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Are you feeling the pull to take your business to the next level but you’re worried about becoming a corporate robot or sacrificing your sanity in the process?! If so, this episode is for you.
I’m going to break down what you can do right NOW to scale your business authentically and sustainably without losing sight of what truly matters!
Together, we’re going to figure out whether your current business IS truly scalable, and strategies for maintaining your company culture, creating duplicatable systems and processes, and uphold your core values as you expand your reach and impact.
Whether you’re just starting out and dreaming of the day you’ll scale, or you’re already knee-deep in growth and looking for ways to stay grounded, this episode is packed with inspiration and practical advice that you can apply to your own journey.
Let’s dive into today’s conversation and discover how you can scale your business without losing your soul!
Are You Ready to Scale?
To begin, let’s start with determining if your business is even in a place to scale. To assess if your business is truly scalable, ask yourself this key question:
Can you increase your revenue without a proportional increase in your workload?
If the only way to make more money is by working more hours, your business likely isn’t scalable in its current form.
For example, when I was a wedding photographer, I had a few options in terms of scaling:
- The first option was to book more weddings, which I did. So I went from 25 to 27 to 30 weddings a year and scaled the business to 6-figures, but then I realized that I didn’t have the human capacity to work more weddings.
- The second option was to get associate photographers to shoot for me, which I actually did for 2 years so that I could book weddings and someone on my team could also book weddings under me and the brand.
The truth was, both of these did scale the business, but there was still a cap to what was possible. Each option brought more work and more time involved in the business so while my revenue did increase, it wasn’t without added effort.
This was when I started to figure out different business methods that were truly scalable.
Here are three simple questions you can ask yourself to quickly assess if your business or business idea is scalable:
- Can I increase sales without a significant increase in costs or time?: If your revenue can grow without a proportional rise in expenses or working hours, your business has scalable potential.
- Is there a large enough market demand for my product or service?: If there’s a growing market with ample customers who need what you offer, you have the potential to scale.
- Do I have systems in place to handle growth efficiently?: If you have or can implement streamlined processes, technology, and a reliable team, your business is more likely to scale successfully.
If after reviewing these questions, you have determined that your business is scalable, then great! It’s time to look for ways to automate processes, streamline operations, and leverage technology.
A scalable business should grow in revenue while maintaining or even reducing the amount of time and effort required, so let’s dive into how to do that.
1. Automate and Optimize Processes
What is already working for you? The biggest thing about scaling is that if you want to scale your business, I’d argue you have to start with one offer.
Pareto’s Principle is generally true for many small businesses in that 80% of your results come from 20% of your offers – regardless, when we’re talking about scaling, let’s start with your core offer.
As you look at the offer, where is time being spent and are there opportunities for you to automate or optimize the process – eliminating time and friction for both you and your client.
Here are my top 3 tips when it comes to automating and optimizing your processes:
- Identify repetitive tasks that can be automated to save time and reduce errors. By automating repetitive tasks, businesses can streamline operations and improve efficiency. For service-based businesses, I recommend Honeybook to help streamline your workflow and automate parts of your workflow!
- Regularly review and update processes to ensure they remain efficient. Businesses should consistently look for opportunities to automate, optimize, and improve operations. This will help your business adapt to changing needs and stay competitive in the market.
- Consistently look for opportunities to automate or optimize. Be on the lookout for new technology, because in 2024 there are so many updates being made in the business world every day! Tools like Monday can facilitate project management and collaboration and lead to increased efficiency, so check it out here!
2. Invest in Employee Development
I would argue that if you’re looking to scale, you need to be willing to invest in growing your team with the key players.
This is something that truly held me back for years, because I was literally white knuckling my business, but a lot of times scaling brings more complexity at first in order to reap the rewards in the long run. Focus on hiring the right people and investing in their growth and development.
The two main hires I’d challenge you to consider if you’re looking to scale would be:
- Operations Manager: a team member who oversees the day-to-day managing projects and ensuring efficiency.
- Marketing Manager: someone who would essentially throw gasoline on the fire and be responsible for getting more leads to turn into more sales for you as you scale.
