4 Steps to a More Streamlined Business
» scattered
» disorganized
» overwhelming
If those words sound familiar when describing your own online business, it may be time to create a more streamlined approach.
The biggest part of becoming a more streamlined CEO is to simplify.
It's not about doing more.
It's about doing less, better.
If you're the person with a million post-its on your desk or an overflowing notes app, keep reading to learn my 4 step process to building a more streamlined business.
01// Get Clear on your Vision & Goals
Whenever a new client comes to work with me, no matter if it's through long-term support or a one-time session, vision casting and goal setting is always step 1.
You can't move forward if you don't know where you want to go.
When it comes to building a solid business foundation, looking into the future will help determine what steps you should be taking today.
There is no specific time frame for this “future” but it’s important to remember that everything you do today, will affect that future.
Helpful tool! Check out the Vision Casting ClickUp template in the shop
You can also think of your vision as your long-term goals.
To determine that vision, ask yourself questions such as:
Where do you see yourself living?
How much money do you want to be making?
How do you want to be spending your days?
Do you see yourself having team members?
Knowing the answers to questions like these will help you build the best type of structure for your business starting today.
Short-term goal planning doesn't matter much unless you're giving yourself action steps along the way.
Since we're focusing on simplifying your business, it's important to not overload yourself.
A common mistake made when setting goals is giving yourself too much too fast.
I recommend my clients set, at most, 3 goals per month and then break each of those down into smaller, more actionable tasks.
Some areas to look at when setting goals include:
» Operations: Can you delegate, automate, or delete parts of your business?
» Sales: How are you bringing in income?
» New Projects: Looking to introduce new things into your business?
» Personal: Don't forget about yourself! What personal things are you wanting to achieve?
02// Analyze your Current Offers and Strategies
Auditing your business is the fastest way to figure out what's working and what's not.
This is something that can typically be added to your quarterly task list.
Helpful tool! Check out the Business Audit ClickUp template in the shop.
Auditing your Offers
When auditing your offer the most important things to look at are:
» The time spent
» The income made
» The joy it brings you
If you find yourself spending a lot of time on offers that either A) aren't bringing in revenue or B) aren't enjoyable for you, that is a big sign to make a change.
This is also a time to increase or decrease your current product suite.
As a service provider (such as a coach or virtual assistant) who is working 1-1 with clients, you may find yourself wanting to increase your income without increasing your client load.
This is where you can decide if creating a passive income product such as a course or digital download would work for you.
As a course creator or digital product creator, you may find that you have many options for your audience to choose from yet only a select few are actually selling.
This is where you can decide if you want to take your low-selling offers off the market and put more energy into your top-selling offers.
Auditing your Strategies
Ever heard the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"?
Oftentimes as online business owners, we find ourselves comparing our businesses to others in a similar niche.
This can cause us to tweak our perfectly good strategy or even get rid of it altogether for something new.
It's a good thing to make small adjustments to optimize performance.
If something is working for you but you know it could be better, take time to audit your process and figure out which areas are doing best and put more energy towards that.
» If you have a lead magnet on Pinterest driving consistent email subscribers, you could produce more pins leading to that page or even put some money towards ads.
» If you find sales always come to you after you do an Instagram live, start scheduling more of them.
» If you find your audience loves a certain style of video on TikTok, create more just like that.
So what if your current strategies aren't working?
The first thing to look at is the length of time you've been executing the strategy.
It can take, at minimum, 60-90 days to see any real results with something.
If you've only been executing for 30 days, you haven't given yourself enough time to gather the proper data needed to make an informed decision.
We've been conditioned to expect things instantly because of things like Amazon Prime or diet commercials. Unfortunately, the world of business doesn't work that way.
After 60 or 90 days, you'll have an idea of what kinda works and what definitely doesn't.
Even if you didn't necessarily hit your goals, there will probably be some spikes of positive results during that time.
» You may notice a certain type of content that performed better than most - do more of that.
» You will find things you enjoy doing more than others - keep that up.
» You have the chance to throw all the rules out the window and keep trying new things - lean into it.
One of the best pieces of advice I have ever gotten is this:
“There are no bad investments. You can always learn something even if it means you learn what not to do.”
03// Track Your Time
This is one of the hardest things to do if you're not used to it, but it is the most beneficial.
When you keep track of where your time is going, you're able to determine what effort yields what results.
According to the Pareto Principle [1], 80% of your results will come from 20% of your efforts.
There's a high chance that you could cut back at least 50% of what you do on a day-to-day basis and still hit your goals.
Tracking your time lets you see where you should be putting your effort.
It also shows you if you're wasting any time during the day.
An exercise I have my clients go through is for 5-7 days, using 30-minute intervals, track everything you do from the minute you wake up to the minute you go to sleep.
I performed this exercise on my own and learned I was spending over 5 hours of my day either scrolling social media or watching tv.
If you work from home, you may not even realize how distractions limit your productivity each day.
04// Cut the Dead Weight
Have you ever found yourself hanging onto something that didn't actually do anything for your life?
Things like trinkets shoved in a closet, clothes that don't fit, relationships that suffocate you?
The same thing happens in business. And oftentimes it's done out of fear.
You may want to pivot your niche but you don't do it because you're afraid you will fail.
You want to stop using a certain social media platform but are afraid you'll lose all progress.
You want to introduce new offers but are afraid no one will buy them.
By completing the last 3 steps, there's only 1 thing left to do:
Evolve into the business owner you want to be and get rid of everything that no longer serves you.
Live launching not working for you? Get rid of it.
Have an offer you hate even though it brings you money? Get rid of it.
Instagram draining the life out of you? Get rid of it.
When you get rid of the things that no longer serve you, you open the doors for opportunities that light you tf up.
Why You Need a Streamlined Business.
If you're operating your business from a place of "I have to" rather than "I want to", you won't make it very far.
By following these steps, you'll be able to do more of what you enjoy and be able to provide a bigger impact.
Streamlining your business is about more than optimized systems and high-performing strategies, it's about getting back to the root of why you started a business in the first place.
Business Backend ClickUp Template Bundle
This bundle includes: business audit check and task lists, finance trackers, vision casting, task management and more!
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