Maya Gaddie joins me to talk all things technology. When you’re in the growing phases of your business, it’s time to get serious about systems and the tools you are using. We talk about email marketing systems, customer relationship management, project management as well as managing your day-to-day tasks.
Key Takeaways:
Having systems in place and the tools to support you is key.
Tools like Boomerang help you manage your inbox and email workflow for example, answer client emails on the weekend but have them scheduled to go out on the weekdays.
No tool is perfect, while it’s important to look to the future and plan for growth you also have to keep in mind where you are and start somewhere!
Maya Gaddie loves helping overwhelmed entrepreneurs create an extraordinary business by showing them how to free up time and location in their business. With her signature Tech Matchmaking Sessions, she connects entrepreneurs with the very best resources for their business, so they can create the business they dreamed about when they first started, work “on” their business not “in” their business and have plenty of time to enjoy the experience.
If you blog regularly, you’ll soon come to realize that there are things that you do repeatedly. In this video, I go over the Duplicate post plugin that lets you-as the name indicates, easily duplicate a post and its content so you don’t have to start from scratch each time. This is especially useful if you have certain types of posts that you post regularly.
MYTH—Systems are only for big established businesses.
FACT—Small businesses also need systems.
One of the main reasons we start our own businesses is to experience more freedom—freedom to be in charge of our schedule, go at our own pace and not have anyone boss us around. However, we often become slaves to our mounting to-do list, which seem impossible to manage.
Systems allow us to reclaim that freedom. They take the guesswork out of what needs to be done and how to go about doing it. Overwhelm and burnout become things of the past. A flawless flow becomes your reality.
So many of us mistakenly believe that systems force us into small boxes, prevent our creative juices from flowing, or block our ability to perform in innovative ways.
The reality is that there’s very little room for creativity when you’re constantly interrupted by incoming email, panicking about missing a deadline, or freaking out when you forget key details about a proposal you sent to a client.
Systems give us the mental and physical space we need in order to get into our “zone of genius” and create. They bring us sanity. They allow us to breath. They free up our time.
MYTH—Systems are a waste of time.
FACT—Systems eliminate waste.
Creating systems is an art more than a science. It takes time to design ones that work best for our own business. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs think it’s a waste of time to concentrate on developing them because they don’t see a direct correlation between systems and business revenues.
When we start a business, all our efforts go towards generating profits, so we tend to concentrate exclusively on bringing in more clients and servicing them.
What is not visible to the naked eye is how much we waste by not having systems in place. Spending 30 minutes looking for misplaced passwords, website addresses or old client proposals adds up to 3 hours at the end of the week, 168 hours by the end of the year and nearly $17,000 if your hourly rate is $100/hour.
You can also lose customers due to missed messages in piles of unread e-mails, unsuccessful product offerings due to neglected testimonials, or failed launches due to poor planning.
Your turn:
Leave a comment below and share what type of system you can implement in your business right now to help you save time and money.
Natasha was the winner of the Thrive Hive Operation: Opt-in Challenge. If you haven’t already be sure to check out and opt-in to her offering over at SystemsRock.
About Natasha aka SystemsChick
Natasha Vorompiova is the founder of Systems Rock where she breaks the stereotype that systems are just for big enterprises and put damaging constraints on creative spirits. Her unique approach nourishes the creativity of entrepreneurs while helping them establish the essential foundational systems that will enable their businesses to truly flourish. Grab your FREE copy of ‘Systems Chick’s Guide to Transforming Busyness Into Business’ at SystemsRock.
Maya Gaddie loves helping overwhelmed entrepreneurs create an extraordinary business by showing them how to free up time and location in their business. With her signature Tech Matchmaking Sessions, she connects entrepreneurs with the very best resources for their business, so they can create the business they dreamed about when they first started, work “on” their business not “in” their business and have plenty of time to enjoy the experience.
