Introducing Sabrina Shoe
My name is Sabrina Shoe, I am the publisher of Macaroni Kid Germantown-Clarksburg, a hyper-local website and e-newsletter for families, and the Owner and President of S Squared Business Services, a business consulting and administrative services company.
Before Systematic Success 2.0
I had quite a few struggles before starting the Systematic Success program, mainly figuring out the best way to organize my clients (client intake) and set up systems/checklists so I didn’t miss any steps (sending contracts, receiving signed contracts, receiving logos, setting up ads, etc.).
On two occasions before I found out about the course, I had to send multiple emails to one client to ask for additional information that I had neglected to gather at the start of the project and it made me feel very unprofessional. I was also using an Excel spreadsheet as a client management tool and it was just NOT working for me!
Sold!
The aspect that sold me on the system was the possibility of using Evernote (or Asana) as a hub – one place from which to run my businesses. Rather than remembering to go to this program and that program and make notes here and there to get everything done, just open up Evernote, see everything from your schedule (which Natasha had covered in a webinar I had watched prior to signing up for Systematic Success), to your CRM, to managing your Social Media, to where you are with each project you’re working on.
The Revelation
As I worked through the course I realized that setting up systems doesn’t need to be complicated, the important thing is to step back from the activity, break it down into steps, and then figure out a template or checklist so that steps aren’t missed. That is the foundation of a system. When the basic version is working, you can adjust the system to make it (and you) more efficient or to delegate work as needed without forgetting about the steps you aren’t working on.
I also realized that there are so many processes that can be systemized! It hadn’t occurred to me to systemize my social media management or publishing my newsletter. Keeping up with and building relationships thanks to Natasha, I now have systems in place for all of those activities and when the time comes to expand my business, it will be easy to train an assistant or employee because everything is right there in Evernote.
After Systematic Success 2.0
I feel much more organized and prepared since I’ve worked through the course. Previously, I got a pang of nervousness when someone would agree to advertise with me, because that is where I was completely lacking a system (client intake). Instead of celebrating a new client, I was worried I would miss something and I would spend a great deal of time preparing emails and contracts so I wouldn’t forget to ask for a logo file or whatever.
Now, between the client intake process and 17Hats (the program I use for contracts, questionnaires, and invoicing) I can have a new client set up and invoiced in minutes. I am more prepared as I get ready to open S Squared Business Services. I have systems in place for activities I already do (social media, accounting, etc.) and have roughed in systems for client work as well – before I even have my first client.
Making Systems Your Own
It took a bit of concentration to see how I could make the examples Natasha shared fit my business model. It was a bit frustrating at first because I guess I was hoping for more “ready-made” solutions. The thing about systems is that you have to do the work to analyze your processes and figure out what you need – systems aren’t a one size all solution.
With that being said, the examples did help tremendously! Even the ones that I thought didn’t make sense for my business just took a bit of evaluation on my part to see what the bottom line result should be so I could rework the system.
