Engineering Calmer Agencies & Consulting Firms: Calm is the New KPI

Monthly client meetings––they’re a requirement of service retainers.Or, are they?There's an expectation that if you're working with clients on retainer, in an ongoing, recurring way, that you have to have meetings––ya know, just to touch base.Conventional wisdom says that meetings should be included in the service because they seem to deliver inherent value. But meetings are a huge limitation when it comes to scaling a service business. There's only so much of you to go around. Is spending time in meetings really the best way to delivering great value and grow a business?Today, I got Parker Stevenson to weigh in. Parker is co-owner of Evolved Finance, a bookkeeping company that specializes in online businesses. By its very nature, the business of bookkeeping is doing pretty much the same thing month after month–making it a business that is ripe for scaling, if you approach scaling the way Evolved Finance has. One of the ways that Parker and his partner, Corey Whitaker, take advantage of this opportunity to scale is by bucking convention and delivering their monthly bookkeeping service without having regularly scheduled calls.In this episode:How Parker’s project to change the client-meeting paradigm has evolved over that last yearWhy niching down made it easier to build out operational practices How he shifted from using recorded Loom videos with his clients to experimenting with a training resource library and group office hoursHow getting to know his clients and their needs has been a better way to deliver value than getting mired in weeks of callsThe challenges Parker and his partner have run into transitioning from typical client meetings to group callsWhat kind of impact this move away from regular client calls has had on the business’s operational capacityHow quitting client meetings have impacted Parker personallyLinks:Website: evolvedfinance.comFacebook handle: facebook.com/evolvedfinanceFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/evolvedfinance/Scalespark Dollars + Decisions RoundtableTwitter @ScaleSparkLinkedIn @thesusanboles Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

Client meetings can easily fill up your entire calendar–sucking away all of your available time. This time is a valuable asset and it is often the single most limiting factor to the growth of service-based businesses.So what if there was something you could do to reduce this time-suck?All this month on the show we are looking at alternatives–unique ways to communicate with clients and opt-out of meetings, email, and conventional communication methods.Today, we’re talking about using Voxer with clients. Primarily a voice messaging app that harkens back to the flip-phone days, Voxer allows you to send short voice recordings, replacing both email and in-person meetings.I’m going to talk to two different founders who use Voxer to communicate with their coaching clients. You’ll hear from Nancy Jane Smith, a professional counselor and therapeutic coach who uses Voxer as a better way to work with women with High Functioning Anxiety.And you will hear the second half of an interview that I started last week with Ashley Gartland, a business coach who uses Voxer to save time, boost profit, and nurture exceptional ongoing client experience.Throughout this episode, pay close attention to how Voxer not only helps save time by opting out of meetings but also streamlines the way your clients receive value.In this episode:How Ashley & Nancy are using Voxer in managing and minimizing client meetingsHow they are using Voxer so the technology doesn’t become a distractionWhat the boundaries and processes they’ve put in place so clients know what to expectWhat challenges they have run into transitioning from a typical client meeting structureWhat impact the new approach have on their operational capacityLinks:VoxerBreak the Ceiling Episode 12Ashley Gartland:The Simplified Intensive  FacebookInstagramLinkedInNancy Jane Smith:Live HappierInstagramFacebookLinkedInThe Happier Approach BookSusan Boles:Scalespark Dollars + Decisions RoundtableTwitter @ScaleSparkLinkedIn @thesusanboles Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

I make no attempt at hiding my personal dislike of meetings. I’ve spent more time in meetings about meetings and meetings to prepare for other meetings than I can count. I’ve even suffered through long staff meetings where my boss literally just read printed out emails. I’ve truly felt the pain of being in meetings that could have just been an email. But are meetings really inevitable? All this month, I'm asking the question: does it really have to be a meeting?I am starting off by applying this question to client meetings. Is there a different way to approach meeting with your clients that could reduce time spend in 'update' meetings and drastically speed up results?One way of potentially doing this is through intensives – taking all the work we used to do with clients over several weeks or months and condensed it down to just a few hours or days.In today’s episode, I talked with two founders about their different approaches to this intensive-style of delivering offerings: business coach Ashley Gartland and marketing & operations project manager Hailey Thomas.You will hear that for both of these founders, taking this different approach when working with clients might actually be a more effective way of delivering value than sitting through yet another meeting.In this episode:How both women have taken their own unique approach to managing and minimizing client meetings.How Ashley Gartland adapted her six-month partnership program to a two-week coaching intensive so she could automate her process and serve more people.  How Hailey Thomas offers 3-day work retreats where she and her clients bang out most of the project in one weekendWhat kind of challenges they’ve run into transitioning from a typical client meeting structureHow this change to intensives has impacted their clients What impact the new approaches have had on operational capacityWhat kind of impact the changes have had on them personally as business ownersLinks:Ashley Gartland:The Simplified Intensive  FacebookInstagramLinkedInHailey Thomas:The BrainSpace Optimized PodcastThe WorktreatsLinkedInSusan BolesScalespark Dollars + Decisions RoundtableTwitter @ScaleSparkLinkedIn @thesusanboles Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

