March 5, 2024 • 14 mins
Feeling overwhelmed by the entrepreneurial grind? It's time to make your business work for you, not against you. I'm Tonya D. Harrison, and in my latest podcast, I tackle the beast of burnout head-on, guiding you through the signals that scream it's time to scale up your operations.
By the end of our session, not only will your self-care stop taking a backseat, but you'll also break free from the treacherous feast-famine cycle that keeps you up worrying at night.
Transform your crushing to-do list into a triumph of efficiency with three strategies I've honed to perfection. Join me and reshape your business landscape into one that not only thrives but also restores balance to your life, one task at a time.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Do you feel like you have more tasks than time?
If your to-do list is long andsometimes unruly, then listen
closely.
In today's episode, I'm goingto share with you three powerful
ways to build capacity in yoursmall business and get more done
.
Welcome to the OperationsToolbox Podcast, your host,
(00:24):
tanya D Harrison.
Let's create version 2.0 ofyour business, and this is the
version that we like to callgrowth without burnout.
So let's get started.
Building capacity is essentialto small businesses looking to
expand, increase efficiency andhandle growth effectively.
(00:46):
As a solopreneur, you alreadyknow you're balancing multiple
priorities, multipleresponsibilities.
Balancing from managingcustomers to marketing, to
handling finances and legalobligations, all while
delivering quality products andservices.
In order to grow and continuemeeting or exceeding the
(01:12):
customer's needs, you will needto build capacity, and today I
am going to share three ways tobuild capacity in your small
business without burningyourself out.
But first, how do you know ifyou need to build capacity
within your business?
How do you know if it's eventime?
(01:33):
Well, here's a couple ofdifferent ways that you can know
.
So these are some telltalesigns that I've identified in
myself and I identified inclients that I work with.
The number one thing that Inoticed and this was
specifically in my business andfor me is you're not taking care
(01:56):
of yourself.
That's the number one thing.
This was an eye-opener for me.
Self-care is a must.
First, you're skipping a weekright, okay, I'll do something
for myself another time andbefore you know it, months have
gone by and your self-careroutine has fallen to the
(02:18):
wayside because you are spendingextra hours in your business.
This is extremely dangerous fora lot of reasons.
We have to make ourselves apriority.
You have to be on your prioritylist.
So this was the number one signfor me.
(02:39):
Number two you're working longhours without seeing results, so
you start to put more and morehours in your business, thinking
that you're going to get moreout.
This is usually a sign that youare probably just tired and
burnt out.
Number three your missingdeadlines or critical tasks
(03:04):
aren't getting done, and this isbecause you just have too many
things that you're trying to do.
So we go back to multipleresponsibilities and multiple
priorities.
You have all of these thingsand things aren't getting done,
and the important things thatneed to get done are not getting
done.
Number four one more project.
(03:27):
If you take on one more projector one more thing, you are
going to burst at the scenes.
That is clear, like I cannottake on another thing.
If that's the case, you knowit's time.
Number five you don't have thetime to market for new business.
(03:50):
Every time you get a client,you are going, working hard,
fulfilling your obligationtowards a client, but you don't
have time to continue marketing,and this is dangerous because
it puts us in that feast faminemode.
We get a client, we're workingon that client, we're not doing
(04:12):
any marketing.
You finish with that client.
Now where's your next client?
You haven't been marketing.
This is another sign.
Those are five ways that youcan tell that it may be time for
you to build capacity.
So now, okay, you know thatit's time for you to build
(04:32):
capacity, right.
So you got that.
I fall in one of thosecategories, or another one that
I know means it's time for me tobuild capacity.
Now what?
Right, now that you know thesigns, let's talk about three
ways to build capacity.
The very first thing that Irecommend all leaders and I'm
(04:54):
talking about corporate orbusiness leaders the very first
thing I recommend you do is toperform a time study.
A time study is where you'regoing to document what you do on
a daily basis and how long eachtask takes to complete.
