks just like every other program or product in your niche.
  • Build something so comprehensive and massive that it encompasses every aspect of your subject, from soup to nuts.

And every one of these beliefs is holding you back from creating the exact program your target market is looking for—and it just happens to be something you can put together in an afternoon (or less) with the content you already have on hand.

Step 1: Identify The Problem

This is not a huge, overreaching problem such as “how do I build a mailing list” but rather a single problem that has a single solution. So rather than trying to solve the problem of building an entire list, try solving the problem of just setting up a mailing list.

It’s a single problem that you very likely have the solution for right in your business documentation. Easy products should be just that – easy!

Step 2: Define Your Process

Using the example of setting up a mailing list, chances are you have worksheets and checklists for your VA (or you) to follow. It’s a step-by-step plan that walks you or your team through the process of setting up a new mailing list.

For someone who’s struggling with getting their first auto-responder set up, this simple and easy deliverable can be a real lifesaver.

Step 3: Share What Works

Package up your already existing business documentation and viola! You have a new fast and easy product you can get up for sale in a single afternoon.

The only question now is, why haven’t you done it yet?

 

Image from Pixabay

5 Life-Saving Professional Services for Stay-at-Home Moms Starting a Business

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Guest post by Leslie Campos of Well Parents

Staying at home and taking care of your children is a challenge enough of its own, but simultaneously taking on the role of an entrepreneur can make your day-to-day schedule even more difficult to handle. The launch of your company is a vital and time-consuming period as a business owner, but you don’t have to do it alone. By hiring the right team of experts to stand by your side and assist with the details, you can set your business and family life up for success. Here’s a list of services that can help you with your business.

Business Consulting

While you may have expertise in a particular product or service you can sell, this doesn’t mean you’re fluent when it comes to the specifics of starting and running a business. This is where a business consultant comes in. Professionals in this field often have a business degree and several certifications, as well as experience, under their belt. They can help you focus on the most profitable business model, whether you are planning to make income through an e-commerce, affiliate, freemium, or subscription-based model.

Business Formation Services

Forming your business structure, whether that be a corporation or LLC, can be complicated and time-consuming. But you don’t have to take it on yourself, nor do you have to pay a pricey attorney to do the work. Online formation services like Zenbusiness are a convenient and affordable resource, walking you through and completing the process quickly. An LLC is a popular choice for startups, as it offers liability protection to your assets and avoids the double taxation of a corporation. LLCs also have tax advantages, and less paperwork is required during formation and later for filing (which an online service also takes care of). States have different regulations around forming an LLC, so check the rules in your state before moving ahead.

Website Development and Design

Having a space to call your own on the internet is an exciting step in becoming a business owner. A website allows potential customers to find your business, and it gives you a spot to write blogs, build out a shop, include a contact form, or display an impressive resume.

While there are several easy-to-navigate website building programs available online, a website development and design company like Steady Radiance Design can help bring your vision to life and make sure your site boasts fast load speeds and SEO. Additionally, you should take time to choose a professional you’re comfortable working with for a while since your developer may take care of hosting your website after it’s launched for a monthly fee.

Public Relations and Marketing

As soon as your business is ready to be released to the world, you need a way to announce your launch. Studies show you only have one chance to make a good first impression, so it helps to hire a public relations professional who can write great copy and start building a positive reputation for your brand. You’ll want to continue building your online presence and attract the right people to your company with the help of a digital marketing company.

Babysitting or Nanny Services

While you settle into your new role, you may want to consider hiring a babysitter or nanny to help care for your kids while you navigate the specifics of starting a new business. You may have chosen the work-at-home route so you can spend more time with your kids, but having help available when work gets stressful can help you focus on one task at a time, allowing you to dedicate your full attention to your family when the workday is over.

Even for the mom who can do it all, there’s no shame in enlisting the help of other professionals as you set your business up for success. By establishing a good foundation, you’ll be able to fulfill all your responsibilities more effectively in the long run and watch your startup grow. Let Steady Radiance Design help you in your journey — but don’t take our word for it!

