Back-up to the back-up to the back-up. You have to prepare yourself for Plan B, C, D, E. as far out as you can go.
Veronica is a full-time SEO nerd, a wife, mama of 2, and a Florida native. She is the Founder and President of LoSoMo Inc, a digital marketing agency based in Boca Raton that focuses on quality work and refreshing, empathetic client relationships. When she isn’t busy wrangling a business and two kids, she speaks worldwide about digital marketing, running a company, and being a successful woman in business. Follow her on Instagram (@themodernmormons) to see how she balances it all.
Where did the idea for LoSoMo come from?
LoSoMo was created for business owners like my parents. My parents are Cuban Immigrants that left behind a life of academic achievements, which included medical school in the University of Havana, to essentially start over in a new country. Having to abandon what you thought would be your life’s pursuit and start something new is often the source of where most entrepreneurs come from. LoSoMo was made for those business owners. SMBs who are too busy running their businesses to focus on their marketing but understand it’s a necessity to grow. Our motto is that we help families build their dreams for this reason.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
Monday through Friday 8-5 in the office and then a lot of hours clocked-in at nights, on vacation, on weekends, etc. You name it. You work 80 hours a week for yourself so you don’t have to work 40 hours for someone else. My life is run by apps like Todoist and Asana. Everything has a folder, an order, a purpose to be fulfilled.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I’ve had to allow myself time to even generate ideas. I schedule 2-3 hours a week to get out of the office and just read books or watch online education. Ideas don’t come when you’re in the trenches of your business. They come when you’re reading about others and when you’re converting the written word into tasks to achieve for yourself.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Voice search. I’m ready to give my thumbs a break! I’m excited to see the progress we’re making with voice commands and the connection between devices. Ready for my Jetsons’ life.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Turning off my notifications on my phone. I don’t wear digital devices and I’ve turned off most of my apps’ notifications. My iPhone is the most detrimental thing to my day. It can be the worst distraction on my desk. I go to my phone when I want to, it doesn’t bother me.
What advice would you give your younger self?
The grass is NOT greener on the other side. It’s just a different style of grass. I used to dream of leaving the corporate world for entrepreneurship and now that I’m on the other side, I realize though it’s definitely for me, it’s not necessarily greener. You make what you want out of your situation. You can be INCREDIBLY successful in the corporate world and garner a ton of recognition for yourself or you could do it on your own name and company name. Either route works. It’s just your choice and you will experience green grass wherever you water.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
I know studies have show that multi-tasking is not really physically possible but tell that to a working mom who started her business and worked a full-time corporate job for 3 years. Tell that to the mom that’s presenting and planning a birthday party at the same time. I wouldn’t be standing here in my position without having an extreme gift to multi-task.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
PLEASE take the time to work out or some kind of physical exertion. So many entrepreneurs forgo physical activity and its the worst thing you can do. You want your hair to fall out? Stress can really hurt your body and working out is a lot easier to do than slowing down.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Back-up to the back-up to the back-up. You have to prepare yourself for Plan B, C, D, E. As far out as you can go. What do you do when an employee leaves? What do you do when a Category 5 Hurricane is headed straight for your county? You almost plan more for worst-case scenarios more than success scenarios.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I burned myself out really bad. I became numb to everything. It’s like the wires in my brain shorted out. I had to get away. I had to disconnect for an entire week without WiFi to defibrillate my mind. Please take care of your mind as much as you would your body if you had the flu.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
When you’re still small, you can’t compete with big corporations with tons of employee perks (free gym passes, on-site catering, on-site massages, etc) so I wish there was a program that was Employee Benefit Sharing. Where multiple small businesses shared the cost of similar services to compete with the big companies in town and retain employees better.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I caved and bought one of those online courses you see advertise on FB/Instagram and it was the best money spent. It opened a whole new way of thinking for me to help me automate my business more. Sometimes see others at their best, helps you think outside the box.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
ToDoIst and Asana. Life savers. Not just for me but to bring my entire company together in one platform. Every task based item stays inside those tools so nothing is lost in chats and emails.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
“Traction”by Gino Wickman. It’s like 30 of the best business books into one. The bible of how to organize your company at any size revenue and get everyone on the same page.
What is your favorite quote?
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen”
Key learnings:
- Do NOT neglect your own well-being in the pursuit of your success
- You own your devices, your devices should not own you
- Don’t work in a vacuum. Watch or read others’ successes and get inspired.
- Give yourself breathing room to think outside the walls of your office.
Connect:
Veronica Romney on Instagram: @themodernmormons
Veronica Romney on Twitter: @vromney
Veronica Romney on Facebook:
Veronica Romney on LinkedIn:
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.