I have a secret to tell you.
You don’t have to work 18 hours a day to grow your business.
What if I told you that you can save an hour a day, and get everything you need done daily while stressing less about building your business and enjoying your life.
You can do it right now by putting these 4 things in place immediately.
1. Set Up A Project Management Software
If you’re anything like me, you have a million journals with a million to-do lists and you often feel overwhelmed with everything you have to do. Not to mention, your inbox is overflowing, your team communication is all over the place, and you have so many projects you’ve started but can’t seem to actually complete.
Here’s how I’ve gotten all of my projects under control and keep all of me on track to reach my goals: CLICKUP!
FUN FACT: I am a systems junkie! So I love to test new systems and try out different features before settling on one. I have tried them ALL! Trello, Asana, etc. You’ve named
But nothing has helped me manage my projects, stay in consistent communication with my clients, and team, and even helped me build a database for my keto recipes like ClickUp.
(If you need help organizing your ideas and setting up your daily workflow, click here to apply for a 1:1 Strategy Intensive where we discuss how you can implement this in your business.)
I stan ClickUp for obvious reasons, but your needs may be different than mine. You may prefer a system with fewer features that still get the job done and keeps you organized. If that’s you: Trello would be my next suggestion. Either way, sign up for project management software so that you can start putting your projects in one central location and you keep track of everything you’re working on.
2. Document Your Processes
One of the biggest time wasters I’ve witnessed by many business owners is trying to remember the steps to a process or system that they’ve already set up. This is a huge problem because oftentimes, we wear so many hats and believe that by relying on our memory we will be able to complete a recurring task more efficiently after we initially set it up.
I have learned that the 15 minutes it takes to outline the step-by-step processes in my business such as setting up a landing page, creating an email sequence, or creating a new blog post, saves me hours of time and helps my VA complete their tasks quicker. With documented processes in place, there will be fewer mistakes and the work will be completed faster. Processes can be created in either text outline, checklists, or an instructional video.
For the next 30 days, create a new process outline every day and if you have a VA have them also create an outline of the steps they take to complete the assignments you’ve assigned them.
3. Create a business organization chart
Ask yourself, “What can I do really well?” “What skills do I get the most compliments from?”
No matter your career or educational background, you have transferrable skills that you can use today to help you build a business.
I have over 10 years of management experience. During my time in management, I have learned how to manage and build teams, how to hire and fire employees, how to effectively communicate with different personalities, and how to organize and implement systems and processes within an organization to make sure it runs smoothly.
I’ve also developed many skills while working in customer service. I have learned how to access a company’s goals and set plans to make daily, weekly, and monthly sales goals. From my experience, while working for Fortune 500 companies, I learned that if a company is struggling with reaching financial goals, it is directly correlated to their customer service and their failure to retain customers.
With these skills, I can help my clients assess their company’s performance and find areas of opportunities to improve so that they can meet their goals.
On the other hand, you also have to consider your education and the skills you’ve developed in school.
Ask yourself, “What did you learn in college or high school that you can create into a business.”
I attended Auburn University for fashion design and business management. During my time in college, I learned how to design a clothing line from scratch, sketch fashion illustrations, use Adobe Creative Suite to create line drawings, spec packages, fabric prints, graphic designs, logos, and websites. On the business side, I learned how to read and write financial statements, manage a team, marketing and sales, and how to create the business foundations. During my time in college, I was very active in our campus magazine and our university program council. In those organizations, I learned how to write for a magazine and put on events.
Think about your education and your time in school.
What classes did you take?
What extracurricular activities were you a part of?
What skills did you learn that you can transfer into a business?
4. Use time blocking & the Pomodoro method.
Ask yourself, “What solution do people want that my skills can solve?”
Using my customer service skills as an example, business owners need someone who can help them find out why they’re not making enough money and help manage their customer service. They would love to have someone on their team who can assess their current customer service strategy and help train their team members.
If I wanted to use my fashion skills, I can create a boutique for plus-sized women because that portion of the industry is underserved. Another example would be helping business owners set up systems and operations so that their business runs smoothly.
Always remember that there’s a person for every skill that you have. The key to finding your low hanging fruit is finding out which of your skills do you enjoy doing the most.
After you take your ideas and research what the market needs, you’ll find your sweet spot.
You are now equipped and ready to pick your first idea. The only thing topping you is action! So make a decision and take small steps daily towards your goal. If you don’t, you’ll look up 15 to 20 years from now trying to figure out how to make things happen.
