Introduction
Hello, and welcome back to the Entrepreneur Mindset Podcast! If you have been following along with the podcast, you know that this is the 5th and final episode in our series on building systems and processes into your business so that you can generate flow, creativity, efficiency, and longevity in your business.
To bring this all together, I want to give my course creators and coaches a few specific ideas that can be implemented this week. Let’s pull all of the ideas together and then on Thursday, I have a special episode for you with guest Annelise Worn that will help bring this together in a way that feels doable. Annelise shares how her business focuses on helping solopreneurs, probably much like yourself, to build a business on a budget and with systems in place.
But before we get to that conversation with Annelise, let’s tie our own pieces of the puzzle together so that we are ready to absorb Annelise’s wisdom and ideas.
Systems for Course Creators and Coaches
I was working on our schedule, key topics that we will cover, and new skills that we want to work on during the upcoming school year. We use a big easel size post-it pad to map out everything. We have a system in place for the planning process, but it is by no means set in stone. In fact, each piece of information that is added to our massive post-it note is written on a smaller post-it note so that it can be moved, adjusted, or even completely removed.
Having all of this mapped out for the year with our system helps us to streamline things when time gets busier, but it doesn’t turn the school year into a robot. We have flexibility to dig in deeper to concepts that excite him, skim over concepts that really aren’t resonating and find a different way to cover them later, and even speed things up if a concept sparks a flurry of progress.
Why am I telling you about our homeschooling journey? Because I use similar systems in my business. I take out that same easel size post-it and create a plan for 100 days at a time. Weird right? 100 Days? Why not a quarter, 6 months, or even a year?
I love using John Lee Dumas’s 100-Day Goal Journal to map out my own days. He breaks the 100 days down into 10 day chunks so that you can constantly make adjustments as you learn what you can get done and how, and what doesn’t work for you.
It is a system that works for me to not only keep my focus where I want it to be, but also keeps my expectations realistic as to what I can accomplish in a day, week, or even 100 days.
Because systems and processes are meant to allow you to take time to rest. Gaining efficiency, flow, and time doesn’t mean that you need to work even harder and do even more things. Systems and processes can actually (and should) create downtime for you to enjoy life.
The trick is to be patient with yourself as you are creating and refining your systems and processes and then being patient with yourself as you learn to take time to relax and enjoy the life you are creating.
Some of you might be shaking your head right now saying that you are at the beginning of your business and you can’t take time for yourself. That you need to hustle. Can I ask you a question? Who is telling you that you need to hustle? Who is writing on your easel size post-it note in a sharpie?
Your business is a living, breathing entity and as such needs time for things to be tested, to marinate, and to rest.There will be times when going slow and steady is the fastest way to get to your goal at the end of the 100 days.
It is a mindset shift from a 9-to-5 job where you had deadlines and performance reviews. Now, I’m not saying you don’t need to work diligently and with focus. Instead I’m saying that as a business owner you have to be more intentional about scheduling time, creating a system for yourself, so that you are not working 24/7 on your business.
With all of this in mind, let’s take a few minutes to bring together the concepts that we have covered over the last 4 episodes and talk about an action item you can complete this week.
Content Creation
The words that strike fear in everyone’s hearts. Content creation is something that has a bad name because it can feel overwhelming, never-ending, and like it has a low return on investment. This is why having a system in place is critical. For example, you can dedicate one day a week, a month, or a week a quarter where you focus on all of your content creation. By setting time aside for these tasks you create a place for flow to happen, for you to sink into your zone of genius with your knowledge and passion for what you teach and share, and you can schedule and automate all of the distribution.
When you do this, you have more time in the day-to-day to interact and connect with your potential clients and your clients.
Flow
Speaking of flow and zone of genius, pay special attention to the tasks that “light you up”. You know the ones I’m talking about. When you love to do something, it is easier to create a system or process for it, right? If you are new to systems, start by creating a system for something that you love.
I’m not talking about taking the joy out of the task, I’m talking about starting with something that you don’t dread. Why? Because you are more likely to work on this and the key is to get to that place of flow and create your system or process.
Do you love writing emails to your customers? Create a process for doing that. It doesn’t have to be templates. It might be that you sit down with a cup of tea, a notebook, and you brainstorm email ideas away from the computer. Then you order those ideas. Then you sit down at a computer and outline each email and finally write and schedule the emails.
What has happened here is that you have scheduled time for flow as we were talking about a moment ago, you have a process that you know works for you, and you are in your zone of genius creating emails for your clients.
Nothing robotic about it! In fact, you’ll probably find your creativity skyrocketing with good systems and processes in place.
Mindset
All of this comes back to the concept of mindset. Remember when I asked you who told you to write in Sharpie on your easel sized post-it note instead of pencil or post-its that could be moved and adjusted? Having a mindset for systems and processes isn’t about setting things in stone, it is about creating opportunities for your business and life to flourish.
With the mindset for systems and processes you are opening your business to sustainability. You are protecting your health, your energy, and your love for your business that got you started in the first place. You are also taking active steps toward avoiding burnout.
Action Item:
For this week’s action item, let’s focus on just one thing. I want you to evaluate if systems and processes are right for your business. If you’ve been following along with this series then you have been working on implementing systems and processes. If you are new to the series, you maybe haven’t had that chance yet. This activity will work regardless of where you are right now.
Take out a sheet of paper or your notes app and divide the paper into four quadrants or boxes. Label the left column, “Pro”, and the right column, “Con”. Then label the first row, “Not Using Systems and processes” and the Bottom row, “Using Systems and Processes”.
Before you tell me that pro/con lists don’t work for you, this is not your ordinary pro/con list! Take some time to brainstorm the pros and cons for using systems and processes and the pros and cons for NOT using systems and processes.
Why? This balance sheet will help you make a decision for your business and your needs right now. Every entrepreneur, course creator, coach, business owner is different and ultimately you have to implement the ideas that are right for you. This will stretch your thinking so I recommend that you find a chunk of time and a quiet place so that you can really think. See what pops up for you.
Conclusion:
There you have it! Today we have reviewed the benefits of putting systems and processes in place for your business, with an eye toward flow, creativity, and creating space for your content creation. But this is not a one size fits all approach and your action item will help you gain clarity on whether or not now is the right time to create systems and processes in your business.
I’d like to invite you to join me again on Thursday for a conversation with marketing expert, Annelise Worn, as she shares her ideas for connecting with clients while still cultivating a sense of harmony between work and life.
If you’ve found today’s episode helpful, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review.
I will see you back here on Thursday for another episode of the Entrepreneur Mindset Podcast, where a focus on mentoring, community, and implementation removes the overwhelm of building your successful and profitable business and adds in a dose of momentum.
Until next time, have a healthy, safe, and happy week.
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