Home visits, airplane rides, business meetings, hard drive crash, jury duty…just a few of the reasons over the last two weeks that I was grateful to have systems in place.

If you haven’t yet set up a team of pros and are taking the route of a solo-prenuer for now, this is a mandatory foundation of your business.

You may be able to head out for a planned vacation or you might have to drop everything for a last-second emergency. Is there a system for someone to take care of things in your personal and professional life?

Systems=Freedom. You have the freedom and flexibility you were looking for when branching out in your own business. The best type of system is the one that works for you and it’s the one you will use.

If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there. – Lewis Carroll

If you’re looking to stay organized in your home, your system won’t work like someone else’s does. Their lifestyle, their environment, their schedule vs yours. This is why many people struggle in their weight loss or other goals they set.

So how do you establish a system to success? 

1. What are you currently doing? Is there anything that is working or not working? Is there something that scares you, stresses you out or something that you would have to spend more time learning than implementing?
2. Write it all out. Write on a separate page for each area of your business (marketing, social media, finances, business partners, newsletter, virtual team, in-person team, etc.) What is every step that needs to be taken to make these happen and who is responsible for doing them? If you can include a timeline this helps you stay accountable.

 For example, when I have a new client my system looks something like this: 

1. Client reaches out via messenger–Send them to contact form to schedule a call and collect info (24 hours). 
2. Receive client contact form and call. Research all needed meeting and contact information. Research client’s online presence. 
3. 24 hours before call, send confirmation. 
4. 10 minutes before call, setup work station (quiet, full water, notes, chargers, strong service). 
5. During the call take all notes, ask lots of quality questions (post coming up on this soon) then schedule a time for Branding+Positioning Strategy 7-10 days out.

3. Use the F-Word. Every successful business owner has written, spoken, preached, typed and tattooed (nope, too far) this critical part of their business after each contact with your client. There should always be a clear call to action before, during and after the transaction. You should show them the value you provide, why they need it, what materials they’re responsible for providing and a due date.

4. Where to find it? If you need to leave, where can someone access these documents? Using GoogleDocs is a free and very simple way for your team to access and see real-time changes. Evernote is a helpful system to declutter and organize so your team is on the same page. Team App, Slack and other Task Management Software are helpful for your team to test and use. There is no point in creating a system if no one follows it. Every person should be held responsible for following along and improving what you put in place.

5. Make it simple, make it successful. What can be delegated? What can be automated? How can something be made more efficient? Time is your most valuable asset, don’t waste it; you can’t get any more of it. Your time is worth money and it’s worth saving or spending with your loved ones. If there’s a way you can work smarter, it’s making your system and business work harder for you. Humans have always innovated to improve their efficiency.

There is nothing attracting people to someone that’s too busy. You’re showing them you’re worn down, disorganized and ‘too busy’ for them.

My favorite sources for this are HootSuite, Buffer, IFTTT, among others. If you are looking for something specific, platforms will offer free trials.

Always be improving. You need to implement to see what works and there is always room to adjust your system. Help me out here, would you mind? Tell me about a problem you ran into and a system you implemented that helped your business. Especially when dealing with clients!

Cheers!

Marin

PS: We only have a few weeks left on our Branding+Positioning Strategy discounted promotion! When you schedule a FREE Discovery Session you will receive 75% off your Branding+Positioning Marketing Plan. Let’s Talk!