Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] Speaker A: Hello and welcome to the Solopreneur Sisterhood Podcast. A podcast designed to help heart centered service providers like you build a purposeful, profitable and sustainable business that supports what matters most to you. I'm your host, Becky McCleary, and I am so grateful that you are here.
[00:00:22] Speaker B: Hello and welcome back to the Solopreneur Sisterhood and our special series of solopreneur Sisterhood strategy sessions.
So today we are diving into how to scale your business with ease. So before we dive in, if you have not listened to our previous episodes about setting up your foundation to thrive and creating sustainable success, I encourage you to pause this episode and go back to those first, we're going to give you the essential groundwork for what we're about to discuss.
So before we get it too far into it, I want to talk about what I mean by scaling. Because I can tell, or I can guess that some of you are thinking, I am not ready to scale. This is not for me. So when I say scaling, I'm not talking about building a massive empire. I am talking to you. If you are a heart centered service provider who simply wants to help more people.
Because here's the truth. When we are working one on one with clients, whether you are coaching or you're a virtual assistant, or you are a podcast manager, any sort of service provider, when you're working one on one, we are naturally limited by time. We only have so many hours in a day to work and so there are only so many people we can help. And so what I know about you is if you are a heart centered service provider, you are going to reach a point where what you are doing no longer feels enough. It feels like there is this need to help more people. And so there's going to be a part of you that is going to want to figure out, how can I do that? And so that's what this episode is all about. This is about finding ways to serve more people within the time that you have. And this can look really different depending on what work you are doing and how you want to work. Whether you're a coach or a virtual assistant, or a podcast manager, graphic designer, website designer, whatever work you do, there are so many different possibilities for how you can reach and serve more people. And we cannot dive into every possible business model in this episode. But I want to share three essential elements that will help you to scale whenever you are ready. So, quick side note here is if you are listening and you are in the early stages of your business, where you're still signing your first couple of clients.
I don't think you're ready for scaling, but I still encourage you to listen to this episode because it could give you some good ideas for when you are at that point, or it could give you some good ideas for how to lay the groundwork now so that it's easier for you to scale when you are ready. That is one thing that I wish I had thought about earlier on in my business. I for the longest time thought I would only work one on one. And so I had certain systems in place that worked for that. But when I realized I really want to help more people, I felt like I was kind of starting over from scratch because even though I had built my business for years, I didn't have any kind of an audience. I had a fairly small network and so trying to reach more people. I wish I'd had some of these elements in place earlier to support me, so that way it would have been easier to make that transition.
The other thing I want to say is if you are in the early stages, I know a lot of us get off track because we think, well, I want to help more people and so I should just create a course or I should just create a membership. I should just do group coaching. And I really encourage you, if you have not served a number of clients in one on one work, do that first. I say this for a few different reasons and then we really will get into scaling. So the first reason is it is always easier to have one person sign on to work with you than a group. And so I think a lot of us are surprised about how much time and effort it takes in order to fill any sort of a course or group program. And so if you're just starting out and you want to start seeing some results in your business, one on one is the way to go. I will also say that often we charge less money for a group program or a course than we do for one on one. So starting out with one on one can be a faster, easier way to reach your revenue goals. So that way you're not creating extra work for yourself and making it harder to hit your numbers.
The third, and I think the most important reason why I recommend starting with one on one is that if you are just getting started in your business, if you're in those early stages, you don't know. You don't know what you don't know. So you don't have a real clear idea about what your clients need. You don't yet know how you can be of greatest service to Them you don't even know some of your own systems and how you want to work with clients. And so working one on one allows you to learn, it allows you to get better at what you do, it allows you to set up stronger systems so you're in a better place to be able to support more people. And so I know that it's very tempting for us to want to create a course, to want to help more people.
I know a lot of people who have tried to make that leap very quickly. And for most people it ends up creating more stress, more work, more frustration, and it doesn't get the results that you want. The other thing is, when I have seen business owners succeed in getting people into a course, getting into people into a program pretty quickly, when they don't have that one on one experience, they then struggle with supporting all of those clients. Because what we tend to forget is that each person we're supporting, it does take energy from us, it takes time from us, but it takes emotional energy as well. And so you just want to make sure that you have yourself in a position where you're able to offer that support. And a lot of the time that looks also like systems to support your clients so that everyone feels taken care of. So again, if you start off one on one, it's going to allow you to get those systems set up. It's also going to allow you to get really good at what you do. So that way you are in a better position to support more clients. So that's my opinion on one on one versus group and scaling. I just want to say too, it doesn't have to look like having a group program. It could look like having some sort of a digital product. Again though, I do always recommend that business owners start off with that one to one work. Again, it's easier to sign on one client than to sell a lot of a digital product. Also, we charge more for our work as we should. One on one versus a passive income product. And creating a passive income product, digital product, whatever you want to call it, it takes a significant amount of time and energy for us to create it, to build it out, to get everything set up so that people can purchase it and receive access to it. And a lot of the time that's not the best use of our time when we're in those early stages of our business. So all of that being said, here are the three essential elements that will help you to scale when you are ready. And even if you're not ready to scale, there might be parts of These that you want to start now to support yourself for when you are ready to scale.
