Your Top 5 Burning Questions: Answered
From One Business Owner To Another
Running a business is like embarking on a thrilling adventure — full of twists, turns and the occasional plot twist. But as entrepreneurs, we’re no stranger to the exhilarating highs and the daunting lows that come with navigating the business world, whether you are a service- or product-based business owner, it happens to all of us.
But here’s the thing: even the most seasoned business owners need a little help sometimes finding their way from time to time!
Here at JDP Consult, I want to be as transparent as possible and provide you with as many accessible resources as possible. Because, I believe that there is room for more business owners (female ones at that!) in the world, but no business is the same, and there just isn’t one blueprint for it.
I posted a poll on my Instagram story (@jordyndiorio) and asked my followers for their burning business questions for me to answer and here I am fulfilling that promise!
Dive in below ⬇️
Question 1: What do I do when business is slow? How do I stay motivated and passionate?
SUCH a good question. Whether you are a seasonal biz or business is slow in general, it may be time for a business plan refresh. Because at this moment, you may not be reaching your sales goals, or may not be performing how you want to be — whatever the metrics you may be measuring for your business.
I highly recommend you revisit your Strategic Plan and see where you are lacking, and evaluate from there the actions you may need to make in order to get yourself out of this slump and also prepare for how to tackle a future slump!
Here are a few examples:
If you are a seasonal business, are there other products or digital items within your niche that you can explore and release to supplement income during the slow months?
If business is slower as a service-based business, you may set yourself a new goal of reaching out to 10-15 potential clients each month to keep work consistent.
Or, as a product-based business, you may set a goal to explore one new avenue of marketing each quarter to see what works best for your business and to keep business incoming.
Think about the projects you’ve been putting on the backburner and tackle those while you have the time. Think inventory organization and management, cleaning up your books or creating a new pitch deck.
I offer a Business Strategic Plan worksheet template in the JDP Resource Library (free to join!) that I use religiously to keep track of my business goals and I make sure to update & add as I go, too.
As for how I stay motivated and passionate, even when business is slow, is to listen to other business podcasts and connect with other business owners for perspective. This always ground me back to the reality that business has its ebbs and flows. Being supported and rallying around other entrepreneurs is the best way to reconnect with your business. We also tackle this topic on the Refund Show here.
Question 2: How do you track inventory?
I’m not currently running a product-based business but I did own a jewelry business previously, where I did have to keep inventory, manage a POS, etc. My top piece of advice here is to find a system that works for you and integrates seamlessly with the website you’re using, your warehouse (if you have one), your in-person POS system, and more to save you work down the line.
But, there’s also nothing wrong with using a spreadsheet if that’s your preference. This may just be more manual and require a lot of your time to update frequently, and there may just be more room for error.
There are SO many different apps now that help you with this, and below are just a few (along with the integrations!)
Square — if you inventory and fulfill via UPCs, Square can be a great app for you to track and keep inventory as well as sell directly & online.
Integrates with:Weebly (is now Square Online, so your online and in-person sales here can be seamless as it can auto-update inventory & offer you a one-stop-shop)
Squarespace (you can link Square POS with Squarespace along with an app to sync inventory between the two apps)
Shopify — this is what I used with MEND Jewelry and found it the best amongst the other tools available. Whether you have a warehouse or not, Shopify is a premier ecommerce site, but it can be pricey. It offers a lot of seamless integrations and has great inventory tracking capabilities based on orders incoming. You also have the ability to use it with Shopify POS, which directly syncs and updates from your inventory.
On top of this, Zapier is an incredible tool that helps connect apps that may not have existing API integrations. For example, when someone orders something on your website (X), Zapier can trigger it to add it as a sale to your accounting software (Y).
Question 3: How do you master tough conversations?
Communication is SO important in any instance of life – personal and business. The way I tackle and try to get ahead of it? Over communicate.
Most project or client issues are rooted in miscommunication or lack of. While no project plan is perfect, you’ll have projects that require more time and energy. I strive to over-communicate with all of my business relationships to avoid any doubt or miscommunications down the line that will lead to those tough conversations.
Communicate every step of the way! If your project is delayed, help your client understand WHY so they don’t feel they’re wasting their time and money.
Clear communication builds trust and that is absolutely pivotal to your business success. As Brene Brown teaches us, clear is kind.
Now, that is not to say that tough conversations don’t still happen, because they absolutely do. In my experience, the only way to truly get better at this is to have a few stumbles along the way. I’ve had tough conversations that didn’t pan out in the best way, but I’ve learned that being clear on the end goal and listening will serve me in the long road. We cannot control how other people react, but we can prepare and determine our portion of the conversation.
When in doubt, we recommend consulting with a HR professional (like Ailee from ApproachHR) to help guide you and offer best practices on how to be an exceptional leader during hard times.
Question 4: How do you deal with rejection? What do you do if a client ghosts you?
I move on. If they choose not to work with you or ghost you, then it just wasn’t meant to be. Rejection is totally normal but it’s just another stepping stone for your business to learn from. Embrace that feedback (if any), dust off your shoulders, and bounce back stronger.
Not every client is going to be the best fit for you and everyone is busy. Things don’t pan out and sometimes there’s not a deeper message than that.
Question 5: I’m not big on social media but I feel like I need it more than ever today for my business or it won’t do well, but I am not good at content. Do I actually need it?
Ah, social media. It’s not for everyone and that’s OK. Social media is just another marketing channel for your business in today’s world, and that’s exactly what it is.
I don’t personally have a business Instagram account as I use my personal as both, but you can gain clients and earn sales without social media, it’s just a matter of who you are targeting and how you are marketing to them to begin with.
Now, if the bigger issue is just that you don’t know where to begin, my answer for that is to understand the larger content strategy and determine if you need to outsource this to someone who can help create content strategically for you that makes sense for your business. There is no harm in asking for help, and there are many experts in this area out there to help specifically on the social media front. And remember, think about it as an overall content strategy, not just social media.
So, there you have it. Your burning questions answered. But, if you have more, feel free to slide into my DM’s or shoot me an email and I’ll include it in my next Q&A!
As a business consultant, I have been called a professional problem solver, and I want to be able to help you move your business forward by sharing my expertise, creating actual useful resources (that even I use) and being as transparent as possible about the life of a business owner.
Got a burning problem you need help solving? I offer a 1-hour session, where we tackle the issue strategically.
HI THERE, I’M JORDYN
Serial entrepreneur, strategic integrator and financial aficionado.
My mission is to revolutionize the way businesses grow with strategic clarity and implementation. It goes beyond consultancy—as I want to be a dedicated partner in propelling your success with strategy and impactful execution with zest and honesty.