Welcome to the Time to Level Up Podcast, I’m your host Andrea Liebross.
Each week I focus on the systems, strategy, and big thinking you need to CEO your business and life to the next level are you ready? Let’s go!
Hello, my friends and welcome back to the podcast. Today, this is my fourth episode I'm recording. But I'm going to be honest, I keep having to change audio sources and locations. First I was upstairs recording and then the lawnmower guys came. Then I came downstairs and I couldn't get my microphone to work. Then I had my air pods in, then my air pods died, now I'm back to the microphone. I got it working but I can't get the filter to work. Oh, well. What's important is not necessarily the sound. What's important is that today we're going to have a discussion about systems. Another awesome beginning-of-the-year topic.
Because here's why this is an amazing topic. Entrepreneurs, business owners, we always face the same problem of too much to do and too little time. That particular problem prevents us from really growing our business or working on, not in our business. It drives us to spend time on the things that might not matter but that seem like they matter at the moment. This problem eventually leads to burnout. The answer to this problem lies in systems.
A system is really a method of solving a repeated business issue in a strategic and effortless way. That's one definition of system. Systems are like the work smart, not hard. Systems help us to work smarter, not harder. Although we know this, we are constantly feeling that pinch of time and stress of a job. A lot of times we push the systematizing off and say we don't have time to create that right now.
Today I want to talk to you about what a system is, what the benefits of a system are, what you can systematize, how you can create a system, and then give you some examples of systems that I think business owners all need. Here we go. Sometimes you create a system without even knowing it. Often it's instinctive or intuitive. This can be a great habit like you've got a system for brushing your teeth, I hope, you have a system for packing your kids’ lunches if you're in that stage of life. A system really addresses a specific problem or issue.
A system is automatic. Once it's created, it doesn't require much thought. It also is a process or a routine. Here are four attributes. Addresses a specific problem, is automatic, doesn't require intensive thought or effort once it's established, and it's a process or a routine.
One example of a system that we all as Americans have come to us, especially as business owners is email. Email is a system. However, if you're like most people, we spend too much time on email which becomes a problem and has lots of implications in our personal and professional lives. A lot of times, we then go to another system to manage the email that will save us time and effort, which leads me to the benefits of systems.
Here are some benefits of systems. Let me preface this. When I work with clients inside I've Got This, they maybe have a couple of systems. When I work with clients inside Runway to Freedom when we start, they have more systems. But both of these women inside either program, at that point, when they come to work with me, believe and feel that their systems are not effective. Either they're too laborious, or they're not working anymore for their business, the business has grown to a place where it's outgrown that system. So I love helping my clients create systems. In fact is one of the ingredients in the secret sauce, mindset and systems.
The benefits of systems are, number one, they grow your business. That is the overriding impact. Instead of being reactive, when you have a system, you're proactive, and if you implement the right systems, you give yourself more time and you give yourself more freedom, thus Runway to Freedom, which is why we work on systems. With this time and freedom or mental energy, you can then work on the things you want to work on that will grow your business even more or give you the rest and relaxation you need instead of burying yourself in busy work. So number one, they grow your business.
Number two, next thing, kind of we led onto it, systems save time. A system can save you hundreds of hours a year. I have a bunch of systems in my business. I use Trello a lot. It's a system for organizing things and it saves me hundreds of hours each year. Here's the next piece of the puzzle: systems dodge problems. In business, small problems can eventually lead to big problems. But putting systems in place can really successfully deal with small-scale problems avoiding future problems.
Systems grow your business, they help you save time, they help you dodge future problems, and they improve your productivity, which is different than saving you time. It's not just about saving time, it's about using your time so you have the greatest possible advantage. That is the power of productivity. Those are four benefits of systems.
Now we get to the place of what can you systematize. You can systematize major things like bookkeeping, you also can systematize who's ordering Diet Cokes if there's nothing left in the refrigerator. How do you find which systems you should focus on and when? That's a great question because, for example, in I've Got This, my clients may have a few systems but not a lot and then they're focused on “What other systems do I need?” Well, here's how we figure it out.
What are the things that happen regularly in your business? That's the place to have a system. If you are regularly invoicing someone, then you need to have a system. What are the spots or the issues in your business that take a lot of time? Maybe it's gathering all your documents for taxes. You need a system throughout the year for gathering those documents as they come in so you're not scrambling in the end.
What is an issue that frustrates you? Maybe it's that you're constantly having to record a podcast each week. I have created a system around that to lessen the frustration. I've actually hired someone to help me with it. What else needs a system if you can identify issues that are outside of your core competency? For example, I am not good at podcast production. I have no desire to even learn it so I have created a system where I pass off the production piece to someone else.
Yes, I have delegated and hired out but there's a system in order for me to get Stacey, my podcast producer, the material that she needs. You can create systems in your personal life too. A lot of times that's where we talk about systems but what do you have in place that helps you cook healthy meals every day? What’s the system that you have that helps with laundry? If you've got systems, in the long run, they're going to save you lots and lots of time.
How can you create a system? What do you need to do? Here's just a very simple process around this. We can get super specific but here's a simple process. Number one, you've got to identify your issues. Use the questions I just asked you. What are issues that happen regularly, that take a lot of time, that frustrate you, or that are outside your core competency? Identify your issue.
