You’re Not Behind, You’re Just Building Without Support

Ever felt like a fraud despite your success because behind the scenes you’re scrambling just to keep up? 

The truth is the problem isn’t you. You’ve simply outgrown the systems you started your business with. The most successful service providers often struggle the most with backend operations because they’re brilliant at delivery but haven’t had time to build the foundation their business actually needs.

In this episode, I share my own journey from booked-out VA to systems strategist and reveal the clarity that changed everything. Backend chaos isn’t solved by doing more! 

It’s fixed by building an infrastructure that supports your zone of genius. You’ll learn why you can’t fix what you can’t see, how to pinpoint the system causing the most stress, and how one small intentional change can bring immediate relief.

I’ll walk you through the quick wins that bring relief right away and show you how the Systems & Sanity Suite inside the Mind Your Time Society can help you build the structure you need, one system at a time without pressure and without having to do it all alone.

Here’s what we will unpack today:

2:28 – How I went from being booked out as a VA to realizing my backend was dragging me down and what I actually needed instead of another offer

3:50 - Why every client feels like a different experience, and how missing systems are the reason things feel scattered and heavy

4:13 – Why disorganization isn’t your fault and how to reframe the belief that you’re just “bad at systems”

6:24 – How the Back Office POWER Checklist can help you identify what’s missing in your back office and where to start fixing it

8:35 - How a simple, repeatable onboarding workflow transforms client trust: guiding them with clarity, care, and confidence, without you having to explain everything every time

10:12 - A quick win challenge to help you spot what’s really slowing you down and take the first step toward clarity

11:37 – What’s inside the Systems & Sanity Suite and how the Mind Your Time Society gives you structure without pressure

Related Episodes Mentioned:

Episode 212 - The 6 Core Systems Your Business Needs to Grow Without Burnout

Resources Mentioned:

🔍 Ready to get clear about what’s really happening in the back end of your business?

The Back Office POWER Checklist is a fillable Google Doc you can complete online (no printing, no overwhelm).  It helps you uncover what’s working, what’s missing, and where your systems are silently slowing you down so you can fix the real problems, not just the symptoms. 

🔧 Ready to simplify your back office and finally feel in control?

Join The Mind Your Time Society , your space for smart systems, sanity-saving tools, and real support. You’ll get access to the Systems & Sanity Suite which contains plug-and-play templates, strategy driven resources, and access to expert guidance so you can run your business like a pro without the overwhelm.

Let me know your thoughts! Click here to send me a text.

Leave a Rating and Review: https://ratethispodcast.com/mindyourtime

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Have you ever looked around at your business and
thought wait, how did things getthis messy behind the scenes?
Well, on the outside, thingslook like they're working great,
clients are happy, you'regetting referrals, you're
booking discovery calls.
But behind the scenes, you'reholding it all together with
duct tape, high hopes and waytoo many reminders in your head,
while you're not necessarilybehind, you're not operating

(00:24):
with the clarity and structureyou know you need.
So in today's episode, I'mgoing to walk you through the
first steps you can take tofinally fix what's broken behind
the scenes in your business.
If your back end feels likeit's chaotic, you're reactive or
it's disorganized, this iswhere we start to make changes.
Welcome to the Mind your Timepodcast.

(00:45):
I'm Shannon Baker, yourcoffee-loving host and business
operations strategist.
If you're a service providerwho's great at what you do, but
stuck with misfit clients, messyonboarding or draining workdays
, this show is for you.
Each week, I share boldstrategies and practical
insights rooted in my PowerEmotion Framework to help you
streamline your backend, protectyour time and lead your client

(01:06):
experience with confidence,because skills got you clients,
but systems will take youfurther.
So grab a cup of coffee or yourfavorite drink and let's dive
in.
Let me take you back in time tothe moment when I went from
being a virtual assistant to abusiness operations strategist.
Let me tell you, I was bookedout.
My clients trusted me and mybusiness grew because of

(01:28):
referrals.
So growth happened a lot fasterthan I had ever anticipated.
But behind the scenes of mybusiness, it was total chaos.
I was mainly onboarding everyclient, which meant that every
client had a differentexperience and all of them
weren't that great.
I also found myself having toredo client work because they

(01:51):
didn't have any processes, sotheir expectations weren't
clearly communicated.
When they gave me the task tocomplete, and because I didn't
have systems in place, I waswasting hours looking for files
that I needed, recreatingonboarding steps over and over,
retyping the same client emailsover and over.

