When you first started your business, you likely thought you could manage everything yourself. Marketing, bookkeeping, website updates, social media posts… all of it. Sound familiar? Many small business owners and entrepreneurs like you have thought they could manage everything on their own as a solo operation.
However, as your business grew and demands increased, you probably realized that trying to juggle all these tasks on your own was not sustainable in the long run. Small business owners find they often need to delegate tasks and seek external help to ensure ongoing growth and success.
How Our Journey Began at MYOB
Back in 2011, we founded Mind Your Own Business (MYOB) as a virtual assistant company, thinking we’d help with general business support. But here’s what happened: everyone kept asking us for bookkeeping help. Like, everyone. It quickly became clear that business owners were drowning in financial paperwork and desperately needed a lifeline.
Over the years, we’ve worked with businesses of all sizes, from solo entrepreneurs working from their kitchen tables to large organizations with complex needs. What we’ve learned is that the DIY approach often backfires, especially when tax season rolls around.
The Bookkeeping Nightmare You Want to Avoid
Picture this: You’ve been doing your own books all year and feeling pretty proud of yourself for saving money. Then April hits, and your accountant calls with some not-so-great news. Your bill just doubled because they had to fix months of errors and redo most of your work. You realize that the DIY approach may have cost you more in the long run, both in terms of money and time. You definitely want to avoid this nightmare in the future, and professional bookkeeping services like ours can help you do just that.
This scenario plays out more often than you’d think. That’s why our team stays on top of continuing education and keeps current with Revenue Canada regulations. We collaborate with your accountant throughout the year, keeping those communication lines wide open. The result? Clean books that actually reduce your accountant’s workload (and your bill), plus you get real-time insights to make better financial decisions as your business grows. We can save you the headache of dealing with inaccuracies and potential audits by keeping your books in order year-round. Trust us, it’s worth the investment to have peace of mind when tax season comes around!
Beyond the Numbers: Your Digital Presence Matters
While bookkeeping might have put us on the map, the digital world kept evolving, and so did we. Social media has significantly transformed the business landscape over the past decade. Your customers are scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn—shouldn’t your business be there too?
Our social media team brings fresh skills and creative energy to help you build brand awareness, communicate with customers, and announce your exciting new products or events. Let’s be honest—maintaining a consistent social media presence alongside running a business is more demanding than it looks.
Then there’s your website to consider. Since the internet became a thing, your website has been your 24/7 salesperson. Whether it’s a simple digital brochure or a complex e-commerce site, it needs regular maintenance to stay secure and functional. Yes, that means budgeting for monthly website upkeep, but it helps to think of it as insurance for your online storefront.
Driving Business Growth with Essential Services
We’ve streamlined our offerings over the years to focus on what really matters: bookkeeping, social media management, and website design. While we can help with other administrative tasks based on availability, our main focus and the most significant impact on our clients’ success come from these three services.
Breaking Free from the DIY Mentality
Here’s our biggest challenge (and maybe yours too): that stubborn DIY attitude! Look, we get it. When you’re starting out with a tight budget, doing everything yourself makes sense. However, as your business expands, persisting in managing every aspect becomes a formula for burnout and missed opportunities. The difference lies in understanding that outsourcing is an investment that ultimately leads to cost savings in the long term, rather than an expense.
Why One Size Doesn’t Fit All
We don’t believe in cookie-cutter solutions. Every business is unique, and what works for your competitor might not work for you. This is why we have consultations with every potential client to ensure our processes align with their specific requirements. It’s like dating—we want to make sure we’re a good match before we commit!
Over to You!
You started your business because you’re passionate about what you do. You’re the expert in your field, not in bookkeeping software or social media algorithms. Our job is simple: we help you focus on what you do best while we handle the rest.
So, here’s the real question: what could you accomplish if you had an extra 10-15 hours each week to focus on growing your business instead of getting bogged down in administrative tasks? Get in touch with us to learn more about MYOB and how we can help you mind your own business, better!
Remote work has transitioned from a niche perk to a standard option. In 2023, about 20% of Canadian workers usually worked from home for most of their hours, marking an increase from 7.1% in 2016 and a peak of around 40% during the first COVID-19 wave. As this trend continues to grow, many are questioning whether working from home is truly better for their health.
While remote work offers flexibility and eliminates commute-related stress, it can also lead to feelings of isolation and blurred boundaries between work and personal life. Finding a healthy balance and establishing a routine are key to ensuring that working from home is beneficial for one’s overall well-being.