Usually, what happens here isleaders find that they are
(05:18):
working on tasks that do notproduce results or spending too
much time on specific tasks.
Once you evaluate this, and nowthat you're armed with this
information, you can immediatelystart making changes to your
schedule.
Ensure that you are working ontasks that produce results, that
(05:45):
are critical to your business,that are aligned with your goals
, and here I really like tothink about the 80-20 rule.
Many times, there's 20% of theactivities that we do that yield
80% of the results.
If we can zone in on what thoseactivities are, we'll be able
(06:12):
to increase our outcomes.
So that's the very first thingthat you do.
You need to check you.
Are you working on the rightthings?
Where are you spending yourtime?
That's the first thing.
Number two, and this is myfavorite automation and process
(06:33):
efficiency.
This is a big one, so let'sbreak it down into two sections.
The first thing you want to dois take a look at your business
processes and identify areaswhere there are inefficiencies.
You really need to be objectivewhen you're looking at it,
(06:53):
because you don't want to thinkI've always done it this way.
You really want to look at yourprocesses to determine do they
make sense and is there a moreefficient way of doing something
?
Sometimes we get stuck intodoing the same thing over and
over again because we've alwaysdone it that way.
(07:15):
That doesn't mean that it's thebest way to do it, and usually
what happens is our processesshould evolve over time.
The more we learn aboutsomething, the more they should
evolve, because now we'refinding out either more about
our client, more about ourbusiness, and you start to
(07:39):
integrate new ways and adapt new, innovative ways of doing
things.
So, first things first, look atyour processes, identify if
there are some inefficienciesand by streamlining your
workflows, you're going toeliminate bottlenecks and
optimize your operations,ultimately freeing up valuable
(08:02):
time and resources that can bereinvested into other areas of
your business.
Now the second part of that isyou're going to look for ways to
automate repetitive tasks.
If there are things that youfind that you are doing over and
over again, see if you canautomate it.
(08:23):
For instance, I love thisplatform called Zapier because
it allows me to automate certainthings, certain tasks.
So look across your business.
Are there things, like I said,that you do over and over again.
For example, let's say you hostwebinars every month and when
(08:47):
someone signs up for Zoom, theyregister within Zoom.
You could have a Zap that hasthem automatically added to your
email marketing platform.
That way, you continue theconversation and you can
continue to follow up with them.
Or for us, service-basedproviders, one of the things I
have is that when someone meetswith me, they schedule a meeting
(09:11):
on my calendar, I automaticallyhave them added to my CRM with
some of the information thatthey have shared with me, and
then that way I could do alittle personalized, a little
bit more personalized follow-updirectly from my CRM.
Just think about the thingsthat you do on a regular basis
(09:31):
and, if there's a possibility,to automate them.
So you want to automaterepetitive tasks and then
improve communication andcollaboration.
For instance, I use my projectmanagement technology or
software platform in order tocommunicate with my executive
(09:53):
assistant.
It doesn't mean that we don'tuse the phone or don't use email
.
What it means is that I assigntasks within the project
management platform.
She gets it, she goes in, sheworks it, she responds, she asks
me any questions.
All of this is done within theplatform.
So when I'm talking aboutautomation, I'm also talking
(10:16):
about enhancing how you use yourtechnology within your business
and enhancing the processesthat you have.
These are all different waysthat you build capacity.
Anything that allows me tofocus on the right thing and
save time is going to help me tobuild capacity within my
(10:39):
business.
Now, outside of automation,technology and process
improvement, the third thing isdelegation.
This is something that I talkto solo renewers about a lot,
because so many times they feelthat it has to be a full time
(11:05):
employee, somebody that's a W2employee.
But there are so many differentways to get assistance for your
business and it doesn't have tobe full time W2 employees.
When I first started inbusiness, I hired freelancers or
contractors, and I still usecontractors today, and there's
(11:26):
different ways you could do thisright.