(02:12):
The list goes on and on thebottom line, I couldn't keep up
because at the time, my daughterhad just started going to
school and I was workingfull-time while trying to build
my business and I didn't knowwhat to fix first.
That's what made it sofrustrating.
When I started my business, Ifound tons of information online

(02:32):
to help me get the businessgoing, but there wasn't a lot of
information about how to keepit going without burning out.
But over time, one thing I didfigure out on my own was that I
didn't need another offer,because I had tried quite a few
at that time and none of themreally worked out the way that I

(02:53):
wanted them to.
And honestly, it didn't matterbecause I didn't need more work,
because I didn't have more time.
What I actually needed was away to fix the back end of my
business because of lack ofsystems.
It was dragging me down and itwas really straining my
relationship with my family.

(03:14):
Now, if that's you right now, Ipromise there is a way out, and
it starts with clarity.
So let's dig into what thatlooks like.
Well, first of all, if you'redisorganized, that is only part
of the problem, and you're notthe only one with it You've
actually just outgrown yourcurrent infrastructure.
So let's take a moment toreframe your thoughts on that,

(03:37):
because I've talked to quite afew number of service providers
over the years and most of themthey honestly feel like they're
bad at systems and that there'sno hope.
How do you feel about that?
Well, if your client experiencefeels different every time, if
communication with your clientsand your team feels scattered,

(03:59):
if your boundaries areconstantly being tested or
ignored.
And if you feel stuck or inhustle mode because you don't
have the structure you need togrow and scale, that's not
because you're bad at systems.
It's because you don't have theones you need to support the
level you're actually operatingat.

(04:19):
And that's why everything feelsso heavy and why your business
is so dependent on you, becauseyou're carrying it all on your
own and your operations are allin your head.
So here's the truth you knowyour clients.
They already trust you.
Your skills are solid.
You're delivering results.

(04:42):
So this isn't about yourcapability, but it's really
about your back end catching upto your brilliance.
See, when you create structureto support your zone of genius,
your business stops feeling sochaotic and heavy.
You stop making decisions thataren't aligned with your values

(05:03):
or the season of your lifemaking decisions that aren't
aligned with your values or theseason of your life.
You stop doing things fromscratch over and over again and
instead you get the systems inplace that you need so that you
can start operating efficientlyand showing up like the leader
that you already are.
But here's the catch you can'tfix what you can't see.

(05:27):
See one of the most frustratingparts of back in chaos is not
even knowing where to start, andit keeps a lot of business
owners stuck.
It's a common struggle.
I mean you can feel thatsomething's off.
You know you're repeating tasksthat really should be easy.
You know you're repeating tasksthat really should be easy, but
without a bird's eye view intoyour business operations as they

(05:48):
are right now, you get stuckputting out fires instead of
building the foundation that youactually need.
And because you spend so muchtime putting out fires, you
don't have the time you need toinvestigate the issue so you can
resolve it.
Not to mention, it's probablynot your expertise anyway.
So you can resolve it, not tomention, it's probably not your
expertise anyway.
Now, if you want to experiencethe relief that comes from at

(06:09):
least identifying the issues,then I highly recommend you grab
the Back Office Power Checklist, because it walks you through
the six core systems that Ipersonally feel every growing
service provider needs to havein place in their business.
Now, the top three are filemanagement, calendar management
and client communication, andall of them together will help

(06:32):
that.
Well, at least that checklistis going to help you pinpoint
exactly where the chaos iscoming from, because one or more
of those systems is missing.
And the truth is it's not aboutfixing everything at once, it's
about fixing the right thingfirst.
So now, if you're wonderingwhat those six core systems are,
I go deeper into that in theepisode the six core systems.