Next, you got to plan your process. A system is basically a sophisticated process. You got to plan exactly what the process is going to look like. A well-defined process solves your issue in a very sequential way. I recommend that you write down the process and give each step in the process a number because then you can outsource and delegate a little easier. If you say, “I am delegating step number four of the process to someone else,” it really makes it easier. Go listen to my episode on delegating, The Five Levels of Delegation, you'll love that.
Identify your issue, you plan your process, and then you have to execute on the plan. This is not the same as acting on your plan. Executing, which means in order to execute, you may have to hire out that help. You may have to hire out help if it's not part of your core competency. With other systems, you might simply need to follow the plan; read through the numbers and you can do them all. But eventually, a system will become a routine, which really allows you to really effortlessly overcome what used to be a time-consuming problem.
Posting to social media is an issue that I identified, but I created a process in which I both create my posts and file them away so that they can be posted. Then Lynda actually executes on the plan. It is not part of my core competency so I have hired out someone to execute on it, but together, this whole thing has become a routine for us. Setting up a system on the front end can take a little time. But in the long run, you're saving yourself hundreds of hours of frustration and stress, and I think it's well worth it.
What are some systems that you might need? You might need operational systems. How are you going to manage the day-to-day of what needs to get done? Remember, what gets attended to gets done. What are your logins, your passwords, and your key contacts? How do you operate your business? I use Trello a lot for my organizational systems.
I use Lynda, my online business manager, for a lot of my operational systems. Make sure you listen to the episode where I interview Lynda and she tells you how we work together. So operational systems. You also might need a client management system. How do you manage client inquiries? How do you manage client complaints? I use Dubsado as a client management system, and I also use Google Drive folders. I've tried lots of ways to do this, but for me in the way my business works, I like the combo of these two things.
The third system you might need is a financial management system. How are you going to manage your revenue and cash flow? What's your profit margin goal? How are you going to ensure you get there? The financial management piece should really be documented along with all of your other financial management pieces of the puzzle. To do this, I use You Need A Budget to manage cash flow, and I use QuickBooks to manage more of the financial reporting piece.
That financial reporting piece is not part of my core competency so I outsource that, but I insource You Need A Budget. You've heard me talk about it before. If you want more on that one, I've got a couple of podcasts, but you can also go to moneyconfidencenow.com to find out more about You Need A Budget. It's one of my favorite systems.
The fourth thing you might need is a sales management system. This includes really your sales funnel from your pre to post-sale, as well as how you make adjustments. A lot of times, software can help with this. I use ConvertKit for email, sales funnel email, and I use Trello to track leads. But how do you manage your sales process? Which is different than the fifth thing which is a marketing management system. This covers your actual marketing strategies.
For example, my podcast is a marketing strategy and it's a way I give you lots and lots of free content which I love to do, but I have a system for it. You also, depending on the size of your business, some of my Runway to Freedom people need this, you might need a talent management system. How do you hire? How do you fire? How do you subcontract?
Last, no matter what size business you are, you need a legal management system where you have agreements and contracts and you sustain those. How do you develop your agreement? How do you manage an inquiry when it may be outside the norm, you might need legal advice? I use Dubsado for contracts but I also use a lawyer. I also have a podcast about why every small business needs a lawyer. Go listen to that one. It's with Deirdre Lydon. For talent management and hiring and firing, there's a podcast on that with Jacqueline Martinez.
Really I hope my friends, I have podcasts pretty much on all of these systems. Now the key to all the systems is documentation. If it's not documented, it can't be implemented. All of these systems should be documented like an operational manual. What systems do you have in place that I might not have mentioned? What systems do you have in place that I didn't mention? You might have a travel system if you're someone who travels a lot, and you might have a wardrobe system if you're someone that gets up in front of people. I have a wardrobe system.
I used to be in that business, but I now use a wardrobe stylist named Debbie, and that eliminates my need for time-consuming shopping. I don't really love shopping. She makes it easy for me to choose what clothes to wear each day because I love them all. What systems do you need to employ and put into action in your house to make that part of your life easier? I love talking systems. I think it's part of the secret sauce. It's something that you most likely need some help with.
That is a lot of what we do, talk about systems, both in I've Got This and Runway to Freedom depending on where you're at. But every entrepreneur and every business owner needs to streamline systems so that they can create growth. Systems create growth. They save you time, they help eliminate future problems, and they improve your productivity. But all in all, they just make your life a lot easier.
My friends, is 2023 the year you get your systems in check? It might be. Is it the time right now to assess what systems you have? If they're working, what's working, what's not working, and what do want to do differently? Let's do it together. Happy to do it with you. Share this episode first with someone who you think might need some systems and then head over to andreaslinks.com, click on Work With Me, and let's figure out how to get you systematized. Okay, my friends, have a great rest of your day. See you soon.
Hey, listening to podcasts is great but you also have to do something to kick your business up a notch. You need to take some action, right? So go to Andreaslinks.com and take the quiz. I guarantee you'll walk away knowing exactly what your next best step is to level up.