She’s Got Systems

Find the systems you need to grow your business

Are You Fully Engaged in Your Work?

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I want to share with you today a resource helped me when I was building my business. It’s a book called The Power of Full Engagement, and the authors worked with athletes to help them manage their energy throughout the game.

The athletes have a very physically demanding jobs, but the more they worked with them, the authors realized that traditional office workers and entrepreneurs need this support as well.

It can be really difficult to manage your energy. If you find that you’re exhausted at the end of the day, there are ways that you can manage your energy in four key areas. There’s so much in this book, and I’ll go over some of it in this video.

 

 

Types of Energy

Emotional
Physical
Spiritual
Intellectual

Challenge this week

Notice when your energy is high and low. When it’s high you feel like you can take on any challenge, conquer anything and go for hours. When your energy is low even simple work tasks seem herculean.

I’ll be sending out some additional resources from the book in my weekly e-zine so if you’re not receiving it already fill in the boxes on this page to get updates.

Planning for the New Year

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I’ll admit, I’m a planner. My family would laugh at this understatement since I tend to overplan when it comes to most everything. I was the kid who packed her bags a month before camp, just to see if everything would fit. I also like lists and have been known to make a checklist of things I already finished just to have the satisfaction of checking it all off.

So when it comes to a New Year, you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that I have plans, oh do I have plans! But instead of the typical, Type A, O.C.D. list with sub points and bullets and footnotes to denote exactly what I’m doing every month, every week of the year, I’ve taken a different approach.

While I do have goals for the months ahead, my priority in the past few days has been finishing my first Mind Movie. If you’re not familiar with the process keep reading, it may be something you want to do in 2012.

The process started a few years back when I was asked to write out, in detail, my perfect day. That appealed to me, it was like a list and covered many aspects of my day on a “perfect” typical day. Even completing the assignment was helpful and eye opening when I honed in on what made me tick and actually made a new friend with a similar perfect day.

Recently I reopened that doc and tweaked a few things before incorporating it into my Mind Movie. Since I have very little patience for video software I used Powerpoint to create my movie. It’s about 4 minutes long and consists of a series of pages with words and pictures that represent the life I want. It’s not incredibly detailed but enough.

In the slides about travel, for example, I used a Polaroid frame for images of the cities and monuments I want to visit in the next few years.

Photobucket

Instead of looking at a list, now I daily watch this short movie about my life. It’s a little like a future looking autobiography. And the images evoke a much stronger connection than simple words.

So if you struggle with coming up with a 2012 business ‘plan’ or you’d just like to do something a tad more creative to represent the life you have on December 31, 2012 then try a Mind Movie. Begin each day watching your movie and then get to work making those images reality.

Support In Your Business in 2012

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I hope that if you’re running your own business this holiday season, you get to take some time off for yourself. If you’re looking to take off more time this year or want to enjoy the time off that you’ve got, I have some tips for you.

If you look at other professions, every profession at the top of their field has a support team in place to help them see more clients. This is something I’d love to help you create in your business, so that you can serve more clients and make more money.

Two challenges typically come up: (1) how to outsource and (2) how to make sure your team doesn’t screw up and alienate your best clients.

I’ve got some tools to help you! If you haven’t already signed up, fill in the boxes on this page to get them.

 

Clean Up Your Business

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This is quite possibly my favorite week of the year, right between two major holidays and it’s still pretty quiet in most businesses. With so many people heading out for post-Christmas sales, there are some of us who like to take advantage of this time to get really productive and ready for the new year.

Even when I worked in a corporate setting, this was the week when we encouraged our staff to clean up their desks, give files to the intern team to handle and restock.

As an entrepreneur you can easily do the same, utilizing this time to develop some systems in your business for the next year.  There are some amazing benefits to starting the year off fresh that I wanted to share today.