So, once you've done your timestudy, you know where you're
spending your time, you know thetasks that you're doing.
You know how much time you'respending.
There's going to be things onthere that you're doing that
does not necessarily requirethat you do it, but the first
(11:46):
thing we think of is I don'thave a team.
Well, you still can delegate itto people.
You can delegate a project tosomebody.
You can hire a contractor.
You can go on Upwork or Fiverrand hire a contractor to do a
specific project.
Or you actually have peoplethat do administrative tasks and
(12:13):
you can buy X amount of hours.
So I could take all of myadministrative tasks, put them
together and buy five hours at atime to have somebody do it.
These are different ways thatyou can maximize your time,
because there are certain things, like I said before, I don't
(12:35):
necessarily need to do.
It doesn't require my skill set.
It doesn't require my level ofskill set or authority knowledge
, anything like that.
That's something that I coulddelegate.
If I don't have a team, I coulddelegate to a freelancer or to
a contractor.
I want you to really thinkabout those things.
(12:59):
Think about how you can free upyour time, how you can get more
of the right things done withinyour business.
This is going to help you tostart to build capacity so that
you can start to grow yourbusiness.
Those are my three ways.
(13:21):
Number one you're going to doyour time study or your time
audit to find out where you arespending your time.
Number two you're going to takea look across your processes,
see what workflows you canimprove.
What can you automate?
How can you better use yourtechnology.
(13:43):
And number three, you're goingto delegate.
This applies even if you don'thave a team.
Of course, if you have a team,it makes it a lot easier, but if
you don't have a team, you canstill reach out to freelancers
and contractors to work onspecific projects or to purchase
a specific amount of hours tohave them do tasks.
(14:04):
So that is it.
In conclusion, buildingcapacity in your small business
requires a strategic approachand a commitment to continuous
improvement.
By investing in technology andinfrastructure, developing your
team and streamlining processesand workflows, you can position
(14:27):
your business for long termsuccess and growth.
That wraps up today's episode.
I hope you found thesestrategies helpful in building
capacity within your smallbusiness.
Be sure to tune in next timefor more insights and tips to
help you grow and thrive.
Until then, take care and keeppushing forward on your
(14:50):
entrepreneurial journey.
This has been the OperationsToolbox podcast.
Thanks for listening.
Do you feel like you have more tasks than time?
If your to-do list is long andsometimes unruly, then listen
closely.
In today's episode, I'm goingto share with you three powerful
ways to build capacity in yoursmall business and get more done
.
Welcome to the OperationsToolbox Podcast, your host,
(00:24):
tanya D Harrison.
Let's create version 2.0 ofyour business, and this is the
version that we like to callgrowth without burnout.
So let's get started.
Building capacity is essentialto small businesses looking to
expand, increase efficiency andhandle growth effectively.
(00:46):
As a solopreneur, you alreadyknow you're balancing multiple
priorities, multipleresponsibilities.
Balancing from managingcustomers to marketing, to
handling finances and legalobligations, all while
delivering quality products andservices.
In order to grow and continuemeeting or exceeding the
(01:12):
customer's needs, you will needto build capacity, and today I
am going to share three ways tobuild capacity in your small
business without burningyourself out.
But first, how do you know ifyou need to build capacity
within your business?
How do you know if it's eventime?
(01:33):
Well, here's a couple ofdifferent ways that you can know
.
So these are some telltalesigns that I've identified in
myself and I identified inclients that I work with.
The number one thing that Inoticed and this was
specifically in my business andfor me is you're not taking care
(01:56):
of yourself.
That's the number one thing.
This was an eye-opener for me.
Self-care is a must.
First, you're skipping a weekright, okay, I'll do something
for myself another time andbefore you know it, months have
gone by and your self-careroutine has fallen to the
(02:18):
wayside because you are spendingextra hours in your business.
This is extremely dangerous fora lot of reasons.
We have to make ourselves apriority.
You have to be on your prioritylist.