So the first element is network building and partnerships. And so this isn't just about having the biggest LinkedIn network or gathering all kinds of names for that database. It's about building meaningful connections with potential collaboration partners. And so when I talk about building a network, I love connecting with women who do all different kinds of work. And sometimes I'm thinking, okay, I need this at some point. Sometimes I know someone who needs the work here offering. Sometimes it's a case where I'm listening and this person wants to be on more podcasts. And I know someone who has a podcast who is looking for guests, and this person would be a great fit for their audience and doing an introduction there. So it's building those connections in all kinds of different ways. I think a lot of people kind of sell themselves short because they're so focused on getting clients that they forget about all the other relationships that you can build. So that could be just having business friends. I don't think that you could put a price on the value of having people who cheer you on in business, who believe in you, who listen to you and support you.
So business friends, having a network of women who can be referral partners, having a mastermind, having different collaboration partners. So building meaningful connections with lots of different people in building your network and partnerships. This might also include developing a referral system. So that way people are excited to refer you to others and want to do that. And so I personally love sending referrals to people just to help people out. I think it's a win for the person who needs the service. I think it's a win for the service provider. And I love being helpful, and that works for me. At the same time, I know that there are people who have built up referral offers, so that way they have like a whole program. So if someone refers someone to them, they get some sort of a gift for that. So that might be something else that you have in your plans in order to build those partnerships. And the other element for this, there are many things we could go into, but something I want to make sure we focus on too, is keeping track of your networking activities and what you are doing to build your network. So that way you can see what's working, what's not working. I think we've probably all attended a networking session, virtual or in person, and thought, well, that was a waste of my time and that's okay, but we want to then think about why did that not work for me. And that can give us better information as we move forward. The other thing is, if you have attended a networking session, that's really helpful. Keeping track of what did you love about it? How can you make it even better next time? Keeping track of how am I reaching out to people in my network? What seems to be working, what isn't working? I also like to stress to people that when I'm building my network, yes, there are people I connect with where I'm thinking, yes, I want to make sure I build that relationship. There are also people you might meet at a networking session or a coffee chat where you're thinking, yeah, I wish you well, but I don't see any way for us to collaborate. And it's not that you have to say it to that person, I never say it to that person, but allow yourself to let that person go with love. We don't need to keep track of every person we've ever met. It's being intentional with what connections do you want to nurture? And so having this system in place to support you in, how are you building your network? What partnerships are you focused on? How are you going to continue to build on that? That's going to help you to scale your business as you build your network with intention.
So the second element is marketing and sales automation. So when I talk about automation and scaling, yes, at some point it's probably going to look at having some things built out that just happen automatically. Something like an email sequence. But in the earlier stages, especially as you're doing one on one work, this could just look like having templates that you use and then documented processes. So if you have a regular email that you send out to your list, it could be having a template in your email system. So that way you're not having to build it out from scratch every single time. If you are responding to inquiries, you could have different templates you're using to make sure you have all of those details that they need and you're not having to look it up every single time. When you're having a discovery call, it could be as simple as having a set of questions that you go through or having a template that you use on discovery calls to make sure you cover everything you want to in that. I think a lot of us, we're building things as we go, but if we really think about it, we start to realize there are certain things we're doing every single time. And so if we automate those or we build a system with those, it can make it easier on us to be able to. To market and to go through that sales process with greater ease. And again, with this, we want to make sure that we build in some tracking to what we're doing so we can see what's working and what isn't working, and we can lean into what is working. And so that could look like tracking your marketing efforts and seeing where are your clients actually coming from. When we've done that with clients, we've found that, yes, we are spending all this time on social media and clients were actually coming from podcast interviews, not from social media efforts. Or we've worked with some clients, and we have found that certain lead magnets, clients are coming through those lead magnets. So those lead magnets seem to be speaking to the right. The right fit client, whereas other lead magnets we had that might have gotten a lot of signups didn't actually convert into paying clients. And so when you're doing your marketing, when you're doing your sales, building in some systems so you can track what's working for you that way you can lean into that, and it's going to make it easier for you to scale because you will know it's working and you can just build off of that rather than trying to start from scratch. And the final element that I want to talk about when it comes to scaling your business, scaling with heart, is having consistent planning in your business, making this a regular activity for you. And so what I can think back on in my business is, you know, I had a lot of what I call kind of false starts. Where I would start something in my business, it didn't go according to plan, and then I would pull back, and then eventually I'd start up again, um, and kind of repeat through that cycle.