The Upside: Control, Balance, and Well-Being
Working from home lets you create a schedule that fits your natural energy levels and personal life, which helps you be more productive and feel better overall. Without the daily commute, you save time and money that you can spend on things that actually matter to you.
The numbers back this up, too—90% of remote workers say they’re just as productive or even more productive than when they worked in an office, and 41% report getting more done in general. It’s a simple equation: less stress, more flexibility, and better results.
The Downside: Isolation, Burnout, and Blurred Boundaries
Remote work can present significant challenges for mental health, particularly for individuals who thrive on in-person interaction with colleagues. A common concern is the sense of isolation and disconnection from others, which, if unaddressed, may lead to more serious issues such as depression or anxiety.
Additionally, working from home often blurs the boundaries between personal and professional spaces. While this arrangement offers convenience, it can also make it difficult to disengage from work responsibilities, potentially resulting in longer working hours due to the absence of a clear separation between “work time” and “personal time. Without a physical office, people may feel expected to be always available, leading to more stress.
In traditional office settings, employees benefit from immediate access to technical support, appropriate equipment, and opportunities for spontaneous collaboration. By contrast, remote workers may experience heightened stress when facing challenges or seeking assistance, as solutions and support are not always readily accessible.
In-Office vs. Remote Work: Evaluating the Healthier Option
While some companies are recalling employees for easier management and daily face time, the question remains: do Canadian minds truly excel with in-person interaction? Among new teleworkers, approximately 80% expressed a preference for working from home at least half the time, with 39% opting for remote work for most or all of their hours, while only 20% wanted a complete return to the office.
However, the support from employers for mental well-being is crucial. Organizations with strong mental health programs show that employees are twice as likely to avoid burning out or experiencing depression, regardless of where they work. This highlights the positive impact of supportive workplace initiatives.
Here are some practical tips to help you protect your mental health while working from home:
Move Every Hour (at least!): Place your printer or files a few steps away, and set a timer to stand, stretch, or walk in place once each hour.
Eat Well—Away from the Desk: Prep balanced meals ahead of time and take a proper lunch break in another room to reset your mind.
Change Work Zones: Switch between your kitchen table, a spare bedroom, or even the porch to boost creativity and break monotony.
Dress for Success: Shower and put on “work clothes” to signal your brain it’s focus time.
Prioritize Routine and Hygiene: Stick to morning rituals—shower, brush your teeth, make your bed—to draw a clear line between home life and work mode.
Stay Hydrated: Keep a refillable water bottle at your desk and aim for about eight cups a day, adjusting for caffeine and exercise.
How MYOB Supports Your Well-Being
As small business owners ourselves, we recognize the specific pressures that others encounter. Our administrative, bookkeeping, and social media services free up your time and mental energy so you can focus on the parts of your business—and life—that matter most. By streamlining your back-office work, we can help you reclaim hours each week for movement, breaks, and real human connection.
Over to You!
Working from home can be a double-edged sword: flexibility and productivity gains on one side, and isolation or burnout on the other. By actively incorporating movement, setting up boundaries, and caring for both your body and mind, you can prioritize your overall health. Are you ready to make remote work truly work for you? Let’s chat!
So, you’ve got a fantastic website for your small business. It’s your digital storefront, your 24/7 salesperson, and often, the first impression potential customers have of you. Because of all this (and more!), small business owners need to understand that taking care of a website requires ongoing attention and care. Just like your car needs oil changes or your office needs a good clean, your website thrives on regular maintenance. Neglecting it can lead to significant costs beyond just minor issues.
Why You Really Need Website Maintenance (Beyond the Obvious)
We all know the basics: keep your content fresh, and make sure your contact forms work. But let’s dig a little deeper into what website maintenance actually prevents and why it’s a non-negotiable for your business’s health.
1. The Silent Killer: Website Downtime and Lost Revenue
Imagine your physical store suddenly shutting its doors for hours or even days. That’s what website downtime is like. It’s not just an inconvenience; it’s a direct hit to your bottom line. Did you know that for small businesses, downtime can cost anywhere from $137 to $427 per minute? That’s not just big businesses losing millions—that’s real money out of your pocket! Regular monitoring is crucial for detecting these issues before they develop into major problems.