Image via Unsplash

Generate More Sales and Repeat Customers With Automation

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As any smart business owner knows, the key to passive income is a well-established (and full) funnel.
So of course you’ve optimized your opt-in pages and monetized your download pages and encourage more buyers through well-placed upsells and downsells.

Well done! But what about the follow-up?

Do you contact customers about the products or services they didn’t buy? Do you encourage them to use the products they have purchased? Are you making sure they know about all your other wonderful programs?
If not, you’re missing the boat. But the good news is, this can be easily managed with just a bit of simple automation, and when done right, it will smoothly lead your customers from one purchase to the next, at the exact right time for them to take advantage of your best offers.

Segment Your Audience

Many autoresponder services allow you to target emails based on reader action. Want to send a follow-up email to those who clicked a specific link? Create a segment and mail away. Want to re-engage with those who haven’t opened your emails in a while? Easy to do, and you can potentially recover subscribers who have gone missing.
In more sophisticated systems you can dig even deeper, and move people from one series to another based on their buying habits. That way you’ll never promote a product a reader already owns. Not only that, but you’ll always be able to offer the very best next thing, no matter where a subscriber is in your funnel.

Still another way to segment your list is according to what they do not buy. If a subscriber has been on a list where you’re promoting your top-level coaching program, and she has not yet purchased, it may simply be too expensive for her at this time. Consider moving these readers to an autoresponder series promoting a lower cost option instead.

All of these tactics require that you know your audience and your products exceptionally well. Study your stats. Know your open and click rates. Pay attention to the promotions that work, as well as those that fall flat. With that information in hand, you’ll be better able to effectively segment your lists and make the most of all the parts of your funnel.

Common Mistakes That Send Affiliate Partners Running

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Affiliate Partners are a huge asset for any coach or product seller. They’re the ones who are out there singing your praises, spreading the word about your services, and helping you reach a larger audience than you could on your own. Not only that, but they generously lend their good name and reputation to your business, so it makes sense that you want to treat them as well as possible.
But there are some mistakes that product sellers make over and over again that will frustrate and even turn your potential affiliates away. Here’s how to fix them.

No Promotional Calendar

Busy entrepreneurs are obsessive planners. They know they need to produce content, mail their lists, create products, speak at events, and all the other marketing tasks that go with owning a business. They very likely maintain a calendar that helps them stay focused and on track. If you want them to promote you, it’s a good idea to publish your own promotional calendar so they know what’s coming up.
This doesn’t have to be anything fancy, and it doesn’t have to stretch for weeks or months ahead, but it should give them a bit of notice about upcoming launches so they can work your products into their schedule.

Launching Without Them

Got a big product launch coming up? Excellent! But don’t even think about launching without your affiliates on board. Your lists most likely have some overlap, and promoting to your list before you allow affiliates to mail will result in lost sales for them—and angry affiliates who won’t be anxious to promote you again.

Stealing Their Sales

This should go without saying, but if you’re considering creating your own affiliate link for your products, stop. Mailing your list or posting on Facebook with your own affiliate link will—in most systems—result in your promotions overriding those of your affiliates. In short, you’ll be stealing their sales, and no affiliate partner will want to promote you after that.
If you need a tracking link, there are far better ways to go about it than to create an affiliate link in your own system.

Slow Pay

No excuse is ever good enough for failing to pay your affiliates on time. If you promise to pay monthly, then you must make that a priority. It’s never okay to “borrow” from your affiliate payments to cover an unexpected bill or take advantage of an opportunity. To do so is bad form, bad karma, and will give you a reputation for unreliability.

Your affiliate partners are some of your most precious assets. Treat them as such, and they will return the favor with increased sales, more leads, and plenty of social love.

Quick and Easy Tweaks to Automate Your Sales Funnel

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.

When it comes to leveraging your time, automation is the sharpest tool in your toolbox. It allows you to get more done in less time, and to smoothly move people through your sales funnel.

For many small business owners, though, that’s one area that’s often overlooked is your website.