So this was the number one signfor me.
(02:39):
Number two you're working longhours without seeing results, so
you start to put more and morehours in your business, thinking
that you're going to get moreout.
This is usually a sign that youare probably just tired and
burnt out.
Number three your missingdeadlines or critical tasks
(03:04):
aren't getting done, and this isbecause you just have too many
things that you're trying to do.
So we go back to multipleresponsibilities and multiple
priorities.
You have all of these thingsand things aren't getting done,
and the important things thatneed to get done are not getting
done.
Number four one more project.
(03:27):
If you take on one more projector one more thing, you are
going to burst at the scenes.
That is clear, like I cannottake on another thing.
If that's the case, you knowit's time.
Number five you don't have thetime to market for new business.
(03:50):
Every time you get a client,you are going, working hard,
fulfilling your obligationtowards a client, but you don't
have time to continue marketing,and this is dangerous because
it puts us in that feast faminemode.
We get a client, we're workingon that client, we're not doing
(04:12):
any marketing.
You finish with that client.
Now where's your next client?
You haven't been marketing.
This is another sign.
Those are five ways that youcan tell that it may be time for
you to build capacity.
So now, okay, you know thatit's time for you to build
(04:32):
capacity, right.
So you got that.
I fall in one of thosecategories, or another one that
I know means it's time for me tobuild capacity.
Now what?
Right, now that you know thesigns, let's talk about three
ways to build capacity.
The very first thing that Irecommend all leaders and I'm
(04:54):
talking about corporate orbusiness leaders the very first
thing I recommend you do is toperform a time study.
A time study is where you'regoing to document what you do on
a daily basis and how long eachtask takes to complete.
Usually, what happens here isleaders find that they are
(05:18):
working on tasks that do notproduce results or spending too
much time on specific tasks.
Once you evaluate this, and nowthat you're armed with this
information, you can immediatelystart making changes to your
schedule.
Ensure that you are working ontasks that produce results, that
(05:45):
are critical to your business,that are aligned with your goals
, and here I really like tothink about the 80-20 rule.
Many times, there's 20% of theactivities that we do that yield
80% of the results.
If we can zone in on what thoseactivities are, we'll be able
(06:12):
to increase our outcomes.
So that's the very first thingthat you do.
You need to check you.
Are you working on the rightthings?
Where are you spending yourtime?
That's the first thing.
Number two, and this is myfavorite automation and process
(06:33):
efficiency.
This is a big one, so let'sbreak it down into two sections.
The first thing you want to dois take a look at your business
processes and identify areaswhere there are inefficiencies.
You really need to be objectivewhen you're looking at it,
(06:53):
because you don't want to thinkI've always done it this way.
You really want to look at yourprocesses to determine do they
make sense and is there a moreefficient way of doing something
?
Sometimes we get stuck intodoing the same thing over and
over again because we've alwaysdone it that way.
(07:15):
That doesn't mean that it's thebest way to do it, and usually
what happens is our processesshould evolve over time.
The more we learn aboutsomething, the more they should
evolve, because now we'refinding out either more about
our client, more about ourbusiness, and you start to
(07:39):
integrate new ways and adapt new, innovative ways of doing
things.
So, first things first, look atyour processes, identify if
there are some inefficienciesand by streamlining your
workflows, you're going toeliminate bottlenecks and
optimize your operations,ultimately freeing up valuable
(08:02):
time and resources that can bereinvested into other areas of
your business.
Now the second part of that isyou're going to look for ways to
automate repetitive tasks.
If there are things that youfind that you are doing over and
over again, see if you canautomate it.
(08:23):
For instance, I love thisplatform called Zapier because
it allows me to automate certainthings, certain tasks.
So look across your business.
Are there things, like I said,that you do over and over again.
For example, let's say you hostwebinars every month and when
(08:47):
someone signs up for Zoom, theyregister within Zoom.
You could have a Zap that hasthem automatically added to your
email marketing platform.
