Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Summer is in full
effect right now, and I want you
to take advantage of the summerslowdown to give your back
office some attention.
I know you're wondering wheredo you even start, which is why
you've been avoiding this task,right?
Well, this is one of the mostfrequently asked questions that
I get when it comes to creatingyour business systems.
So today we're gonna talk aboutthe six core systems you need
(00:23):
to have in place, no matterwhich phase of business you're
in.
If you spend just 30 minutes aweek working on at least one
system that I mentioned intoday's episode, you can make
significant progress in a shortamount of time.
That means you'll have astronger business foundation in
place before summer ends andthings pick back up in September
(00:45):
.
So let's go ahead and getstarted.
Welcome to the Mind your Timepodcast.
I'm Shannon Baker, your coffeeloving host and business
strategist.
Each week, I will sharepractical insights and bold
strategies for six figureentrepreneurs looking to clean
up their back office and createstreamlined systems.
The weekly episodes will helpyou take control of your time,
(01:06):
scale your business and createsuccess on your own terms.
So grab your cup of coffee oryour favorite beverage and let's
dive into today's topic.
Well, I'm thrilled that youhave joined me today, but before
we dive into today's content, Iwant you to know that this
episode is one of my mostvaluable episodes.
Why?
(01:27):
Well, we're going to revisit anessential topic that every
business owner needs to hear,and it doesn't matter what phase
of business you're in these sixcore systems.
Every business has to have themto operate efficiently, and
this isn't just about organizingyour files or setting up some
email autoresponders or somesequences.
(01:49):
It's about building a solidfoundation to support
sustainable growth and improveefficiency in your business.
And if you want your businessto thrive, not just survive,
without consuming every wakingsecond of your life, then these
systems are non-negotiable.
But there's even more to it.
(02:09):
This episode contains timelessinsights that are just as
relevant today as when I firstrecorded it.
So, whether you're juststarting to create your systems
or you're looking to streamlineyour existing systems, the
points that we're going to talkabout today are vital to your
success, and one of the biggestreasons I'm always talking about
(02:31):
how important your back officesystems are is because they're
the foundation that you have tohave in place to support
sustainable growth.
Think of them, really, as thebackbone of your business, and
everything else is built on topof it.
Systems ensure consistency,they enhance the customer or
(02:52):
client experience that youprovide and they help you run
your business more efficiently.
So let's briefly talk about allthree of these benefits
individually.
When it comes to consistency,it's definitely required in
business, and I'm not justtalking about social media,
that's a small piece.
You have to be consistent ineverything that you do in your
(03:14):
business.
When you manually completetasks, there's room for human
error.
I mean and this happens whenyou're not following a process
for sure, because you're goingby memory and, let's be real, we
all forget things.
I mean, and this happens whenyou're not following a process
for sure, because you're goingby memory and, let's be real, we
all forget things.
I mean, I have to use my AppleWatch to find my iPhone at least
once a day, and that's a goodday.
My point is, you can't rely onyour memory, because it's
(03:37):
already failing you and it'sgoing to continue to do so.
So when you don't haveprocesses in place, even for
routine tasks, you're going toskip a step or two or more,
which is why, every time you dosomething, you get a different
result.
And that, my friend, is thetotal opposite of consistency,
and without consistency youcan't measure your results.
(04:00):
But if you make the time andnotice I said make the time, not
take the time your results.
But if you make the time andnotice I said make the time, not
take the time to document yourprocesses and automate what you
can, you can get morepredictable results and you will
actually complete things fasterand you'll have a measurable
outcome.
So not only does this boost yourproductivity, but it also
(04:21):
enhances your reputation forreliability and providing
quality customer service, andthat is important.
You also need to have systemsso that you provide a better
client experience.
First impressions are a lastingimpression and the experience
that people have with youactually starts way before they
officially work with you.
(04:41):
And really it's whether theywork with you or not.
We all know the process isentrepreneurs.
People say say it with me, youhave to get people to know, like
and trust you.
Well, guess what?
Without systems, you can't makethat happen because, again, you
don't provide a consistentexperience if you don't have
(05:04):
processes and systems in place.
So not only do you have issueskeeping clients, but you have
issues getting referrals.
But when you implement systemsand you let them do their job,
you don't leave that clientexperience to chance.
When clients experience asmooth process and their
(05:25):
professional interactions atevery touch point on their
journey with you, not only willthey stay with you, but they are
more likely to recommend yourservices to others.
Referrals don't require you todo much work.
It's free marketing, and that'swhat we want.