With a consciously stocked office you’ll minimize trips out and orders online

The first year in my business my accountant was astonished I didn’t have receipts for stamps, printer paper, a fax machine, or file folders. That wasn’t because I didn’t keep receipts but because I didn’t use those things to run my business.

Consciously decide what you need to keep your business running and if you need stamps and printer paper, by all means buy them!

It helps to know how much you use because overstocking can be an unnecessary expenditure and take up valuable space. I write on the last ream of paper in my office closet “reorder printer paper” and I set monthly reminders to check my ink levels in the printer so I can order backups when my office supply store has a sale.

This week determine what you’ll need for the first quarter 2012 and buy it now. In addition to feeling ready for the business of the New Year you’ll have fewer errands in the coming months.

Planning helps to solidify your intent

Earlier this year I wrote about how you can plan for success by having the tools in place to take on new clients. This goes a step further to mentally prepare you for that shift. This may manifest in file folders for your client cabinet, empty and ready for new clients or a stack of new thank you cards for your 2012 affiliate partners.

Take your 2012 plans and consider what you may need to support that goal. If you need support around seeing the process ahead of you and all the details then I’d love to chat – these are some of the very projects I work on with my private clients to launch their businesses in 2012.

Cleaning out the old gives you a fresh mental start

There’s something about holding on to old files that makes my heart sink and stomach twist. Sometimes it’s a poor reminder of what happened, what could have been and where you used to be.

Let it go.

Whether that means sending files you’ve held on to back to that client (if you didn’t have a transition plan in place for content) or deleting your duplicate copies: it can be wonderfully freeing to get that space back.

If you’re in a business where you may need files for reference or legal reasons then invest in online storage. Whatever solution you chose, don’t place it online or in a file drawer right next to the awesome clients you have now and all their great stuff. Clear it out of your mental and physical vision so you can focus on the great things ahead, not the not-so-great things behind.

As you’re preparing keep an action list

This is one of my favorite tactics, whether I’m cleaning around the house or organizing my office to take on 2012.  While you’re working keep a pad of paper nearby for all those thoughts that pop into your head.

Maybe when you’re tossing an envelope from an Amazon order you’ll remember that book you were going to send a client. Or when you recycle your conference name badge you’ll be reminded of the workshop you wanted to give next fall. Sometimes a physical object remains in our possessions as a reminder of some action we want to take.

Instead of holding onto unsentimental reminders, take action.

Pretty it up

One of the reasons that I became an entrepreneur is because I didn’t want to surround myself with the  ideals of a company I did not support.  I consciously chose my work, my model, and the clients whom I serve. In the same way I no longer work in an environment that was a mismatch of ideals, I want my office to perfectly express me.

In my home that means a desk that was passed down three generations, a whole lot of reference books and resource material and some of my favorite photography on the walls. It’s a space that I love to work in and brings me joy.

How about your space? Is it enjoyable, pretty, clean and classy? Do you get enough light and air and does it smell good (or at the least not smell bad!)?

Take some time and energy this week to make changes to the physical space whether that be getting a new chair, bringing in a second monitor or simply opening the window for fresh air.

Cloning Yourself in Business

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I firmly belief that in any business a solo entrepreneur can learn to clone his or herself on 80% of the tasks that are currently being done. But I also believe that most people think it’s too hard, takes too much time or is impossible to clone themselves and fail to try.

It’s hard for young entrepreneurs to learn because we’ve been told so often that we’re “unique snowflakes” that cannot be copied and thus everything we do becomes special and unique in our own estimation. And more grounded and mature entrepreneurs have often tried working with a team or an assistant and most of the time things don’t go very smoothly.   “It’s easier to do it all myself” they convince themselves, struggling through all the tasks that need to be done until they’re exhausted and slightly disgruntled with the work.

Cloning yourself in business can be done with integrity, without enormous cost or time investments and still enable you to be uniquely you.

I’m sure you’re aware of the 80/20 principle and its applications in marketing and clients.  If you haven’t read the book, the theory is that 80% of your profits will come from the top 20% of your clients. You’ll get 80% of your marketing results from 20% of your efforts.

