Welcome to Business and Balance, THE newsletter for small business owners who are ready to grow their business in a way that's true to them. Each week you'll get an idea for building systems in a way that's right for you, a quick win you can do in an hour or less, and a challenge to make time for something you love outside of business. Itβs all about working smarter, not harder, so you can be successful in business without having to sacrifice what you love.
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Pre-P.S. This email contains affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase, I may make a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I trust and truly believe in.
Heyy Reader,
When we're making huge changes to our businesses, things get chaotic. No one wants the chaos, but it's a temporary place we all have to be before we can find the peace we were searching for.
The question becomes, what do you do and how do you manage when your business feels like chaos as you evolve and adapt to the new?
π€ 5-MINUTE BRAND AUDIT
DOES YOUR BRAND NEED A FRESH PERSPECTIVE?
Ever feel like the words you're putting out there are not representing who you really are?
Finding the disconnect isn't always easy, so having someone else look at your stuff can be incredibly helpful.
My friend, Jamie Cox, is a brand strategist and does free 5-minute brand audits that will look at a piece of content for you and share with you some suggestions for improving your brand presence on that content.
She'll share with you a few small changes you can make that will make a BIG difference for you.
It could be as small as changing the way you word something, but she knows it will take your brand to the next level. Her brand ideas are insightful.
Get your brand audit for free before she decides to start charging for these!
When you're in the midst of making changes to your systems, you need a system for your system.
You need a plan detailing how you're going to navigate the chaos or else you will start feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.
You need to know what you're going to work on first and how you're going to make changes. You also need to how you're going to manage your existing work and any new work that occurs while you're in the middle of making changes.
Will new work use the new system? Will they use the old? Will you transition as it's being built? Or will you wait until it's ready?
These are all things you should be asking yourself BEFORE you make changes.
THE ONE HOUR WIN
STOP AND REFLECT
I'm also big on reflection.
This week, I encourage you to take an hour to stop and reflect on what's working in your business and what's not.
Maybe this looks like journaling, maybe it looks like making a pros and cons list, or maybe it is drawing a mind map.
No matter how you do it, I encourage you to take an hour this week to think about what is going well in your business and what isn't and then to create 1 action step you will take next week to change what isn't working.
DELEGATION INSPIRATION
KNOWING WHEN TO ASK FOR HELP
I'm from a family of people who rarely ask for help. It's seen as honorable to do it all yourself.
There is nothing wrong with asking for help and sometimes knowing when it's time to ask for help is a greater accomplishment than doing something all by yourself.
Running a business is hard and you have to know when it's time to ask for help or else you will burn out or maybe even just do things wrong. It's unrealistic to expect yourself to be the best at every single thing that must be done in your business.
Here are my top warning signs that it's time to ask for help:
You're getting so frustrated and overwhelmed it's affecting your personal life and/or wellbeing.
You've tried something and it doesn't feel right and you know you won't be happy with what you are able to create or produce.
You're spending more time in your business than doing things you enjoy.
You are doing things in your business you absolutely hate and it's making you not want to work on your business.
There are certainly more signs that it might be time to get help, but when you're seeing any of these things, I encourage you to take a step back, reflect on how you're doing things, and look to see where you can ask for help and what you need to do to make that happen.
TIME FOR WHAT YOU LOVE
REST IS PART OF WORK
Tired Good Night GIF by Pudgy Penguins
I don't know when our society decided that if we're not "productive" 24/7 that we're not good enough and we're lazy, but it's total bs.
Science tells us our bodies need rest. We cannot function without it.
This week, I want to encourage you to do something restful that replenishes you and gives you energy.
Maybe that is snuggling your cat on the couch or taking a nap this weekend.
Maybe it is sleeping a little late or maybe it is laying in a hammock in your backyard.
Whatever it is, take time this week to rest.
Without rest, there is no work.
BOHANNON VIRTUAL SOLUTIONS RECOMMENDS
THE NOTEBOOK OF THE FUTURE
The colors are bland, but nothing some cute stickers can't help.
I'm really bad about writing notes about a project or client and then finding that I have notes on 5 pages of my notebook.
So then I consolidate to one page and start the cycle all over again.
Well, at least I used to.
About a year ago, I accidentally came across Rocketbook.
Rocketbook is a line of reusable notebooks and planners.
They use Pilot Frixion pens and markers and you're able to take your notes and then wet the paper and erase.
It's amazing and I love it.
Plus, they have an app where you can take pictures of what you write and upload it to about 5 different places digitally (i.e. dropbox, google drive, etc).
If you still like to write with paper and pen, I HIGHLY recommend Rocketbook. They have several different options for the kind you'd like and they are saving the environment at the same time.
My link has a coupon so that if you spend $25 or more, you can get $10 off your purchase. Check them out!
I recommend buying the notebook from Rocketbook and the reusable sticky notes and then buying a pack of Frixion pens from another retailer online.
Rocketbook does sell a mini spray bottle that you can carry around with you, but I went to Wal-Mart and bought one for $0.75 that is for traveling and it works perfect.
I'll put your free or paid offer in my weekly email newsletter for only $27. Together we will pick the perfect day to send your offer to my list. My list size as of Oct. 2025 is about 550 subscribers. Current open rates are 51% and click rates are 1.8%.
Business & Balance, by Sammy Bohannon, is THE for small business owners who are ready to grow their business in a way that's true to them. Each week you'll get an idea for building systems in a way that's right for you, a quick win you can do in an hour or less, and a challenge to make time for something you love outside of business. Itβs all about working smarter, not harder, so you can be successful in business without having to sacrifice what you love.