Our goal is to work smarter,not harder, and the last benefit
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is they simply allow yourbusiness to operate efficiently.
Systems help you execute yourbusiness's strategy efficiently,
which reduces costs, improvesyour consistency, resulting in a
stronger brand reputation andprovides insight into areas that
need improvement for you tomeet your clients' needs, to
(06:13):
areas that need improvement foryou to meet your client's needs.
So, in simple terms, systemsallow you to focus on what you
do best, while your systemshandle the rest.
Now that we've talked about thebenefits of having systems,
let's go ahead and talk aboutthese six core systems that you
need to have in place, and I'monly going to give you a high
level description of each system, because each of them already
has an individual episode whereI go deeper into them one at a
(06:36):
time.
So finish listening to thisepisode and make a note of which
system that you want to focuson first, and then you can go to
that individual episode,because links to all of them are
going to be in the show notes.
So the first system is yourcentral filing system, and I
want to talk about this firstbecause it is critical when it
(06:57):
comes to your productivity.
Avoid the mistake of savingeverything on your hard drive,
because what happens if yourhard drive crashes?
You will lose everything.
This happened to my firstMacBook and I was so happy that
all of my business documentswere stored electronically, not
(07:19):
on my hard drive.
So a digital or electronicfiling system ensures one.
Your documents are safe andaccessible from everywhere,
because they're not on your harddrive and your laptop may not
be with you, but think aboutbeing able to locate a document
within seconds when you need it,and that's whether you're
sitting behind your laptop,you're on your iPhone or your
(07:42):
iPad or your tablet, basically,when you're on the go.
That is golden.
The second system is ascheduling system.
The second system is ascheduling system Other than
your inbox and social media.
Phone calls or unscheduledphone calls are one of the
biggest distractions ever, butone of the easiest ways that you
(08:02):
can keep this from happening toyou is to put some boundaries
around your schedule with anonline scheduling system.
Then all you have to do isprovide a link to the specific
appointment that someone wantsto book.
But there's more to it thanthat.
The great part about a onlinescheduling system is that you
(08:23):
can use the system to screenleads for you in advance, which
saves you time by using intakeforms, and you can also take
payments when appointments arebooked.
That is the ultimate level ofefficiency right there, and you
get paid.
So, again, all you have to dois provide a link.
They look at your calendar andschedule an appointment
(08:44):
according to your availability,and then reminders go out
automatically.
And the great part is you canmaintain control over your
availability in real time bymaintaining your calendar, which
you should be doing anyway.
The third system, a veryimportant one your communication
system.
(09:04):
This is internal and externalcommunication.
Now, when I say externalcommunication, I'm talking about
talking to your clients, peopleyou meet at networking events,
et cetera, anyone outside ofyour business circle.
And guess what?
Again, this process starts fromthe first point of contact, and
(09:27):
it either builds trust or itcreates doubts, because it
provides a glimpse into theinner workings of your business.
Now, when it comes to internalcommunication, if you have a
dream team, then efficientcommunication is essential.
In order for you to have smoothoperations and I'm not talking
about you sending a bunch ofemails to your team, about you
(09:50):
sending a bunch of emails toyour team you need to use a
streamlined project managementtool like Monday to centralize
your communication.
Yes, monday can streamline yourcommunication in a bunch of
different ways, but I'll talkabout that in another episode.
My point is using a tooloutside of email for
communication helps preventmisunderstandings and it ensures
(10:13):
that everyone is on the samepage so that your team can work
together to achieve your goals.
The fourth system is your moneymanagement systems.
Now, you may feel this one is ano-brainer, but many business
owners don't know their numbers,and that's a problem.
But many business owners don'tknow their numbers, and that's a
problem.
A money management system helpsyou monitor cash flow, track
(10:36):
expenses and manage your billingand invoicing.
Even a simple spreadsheet canbe a good starting point until
you can invest into moresophisticated tools like
QuickBooks Online or FreshBooksor something like that.
The bottom line isunderstanding the financial
health of your business allowsyou to make informed decisions,
(10:57):
plan efficiently and avoidcostly mistakes, like building
your team too fast and you can'treally afford it.
One of the biggest reasonssmall businesses fail is because
of cash flow problems, andthat's why this is very
important.
So get this system in place anddon't be a statistic System.
(11:17):
Number five is your sales andmarketing system.
So let me start by sayingnumber one.
They are two different things.
Marketing gets you seen.
Sales gets you paid.
Your marketing helps build theknow like and trust factor, like
having a customer care process,which is part of your
communication system.
