Allison Bishins Consulting

11/18/2025

A long-overdue newsletter (you can read it at this link and also subscribe there! I only send a few per year.) This has so much news in it, plus some life/business updates!

https://mailchi.mp/9013a42d20da/allisonbishinsconsulting

10/22/2025

Sharing this vulnerable essay on how being a small business owner helped me realize I was q***r.

How cult, culture, and career kept me from myself

09/03/2025

Parents of teens - I have a Semester Business Exploration and a Semester Urban Design, Planning, and Equity class starting next week with a couple of spaces left! You can find both by searching Allison Bishins on Outschool. (Did you know I also teach virtual classes directly for schools and scout groups?) Reach out with any questions or if you need a scholarship - I know how pricey online classes can be!

05/15/2025

Over in my newsletter*, I shared my #1 Social Media Marketing tip right now. It's not groundbreaking but I'm seeing it come up in conversations with my students, clients, and online spaces. Here it is: It's easy to get overwhelmed with all of the possible social media platforms you could be posting on right now. But I can suggest knocking two platforms from your consideration: Youtube and Tiktok. While there are exceptions, these two plaforms are probably not your best marketing options. They CAN be excellent business opportunities for influencers, tutors, teachers, authors, etc., who make money from content creation and sponsorships. But for small businesses looking to reach new and return customers, these platforms don't work well! The search engines are terrible (even as young folks use TikTok as a search engine more than Google!), the audience your work is shown to is too broad, it's too hard to find your business, and even if you go viral it can cause major logistical headaches and bad reviews. What do I suggest as an alternative? Even though Instagram has an estimated organic reach right now of just 0.05% (and you've likely seen my frustration with organic reach over the last few years), it's still one of the best ways for most small businesses to reach customers. Why? Because you can hone in on local customers and build local support. This is so crucial for local-focused businesses - especially during economic uncertainty - but it's really helpful for national/international businesses as well. I'm seeing more resources and courses about using social media as a local tool. When I first started focusing on this, there was very little training available. If you need support on this, my Finding Local Customers on Social Media workbook* is currently discounted, and I have a free Wayfinding video (a key component of social media as a local tool) on my YouTube channel.

* Links below, grafiti from Rome

04/28/2025

Hi folks, I know it's been a while since I've posted! I took a step back from social media in 2024, and I haven't felt a huge pull back in 2025. Ironic, for a social media marketing teacher - except that I've always been an advocate for using social media as a tool, for as long as it's benefiting you! I am a bit more active over on Instagram (usually in stories) and have a Bsky () though I've just barely started posting there. I've been quite busy - mostly teaching business and urban design to teens on Outschool, working with 1:1 social media clients, doing the odd graphic design job, dabbling in headshot photography, and we just got back from a 6 week trip to Europe! I hope you're well! Feel free to message me or connect by email if you want to stay in touch. I do still have a newsletter (you can sign up through my website) though I'm overdue on sending out a letter.

Best wishes,
Allison

01/08/2025

Starting my new year with allll the coffee, reading, and looking back on the past year. I almost skipped my year-in-review, because I felt like I had done "nothing." While I spent a lot of 2024 dealing with crappy health stuff (surgery in the spring and a fall waiting almost 2 months for a thankfully-negative cancer assessment), I'm glad I checked in.

In 2024, my non-revenue milestones included:
- Teaching over 200 students on Outschool, mostly in my Semester Business classes
- Finishing my novel, learned how to query, and helping other folks in their publishing journey
- Traveling to Merida, Progreso, Mazatlan, Tepoztlan, Cuernavaca, Jalapa, Veracruz, Puerto Escondido, Houston, Orlando, and Cocoa Beach
- Adopting a rescue pup that's basically a Beanie Boo and lives in my lap
- Acting as my 10 year old's sound tech and manager in her self-driven journey as a voice actor

It's so easy to lump a whole year into "nothing" or "challenging" (especially at 42 when my memory is - shall we say - not as good as it used to be), so this is a crucial step for me in remembering the individual bits and bobs that really make up a life. I hope your 2025 feels full and lovely on top of the challenges that will crop up!

12/30/2024

Tomorrow is the last day to grab my workbooks, online classes, or consulting/class bundles for up to 80% off. Many of these will be going away (or restructured/re-recorded) soon, so don't wait! At just $10, the Finding Local Customers on Social Media could be one of the most impactful business resources you can purchase - testimonials show how its simple steps made a big difference for small businesses! Link in bio, then click Virtual Courses. DM me with any questions!

11/29/2024

Not sure if my social media marketing courses or workbooks are right for you? Each course/bundle has a description + testimonials, but you're always welcome to reach out with questions! If you're new to my courses, my top two recommendations are the Finding Local Customers on Social Media workbook and Simplified Social Media Marketing on-demand video course. Link in bio, then click Virtual Courses. Bundles with 1:1 Zoom sessions (social media, pricing, efficiency, web/social audit, etc) are very deeply discounted through Saturday. Course + workbooks will still be discounted in December, but the huge bundle discounts disappear this weekend!

10/31/2024

Hi all! While I sort out where I'll be hosting my courses moving foward, I'm offering DEEP discounts on all of my current courses and workbooks, starting at just $5. The course + consulting bundles are SO discounted, you're basically getting the courses and workbooks free on top of discounted 1:1 time. Course discounts available through the end of 2024. Course + consulting bundle discounts available only in November, but all purchases/course access are valid for 1 year!
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Pictured is my favorite offering, a workbook that walks you through how to identify and connect with local customers and collaborators. A recent student told me that her customers are no longer late for appointments, because after taking my class, she focused on developing local connections. Now, her customers don't get stuck in traffic - because most of them walk to her office!
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Reach out with any questions, and please share if you feel called to! (PS, these make awesome gifts for small business owners - just use your friend's email at checkout.)
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PS I won't be offering any special Black Friday or holiday discounts, in an effort to give myself a reasonable schedule, and not put holiday pressure on myself/my revenue. But these discounts are deeper than any sale I've ever offered, so don't sleep on it!