And, if you’re wise, you’ll continue to focus on the 20% that produces the best results to grow your business and make the most of your investments.

Your time spent in the business is no different. You are unique in what you teach and how you serve your clients, that’s the 20% and the special sauce you should be focused on. Instead of giving 20% of your time to clients and 80% of your time managing the business, clone yourself!

What do you mean “managing the business”, Kelly?

Well, if you’re working on your website, creating your own graphics and logos, formatting ezines or blog posts, and doing all of your own scheduling, emails, billing and marketing then you’re probably spending 80% of your time managing aspects of the business that do not directly relate to developing content or serving clients.

That’s fine if you’re just getting started and you need to lean in some of those areas because you’ve got more time than capital to invest. But if you’re full up on clients and either turn new business away or simply stop marketing, the truth is, no matter how complex your business,  you can absolutely recreate those results with the right set of instructions.  Think about an image detailing the process of making paper snowflakes.  They look complex and certainly there are several steps involved, but what someone has done is taken the time to write out instructions, provide photos showing the process and take a paper snowflake novice from no knowledge to expert.

If I concede it’s feasible, the question remains how do I get started today?

Well, that’s what I’m here to do – show entrepreneurs how it’s possible and guide you along the way. First, if you haven’t downloaded my free book you’ll need that first. It gives you the solid foundation for why this is so important and resources and action steps to get the software you’ll need to begin.

Get the Play a Bigger Game Business Playbook now!

The second way to get started is to take very small steps toward creating the systems you need in your business. Just like making paper snowflakes, it seems silly at first to say “collect a sheet of white 20 lb paper and a pair of sharp scissors” but that’s how good tutorials work – they take all of the questions out of the process!

 

Is Constant Improvement a Trap of Perfectionism?

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It may seem daunting or unnecessary, or even perfectionism, to work in systems when most of the time, after initially setting up processes, many will go into improving them with each iteration. Such dedication can be called obsessive or show that entrepreneurs are never satisfied with what they have now.

I believe that the very dissatisfaction that others see and dismiss as obsessive is the very drive of entrepreneurship.  It’s seeing that we are constantly growing and evolving, in lives and business and where the two overlap. I’m sure Emeril’s family might have wished he would stop changing the spice combinations in his meals every night or Stephen King’s family asked he would come up from the basement and stop revising the same sentence over and over again.

How else would the good get better and what better way to refine your skills and build confidence in your work?

There’s a natural drive when you’re immersed in and passionate about something you love doing – after all no one mocks Tiger Woods for practicing his drive or Venus Williams for perfecting her serve. The difference is that athletes train their muscle memories while most entrepreneurs need to remind the mental memories.

Even if you know what should be done, having a written record that can be referred to and taught is essential.  And that takes time to develop, it has to be customized to your business, to you and to your goals.

Once you have those systems in place and use them you’ll ensure that all the things you’re tracking, all the small things you measure are perfect.

So it’s not really obsessive to check every link in your e-zine before it goes live to ensure all the links work properly; it’s dedication to your message.

It’s not crazy to read your sales page for errors a final time before it goes live; it’s a commitment to excellence.

And it’s not nitpicking to ask your team to use a specific email signature; it’s consistency of branding.

Is constant improvement healthy?

There are many things about entrepreneurship that fly in the face of reason – after all we’re so often encouraged to slow down, appreciate what is without wishing for more and be content. All of that is great advice but when it comes to serving in business it’s okay to push for more so you can get your message out there, help more people and create a bigger impact.

The challenge is focusing on the things that will bring the most value and getting those spot on before addressing all the smaller things. After all, if your sales page doesn’t have any copy then you shouldn’t be worrying about the font choice. And if you’re unclear on your market and offer then don’t yet worry about advertising campaigns.