Now, your marketing system isall the things involved in
(11:41):
attracting the right clients andconverting them into loyal
customers, so that social media,your email marketing all of
that together, processes aroundthose things, need to be
documented.
And your sales process it needsto be stellar so that you
continue to build on the trustthat was established when you
acquired this new client.
(12:02):
So this should includeeverything in an onboarding
process, like a welcome message,all the things a new client
needs to know.
And then it needs to includeregular check-ins to make sure
you and your client are on thesame page.
So, as you can see, this isconnected to your communication
(12:23):
system.
Really, all of these systemsare connected in one way or
another.
So now the last system is abackup system, and you may be
scratching your head about thisone, but in a nutshell, a backup
system is plan B to keep yourbusiness running without you.
This includes backups of yourcomputer files, your website,
(12:46):
the contacts in your CRM andbackup plans for your dream team
.
If you have one.
What's going to happen whensomeone's on vacation or out of
the office, because they have alife too?
You need to have an emergencypreparedness plan to ensure
business continuity.
Preparedness plan to ensurebusiness continuity.
(13:09):
Think about the peace of mindthat you'll have, knowing your
business can weather any storm.
This also means that you canalso step away and enjoy life
outside of the office, and yourbusiness will continue to run.
So those are the six basicsystems that you need to have in
place in your business.
(13:29):
Now remember this if you do nothave documented processes and
systems in place, you do nothave a business, you have a you.
That means, if you don't do it,it doesn't get done.
That also means that ifsomething happens to you, it is
game over for your business.
And we don't do it, it doesn'tget done.
That also means that ifsomething happens to you.
It is game over for yourbusiness, and we don't want that
(13:50):
to happen.
So if you're ready to clean upyour systems and operate like a
well-oiled machine, then Iinvite you to join the Mighty
Society membership.
This exclusive membership hasthe resources inside that you
need to make the most of those30 minutes a week that you're
going to set aside to work onyour back office systems.
And there are two options thatyou have to join.
(14:13):
You can take a stab at this allon your own, using the
resources that are inside,including roadmaps, or you can
join as an insider and haveaccess to me through Voxer Hours
when you have questions, or youneed to hit the SOS button when
you get stuck building yoursystems.
This membership is what youneed to start creating your
(14:35):
systems.
Let's get it off your to-dolist and get it into action, but
you don't have to take my wordfor it.
Here's what Imani Guy of MadeNew Marketing had to say.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
I'm Imani Guy, ceo of
Made New Marketing, and I
wanted to come on here and shoutout Shannon Baker of TSB
Management Solutions.
I had the amazing opportunityto be a part of her NYT Society
membership and this program hasreally been instrumental in my
growth as an entrepreneur.
I always told Shannon when Ifirst became entrepreneur I
googled how do you, how do youstart a business?
(15:08):
And it told me LLC, ein website, but it didn't speak about the
importance of having anefficient back office operations
and automating your system sothat you don't have to focus on
them as much.
This membership allowed me todo just that.
Not only did it give me theplatforms, but the information,
and also allowed me to talk toShannon to see how can I build a
(15:31):
foundation now for the successI see in the future.
And that's one of the biggestthings I learned the success of
your business starts with thefoundation you lay it on.
So I highly recommend thismembership program to
entrepreneurs, no matter thelevel you're on.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
So, if you're ready
to take action, go to
theshannonbakercom forward slashmembership to join the Mighty
Society membership today.
I look forward to seeing youinside and, until next time,
keep calm and streamline.
Thank you for tuning in thisweek.
Remember, just listening tothis episode will not get you
(16:09):
better results.
So I challenge you to break themold and take action today.
If you're unsure where to start, book a call with me to get
your questions answered aboutthe Mighty Society membership or
anything else that I mentioned.
A link to my calendar is in theshow notes.
Not ready to take that step yet?
No problem, be sure to connectwith me on Instagram, at the
(16:31):
underscore Shannon Baker.
You can ask me your questionsthere or let me know that you
enjoyed the episode by taking ascreenshot, sharing it and
tagging me Now.
If you haven't already grabbedmy free audio masterclass, why
don't you just start there?
It's a great first step toassess your back office on your
(16:53):
own, and this masterclassprovides valuable insights and
practical steps to help youorganize your processes, reduce
chaos and improve efficiency.
Go to theshannonbakercomforward slash audio masterclass
Now.
If you haven't left a reviewfor the podcast yet, please do
so.
(17:13):
I would love to hear from you,and it's an easy way to show
some love to the podcast andhelp me reach more small
business owners who are ready todefy the status quo.
I can't wait to hear from you.
So until next time, keep calmand streamline.