However, when things started to work for me, I. I said yes to a friend who wanted support in her business, and I just started doing tasks for her. And at the time, I was learning, and any money that came in was great. I reached a point, not too many months into it where I was like, I could take on more clients. And so I just started to put myself out there. I would get clients, I would start working with them. And I didn't really have a plan for where I was going with my business. I would reach points where, okay, I, I want to be making more money, so I need more clients. And so I would find more clients and I would bring them in. And I didn't have that vision for where I was going. And so it, I think I made it more of a struggle for myself because I would be busy doing the work. I would realize, okay, I want to bring in a new client. I. I had no systems in place, I had no plans in place, and so I'd be starting from scratch each time. It did work out for me. But what I can say is that where I saw the biggest leap in my business is when I started planning intentionally. And so when I work with clients, I talk about doing this a couple different ways. I really love the quarterly planning, but I also take time each week to be looking at what do I need to focus on this week. And so that is also something I work on when with clients is, yes, having that big picture vision, but then getting down into it each week. So that way we're using our time for what matters most. We're using it for what's going to move the needle forward, and we're staying on track with our priorities. And so with this intentional planning for growth, it's quarterly planning, it's weekly planning, but it's also tracking the key metrics that actually matter in your business. And so this varies from one business to another. I. I love data when it can be helpful to us, but I'm not about tracking everything in your business. So it's about looking at what really matters and what do we need to be learning about in order to move the needle forward. It's also setting up systems to support yourself and help you keep moving forward, especially when life or your business will throw those curveballs and, and things don't go according to plan. So if you're having support for yourself, if you have systems in place, it's going to make it much easier to keep moving forward and to figure out those next steps. And so again, where I noticed a significant change in my business is when I started quarterly planning and then weekly planning. And so if you are listening and you're thinking, that sounds great, I'd like to do it. I don't know where to start. You want some extra help? I would love to invite you to join me for our next quarterly planning retreat. So, normally this is something that I only offer to members of the Solopreneur Sisterhood Society, but I really want to help more women succeed in business. And I really believe that this process can help you to build a business that works for you with greater speed and greater ease. And so if you are listening and you're thinking, yes, I'm ready to take action, I would love to have you join us. And now I will say that there is an application to join us for the retreat. And that is because the members of the Solopreneur Sisterhood Society have been brought into that program with intention. There's an application for that program because I want to make sure that it can really support everyone who joins us. And I don't want you signing up for a program that isn't going to help you. And so it's the same thing with this retreat where I want to make sure that if you're joining us, if you're taking time out of your busy schedule for this, I want to make sure it can help you with what you need right now. So the idea with the application is it's going to help me learn more about your business, learn more about your goals, what's going on for you right now, and get really clear on if I think this can help you or not. Most likely I'm going to think it can help you. And so I will personally review your application within two to three business days and then I'll let you know either way. So either, yes, I think this can help you. Here's the link to join us or I don't think this is a great fit, but here are some other resources that I think can support you. And so if you are interested in joining us, you can go to the Solopreneur Sisterhood.com apply and get that application. When you complete the application, whether I think the retreat is a good fit for what you need right now or not, you're automatically going to receive four bonuses. So when I follow up with my response to your application, you'll receive the following bonuses. So you're going to receive the Business Clarity Blueprint that is designed to help you identify gaps and opportunities in your business. So this blueprint includes some of the questions that I include in the initial business assessment for members of the Solopreneur Sisterhood Society. And the idea with these questions is that they are going to help you get really clear on your business and what matters most and what you need to focus on next. The second bonus you'll receive just for applying is a revenue roadmap spreadsheet. So this is going to help you get really clear on your financial goals for the coming months and quarter.
The third bonus you'll receive simply for applying is a template for market research. So I highly recommend intentional market research to help you get really clear on your ideal clients, what they need, and if your ideas for offers are a good fit. And so in this template you're going to get a sample of a post that you can use to get people to sign up for market research calls. And you're also going to get questions that I ask in order to learn more about my ideal clients and to get really clear on ideas that I have for my business. So my hope is that that template is going to make market research easier for you. And the fourth bonus you'll receive simply for applying is a database template that I use for tracking leads or collaboration partners. So if you know anything about me, you know I'm all about relationships. And as you connect with more people, it becomes harder to keep track of everyone. So I created a simple database and I'm giving you a template of that so that way it can help you to keep track of who you've connected with, who you want to follow up with and when you're going to do that. So if you're listening to all of this and you are thinking, yes, I would love to join you for the retreat. I would love to have you apply to join us so you can go to the Solopreneur Sisterhood.com apply, complete that application, I will personally review it and I will be in touch within two to three business days. As we wrap up today, just remember, scaling your business isn't about building an empire. It's really about showing up and sharing your work with more people who need you. And there are so many different ways that you can do that. And so just a reminder that these elements, whether you're ready to scale or not, if you take different pieces of them now, they can support you for when you are ready to make that transition and serve more people. Thank you so much for joining me here today. I am cheering you on and I will catch you in the next episode.
[00:22:26] Speaker A: Thank you so much for joining us and listening to the Solopreneur Sisterhood podcast. I hope this episode has offered you some encouragement, some insight and some new ideas to support you in building a business that works for you. Remember that our world needs you, your gifts, your vision and your work. And I'm cheering you on as you bring your vision to life and build a purposeful, profitable and sustainable business that supports what matters most to.