(06:56):
Your business needs to growwithout burnout.
So I'm going to drop a link tothat episode in the show notes
because it gives you a quicksummary of each of the core
systems that you need so thatyou have a strong business
foundation that supports you.
But for now, the one thing Icannot say enough is I need you
to go to theshannonbakercomforward slash checklist and grab

(07:18):
the back office power checklistand complete it as soon as
possible.
But now let's talk about how youcan start to make changes for
the better.
Okay, let's be real.
I know you are neck deep inwork right now, so you don't
have the capacity to take on,let's say, a 90 day overhaul of
your back office.
That's why the first fix inyour back end needs to give you

(07:43):
a quick win, something you canimplement right away.
That makes tomorrow, next week,in the months and the years
beyond easier, not moreoverwhelming.
So maybe you can start byorganizing your digital filing
system and create namingconventions that you plan to use
, so you're not wasting timesearching for the same documents

(08:04):
every week or recreating thesame document.
That's your file managementsystem doing its job.
Or maybe you want to takecontrol of your time by blocking
every Monday for CEO tasks,like planning out your week
based on the season of your life, instead of putting out fires
every day and overbookingyourself.

(08:24):
Guess what?
That's part of your schedulingsystem, or a time management
system which puts boundariesaround your capacity instead of
draining it.
And one of the most common areasI see service providers
struggling with is writing out asimple, repeatable onboarding

(08:46):
workflow, and this is a bit morethan just a checklist.
And there's nothing wrong withchecklists, but you really need
a full process that gently andprofessionally guides a client
from when they sign the contractand submit their payment to
scheduling their kickoff meetingand beyond that.
And it's all done in a way thatmakes them feel confident in

(09:08):
you, that you care for them, andit clearly shows them what they
can expect as they move forwardwith working with you.
And, the best part, you don'thave to explain everything
manually each and every time.
That's your communicationsystem doing its job, or you can
call it a client managementsystem.
But this reinforces yourboundaries, it sets expectations

(09:32):
up front and it elevates yourclient experience, all while
saving you time and energybehind the scenes, because it's
automated.
Now you may be wondering why amI sharing all of this with you?
Well, it's because your backenddoes not need a total rebuild
to calm the chaos, and you don'tneed to burn everything down
and start over.
You just need a clear startingpoint and a plan so that you can

(09:55):
make the needed changes.
That's what the back officepower checklist can help you
with, and that's how you stopwasting energy on things that
don't actually move thingsforward for you in your business
.
So now here's a quick onechallenge for you that I want
you to complete this week.
Pick one you in your business.
So now here's a quick onechallenge for you that I want
you to complete this week.
Pick one area in your businessthat feels the most chaotic

(10:17):
right now.
It could be your clientonboarding, client communication
or even just setting clientexpectations.
Now write out how you'rehandling that right now and
don't overthink it.
Just write a few bullet points.
Then I want you to go totheshannonbakercom forward slash
checklist.

(10:38):
Download the back office powerchecklist Then use it to compare
your current process to what astreamlined system could look
like.
That checklist will help youimmediately spot the gaps in
your back office and identifywhat you need to fix first, and
then you can build that into afull workflow and an automated

(11:01):
system later.
But this is how you startcalming the chaos One clear step
, one clear process at a time.
Now, this is what I want toemphasize.
One clear step, one clearprocess at a time.
Now, this is what I want toemphasize.
This is really important and Idon't want you to forget it.
The back office power checklistis just the first step.
It's intentionally designed tohelp you see what's missing.

(11:23):
But then you have to takeaction.
But when you're ready toactually build your systems out,
you don't have to figure it outon your own.
That's where the Mind, yourTime Society comes in, and it's
not just another membership.
It's actually your toolkit andyour roadmap to creating a
strong foundation in yourbusiness, because inside you get

(11:53):
access to the full systemsinsanity suite as a Founders
Circle member.
Now here are some of theresources that are included the
back office power checklist,which helps you quickly spot
what's missing in your backendthe starter stack, which gives
you plug and play templates forsmoother operations, and many
other resources and tools youcan use to create your processes
and your workflows in yoursystems.
There are detailed momentummaps that guide you so that you