There are other team members you may need as you continue to grow and scale, but personally I’d start with those two and invest in them.
One of the team members that has been working with me the longest is my Vice President, Marisa. She and I have learned over the years that it’s crucial to have tough conversations and trust our team, so we can focus on our core competencies and strategic growth.
Check out these past Goal Digger episodes featuring Marisa!
- 378: What Is An Integrator and Do You Need One?
- 770: Why We Secretly Love Hard Conversations in Our Biz
3. Focus on Core Competencies
Did you know I haven’t created a new course or offer since 2020?
In the last 4 years, I’ve had the same offer suite opting to focus on making my current products better than creating new ones. Instead of adding more, we’ve been working with less but going deeper on the ‘less.’
Focusing on core competencies involves identifying what your business does best, optimizing those aspects, and leveraging them for sustainable growth. By prioritizing your strengths and improving upon them, you can create a solid foundation for scaling your business without losing sight of what makes it successful.
I know you CAN do a lot of things, but should you? Perhaps it’s bookkeeping, blog writing, or building your website that isn’t your ‘thing’… whatever it is, outsourcing is a key component to scaling.
By honing in on your strengths and improving existing products or services, you can enhance customer satisfaction, streamline operations, and ultimately scale your business more effectively!
4. Build Strategic Partnerships
Strategic partnerships can be a game-changer when it comes to scaling your business. Whether through affiliate marketing or collaborating with other brands, forming partnerships can help you reach new audiences and expand your reach without overwhelming your team.
We drive a ton of results with strategic partners that allow us to stay in the spot of promotion while they manage the delivery, customer service etc. It doesn’t require more of our team, we just get to connect people with what we love.
In fact, about 25% of our year-to-date revenue has come from partnerships alone!
This year we had affiliates for one of our launches and it made a HUGE difference – I’ve been hesitant to have affiliates since it can feel like 2 separate launches but when they are the right partners, it makes it totally worth it and FUN.
My biggest tips for building strategic partnerships are:
1. Choose partners whose values and target audience align with yours: This ensures that the collaboration is authentic and meaningful. This alignment not only enhances the partnership but also strengthens the connection with the shared audience. When values align, it creates a cohesive message and a more impactful relationship with the target audience, and can lead to a more successful partnership.
2. Clearly define the goals and expectations of the partnership: By setting clear objectives and expectations, both parties understand their roles and responsibilities within the partnership. This clarity helps in avoiding misunderstandings and ensures that everyone is on the same page regarding the desired outcomes. Clearly defined goals also provide a roadmap for the partnership, guiding the actions and decisions made throughout the collaboration!
5. Implement Sustainable Growth Practices
Taking time to pause, reflect, and work on behind-the-scenes improvements can lead to long-term success. By focusing on lead generation, email marketing, and deep-rooted strategies, you can scale your business in a way that aligns with your values and vision.
You may have heard me say it before, but if you double your email list, you’ll double your profits. This summer, focus on list growth and optimization so that when the next busy season hits, your list is primed and ready to hear from you!
In just one hour, you’ll understand why email marketing gives you a WAY better ROI than any other platform helping you spend your time with clarity and confidence… you’ll brainstorm your first (or next) four emails you’ll send out to your email list that won’t require a ton of work.
PLUS, you’ll learn my secret strategy that allows you to create once and serve for a long time, making your new content creation process feel everlasting and worth it!
Save your seat for this FREE email list-building class here!
It’s Time To Scale!
I think the biggest thing I want you to take away from this episode is that growth ISN’T just about getting bigger… It’s about getting better.
It’s about creating a business that not only thrives financially but also uplifts everyone it touches—from your team members to your customers and beyond.
As we close out this conversation, keep in mind that small changes lead to big transformations… So ask yourself: what is ONE thing you can implement in your business TODAY that will set you up for success down the road?
Maybe it’s signing up for my email list-building class, reaching out to that brand you would love to work with, or starting a free trial for Honeybook to start automating your processes.
No matter what you do, my goal for you is to take action TODAY to get the results you want in the future. So keep on digging your biggest goals, and don’t lose your soul in the process!
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