How to Organize Your Service Business for Growth

Organizing your business can seem like a daunting task, but either you organize it now or you will be forced to organize it later. Our guest, Krystal Clark of Krystal Clark Creative, shares her four step framework to Organize Your Empire.

STRUCTURE

The first phase, called the structure phase, is all about organizing yourself, just like a CEO would. It involves knowing where to start, how to take action, and how to locate your files efficiently every day. It's about establishing a solid calendar organization that includes daily tasks and time blocks, ensuring clear focus and a distraction-free work plan.

During this phase, it's important to create a work plan that is resistant to interruptions or distractions. Especially during summertime when kids might knock on the office door, asking for snacks or attention, it's crucial to have a system in place that allows you to maintain your focus and easily resume your work. This could be likened to a child-proof or distraction-approved work plan. By implementing strategies like this, you can easily pick up where you left off without wasting time or losing track of your tasks.

Additionally, part of the structure phase involves adopting a mindset shift. It's important to prevent situations where you return to your desk after a distraction and realize you've forgotten what you were working on previously. By organizing your calendar, project management software, and filing system effectively, you can keep track of your tasks for the day, locate relevant files swiftly, and avoid spending hours searching for specific project materials. This way, you can dedicate your time to actually working on the project itself, rather than searching for necessary resources.

STRATEGY

Every great intention, successful outcome, and ambitious goal requires a clear plan of action. The same principle applies to systems. Whether you choose to hire someone or do it yourself, creating a strategy for implementing systems allows you to streamline and automate your processes. It's important to assess whether your service offerings are refined and standardized enough to be automated. Too much customization and too many options make automation challenging and labor-intensive. 

To overcome this, you need to determine if your service offerings are streamlined, have a clear payment plan, deliverables, and frequently asked questions (FAQs) that address potential client inquiries before they decide to book and pay for your services. This clarity is essential for mapping out workflows and identifying the assets required for automation. These assets include canned emails, questionnaires, forms, proposals, contracts, landing pages, Zapier automations, and other elements necessary for implementing your desired automation. 

By identifying the workflows and the assets needed, you can choose the appropriate software that aligns with your needs and vision. Spending time during the strategy phase to refine service offerings and clarify details is crucial. 

For example, consolidating multiple payment plans into two options or transforming a lengthy questionnaire into a project kickoff call to ensure better client engagement. By mapping out the strategy and including all these considerations, you can make informed decisions and select suitable software solutions. Avoid system-hopping based solely on recommendations from social media platforms. Conduct thorough research based on your specific needs and requirements. By doing so, you can prevent the need to start over repeatedly with system setups and ensure that the systems you implement align with how you want to serve.

ASSET CREATION

Once you have developed your strategy and mapped out your workflow steps, it's time to dive into this asset creation phase. At this stage, you'll be creating various assets that align with your strategy and workflow. For instance, if one of your onboarding steps involves sending a welcome email and a client experience guide, you'll need to create those materials. Additionally, if you plan to conduct a project kickoff call, you might want to prepare engaging slides to cover all the necessary points. Asset creation can also include writing captivating emails, compiling questionnaires using the chosen software, and developing redirect and thank you pages. These pages can be used to redirect clients to a thank you message after they make a payment or book a call, providing them with important instructions or information.

During this phase, you'll be focusing on creating branded client-facing materials, such as templates for emails and documents. You may also need to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) or set up a hub using tools like Airtable or ClickUp to support and sustain specific workflows. For example, if you are building websites for clients, you might need to establish a support ticketing system where clients can easily request revisions.

This ensures that all revision requests and support inquiries are centralized in one place, making it easier for you to manage. I once had a client who faced challenges with managing approvals and revisions during large website builds. We resolved this issue by creating a client support ticketing hub, allowing clients to submit support tickets and revision requests in one location. Instead of juggling numerous tasks submitted by different individuals, you can now focus on one task in your project management system that prompts you to address support tickets.

The asset creation stage allows you to bring your strategy to life and develop the necessary resources to support your workflow. It's an exciting opportunity to unleash your creativity while ensuring that you have all the tools and materials needed to provide a seamless client experience.

TECH SETUP

The fourth step involves setting up the technology for those assets you’ve created. This step is especially crucial for those who have experienced challenges with system setups in the past because they often skipped the previous stages and jumped straight into tech setup. Consequently, they find themselves unable to proceed with setting up automations because essential assets are missing. It's frustrating when you can't complete system setups because you constantly have to pause and create missing assets, like a welcome guide or a welcome email.

However, if all your assets are created and you have a clear understanding of your workflow steps, the tech setup becomes a breeze. It simply involves activating the necessary technology, creating Zapier automations, and configuring conditions for each step of your workflow. With all the groundwork laid, you can set up a workflow in two hours or less, instead of spending months going back and forth.

Let's be honest, as entrepreneurs, we are intelligent individuals who are willing to put in the hard work that others may shy away from, especially given the current economic climate. If you're still in the race, it means you have the capability to handle the tech setup as well. Platforms like Dubsado offer comprehensive tutorials and resources in their Help Center, guiding you through the process of creating packages or setting up appointment types for your scheduler. It's a matter of following those tutorials and applying the knowledge to your specific needs. The part that often poses a challenge is determining what workflow steps are required, what approach makes sense, and what elements need to be included. Once we clarify those aspects, the tech setup becomes more straightforward.

Remember, you have the ability to navigate the tech setup phase and create a system that works for you. Trust in your capabilities and leverage the resources available to ensure a successful implementation of your desired workflow.

CONNECT WITH KRYSTAL

ACCESS FREE GUIDE: Get Organized Guide

WEBSITE: krystalclarkcreative.com

INSTAGRAM: @krystalclarkcreative

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