As a solopreneur, it’s easy to feel like you’re the only cog in the machine that makes your business run.
Or perhaps your business is made up of multiple cogs, but you’re sitting in the center making them all spin and run.
It works for a while, maybe even years with you at the center keeping things whirring along.
But what happens when you rest?
Do the cogs stop spinning?
Whether you’re intentionally stopping to soak in a specific season of life (travel, time with family, maternity leave) or your slow down was less-than-intentional (ahem, burnout or other unforeseen and sometimes unfortunate circumstances), the systems are the key that will allow you to have more:
- Rest — aka world/life blend
- Mental clarity — so you can be at your best during the time you are working in and on your business
- Time — for life’s ambitions or taking on more of the work to increase your revenue
Here are three ways to get started building systems in your solo biz starting today:
1 ) Write Down Your “Repeatables”
You may not think you have systems, but you do…
They’re just in your head!
Everyone has ways they go about completing steps and processes inside their work and business, but as a solopreneur, you likely haven’t ever had a need to write them down.
Typically, systems need to be documented when outsourcing tasks to a team member to properly communicate how something should be done, but when you’re working on your own, documenting systems can feel like a waste of time when your efforts could be best spent doing the work.
We get it, and we’ve been there, but now being on the other side of documenting systems, we can wholeheartedly say that it’s a 100 percent worthwhile practice.
Take Action - Every time you sit down to work through a task or project in your business, open up a Google doc and name give a name to the system you’re working.
For example, Email Marketing.
Within that greater system, write out the various things that you do that fall under that umbrella that you do over and over again.
For example, creating forms and landing pages, setting up sequences, scheduling a broadcast, creating tags/segments.
Writing out these repeatable steps doesn’t need to be detailed, merely bulleted items that outline the order in which you’re knocking out the tasks that exist within the greater system.
Now let’s move on to Step 2!
2 ) Take Stock of Software
Now that you know what systems you’re working within your business and you’ve begun to get them documented, now it’s time to supercharge them and get your software on your side.
As a solopreneur, you may find that outsourcing some tasks to contractors is your optimal way to work and get things off your plate so you’re not the only person making the cogs turn, but if you’d rather stay truly solo, software is your best friend.
Rather than manually doing everything in your business, the goal is to get software to do some of your repeatable tasks for you.
And that’s why Step 1 is necessary. You’ll be best equipped to utilize and leverage your software to its fullest capacity when you can see exactly where tools and software can be inserted.
Action Item - Look at your list of software programs and look at how you’re utilizing them inside your business.
Which tools only accomplish one task? Can you find a way for that tool to work harder or to switch to another tool that can do that task and more?
This is also a great practice for seeing exactly where your expenses are going toward. You may be paying for tools you never use, and that could be better spend on a subscription to another tool or getting some outsourced help in your solo biz.
3 ) Get in on The Free Solopreneur Systems Mini Course
Honestly, if you only do the other two other steps we outlined above, you’ll be well on your way to feeling more streamlined and organized in your business.
However, we also know that once the door to systems blows open, it can leave you wondering which systems to focus on first.
In our free mini course, “The 4 Systems Every Solopreneur Needs to Succeed,” we’re diving deep into the top systems to start with and outlining every aspect of the system so you can get some of the cogs in your business running on their own whether you’re taking the day off to spend with your little ones, setting the boundary of only 25-hour work weeks, or you need to fully step away for a few days.
Plus, we’ve sprinkled in the top tools we use inside One Woman Shop and our own businesses to keep operations running smoothly and keep our sanity in check.
So, what do you say?
Ready to unlock the power systems in your solo biz?
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