Hi there. It's Sue and thanks for joining me for Tips and Talk Day. These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small business. If you'd like to submit a topic, DM e over on Instagram at Gift Biz Unwrapped. Have you been looking for new ways to get the word out about your business? If so, consider joining us on a Gift Biz Bash this Zoom. Get Together, turns into a podcast.
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As we start off the new year, here's a thought to keep in mind as you go about upgrading your business processes in the months ahead. It will keep you smarter with your decisions and save you time and money because it prevents you from piling up unnecessary costs without realizing it. Let's call this skill and feature creep Skill and feature creep happens when you add new things in various areas of your business, either that never get used or duplicate what you already
have. By consciously recognizing the potential for this to happen, you're more likely to make wiser choices, which then keeps you away from snap decisions that add to your expenses. This thought analysis is totally free. You just have to stop and think before you're caught up in the moment and make a purchase. To make this a little bit clearer, here are some scenarios where this can occur. One, the almost never ending world of apps. I know you'll agree with me.
It's super fun to download new apps. Many are free with upgrades to either access more or get you an advanced level of tools. I'm curious, how many photo editing apps do you have on your phone right now? I used to have close to 80, but in truth only used about three to five filters, multi-screen templates, video editors, oh my gosh, so many different options, each one doing a little bit of a different thing.
A while ago, I reviewed which apps I'm paying for either annually or as a monthly subscription. Those that I really wasn't using, I made sure that I wasn't auto subscribed so that it won't bill me again when it comes due for renewal or I deleted the ones that I don't use that are charged monthly. I estimate last year I saved over $500 on this one analysis alone, and listen, this is totally reversible.
If I decide later that I want it back and I will use it, I can just go ahead and download it again. This whole activity of adding apps comes with a price on your time too. Once you download a new program, you need to learn how to use it. Is it worth that time? Something to think about. The second area is subscription programs. This can most certainly become a sinkhole of expense because it's so easy to forget what you've subscribed to.
For most things, I like to get the additional discount by paying annually instead of monthly charges. I did a review here too for myself. I honestly didn't have any idea how many things I was paying for, but I was determined to figure it out, so each month when a credit card statement came in, I began making a list of everything I was paying for and how much it cost. I also documented the month these things came due. I had some web storage programs that I don't even know how I got.
There were social media schedulers that I don't use anymore, computer cleanup and antivirus services, and even computer security. Things that were doubled up on each other. I'm only using one, but pain for two or three. I bet some of these got applied unknowingly over the years. You know how they used to have extra services auto checked in a tiny box that you don't even see? I think that still exists to some extent today. These little $20 a year services were probably sold by the
millions. It feels great to get these off my books, but it did take an entire year to identify and erase this feature creep. Mind you, it's been building up for almost 15 years. A third place to look is online courses. Okay. You may be surprised that I'm saying this since I offer online courses, but I want you to really think about this before you succumb to the pressure. A lot of course creators deal you the program is only available for the next few days at a lower price.
Grab the course now because it won't be offered again for another six months, or the price is going up next year and on and on. While these may be great courses and what they're saying is true, ask yourself if you really need the course. Is the subject being covered something you're working on right now, or is it a nice to know topic? Do you even have time to devote to the course? Will you have lifetime or only limited time access to the
material? Consider all of this before you spend your money. If you do elect to take the course schedule time in your calendar to really do it, not just take the training, but then implement it into your business. I have two articles with accompanying downloads on how to decide whether to purchase an online course, and then once you do, how to get the most out of your online course. I'll put the links to these in the show notes.
The final area of skill and feature creep we'll discuss today is your website. Maybe you haven't been seeing sales coming through on your e-commerce site and you're discouraged because you hear about others getting orders every single day. So you think that maybe by switching platforms you'll have stronger performance. If all you do is jump providers, more than likely you'll spend a lot of time transferring over and be left with the same results.
A much better option might be to educate yourself on how to enhance your existing site or learn ways to drive potential customers to your online shop versus investing in a change. Most website providers have free training centers. You can resource on your own time for learning and depending on the platform or the topic that you're looking for in addition to this podcast, I bet you there's another one focusing on that exact area.
A situation where a website platform switch would be a good idea is if you're paying a lot of money for a custom site that you had built years ago and you're still stuck having to ask for outside help every time you wanna make a change, or your current website doesn't include services that you now need to conduct your business, then you should make a switch or jump to the paid level of your current program where those services are available.
So these are four different areas for you to consider to analyze and determine if you really need all of these things that you have, all the apps, subscription programs, online courses, and things like your website. Of course, there are so many more that you have included in your business. I just wanted to give you an example here.
All I'm suggesting is that before you make any additional moves and add more to your processes, evaluate what you already have and ask this question, do I really need it? That's a wrap. I'm a get to the point kind of girl, and this is what you can expect from these quick midweek sessions. Now it's your turn. Go out and fulfill that dream of yours. Share your handmade products with us. We want them, and they bring us both. So much happiness.