Use Your Blog to Build Your Mailing List

Like any smart business owner, you likely have opt-in forms on your website. They’re in the sidebar or maybe the footer, and you might have a pop-up to capture attention as visitors are about to leave. (If you aren’t using pop-ups, you should be! Here’s my favorite WordPress plugin for pop-ups.)

But do you have a solid call to action at the end of your blog posts? When a new reader is finished consuming your posts, are they primed to learn more? Give them the opportunity by offering an opt-in at the end of each post.

Even better, make it a logical next step by creating a related offer for each post. Called a content upgrade, these offers typically consist of a simple checklist or worksheet and capture attention by providing even more information about a topic they’re already interested in. You can even customize the forms on each blog post with tags so you can target them further in your sales funnel.

Keep Them Reading With Related Links

How often do you revisit old blog posts to link to newer content? This is an important maintenance job that will help provide visitors with the information they’re looking for by linking related posts together.

Not only is this strategy good for keeping visitors on your site, but Google approves as well. Posts that link to each other encourage search engine bots to crawl your site more thoroughly and help boost the rankings of your most relevant posts.

[Hint: This is a perfect job for your VA.]

Make the Best of Your Download Pages

Whether you’re giving away a free report or paid product, your download pages can pull double-duty by offering visitors a “what’s next” option. For free download pages, a related, low-cost product is best. It gives readers the chance to learn more about you with a small investment.

For paid products, consider offering a complementary product instead. If you’re protecting your download pages with a membership script, you can even offer upsells based on what they already own, making the choice even easier for them.

And if you’re using a double-opt-in mailing list, make use of that confirmation page, too! That’s the perfect place for a quick upsell or an invitation to join you in your Facebook group or weekly Periscope.

Here’s a good rule of thumb to follow on your website: Whenever a reader lands on a page, she should be offered the next logical step. When you write your blog posts or create your download pages, keep that in mind, and your sales funnel will practically fill itself.

3 Unusual Places to Find Affiliate Partners

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No matter how proudly you embrace the “solopreneur” title, there comes a time when you absolutely must reach out for help. And for savvy business owners, that help often comes in the form of affiliate partners.

Also called JV partners, affiliates act as your own private sales army, spreading the word about your products and services to a whole new audience—theirs. Not only do you reach people who might otherwise never encounter you, but you also benefit mightily from your affiliate’s existing relationships. By promoting you, an affiliate is endorsing you to their audience. They’re saying, “I know this seller; I trust them, and you should, too.”

But even with all those many benefits, coaches and product sellers sometimes struggle to find great partners. Sure, lots of people will register for your affiliate program, but the Pareto Principle is alive and well when it comes to affiliates: 20% of your partners will do 80% of the work. That means your goal is to recruit higher-performing partners.

The only question is, where do you find these great partners?

Pick Your Virtual Assistant’s Brain

Chances are good that your VA works for other business owners in similar niches. If you’re a business coach, they very likely work with several other coaches and they’re in a position to know…

  • Where their clients are in the business development cycle (ideally you want established partners, not newbies)
  • Their audience demographics (so they’ll know if they’re a good fit or not)
  • Their willingness to promote (some people simply don’t do affiliate partnership, so it’s a waste of time to approach them)

Look to Your Best Clients

Especially if you’re a business coach, your clients might just be your biggest fans—and they’re in a position to recommend you to friends, family, social connections, and elsewhere.

Be sure your clients all know that you offer a referral/affiliate program, how to sign up, and what the benefits are.

Your Competitors

It’s true—your competitors might just be your biggest affiliates if you give them a chance.

In some circles (such as business and relationship coaching) clients tend to “graduate” from one coach and move to another. This is normal and to be expected. And when you’re on good terms with your competitors, the coach their ex-clients move to might just be you.

Don’t be afraid to look in unusual places for your next affiliate partner. You really never know who can connect you with potential clients and partners. Think about all your relationships—from your team to your social circles to your competitors and colleagues—and consider all of their relationships and how far that might stretch. Then pick up the phone or draft an email and start leveraging your contacts!