Blog Archive — Rough Draft Solutions

As a business owner, your journey begins with a vision, and you develop an idea of what needs to happen and how you want things to be done. While you may have an impressive vision, the challenge is making it happen. Many times, you cannot do it on your own and will rely on employees to help you complete the work and represent your company’s mission. Once you have a team in place, the next hurdle is setting them loose to do their work. You will do your best to lead your employees in the right direction, but at what point does the directing become too much? How much managing can you do before it becomes micromanaging?

PostedSeptember 29, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesEmployee Morale, Internal Communication, Rough Draft Solutions, Business Leadership

TagsEmployee Morale, Employees, Micromanaging, Leadership, Small business

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Employers daily receive an abundance of resumes, and whether yours pops up via e-mail or gets shuffled amongst a database, you’ve only got a few seconds to grab their attention. With such a short time span and fierce competition, finding ways to make your resume stand out amongst the pack is the key to getting an interview.

But creating the perfect resume is a bit of a tricky and (sometimes) confusing process. How should you design it? And which content is important to include and which isn’t? What is the secret to creating a resume that will actually get your hired?

PostedSeptember 23, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesWriting, Resume, Tips, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsResumes, Editing, Writing, Resume Tips

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You may provide outstanding products and services, but if you don’t treat your customers right, they will find another way to get what they need. It is important to show your customers they are respected, valued and appreciated by your company. There are many simple ways to give your customers excellent service, but you want to be the business that goes above and beyond to keep your customers coming back.

Here are seven ways you can better serve and support your customers. The goal is to keep them happy and coming back for more!

PostedSeptember 16, 2015

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CategoriesCommunication, Customer Relations, Employee Morale, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsCustomer Relationships, Customer Service

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As we work to provide insightful and informative content on our blog about different aspects of business and content marketing, we wanted to take a moment to share more about what goes on here at Rough Draft Solutions!

The focus of our business is creating content worth reading. We strive to empower businesses to communicate with their customers in an effective and authentic way. In today’s world, businesses are communicating with their customers through websites, blogs, and newsletters. The challenge is knowing how to produce content effectively, how to write professionally, and realistically, how to get it done!

PostedSeptember 9, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesContent Marketing, Writing, Strategic Communication, Trusted Partner, Rough Draft Solutions

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Chances are if you clicked on this article you’re not new to the idea of social media marketing. With 74% of the adult population active on a variety of social networks it’s evident something is working when it comes to connecting with customers online. That’s basic marketing 101 - be where your customers are.

Picking the right social media platform to connect with your customers is a bit subjective. As I am sure you can guess, most businesses invest the bulk of their energy into the more obvious platforms like Facebook. But there is one network in particular that deserves a lot more attention—Pinterest.

PostedAugust 31, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesPinterest, Tips, Social Media, Marketing, Rough Draft Solutions, Popular Post

TagsPinterest, Social Media Tips, Small Business, Marketing Tips

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For some business owners the phrase, “Marketing strategies” causes them to cringe and quickly shield their wallets. However, developing strong marketing tactics doesn’t have to be difficult nor break the bank. Here are several inexpensive, effective ways to market your business that you could easily implement today.

PostedAugust 26, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesCommunication, Content Marketing, Social Media, Blogging, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsDigital media, Blogs, Original Content, Networking

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This past week, we had the opportunity to sit down with Cooper Spaulding, the owner and operator of film production company, Cold Box Films. His company writes, films, and produces high-quality videos for the small business market primarily in the greater Lansing area.

During our conversation, we discussed why videos are an essential component to successful businesses and how they can help companies flourish. Check out all of the helpful insight Cooper shared with us!

PostedAugust 18, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesDigital media, Marketing, Technology, Video, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsVideography, Digital media, Small Business Owner

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Being a solo-entrepreneur definitely has its benefits - getting to do what you want when you want it and having the freedom of not managing others barely scratches the surface. But when it becomes apparent that your business needs help and you want to add people to your team, how do you know who are the right people to hire? Do you pick those with the most education? The most experience? The best personality? Which qualities are most important to look for in a new employee and which qualities should you look out for as warning signs in interviews?

PostedAugust 7, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesBusiness Leadership, Employee Morale, Internal Communication, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsHiring Tips, Interview Tips

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Have you ever asked your employees how they want to be treated? What their expectations are for you as a boss?

The way you treat your employees has a strong influence on their productivity. In order to establish a strong and successful working relationship it’s important to treat your employees with the same respect as you would treat your best customer.

From an employee perspective, here are a few ways to treat your employees well and create a relationship that is a win-win for you both.

PostedJuly 31, 2015

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CategoriesBusiness Leadership, Employee Morale, Internal Communication, Leadership, Rough Draft Solutions

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The English language is arguably the most complicated language of them all. It has a structure that is vastly different from many foreign languages and rules with the logic that states, “Just because.” With a language like this, it’s almost too easy to make a mistake. There are those of us who catch these mistakes quickly and others who aren’t as tuned-in to the depths of language. For any writer, it’s hard not to become frustrated with the ins and outs of English grammar.

