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The Best Tools for Creating Repeatable Processes and Increasing Your Productivity
Did you catch the podcast I did with Allison about minimalism and how it’s impacted my life and business? If you’d like to hear it, you can find it here!
After spending many years organizing events, then homes, I’ve turned my skills and passion for organizing businesses. I do what I do because I know how important it is to have the backend systems in your business organized so that you can be as effective and productive as possible! Today, I want to share with you a little bit about some of the specific systems and process that every business should have in place. For those of you who prefer video, you can watch this session here!
A Quick Case Study on Starbucks
Starbucks is an extremely well-known brand. I came across some crazy statistics, so I decided to look into them a little bit. The first 84 Starbucks stores opened in 1990. By 2000, they had opened 3,500 stores. That’s a pretty good increase for 10 years. However, 10 years after that, they had almost 17,000 stores. Just last year, they increased to over 27,000 stores.
So, why am I talking about Starbucks when we’re all small business owners here? Becauseprocess efficiency (link) was one of the biggest contributors to their success and growth. Efficient processes gave them the ability to grow from 84 stores to over 27,000 in just 27 years. Think about your experiences at Starbucks. The whole thing is very streamlined and efficient. They have simple systems in effect that allow them to push hundreds of people through their store every single day.
Starbucks has been able to SCALE on such a massive level because they repeatable processes in place that are known by every person involved with the brand. Every store has the same processes, and those processes WORK. Because of this, they are able to keep expanding on an exponential level.
McDonalds is another corporation who has scaled massively because they have a simple, repeatable process that everyone knows and can repeat.
Small Businesses and Efficient Processes
In the past few years that I have been in business, I’ve been able to increase my sales by at least 100-120% every year. This is possible because I have put into place procedures, processes, systems, and organizational habits that keep the backend of my business running at optimal efficiency. Those big brand stories are inspiring but may seem out of reach. However, I’m here to tell you that I work with many creative online entrepreneurs who are all able to grow their businesses when they put efficient processes into places.
The Right Tools for the Job
Having the right tools is one of the most important aspects of streamlining your business. There are a few specific tools that I use that make it possible for me to be incredibly efficient.
- Google Calendar is one of the top tools I use every single day. Everything in my life and business goes into my calendar…and if it’s not on my calendar, it’s not happening! I have four different colors that I use to color-code everything on my calendar and pretty much everywhere across all my organizing tools.
- The next tool I use every day is Trello. I use Trello to manage all of my projects, tasks, and business information. I also plan out my week in greater detail on Trello, along with keeping track of all my marketing tasks, affiliate links, client testimonials, and so much more. In fact, my whole family command center is in Trello! I use the exact same color coding system in Trello so that when I see certain colors, it triggers my brain to know what general area that specific card or task applies to before I look any deeper. Trello also integrates with Google Calendar, so they work very well together.
- Another tool I use is Airmail. Airmail is an email client specifically for Mac and iPhone. It pulls all of your email into one central inbox so that you can process everything in the same place. It integrates well with Trello, so that I can easily send tasks that come in through email right into my Trello boards. It also connects to Google Drive and Calendar so sorting everything is super fast. For PC users, there are a couple of options such as EM Client and Outlook.
- The fourth system I want to touch on is Tavé. You’ve likely heard of Dubsado or 17Hats. Tavé is a similar system. Basically, these are client onboarding and management systems. Using Tavé, I’ve definitely been able to increase my sales because I’m able to track leads, follow-ups, and actual client work more effectively. I can finish projects faster and am able to bring more clients on board more quickly because I know exactly where I’m at with all of my clients. It also has a very quick, streamlined onboarding process that gets new clients into the system with just a few clicks in a very short time.
Of course, I use many other tools, but those are the core of my business. I use Ontraport for my email marketing, Buffer for social media scheduling, Acuity for appointments. Stripe, PayPal, and Wave are my accounting tools.
Streamlined Systems Make it Easier to Grow
I’m always adding things, fixing things, and making things better, but having these systems set up and streamlined in the backend of my business saves me at least 5 to 10 hours every week. It’s also made it much easier to bring on an assistant to help me with marketing. If you’ve considered hiring a VA, you need these systems in place before you bring someone else onto your team so that they can easily follow your processes.
Just think about saving five hours every single week. When you’re a small business owner, time is money. If you’re a coach who charges around $200 an hour, you’re opening up the opportunity to make an additional $1000 every week. Of course, there are a lot of other things that go into that and it won’t happen every single week. But, you are making room to grow. You can spend more time marketing, following up with leads, and onboarding new clients. You can grow your team.
Streamlined Systems Give You Freedom
No matter what your business is, having simple systems that streamline your backend processes is so important. Beyond the possibilities to grow and scale your business, saving yourself time on the backend processes opens the doors for you to have more freedom in your life. You won’t be constantly worrying that you’re doing everything that you need to do. You’ll be able to relax, take some time off, spend time with your family. Whatever it is that you’re working towards, you can get closer to streamlining and organizing your systems.
I would love to help you work less while getting more done. I am your systems girl, and I’m here to help you get back those 5 to 10 hours every week. I am all for minimizing the clutter, both physical and digital. Let me help you condense and streamline your systems so that you can move toward the life you’ve been dreaming about!
Schedule a free 15-minute call with me right here, and I’ll show you how I can help you get more done with less stress and effort.
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