I’m not encouraging rigid, tight fisted control over everything in your environment – on the contrary – systems allow you to give responsibility to someone else without the fear and worry that usually accompanies delegation. With the proper systems you’re able to effectively clone yourself in your business so your team will perform tasks just as you would without your constant oversight.

But, isn’t it controlling to want everything just right?

Now this really comes down to your interpretation of controlling. Yes, it means you are in control of your business and taking personal responsibility for the outcomes. No, it doesn’t indicate that you’re a mean, bossy or rude person. It’s all in how you communicate and make improvements in a way that’s confident without being dictatorial.

One of my favorite elements of working with my private clients is understanding and learning from what did not go right. I love this time because it allows us to hone in on the 1% that isn’t working yet and fix it. Often I get to take a moment and call attention to the fact that 99% of our process, 99% of the system worked exactly how we wanted it to and celebrate that accomplishment. It’s okay to focus on the 1% and make adjustments until it’s perfect.

As entrepreneurs we know that perfect is always being challenged, we’re learning and adapting and growing every day.

To me, that’s the beauty of systems, once in place they can grow with us and support our businesses as things change all around us.

Act Your Stage

Business Building by

When it comes to small business there are a slew of options for marketing, websites, networking and even Twitter. Often I hear entrepreneurs asking what solution is right for their needs and where they should start.

Do I need a $15 website template or should I get one free?
Should I hire a graphic design team and website developer or figure it out myself?
Which is better: Infusionsoft or Aweber and 1ShoppingCart?
Who should I hire first: a VA, personal assistant, or copywriter?

And the answer is: it depends on your stage of business!

Most businesses don’t like to tell paying clients ‘no’ so they choose not to share who their product or service doesn’t serve. It’s tempting too, because when you read that Infusionsoft makes automation and marketing campaigns easy, you want to sign up. But if you don’t have an established list or you’re not selling products and packages, then it may not be a wise investment. After all, I believe InfusionSoft is a great product, but it won’t help you if there’s nothing to market or no one to market to yet.

Notice the yet.

It’s imperative that you are honest and self assess what stage of business you’re at now and where you want to go. There are plenty of services that are amazing and well worth the investment but if you’re not ready for them, it’s a waste of money for you.

While it can be hard to scale up and spend more money when you’re used to a low budget approach, it can be equally difficult to scale down if you go for the best option too soon.

In the beginning stages of business, you’re often working to build your client base and have fewer financial resources. This is the perfect stage to dig in, figure things out, and learn the ropes of your business. This is also the ideal time to write your systems as they are in the beginning, so you can improve and teach them to others as you grow. It may take you hours to learn all the tricks so be willing to ask for help, read free reports and content rich e-zines, network, and ask your colleagues for help when you get stuck. Be aware and honor the time of others though as you learn and support them when you’re ready to invest more and within your network.

Once you’ve built a business model that works and your time is filling with client work, it’s time to outsource in the areas that will bring you the most leverage. I covered that in detail in this post.

When you grow into the stage where outsourcing can leverage your time so you can serve more clients and earn more money, your systems will save your sanity. Not only will it make training a team a smoother and faster process, but your time will really free up when you’re not answering a ton of questions every single day.

At the stage when you are able to invest thousands or tens of thousands of dollars each month in the products, technology and team you need, you may look back and remember being reluctant to pay $24 a month for a project management account. Neither approach is “wrong” just as your current stage cannot be wrong. It’s just where you are right now.

When you’re evaluating how much to spend on products, services or coaching to grow your business, you need to evaluate the impact on your revenue. Who are these products and people serving and do you fit the criteria? It can be hard to find those who are in complete integrity and able to tell you “no, you’re not right for this right now,” but those are the very coaches, teachers and trainers that you want to seek out.

Building your business and choosing to invest in the right things at the right time is an on-going process. But just as you can take a plant or flower and watch it grow, keep putting the right elements into your business and watch it blossom.