PostedJuly 27, 2015

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CategoriesWriting, Strategic Communication, Communication, Blogging, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsGrammar, Writing tips

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For someone who doesn’t consider themselves much of a writer, the writing process can be fairly intimidating. But writing doesn’t have to be unbearable and scary. And more importantly, writing plays kind of a large part in creating content for your business and is an ideal way to connect with your customers.

Here are a few tips that will help you become a better business writer and improve the way you communicate with your customers.

PostedJuly 23, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesWriting, Strategic Communication, Rough Draft Solutions, Communication

TagsWriting, Writing tips, Content Marketing

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For some, networking simply comes naturally while for others it’s a necessary evil. While we can agree that creating meaningful connections with others is vital to business, it doesn’t excuse the fact that it’s not always easy. Which begs the question: What about networking makes it scary? And how can we get over the fear of networking?

The answer to the first question is simple, networking makes us vulnerable. It forces us to put ourselves out there. And I mean really out there. But we need to remind ourselves that everyone networking has a common goal - to make quality connections to grow their business. And most of them are just as nervous as you! As you meet more people you will find that the reward of the relationships you’re creating greatly outweigh the fears associated with networking.

The second question – how can you get over the fear of networking - deserves most of our focus. Here are six tips that I have personally learned and used in the past two years to help boost my confidence and start building meaningful business relationships.

PostedJuly 14, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesNetworking, Tips, Rough Draft Solutions, Communication

TagsNetworking tips

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Writing for business is simple! You combine words together in sentences to communicate your thoughts and concepts and you're good to go, right? We wish!

If the goal is to inform, engage, and excite customers with our content, we must take it a step further. Just as a rookie athlete needs to practice to achieve perfection, we as business writers need to practice the skills it takes to connect with our readers. We need to be intentional in order to provide the value they're looking for, and ultimately, present interesting content they will rely on!

Today we will share 6 aspects of writing you can work on to gain the skills to produce polished and appealing content for your business.

PostedJuly 6, 2015

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CategoriesBlogging, Content Marketing, Writing, Rough Draft Solutions, Strategic Communication

TagsContent Marketing, Writing tips

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Starting a small business has its perks. We can follow our own creative senses, plan our own timelines, and listen to no one else’s orders but our own. But when the business begins to grow and employees come on board, we must adjust. We are accustom to leading ourselves through our business ventures, but how do we instill the same level of passion, drive and commitment to quality in our growing team? How do you direct people through the ins and outs of the processes you could do in your sleep?

Today we will share tips on how to go from being your own boss to being the boss of others, and becoming the most effective leader you can be for your company. After all, if you don't lead, who will?

PostedJuly 1, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesEmployee Morale, Leadership, Business Leadership, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsLeadership, Employee Morale, Small Business Owner

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The world of blogging is no longer just for documenting study abroad trips and personal weight loss journeys. The blogosphere has exploded across the business world with strategic ways to stay relevant to your customers and provide them with the information they want at the touch of a key.

Blogging increases repeat traffic, keeps your business relevant, and improves customer positivity, according to Neil Patel’s article Why Every Business Should Blog. These are just a few reasons why maintaining a blog for your business is a 21st-century necessity.

Let’s take a deeper look at a six unique ways you can make your business blog more successful.

PostedJune 17, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesBlogs, Content Marketing, Rough Draft Solutions, Writing

TagsBlogging Jackson, Blogging Lansing, Business blog, Marketing Tips, Blogging tips

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When it comes to writing blog posts, we want our customers to be excited about our content and be responsive to what they read. We want to create a blog our customers can connect with, but what should we include in our blogs to make it interesting for our customers? What aspects of our blog will set us apart from the rest?

Today we will discuss a few ideas that can make your blog posts more interesting and more fun for your customers to read.

PostedJune 10, 2015

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CategoriesBlogs, Communication, Writing, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsBlogs, Customer Relationships, Communication, Writing Tips

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How many businesses can you think of that communicate well about the unique solutions they offer? Sure, being able to tell your customers about the products and services you sell is pretty mandatory. But what about sharing what makes you tick? What about creating content that adds value to your customers’ lives? Can you think of any businesses you know that communicate in that way?

While at the heart of many business owners is a burning passion for what they do and a clear reason they went into business, it’s not always easy for them to communicate these purposes with their customers. And yet, this is what consumers are desperately looking for.

PostedMay 29, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesContent Marketing, Strategic Communication, Writing, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsQuality content, Lansing Marketing, Lansing Business, Writing tips

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We are so excited to share with you a wonderful article that was written about Rough Draft Solutions by Capital Gains. As a small business owner, it is fantastic to be supported by such a great organization. We hope you enjoy the article!

Amanda Washburn understands what a blank screen is all about. She's a writer.

Armed with that core knowledge, Washburn decided she would help others fill the void and fine-tune what they had started. So in January 2014, she filled her virtual red pens and sharpened her cyber pencils and set in motion a business that provides strategic writing, editing and marketing solutions for small businesses.

PostedMay 4, 2015

AuthorAmanda Washburn

CategoriesStrategic Communication, Writing, Rough Draft Solutions

TagsWriting Lansing, Editing Lansing, Small business

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