Blog

August 1, 2018 By Brenda Gaddi

3C Digital Team: This is how we do it

We’re going to do something different today for you guys. We talk a lot about what we do and post things that we know will help all small businesses out there. But today, we are going to talk about what our workplace is like and how we are as a team. Hopefully, this will give you a glimpse of our “company culture” and why we work so well.

We are WAHMs

And pretty damn proud of it! We started in the Aussie ‘mummy blogging’ space before the media came up with the ‘mummy blogger’ moniker. It’s the same story as most mums out there. We used to work, had kids, couldn’t go back to full time work and needed something to challenge our minds. After the blogging landscape changed, we decided to change our business model and focus on small businesses that need our help most. Being a WAHM means we juggle family life and work, and we are really good at it, too. It’s not always easy but it’s manageable.

We are doers

Although we do have moments of contemplation, we are definitely doers. Not sure if it comes with being mothers but it’s just how it has always been for us. If we have a plan, we put it into action. Meetings don’t last for hours. We sit down, do our research and then, as Nike said, just do it. No matter where we are — waiting for fencing lessons to finish, waiting for a doctor’s appointment, or doing school pick ups — we keep each other updated about what we can and can’t do that day so we can help each other out. Having nine kids between us means our lives are super busy, in and out of the ‘office’.

We are a cheery bunch

We laugh a lot. We eat a lot. Even while we’re working. We hate office politics so we make sure we make things clear so there’s none of that around. Even the hard stuff are discussed with a level head. When we disagree on things (because let’s face it, this isn’t lala land), we make sure the pros and cons of each argument are clear so we can make informed decisions. And you know what? When one of us effs up, we own up to it. Why? Because we’re trying to be good examples to our kids. Sure, there are moments when dark clouds come pouring, but when that happens, we cope and we try to cheer each other up. Running a small business is already challenging, you don’t want to add a doom and gloom atmosphere to your office.

Wanna have a chat about our services? Give us a call for a FREE 30-minute strategy call!

June 13, 2018 By Kristyn Levis

3 Tips on how to juggle work-life balance

We are veering away from social media and digital marketing today and focusing more on the super popular topic of work-life balance. With nine kids between us, it’s a thing we get asked a lot. Like a lot. Because aside from our work to-do list, there are also the kids’, and if we’re being really honest, our husbands’ every now and then. So in this post, we are sharing the top three ways we get things done and the tools we use to do them. We’ve used this for a while now and it’s been working well.

We Asana it

If you don’t know what Asana is, then we highly suggest you download the app on your phone. Asana is a productivity app that allows you and the members of your team to assign each other tasks. You can also access it on your desktop. You can create projects, categorise To Do lists and add due dates for each task. There’s also a tab for conversations and comments, as well as a more extensive description of that task. The feeling of ticking the task that’s been done is awesome. It also allows us to focus on our own task without having to micromanage each other — which is the best way to go, anyway.

We trust each other

Let’s face it. We’re not kids anymore so we need to take responsibility for our own work. We’ve been lucky to find workmates that we can trust. We delegate the tasks accordingly, based on our strengths. And did we mention we have nine kids between us? There are lessons and play dates and lessons and school activities and doctor’s appointments. The usual 9-5 obviously doesn’t work for us. We work around our kids but when we do, we tell each other about it so that if there is something pressing, the others can pick up the slack. Scheduling and communication are super important to us. And also, we can admit when we need help.

We arm ourselves with experts

We don’t know everything (shock of the century!). We constantly educate ourselves about new things because it’s necessary especially if you’re in the digital marketing space. But when it comes to stuff like financial forecasting, value gap analysis and exit strategies, we need help. So we get help. We have our accountant on speed dial. We meet with our business advisors regularly. We brainstorm with our senior strategist. We check with our lawyer. We basically make sure we cover our behinds on things we don’t understand. Because you know what? The law isn’t going to care whether or not you got distracted because your third child pushed a pea up her nose. The government expects you to follow the rules so you need to know them.

Wanna delegate your social media management and digital marketing? Download our FREE ebook on using Facebook for your small business or book a FREE 30-minute strategy call.

May 23, 2018 By Brenda Gaddi

GDPR and how it affects your small business

Before your eyes glaze over and eventually drift towards better daydreams, like expanding your small business, we need to discuss the important but not so interesting bits. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is going to be implemented soon and as a small business, you need to know if you’re affected by it or not. Or if you should do whatever the regulation says just in case, anyway. In this post, we will try to clarify the major things to help you understand it better.

Who is affected by GDPR?

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) says, “Australian businesses of any size may need to comply if they have an establishment in the EU, if they offer goods and services in the EU, or if they monitor the behaviour of individuals in the EU”.

Do you have customers in the EU or are you planning to expand your market there? If you are, then you’re affected. These are the examples of Australian businesses that may be covered according to OAIC:

Australian business with an office in the EU
Those whose website targets EU customers for example by enabling them to order goods or services in a European language (other than English) or enabling payment in euros.
an Australian business whose website mentions customers or users in the EU
and businesses that track individuals in the EU on the internet and uses data processing techniques to profile individuals to analyse and predict personal preferences, behaviours and attitudes.

What does the regulation cover?

The GDPR is all about protecting people’s data. Remember the Cambridge Analytica scandal? Well, customers are even more wary about how their data is being used after that. In short, the GDPR aims to protect anything and everything that can be interpreted as ‘personal data’.

Here’s the example that the OAIC uses:

The GDPR makes clear that a wide range of identifiers can be ‘personal data’ including a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.

What you need to do

First off, we’re going to assume that you already have Privacy Policy protocols set for your business (and published on your website). Also, that you don’t sell your customers’ data to third parties. And that when you collect your customers’ data, they actually give clear cut consent for you to have their data.

For a start, look through this super comprehensive guide provided by the Information Commissioner’s Office. It’s easy to understand and will help answer most of your questions. But if there are still some really confusing things, then it’s best to see an expert. List your questions and have a sit down with them.