2. The Invisible Threat: Security Breaches and Reputation Damage
You might think small businesses fly under the radar for hackers. Think again. Small businesses account for a whopping 43% of all cyberattacks annually, and on average, they lose around $25,000 due to these attacks (Source:ASTRA Security). It’s not just financial, either. A security breach can destroy customer trust and confidence in your business. Over 60% of small businesses fold within 6 months of a breach, and nearly 80% of consumers will stop using a business if their information is compromised (Source:Snellings Walters). Scary, right? Proactive security measures are your best defense.
3. The Slow Slide: User Experience, SEO, and Losing Customers
Have you ever clicked on a link only to be met with an error page? Or did you have to wait forever for a website to load? We all have. This isn’t just annoying; it hurts your business.
Broken links: They’re a red flag to Google and other search engines. A website littered with broken links signals to search engines that your site is neglected, which can negatively affect your SEO rankings and make it harder for new customers to find you.
At MYOB, we believe in taking initiative with our thorough approach to website maintenance. It’s about more than just keeping the lights on; it’s about making sure your website is a strong, secure, and high-performing asset for your business. Here’s a peek behind the curtain at the kinds of tasks we tackle:
Our “Set Up” Tasks (Laying the Foundation):
Constant Monitoring: Our software acts like a diligent security guard, checking your website every 5 minutes. If your site goes offline, even for a moment, our webmaster is immediately notified. This means we can often fix issues before you even know they exist.
Bulletproof Backups: We set up regular, automated backups, with your database backed up daily and all your website files monthly. These copies are stored securely on a separate cloud server, and we also save a monthly copy to a local “Network Attached Storage” unit. This “belt and suspenders” approach ensures you have both local and cloud copies, so no matter what happens, your site’s data is safe.
Fortified Security: If your website doesn’t already have one, we’ll install a robust security plugin to act as your first line of defense against cyber threats.
Monthly Maintenance Essentials: Keeping Your Website Running Smoothly
Updates Galore: We make sure all your plugins and WordPress core are updated. Why is this so important? Updates aren’t just about new features; they patch security vulnerabilities, fix bugs, and ensure compatibility with the latest web standards. Over 80% of hacked WordPress sites had outdated plugins or themes. Don’t let your website be one of them!
Broken Link Patrol: We diligently scan for any broken links. This keeps your site user-friendly and helps your SEO.
Deep Security Scans: We run comprehensive security scans of all your website files to catch any lurking malware or suspicious activity.
Accessibility Review: We check your homepage for accessibility issues, helping to ensure your site is usable by everyone.
Database Cleanup: We run your website’s database through a cleaner. Think of it as tidying up your digital storage space; this process enhances the speed and efficiency of your site.
Image Compression Scan: Large, unoptimized images can significantly decrease the speed of your site. We run a scan to make sure all your images are compressed for optimal speed.
Email Delivery Check: We check to confirm that all site-generated emails (like contact form submissions or order confirmations) are being delivered reliably.
Ready to Transform Your Website into a High-Performing Asset?
Your website is a vital part of your small business. Don’t let it become a source of stress or lost opportunities. Just like any other valuable asset, it needs consistent care to thrive. By investing in professional website maintenance, you’re not just fixing problems; you’re preventing them, protecting your reputation, and ensuring your online presence is always working for you.
Isn’t it time your website worked as hard as you do? Get in touch to learn more and to talk about your website design and management needs.
Small business owners and independent professionals are always looking for new and creative ways to connect with clients and differentiate their brands in the very competitive market of today. Although QR codes are often thought of in relation to simple connections, their potential is far more extensive. When used properly, they can improve customer relations, expedite procedures, and reveal insightful information.
For example, a small business owner could use QR codes on their products to allow customers to quickly access more product information, reviews, and even exclusive discounts or promotions. Additionally, independent professionals could use QR codes on their business cards to easily direct potential clients to their portfolio or contact information, making networking more efficient and effective. Here are some ways that QR codes can be a powerful strategic tool for your business, extending beyond their typical applications.
Getting Started: Creating Your First QR Code
Creating a QR code is straightforward. You’ll just need to follow a few simple steps to generate and customize one that suits your needs. Popular online QR code generators like QR Code Generator, QRStuff, and Canva’s QR generation tool are free and offer user-friendly interfaces for efficiently creating customized QR codes.
First, choose from various content types such as website URLs, contact details, Wi-Fi credentials, or plain text. Then, add the relevant information to the QR code generator. Many platforms offer customization options to enhance the visual appeal of the QR code and strengthen your brand. For example, you can add your brand’s colours and logo for a personalized touch.