That way, you continue theconversation and you can
continue to follow up with them.
Or for us, service-basedproviders, one of the things I
have is that when someone meetswith me, they schedule a meeting
(09:11):
on my calendar, I automaticallyhave them added to my CRM with
some of the information thatthey have shared with me, and
then that way I could do alittle personalized, a little
bit more personalized follow-updirectly from my CRM.
Just think about the thingsthat you do on a regular basis
(09:31):
and, if there's a possibility,to automate them.
So you want to automaterepetitive tasks and then
improve communication andcollaboration.
For instance, I use my projectmanagement technology or
software platform in order tocommunicate with my executive
(09:53):
assistant.
It doesn't mean that we don'tuse the phone or don't use email
.
What it means is that I assigntasks within the project
management platform.
She gets it, she goes in, sheworks it, she responds, she asks
me any questions.
All of this is done within theplatform.
So when I'm talking aboutautomation, I'm also talking
(10:16):
about enhancing how you use yourtechnology within your business
and enhancing the processesthat you have.
These are all different waysthat you build capacity.
Anything that allows me tofocus on the right thing and
save time is going to help me tobuild capacity within my
(10:39):
business.
Now, outside of automation,technology and process
improvement, the third thing isdelegation.
This is something that I talkto solo renewers about a lot,
because so many times they feelthat it has to be a full time
(11:05):
employee, somebody that's a W2employee.
But there are so many differentways to get assistance for your
business and it doesn't have tobe full time W2 employees.
When I first started inbusiness, I hired freelancers or
contractors, and I still usecontractors today, and there's
(11:26):
different ways you could do thisright.
So, once you've done your timestudy, you know where you're
spending your time, you know thetasks that you're doing.
You know how much time you'respending.
There's going to be things onthere that you're doing that
does not necessarily requirethat you do it, but the first
(11:46):
thing we think of is I don'thave a team.
Well, you still can delegate itto people.
You can delegate a project tosomebody.
You can hire a contractor.
You can go on Upwork or Fiverrand hire a contractor to do a
specific project.
Or you actually have peoplethat do administrative tasks and
(12:13):
you can buy X amount of hours.
So I could take all of myadministrative tasks, put them
together and buy five hours at atime to have somebody do it.
These are different ways thatyou can maximize your time,
because there are certain things, like I said before, I don't
(12:35):
necessarily need to do.
It doesn't require my skill set.
It doesn't require my level ofskill set or authority knowledge
, anything like that.
That's something that I coulddelegate.
If I don't have a team, I coulddelegate to a freelancer or to
a contractor.
I want you to really thinkabout those things.
(12:59):
Think about how you can free upyour time, how you can get more
of the right things done withinyour business.
This is going to help you tostart to build capacity so that
you can start to grow yourbusiness.
Those are my three ways.
(13:21):
Number one you're going to doyour time study or your time
audit to find out where you arespending your time.
Number two you're going to takea look across your processes,
see what workflows you canimprove.
What can you automate?
How can you better use yourtechnology.
(13:43):
And number three, you're goingto delegate.
This applies even if you don'thave a team.
Of course, if you have a team,it makes it a lot easier, but if
you don't have a team, you canstill reach out to freelancers
and contractors to work onspecific projects or to purchase
a specific amount of hours tohave them do tasks.
(14:04):
So that is it.
In conclusion, buildingcapacity in your small business
requires a strategic approachand a commitment to continuous
improvement.
By investing in technology andinfrastructure, developing your
team and streamlining processesand workflows, you can position
(14:27):
your business for long termsuccess and growth.
That wraps up today's episode.
I hope you found thesestrategies helpful in building
capacity within your smallbusiness.
Be sure to tune in next timefor more insights and tips to
help you grow and thrive.
Until then, take care and keeppushing forward on your
(14:50):
entrepreneurial journey.
This has been the OperationsToolbox podcast.
Thanks for listening.
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