How To Run Your Business With More Ease

STARTING AND GROWING A BUSINESS IS HARD WORK, BUT THE PAYOFF IS UNPARALLELED.

• No limit on income potential
• Creating your own schedule
• Ability to work with who you want
• Doing the work you love

At the same time, it’s a lonely place to be when you’re used to working with a team and knowing what to expect each day, week and month. You know exactly what needs to be done and when so there’s no guessing. In fact, there’s likely a boss or team member who’s waiting for your work and reviewing your performance on a regular basis.

And then there’s the seemingly simple act of having systems and processes set up so you know where things are and how to walk through the day-to-day routines of your business with ease.

Because sometimes business ownership is difficult, and usually that’s because you’re just a little bit less organized than you’d like to be. Business doesn’t have to be challenging if you streamline and allow things to be just a little bit easier.

KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GETTING THE ROI

It’s easy to keep doing what you’re doing, even if it’s just because it feels comfortable. But if you’re not getting the return on your time or financial investment on the action you’re taking, it’s really not worth continuing.

Take a close look at your metrics–whether that’s cost per acquisition, revenue generated, engagement numbers, audience growth, whatever it is that you want to measure. Then make a decision to continue to take action if you’re getting a good ROI–or discontinue and try another avenue for getting the results you want. But to run your business with more ease, you need to stop doing the things that aren’t paying off.

YOU DO YOU

There’s a lot of pressure for coaches and course creators to do things in a specific way. When you have a product suite, you’re expected to package them in a certain way or deliver them the way a big-name coach does. What one person doesn’t work for everyone, and that’s part of the joy of being the boss. You get to decide how you want to market your business and run your courses and programs. That’s what makes them so unique–and gives your buyers a reason to invest in you.

Doing something that goes against the way you’d normally do it can also cause you to slack off and not follow through on projects or deliverables. While there are things you can do to make it easier to follow through, the reality is that if it doesn’t feel right to you, you shouldn’t be doing it at all!

LET GO WHEN YOU GROW

A lot of new coaches and course creators market specifically to newer business owners. They feel comfortable in that space because that’s where they are right now too. But as you grow in your business, learning more and helping clients grow and develop themselves, it might be time to move on.

Growth should be your goal and if you want to serve a different type of client in the future, go for it! It will help you feel better about what you do and make it easier to market.

SIMPLIFY YOUR AUTOMATION

I love good automation and Zapier can be the perfect tool to make it happen–but not every time. Where automation fail is when you’re duct-taping together the free versions of multiple programs using zaps–just so you don’t have to pay for one of the services. The problem is that with multiple pieces of technology, you’re increasing the chances that something could break or fail to trigger. When one program goes through an update, will it break the automation?

A better idea would be to invest in the paid version of one or two of your programs so you can possibly eliminate the duct tape altogether. Often upgrading technology allows more functionality, including being able to eliminate a third party connection. Fewer programs means fewer headaches!

HAVE SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES IN PLACE

I wouldn’t be doing due diligence as a certified director of operations if I didn’t mention systems and processes as a way to run your business more smoothly. With standard operating procedures in place, it’s easy to hire and train new team members and you have a fail-safe method to ensure that every one of your clients receives the care they deserve.

One of my favourite ways to store systems, processes and collateral materials for your business is the business hub–one place where you keep your SOPs, pieces of training, your bio, links to social platforms, hex codes, scheduling links, passwords and more. When someone reaches out to you or your team, everyone knows right where to go, and the information is always consistent.

The name of the game when it comes to running your business with more ease is a simplification. Having everything in one spot, only doing what brings you joy, investing in a few things so you can let others go and focusing on the things that bring you the best return on your time and financial investment. It doesn’t have to be difficult and it shouldn’t stress you out. Be the business owner and grow the business of your dreams.

originally published at www.kristenwestcott.com/blog