Once you’ve created the QR code, save it as a high-resolution PNG or SVG file to ensure crisp printing on business cards, product packaging, and marketing materials. With your QR codes prepared, you can turn them into effective tools that boost customer engagement and streamline your business processes.
Beyond the Basics: Expanding Your QR Code Horizons
Many businesses default to using QR codes to direct users to generic websites or social media pages. However, when applied creatively, QR codes can serve as dynamic gateways tailored to industry-specific needs.
For Healthcare Professionals
To enhance the patient experience, healthcare professionals can incorporate QR codes in waiting areas or on patient leaflets. These QR codes can be used to welcome patients with an introductory video that reflects the practice’s values, offer secure digital forms for completing pre-visit paperwork, enable a direct connection to the online appointment scheduler for a seamless booking process, and provide informative content on common procedures and preventative measures. This technology can help streamline processes and improve patient satisfaction.
For Legal Professionals
By incorporating QR codes in brochures, business cards, or event displays, legal professionals can elevate client trust and showcase their specialized legal services. Providing downloadable PDFs outlining services and video testimonials from satisfied clients can help build trust and authority. Secure portals for document sharing and an easy sign-up process for newsletters can streamline processes and improve overall client satisfaction.
For Retail and Service Businesses
Adding secure document sharing portals and a simple newsletter sign-up process can help retail and service businesses increase customer trust and authority while streamlining operations and ultimately increasing customer satisfaction.
Additionally, creating interactive brand moments such as embedding QR codes on product packaging for demonstration videos or customer reviews, using window display QR codes for loyalty program enrollments, and placing QR codes on receipts for quick satisfaction surveys can help businesses gather valuable insights and strengthen relationships with their customers.
Best Practices: Design, Clarity, and Strategic Placement
For QR codes to truly work for your business, it’s vital to look beyond mere placement. Focus on these key elements:
Branded Design
Personalize your QR codes by incorporating your brand’s colours, logo, and unique patterns. A visually appealing design can draw attention and boost scanning rates.
Clear Call to Action (CTA)
Use explicit instructions. Instead of a bare code, pair it with prompts like “Scan to Schedule Your Appointment” or “Unlock Exclusive Offers Now.”
Mobile-Friendly Content
Ensure that all linked content is optimized for mobile viewing. Fast loading times and responsive design are essential to support user engagement.
Thoughtful Placement
Reflect on where and how the code is used. While effective on product packaging or printed materials, consider the user environment to maximize interaction—QR codes on fast-moving objects may not be as effective.
The Enduring Benefits of QR Codes
QR codes are far from a fleeting trend. Around the globe, countries like the United States, India, France, and the United Kingdom are ramping up their usage, reflecting a shift toward digital, interactive customer engagement. This international momentum reinforces QR codes as a long-term asset in any strategic marketing arsenal.
In Canada, adoption has skyrocketed from about 5,500 codes in use in 2021 to an astonishing 20,000 by mid-2023, alongside 1.7 million scans in 2022. These figures illustrate how consumers are embracing smarter, contactless technology, making QR codes a timely tool to capture an engaged audience.
QR Codes on Business Cards: Transforming Static Contact Points
Enhance your traditional business card by incorporating a QR code.
The Advantage
A QR code instantly converts a static card into an interactive experience. Whether it directs someone to your online portfolio, professional networking profile, or contact details, it maximizes the small space available.
Important Considerations
Always include traditional contact information alongside the QR code for those who prefer conventional methods.
Ensure the code is printed at a scannable size (ideally at least 1×1 inch).
Evaluate the QR code’s functionality across devices to avoid any scanning issues.
Over to You: Embrace the Future of Customer Engagement
QR codes stand as a versatile, strategic tool for today’s business leaders. By integrating them thoughtfully into your marketing and operational strategies, you can enhance client engagement, boost efficiency, and capture actionable data. Whether you’re in healthcare, legal, or retail, transforming a simple QR code into an interactive asset paves the way for richer client experiences.
If you’re ready to maximize the potential of QR codes or need expert advice on how to incorporate them into your digital strategy, MYOB is here to help. We assist small business owners and solo professionals in a variety of industries with managing their social media accounts and better communicating with their target audience online. Contact us today to learn more and get started.
Simply posting content isn’t enough for small businesses to thrive in the constantly changing world of social media. To truly see if your efforts are working and to make smart decisions, you need to dig into your social media analytics. These aren’t just abstract numbers; they are the key indicators of your online performance, offering insights that can directly affect your bottom line.
