I’m thrilled to introduce you to one of our standout students of The Client Attraction Business School™, Katie Mazzocco, The Small Business Systems Strategist. Please welcome Katie as a guest contributor to the Client Attraction blog. As always, we’d love to hear your feedback. Please post your comments and questions below. ~ Fabienne. Connect with Katie on Twitter here.
As entrepreneurs we started out having to master every aspect of our business: marketing, sales, technology, content creation, customer service, client delivery, web design and more. It’s amazing how quickly we become control freaks and how much it benefits us, at least in the beginning.
Ultimately, as we grow, the propensity to micromanage slows us down and holds us back from growing our income and impact in the world. There’s only so much that one person can do alone, and the same is still true if you have a micro-managed team.
So there you are in a Catch-22: the mindset and mechanics that used to fuel your small business growth in the start-up phase now hold you back and prevent the growth you want.
To reach big numbers in your small business, you need to shift to a new mindset of productivity and delegating. (Click here to tweet this.)
Here are the necessary action steps to achieve your dream:
1. Strategic Planning
If you don’t know where you’re going, you definitely won’t get there. You need to know where you’re going (goals), how you’re going to get there (strategy), when you need to take action to make it happen (timeline), and why, to keep you inspired and accountable (purpose).
Routine strategic planning leads to the best results because it keeps your goals at the forefront of your mind. This regular planning also enables you to identify when you’re off course so that you can get back on track.
2. Systematize
I hear people say all the time that they don’t have time to delegate. The truth is you have time to delegate, but you just haven’t taken the time to create clear, repeatable systems so that it’s easy to do. Any millionaire entrepreneur will tell you that the “self-made millionaire” is a myth. It takes a team. To run a successful team you need systems. It’s that simple.
3. Delegate
Once you’ve documented your systems, use them to efficiently communicate tasks, expectations and processes to one or more team members. Be sure to create an open line of communication while also cultivating independence in your team members.
Your Productivity Assignment
Do you know what you want to delegate next? Make a list of routine activities you do that do not directly use your unique talents (tasks like formatting weekly ezine, editing videos, bookkeeping or scheduling). Now choose one and schedule time for you to document that system this week. Then delegate it, reap the rewards and repeat the process with a new task.
Katie Mazzocco, The Small Business Systems Strategist, is the creator of The Chaos to Cash System™, the proven step-by-step process that teaches you exactly how to transform your chronic-overwhelm and business plateaus into increased profits and systematic business growth through systems and strategic delegation. To get your free report How to Transform Your Chaos Into Cash™ and receive Katie’s productivity success videos on increasing your income and expanding your impact in the world visit www.FullSpectrumProductivity.com.
This is just one of the many best practices we dive deep into with the students of The Client Attraction Business School, the premier training school for growth-minded entrepreneurs looking to quickly attract more clients and make more money. If you’re interested in finding out more, visit www.ClientAttractionBusinessSchool.com for more details. To speak to an enrollment coach, click here.
Comments 4
Thanks so much sharing such an important entrepreneurial tip! It wasn’t until I learned to ‘let go’ and delegate that I was able to bring my publishing and marketing companies to the next level.
Your tip to make a list of routine activities you do that do not directly use your unique talents (tasks like formatting weekly ezine, editing videos, bookkeeping or scheduling) got me thinking of a few other items that I can delegate. :)
Off I go to document and delegate!
Great blog. Thanks for sharing your brilliance Katie. What do you do if you have never done some of the actions that you would like to delegate? Do you still do it yourself first to create the system or it is better to delegate and ask the person to create the system?
Great tips Katie, as always, eye-opening and valuable!
I am very familiar with that catch 22! Delegating without systems is a recipe for frustration. Thank you for illuminating the real hurdle for me – creating systems!