Remember, there’s no judgment in choosing a cost effective, do it yourself option, nor in investing to have experts support your business growth – it all depends on your stage!

Networking Systems for Success

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How many dozens of business cards do you have with people you’ve never contacted?

We’ve all done it, gone to a great event with tons of people you want in your inner circle, as clients, colleagues or just referral sources. Then you get home and that wealth of information gathers dust on your desk for months until you think “I can never follow up now…”

The good news is there’s a solution and in today’s post I’m going to show you how to build your network in an hour. Ready?

Tip #1 Create time 

Before you even leave for the next event I want you to look through your calendar and create space after the event, preferably the next day, to implement this plan. Mark off at least an hour and just title this time “Biz Card Follow Up” and make sure you’ll be at your computer.

This is important to establish a system (you know I’m all about systems by now, right?) to succeed.

True story time: last month I attended an event and did not do this step. I left the event and traveled for 5 more days before arriving home, exhausted. And while I’ve been working through the stack of cards for the amazing people I want to connect to, I’m still not done! Oh had I just scheduled some time the following morning before I checked out of my wifi friendly hotel!

Tip #2 Network

When you’re meeting new people, be sure to ask good questions. Who they work with, what they’re passionate about, what they uniquely provide. This serves two purposes: one, you’ll be able to identify other people within your network who might like to meet your new friend, and you’ll be able to weed out the wannabes. Such as this conversation I had at an event:

“Hi Anne! What do you do?”

“I’m a blogger.”

“Oh, great! What topics do you write about?”

“Everything.”

Uh, great? Do you see the problem? “I’m a blogger” tells me nothing about your niche, your passion or your business. And even though I tried to ferret out more information, how do you discuss “everything” or connect to this person? Would I send her a colleague who wanted to read about “everything” or not? Also, I have no idea if her name was Anne, that’s how memorable she was.

Some people attend these events just for the food and socialization practice. That’s fine, just try to identify and spend your time talking with fewer people who are genuinely interested in your business or you in theirs (ideally both).

Tip #3 Document

As quickly as possible, if you can the next morning, you want to take the information about the person you just met and add it to your CRM or Customer Relationship Management tool. No, it doesn’t matter if they’re not a customer yet.

For this I use Highrise and it’s a fairly affordable option. If you’re serious about growing your business and developing systems that are scalable it’s a great tool. If you follow this system and get just one referral or new client it’ll pay for Highrise many times over.

After each event I type in the information provided on the business card, including the address, and then make a note about where I met them and anything memorable from our conversation. Even if you have a horrible short term memory like I do, you’ll be able to remember the basics. If you’re networking for quality, not quantity, this step is even easier. It helps that I’m a fast typist but do not get caught up in the minutia here. You probably don’t need to outsource this to anyone right now. Just enter them during the hour you set aside.

Tagging your leads can be fun because you’re the only one who will be seeing these for the most part. I use a combo of location and industry so common tags I use are “lawyer” “San Francisco” “marketer” “coach” “Sacramento” “wellness” and “drinks” – the latter obviously reserved for those I talked with over dinner or drinks after a conference.

Now you can sort through the leads and your network when you’re looking for marketing help or someone in San Francisco that practices yoga or pilates (both added under wellness) you’ll be able to see everyone in your network.

Tip #4 Follow up

Before you toss the business card and leave your new network friends to stagnate in your CRM you have to take one more step: contact them.

That’s right, send a follow up email within 48 hours of the event. Now, if it’s been more than 48 hours, all hope is not lost. But ideally you want to reach out right away.

“But what do I say?”

It honestly depends on your goal, but you should be able to create an easy template based on the next step you see such as:

I’ll refer to you if I come across someone needing a ________
Let’s continue our conversation over coffee/lunch/drinks
Tell me more about your business
Would you like to receive my newsletter via email?

That last one is a bit tricky so I’d reserve it for those who you talk to who sounded interested in your business. Of course, if someone expressed an interest in hiring you, reach out to them first! Continue the conversation and sign the client if they’re a good fit.