Many digital marketing companies offer social media management, but not all provide comprehensive analytics that clearly show value. At MYOB, we believe in transparency and empowering our clients with the data they need to see their social media investment at work. But what exactly are these analytics, and what do they mean for your small business?
Let’s break down some of the core metrics you’ll encounter across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and others:
Impressions vs. Reach: Understanding Your Visibility
Two terms often used interchangeably, but with distinct meanings, are impressions and reach.
Impressions: This metric tells you the total number of times your content was displayed on users’ screens. Think of it like how many times your flyer was seen in different mailboxes. A single person might see your post multiple times, contributing to a higher impression count. High impressions show your content is being viewed more often, which is a good sign for brand visibility.
Reach: This refers to the total number of unique users who saw your content at least once. Using the flyer analogy, reach is the number of different houses that received your flyer. Reach gives you a sense of your audience size and how far your message is spreading to new individuals.
While high impressions are great for reinforcing your brand, reach is vital for expanding your audience. Both metrics, when viewed together, provide a clearer picture of your content’s visibility.
Engagement: The Heart of Social Interaction
Beyond simply being seen, how are people interacting with your content? This is where engagement metrics come in. Engagement encompasses likes, comments, shares, clicks, reactions, and saves.
Engagement Rate: This is a metric that measures the percentage of your audience that interacts with your content. It’s often calculated by dividing the total engagements by your reach (or sometimes impressions, depending on the platform and specific metric). A higher engagement rate shows that your content is connecting with your audience and motivating them to take action.
Understanding which types of content drive the most engagement is invaluable. For instance, carousel posts on Instagram tend to have higher engagement rates compared to single-image posts, averaging around 0.69%, according to recent data. On LinkedIn, the average engagement rate can be significantly higher, around 6.50%, reflecting the platform’s professional networking focus. Analyzing engagement helps you identify the best formats, topics, and calls to action, which allows you to tailor your content strategy for maximum impact.
Follower Count: More Than Just a Number
While a large follower count might seem like the ultimate goal, its importance is often misunderstood. A high number of followers can contribute to wider reach, but it’s the quality and engagement of those followers that truly matter.
Should you pay for followers? The answer is absolutely not. Buying followers typically provides you with fake accounts or bots that will not engage with your content, become customers, or contribute to your business goals. Social media platforms actively work to find and remove fake accounts, which can lead to a sudden drop in your follower count and damage your credibility with real users. It’s far more beneficial to have a smaller but highly engaged audience than a large, unengaged one.
Identifying Top and Least Popular Posts
One of the most practical benefits of social media analytics is the ability to see which specific posts performed best and which didn’t. Metrics like reach, impressions, and engagement for individual posts highlight what resonates most with your target demographic. This data allows you to refine your content strategy, create more of what works, and learn from what doesn’t. This analysis can highlight issues such as poor posting times, content themes that fall flat, or ineffective visual elements.
The Paid Advertising Dimension
Social media platforms offer powerful paid advertising options, allowing you to target specific demographics and achieve goals like website visits, leads, or sales. Analytics for paid campaigns provides detailed insights into ad performance, including cost per click (CPC), click-through rate (CTR), and conversion rate. This data is essential for optimizing your ad spend and maximizing return on investment.
However, it’s also important to understand what happens when you stop paying for ads. Unlike organic reach, which can have a longer-term impact, visibility from paid advertising often drops significantly once the budget is depleted. This highlights the importance of a balanced strategy that combines both paid efforts for immediate impact and organic efforts for sustainable, long-term growth built on genuine audience connection.
Demonstrating Growth Through Analytics
For small businesses, proving that social media contributes to growth and real results is vital. Analytics provide the tangible data to do this. By tracking metrics aligned with your business objectives—whether it’s website traffic, leads generated, or direct sales attributed to social media—you can demonstrate how your social media activities are contributing to your business’s success.
Over to You
We provide our clients with monthly analytics reports that translates numbers into clear, actionable insights, illustrating the progress and impact of our social media management efforts. This transparency is a key differentiator, showing you exactly how your social media is working for you.
Understanding and using social media analytics is no longer optional for small businesses; it’s a necessity for strategic growth. Are you leveraging the power of analytics to truly understand your social media performance? Let us help you go beyond simply posting to help you better understand your brand’s social media performance through analytics. Contact us for more details!