(12:17):
can focus on one priority at atime and not get overwhelmed.
And the power path plans.
They show you how to movethrough the systems and sanity
suite based on your time, yourenergy, no more.
Where do I start?
Decision paralysis.
The beauty of the systems andsanity suite is that it meets

(12:39):
you where you are right now andyou don't need to fix everything
.
Today.
You'll be able to create a planthat you can work on based on
your schedule, with no pressure,and because the Mind, your Time
Society is a community.
You won't be doing this alone.
You'll have guidance andsupport from other service
providers who are at differentpoints of their journey, and

(13:01):
they also have access to thosetools that will help you grow,
and everyone grows together.
I would love to welcome youinside, so go to
theshannonbakercom forward slashmembership and check that out
today.
Now let's take a moment to recapwhat we've talked about today,

(13:22):
because this episode isn't justabout identifying the chaos.
It's about giving you theclarity that you need to finally
start fixing it.
So here are the three thingsthat I want you to take away
from this episode.
Takeaway number one the chaosyou're experiencing is not your
fault.
It's just a sign that yoursystems haven't caught up to

(13:42):
your growth.
Recognizing that is the firststep to making a change, and it
takes the shame out of where youare right now so that you can
move forward, and of where youare right now so that you can
move forward and get where youneed to be.
Takeaway number two you cannotfix what you can't see, so that
scattered feeling that you haveright now, it's rooted in blind
spots.
You've been doing the hard work, you're delivering results,

(14:05):
you're making things happen, butyou're doing it without a
strong backend to support you,so you're constantly playing
catch up.
The back office power checklistwill give you the full picture
so that you can take action froma place of strategy, not stress
, not panic, but you can takethe time and fill in the gaps so
that you can operate moreefficiently.

(14:26):
And takeaway number threefixing this doesn't have to be
complicated.
You just need to start now andyou don't have to fix everything
at once.
You just need to focus on onearea that's slowing you down the
most and make one change thatwill bring you relief, and then
you can start to build momentumoff of that.

(14:46):
One intentional fix at a time.
That's how you start showing upwith more clarity, confidence
and control.
So, with the chaos behind thescenes of your business has been
weighing on you, I hope youwalk away from this episode
knowing this.
You're not behind.
You just need systems thatsupport the level that you're
operating at in your business,and you only need to pick one

(15:10):
and get started.
So, if you're ready to stopspinning your wheels and finally
fix the chaos behind the scenesin your business, head to
theshannonbakercom forward slashchecklist and grab the Back
Office Power Checklist today andcomplete it.
It's free, it's simple and it'sdesigned to help you take back
control without overwhelm andthen, when you're ready for the

(15:30):
next level of support, thechecklist again is just the
beginning.
Join us inside Founders Circlein the Mind your Time Society so
you can get access to the fullsystems and sanity suite that
gives you tools, templates, mapsand the pacing plan that you
can use to create a structurethat will help you build a
business, one system at a timeat your pace, but you won't have

(15:54):
to do it alone.
I know you're ready for thenext level of support and I'm
here to help you build that withconfidence.
So let's get started.
Thanks for tuning in today.
If this episode hit home, it'sbecause you already know you're
ready to stop patching up theproblems and start running your
business like the pro you are.
But listening won't fix thecracks.

(16:15):
Action will your next step.
Grab the back office powerchecklist at theshannonbakercom
forward slash checklist.
It'll show you exactly what'sworking, what's missing and
where your back end is silentlyslowing you down.
What's missing and where yourback end is silently slowing you
down.
And if you're ready to godeeper, founder Circle inside

(16:36):
the Mind your Time Society iswhere we can fix it, together
with the Systems Insanity Suite,and you'll get the clarity that
you've been craving.
Not quite there yet.
Come say hi to me on Instagramat the underscore Shannon Baker.
I would love to hear whatresonated with you the most.
And if you're loving thepodcast, please leave a quick
review, because it goes a longway in helping more service
providers like you find thepodcast.

(16:58):
You can do that right now atratethispodcastcom.
Forward slash.
Mind.
Your time, skills got yourclients.
Systems and your expertise arewhat's going to help you keep
them.
So until next time, keep calmand streamline.