Highrise makes this incredibly easy because you can schedule a task and they’ll email you the reminder. The recent networking event where I met a ton of great people and three potential new clients left me with a dozen people who I wanted to connect with right away. So for each person I added a task with my next step:

call about setting up a meeting
write thank you email
contact for more info on services
email after returns from vacation in 2 weeks

Because it was just a few hours ago I can still remember details like this and each person has a next step outlined.

Tip #5 Canned Responses

If you use gmail, be sure to enable the Canned Responses Lab in Mail Settings. This allows you to write one message and then insert it to multiple emails. I use this and customize each email but the standard stuff is already there. Alternatively you can create these messages and save them to use after each networking event.

In my Play a Bigger Game Business Playbook I describe this process, it’s just like the football team that needs to know the play so they can perform. You’re the same way, once you know what you should do you can get to it.

And if you don’t have your Play a Bigger Game Playbook Guide yet sign up here to get it free!

How well does this work you ask? Personally in my business it’s made a world of difference and brought in three new clients in two months just from following up. Here’s what one of my rockstar clients had to say:

Kelly helped me identify the CRM I needed to improve my lead follow up and we were able to use software I already owned and get started immediately. Using her follow up tips, I was able to immediately identify and reach out to a lead and closed the sale! Being able to track my leads, assign tasks and track the sales has been a weight off my mind and helped grow my business.

Charles Ogwyn, My Internet Marketing Partner

Sharing My Purpose

Personal Development by Leave a Comment

Tonight I had the pleasure of attending a local group of business owners in a neighboring town at the invite of my friend, Lily. While I wasn’t sure what to expect I am so thankful for the opportunity to speak and share my purpose with others.

In sharing with a young lawyer how he could build a bigger practice without sacrificing quality and take his upcoming honeymoon without packing the laptop, I shared my purpose of growing without putting your life on hold.

In speaking with a wealth manager who has built a successful business but is mired in the day-to-day operations how systems could free up his time, I shared my goal for making quantum leaps without burnout.

During this event, each member had the chance to introduce their guests so we could continue to network and get to know each other in the space and time provided.

After speaking to the room giving a 30 second “elevator pitch” about the work I do in my business, I was immediately approached by the owner of a fitness business. She shared that since opening her business a year ago she hasn’t taken much time off but – great news – has just found out she’s pregnant.

With twins.

So, ready or not, time off is coming! In speaking with her I was most connected to why I get out there and share my purpose and the purpose for my business. It’s about balance. I want to work with this woman so she can relax and enjoy her pregnancy without stress and worry, knowing that when it’s time she’ll be back in her business and there won’t be messes to clean up.

She’ll have enough of that at home with twins!

It’s almost palpable, the stress I can see in an entrepreneur who has a lot riding on this campaign, this business and these clients. Everyone I choose to work with feels a deep connection to the work they do, knowing that their skills and talents are improving lives. It’s an incredible honor to help hold that business and ensure that there are other capable hands holding up your purpose.

One person can’t do it all alone. You might feel burnout, you might end up sick, you might be pregnant! Whatever the path your life takes, knowing that you have the support you deserve in your business can help you move forward in faith, knowing that all is well.

The lawyer I met tonight won’t know that on his upcoming trip, but he’ll be thinking about it for the next one.

The wealth manager may not have that free time yet but this week he’ll be envisioning how his business can grow with the right support.

And the fitness coach has a short timeline for establishing the systems that will serve her business, not just when she’s out for maternity leave, but for years and years to come.

I firmly belief that it’s my purpose to share that there is a better way to do business, I am here to help you build your systems and grow your business in balance.

If you know your purpose and why you are an entrepreneur, I’d love to show you how to accomplish those goals.

What’s your motivation for building systems?

Evaluate Tasks to Only Do Things You L.O.V.E.

