Ask yourself, are your goals unachievable with the processes you have in place?
Consider this, before you get too busy, are your processes capable of taking your business forward or are they slowing you down. Do you need to look again and put into place better systems and tools that will save time, would they help you look more professional?
My business is growing - fast, I’ve been a business owner for 30 years promoting brands, products and services. I started in the toy sector, way before social media and the internet, I was known locally as ‘The Toy Lady’ and yes, I’ve been here before.
The business suddenly sees massive growth, and why wouldn’t it? This is what we have all been working for, fantastic results, however, your people do not always cope well and systems in place are eating up time, not saving it. You as the business owner feel overwhelmed and want to put the brakes on but know this may be your only chance, you work longer hours, ignore the daily tasks and forget about your work/life balance. Eventually,you start to suffer burn-out and mental health issues start to creep in. I don’t need books to know this, I have lived it.
Our memories are fickle they pick the good times, but for people who have been in business a while, we know there are trigger points. These are different for everyone, sometimes only a tiny thing to most people can trigger the panic as we remember how financially painful it can get - at speed.
I was sat on the early morning train to London and completing my promise to review Haley Lynn Gray
’
s book 'Fearless Marketing'
- and yes multitasking, I was still working on my goals for next year. As I read her views on scaling your business, I was thinking, yes she’s got that right. Haley and I have worked together for a few years both in branding and marketing, we might be seen as competitors. In reality we work in different time zones, with different types of clients and during the early hours of our mornings - aim ideas off each other.ifferent source).
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I looked at my goals again, yes our systems worked fine last year, this year they were slowing me up. Next year wasn't worth starting if I didn't change my processes. The trigger points leapt at me.
This week I met 23 new firm contacts, yesterday four people contacted me asking for zoom meetings. I had been, over the last 4 weeks talking to so many people who had suddenly moved from cold prospects to warm and this was supposed to be my 'quiet time. If I couldn't work smarter I was going to hit capacity and my goals for next year would be a non-starter.
Don't think for one moment, thinking through and putting in new processes is easy, first I hit opposition to change, 'What you’re asking for, it’s a lot of work, I’m not even sure that exists’ - as ever I was asking for the moon.
Ok, that's fine - I started delegating my work, (I’m not one to be put off), - it worked. Ok, it took 6 hours and numerous failed attempts - here’s a tip that will save you time, always check up-front new systems will work with the ones you want to keep.
Finding tools that work for you is difficult, frustrating and needs careful consideration, will they work as you scale your business? Watch out for added costs, what you think are low monthly charges can easily add up.
It’s certainly worth the effort of researching and using the comparison sites that are available.
Have you ever bought a washing machine advertised as having 20 plus programmes and only used 3 of them?
The same applies. I find that taking on overly complicated systems too early on is non-productive, I just won't use them. I have to find systems that I’m comfortable with, that have good back up, tutorials and helplines, even an account handler, or I ask someone to teach me.
However, if you have set your goals for next year, consider this - are your processes and tools good enough to help you get the success you are working so hard towards? Look now before it impacts your business.
30 years, living the up’s and downs of running my own business, as a woman starting out in a man’s world.
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