In my last year of Graduate school I had the opportunity to take a leadership class with an amazing professor (who also told me to quit my job before it killed me)  which assigned us (2) books to read for the semester. There was one that stuck out to me that discussed a feeling among leaders or business owner called Imposters Syndrome.
As a business owner we often feel like we are not the "real deal" or that we are in fact a "fraud" and will be exposed.  It is very easy for us to look to the left and right or at others and feel like they are bringing it more than we have. It is very easy to look at social media and think "I am a loser" or "How  come I cannot get it going?" , which is a sign of the imposter syndrome.
There are couple of things that we as business owners can do to combat the Imposter Syndrome:

#1 Do a success audit
I took a personal selling class where the professor has us do a 25 page resume of everything we have ever done in our lives. It seemed intimidating at first however we totally underestimate and downplay our achievements  and it was much easier than we thought. We need to do a 25 page resume of all of our achievements and successes so that we have a reference when we need it. Save it as  PDF or picture and save it to your phone so that its available at all times.

#2 Try something that scares the shit out of you
It seems very counter intuitive to do something that totally terrifies you when you are feeling like a "fraud" , however I know from personal experience that it will develop that courage muscle and add to your legitimacy. I picked up surfing about 5 years and heard everything from "What about sharks","Flesh Eating Bacteria", "Can you swim?" , well let me tell you something, none of it came true, the only thing that did happen was I lost about 25lbs, became a stronger swimmer, great Go Pro surfing videos, and made some lifelong friends. If you are working on your inner "Bad Assness" I highly encourage you to read "You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life" By Jen Sincero
#3 Get Moving
Yes get moving, physically go for a walk or run. When we sit and think we also begin to doubt ourselves and/or mission in life because our mind is logical, it wants to make sense of everything. The challenge with that is it only has past facts, has no information on the future. Author Mel Robbins in her 5 Second Rule Ted Talk said that if we don't physically take action in the first 5 seconds of us doing something towards achieving our goals our minds will begin to talk us out of it. So get moving, Run, Walk, Do some squats, etc. But please get moving so we can get closer to our goals and so that we do not feel like an imposter




 Consumer habits are shifting towards mobile consumption as smart phone technology and merchants begin to provide more opportunities for customers to purchase their products via their mobile phones.  As these trends begin to effect small business owners, many are wondering if and when they should invest in their own mobile application. According to a report by Forrester US consumers only use an average of 25 apps and 88% of that time is spent with only 5 apps; so as  small business owner you have to weigh the cost vs. reward when considering your own app or native application.
A person's mobile phone is very valuable real estate in a persons life, and even though phone providers provide unlimited data options for phone calls, text messages , apps and multimedia files, you are limited to how much data your phone can hold. I always advise my clients to think about about  3 things when you ask a customer to download your app:
 #1 Data
Is my app 'heavy" meaning does it take up memory and compromise the performance of my phone. The more bell and whistles your app comes with the heavier or more needy it is and can put a strain on your customers phone. Also people store videos and photos of family  and their favorite songs on that same phone. So make sure your app is more important than that as you might be asking them to compromise getting all of Jr.'s basketball game the favorite workout mix.

#2 Utility
How often does my customer interact with my business? Can they do this via my mobile website? These are a few questions to ask yourself to ensure that your app will not only be downloaded but also utilized.  According to Localytics 23% of all user abandon app after download which is about 1 in every 4 users. I would always advise my clients when thinking of the design and functionality of the app, think of a way to get the user to check it often or provide some "utility". For example I have a radio station that I consult with and I advised them to add some type of musical trivia game to their app as a way to not only keep the customer engaged but also keeps the customer on the app which can help with advertising. 
Optimized for Mobile.

#3 My mobile site might be good enough
Some website providers already provide mobile optimized sites or site that look and work well on mobile phones, so you might not need the extra step. If you use some of the main site builders like Word press, Wix, Weebly, etc you more than likely have a website optimized for mobile phones. The best way to make sure is to use your mobile web browser and put your url and see if you are able to function and if the experience is similar to that on a desktop.
It is true that customers are moving towards mobile everything world, however they have preferences and expectations when it comes to their mobile experience as the experience you provide with your product or service. Any inconsistencies in either experience can hurt you long term. If you are certain that a mobile application is for your business do some thorough research on cost, monthly maintenance, and updates. If you need some guidance or help you can always send us an e-mail at [email protected] Good luck.