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The holiday season is in full swing and that usually means family; mine is visiting this weekend! As I worked on cleaning up all the half done projects around my house (half wrapped Christmas presents included) I was thinking about our businesses. We do the same thing in our businesses, don’t we? Work on a few dozen things at once and only really “clean house” when there’s a deadline.

If you’ve used a launch date or conference as an opportunity to push yourself to complete half finished tasks, it’s no different than me inviting over friends for dinner so I will finally clean the living room.

I have a theory about why we procrastinate – even when we know the task is important – and here it is:

If you don’t L.O.V.E. the task it’s going to linger like a bad habit. As I shift to be more productive with my time and effective in my business I have four basic criteria to evaluate.

L – Leverage

Would you spend $1 to save $100? How about investing $1,000 to earn $20,000? While most people will say yes enthusiastically, there is a limit we each have. How much time, energy and money we’ll invest to get a return and that number is impacted by how quickly we’ll see results, if there’s a guarantee, and how much we desire that outcome.

When I’m using this to evaluate a task I have to ask if I am leveraging my time, energy and money effectively. Sometimes that means paying for coaching so I shortcut my learning by years. Other times I’ll spend time researching and investigating before making a decision.

Once you realize that most time is wasted and doesn’t produce any returns or such low returns that it’s not worth the effort, you’ll gravitate toward the tasks that help you achieve your goals quicker because they best leverage your efforts.

O – Overhead

Just like my vacuuming and dusting around the house, there are a lot of “maintenance” tasks we do in our lives and businesses. Like moderating blog comments, sending out social media posts, article marketing, invoicing, writing status updates for clients or paying the bills.

So many things just have to get done but don’t directly bring income to your business. These overhead tasks are prime opportunities to outsource once you create a system (which will leverage your time) and hire some help. And it’s not just limited to your business life – what would your personal to do list look like if you hired a local teen or a college student on Winter Break to scan your family photos, do your laundry, mow the lawn or clear snow from your driveway? Would you have more energy and time to give to building your business and enjoying time with your family?

V – Value

Does this task bring me more value to make the time I’m investing worthwhile? You probably use this criteria unconsciously all the time when buying products. Is the delivery pizza worth $15 or should I make my own? Do I want to pay $997 to learn Secrets of Successful Teleseminars if my business model doesn’t include teleseminars? How much more value will a $400 webcam bring over a $150 one?

To shift and use this criteria in your time and services you’ll want to evaluate the short and long term impact of your task.

Yes, I’ll get on the phone with a colleague, potential joint venture partner or someone who wants to work with me privately. In each of those tasks I can directly track and measure results.

No, I’m not going to attend every free call offer, read every eBook or join every LinkedIn networking group. I may do some of these tasks if they leverage my time and bring value but not every one.

Sometimes you’ll need to put a lot into a task knowing that it will provide value to your clients later such as developing a new service offer or product. And other times you may need to face the truth that some tasks you thought were important bring no value to you or your clients and should be discontinued.

E – Enjoy

My final criteria goes straight to the heart of why I’m in business, why you’re in business. Do you honestly love working with your clients and serving your community? Is it enjoyable or simply tolerable?

I love coaching my clients and co-creating the systems that will serve their businesses. I’ll sign on for that all day every day. But I don’t love figuring my taxes, filling out forms that read like a game of BINGO and writing checks to Uncle Sam. So I have an accountant for that. I enjoy taking a program or product launch and developing the milestones, action steps and accountability to ensure it’s a success. I don’t really enjoy changing the oil on my car, although I know how, so I pay someone to do it for me.

Think back to that list of tasks which you’ve been meaning to do for ages and find the items that don’t seem to ever graduate from your to do list. Are they things that leverage your time, are not just business overhead, add value to your business and to your clients and do you actually enjoy them? If you can’t answer yes then you have a great start to begin creating systems so you can successfully outsource and use your time to focus on the right tasks to grow your business and bring more value to the market.