As a creative entrepreneur and business owner, selling your products is the primary objective...but, did you know that with a little creative writing your sales and you business can get a boost?

Yep, I'm talking about writing an eBook and here are 3 ways that an eBook can boost your business: 

1. Writing and eBook can add a new income stream to your business.  Whether you make handmade jewelry and want to share tutorials on a few special designs or you're an experienced creative who has tips to help indie business owners, turn that knowledge into a helpful eBook and sell it in your online store. (hint: use your Meylah store to sell your eBook with the instant download capability for digital products so your customers don't have to wait to read it and you don't have to lift a finger to send it.

2. Get your name out there and lend credibility to your brand by sharing your knowledge in an eBook.  An eBook can be as short as 2 pages or more than 100 pages...sharing your knowledge gives people a reason to follow, listen and tell others about you which in turn will bring new customers.

3. Share your experience with others and help the community grow together by packaging your advice into a resourceful eBook.  You never know how much you'll learn from others and how much others can learn from you so share, share, share! 

And, when writing an eBook, make sure you publish your eBook in a PDF file format...it's safer, easier to share and compatible with most eReaders. 

What eBook do you want to write or have you already published one?  Send us your ideas or your finished eBooks and we'll share them with the rest of our readers!

I want you to take a minute to think back to when you got your business started—it could have a month ago or a year ago.  You put so much of yourself into it, right?  Labored over making the product “just right.”  Stayed up too late writing a blog post or answering emails.  Obsessed over your logo to make sure the design was perfect.  You scrapped, worked your butt off, and here you are.

Hopefully, you’re seeing a steady stream of happy customers and a growing bank account.  Now you’ve started feeling that little itch to see if you could take it a step further.  Grow your business into something bigger, more sustainable, and focused on long-term building.  Quit your day job, even.  Support yourself without freaking out about where your mortgage payment is coming from each month.  Now, these thoughts can turn one of two ways:  they can either be a major catalyst, or overwhelm you to the point of inaction.

Let’s shoot for the former, shall we?

The most common fear I hear about growing a business is that you’re scared that you’ll lose your identity, sell out, and become the “corporate-type” entity that’s more focused on making dollars than creating a quality brand.

Now I’m going to tell you why that will never, ever happen.  Because your product, your mission, and your brand all start with you.  You get to choose what kind of leader you’re going to be so step into it and go. 

The #1 rule of good leadership (and coincidentally, the best place to start planning your growth) is: know thyself.

Know where you excel and what areas of your business you LOVE to work.  Know where you have opportunities to do better, and more importantly, where you want to grow.  I, for one, know that I will never really be a technological wizard.  Nor do I care to be.  Just thinking about code makes me spontaneously convulse a little. So, I hire the best web peeps & love working with them.   Conversely, getting the best results for my clients is of primo importance to me, so I choose to continually improve my coaching skills through classes and books.   When you look at these two examples, you can also see an important differentiation:

• Web design is an essential process for my business.  Good, functional design allows my proverbial office door to be open 24/7.  But it’s something that someone else can do way better, quicker, and more efficiently than me.
• Coaching, on the other hand, is not something anyone else can do.  My brand is really all about my relationships with my readers and clients, and I owe it to them to continue evolving, honing my craft, and getting better at what I do.

See the difference?

As you’re planning your growth strategy, I encourage you to take an inventory of your own skills, desires, and priorities for your business.  Know who you are. Hire what you are not. Look for people whose skills are complementary, but who also challenge you to become a better leader. 

Better leaders make for flourishing businesses!

Megan Gallagher is a small-business strategist working with creative indiepreneurs at Method & Madness.  She talks business development, creative vision, and indie lifestyle through one-on-one strategy sessions, e-guides, and the Method & Madness blog.

Main image courtesy of Vvillamon