Even a small, one-person business becomes more profitable and efficient with a solid, repeatable process. So what happens when we double down on process?In our last episode, I talked to Lacey Stites about how she does this in her agency using a revenue share model.Today, we hear how Jake Jorgovan takes a bit of a different approach and focuses on productizing his service delivery so he can operate efficiently at scale. A productized service is a simple, streamlined way of delivering hands-on client experiences without guesswork or customization. Instead of reinventing the wheel with each client you serve, you build a repeatable process that is executed in the same way for every client.Jake’s companies, Lead Cookie and Content Allies, aren’t the kind of businesses that easily lend themselves to automation or scaling. He got around these challenges by productizing his services. These productized services are built on solid processes, procedures, and standardized systems behind the scenes. They ensure that his clients get a consistent, high-quality experience–a core tenant of both of his businesses.In this episode:What the motivational and driving forces behind deciding to start a service business like Lead Cookie wereWhat the biggest operational hurdles were starting outHow Jake tackled those hurdlesHow starting Content Allies was different from starting Lead CookieSome the operational strategies Jake focused on to deliver high-touch services profitablyHow these same strategy decisions made a big difference in how easy the business was to runFor Jake’s blogging, podcasting, and writing:jake-jorgovan.com/And to work with Jake:Lead CookieContent AlliesSusan Boles:Scalespark Dollars + Decisions RoundtableTwitter @ScaleSparkLinkedIn @thesusanboles Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

The messages we get about scaling a service business are pretty one-note. We’re told that we can’t scale a service business profitably and sustainably while sticking to a one-to-one service delivery model. We're told to do a bit of client work, spin that into a few digital courses or membership groups, and then sit back and let the money roll on it. But this isn’t a great fit for everyone. And it’s just not how many of us want to run our businesses. So, what else is out there? My guest today, Lacey Sites, uses a revenue-sharing pricing structure that allows her to scale her one-on-one coaching business without adding more clients all while still dramatically growing her profits. This unique model allows her to double down on her investment in each client, create pricing structures that build trust and longterm partnerships, and then, when their work with her pays off, reap the rewards.  On today’s episode:How Lacey’s unique pricing/compensation structure actually works in her businessWhat prompted her to make the change to the revenue sharing structure in the first placeWhat kinds of challenges she has run into transitioning from a typical pricing model How this change to revenue sharing has impacted her existing clientsHow it has allowed her to keep working 1-1 with clients while still growing her revenueWhat kind of impact the new approach had on her operational capacity How this has changed her approach to scalingLinks:alituplife.com/ LITerally Podcast With Lacey SitesScalespark Dollars + Decisions RoundtableTwitter @ScaleSparkLinkedIn @thesusanbolesSocial Media:Instagram: @alituplifeFacebook: @ALitUpLifeFacebook Group: The Lit Up and Loaded Entrepreneur Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

What if instead of spending tons of time creating complicated proposals for prospective clients, you just didn't? Maybe you believe your complicated, customized proposals help win you more business. But there’s a good chance you’re sacrificing profit and efficiency--without truly seeing gains in real revenue.All this month we are talking about opting out–choosing not to do certain things in your business as a tool for freeing up your time, money, and brain space for more important things. I started off by talking with Michelle Warner about how she focuses in on just a few services and opts out of selling all the things.I chatted with Brittany Berger about setting boundaries around the expectations of how you work, both for yourself and for your clients. Today I’m talking proposals with Rob Howard, founder of web development agency Howard Development & Consulting and creator of Automatic Freelancer, a mentorship program for freelancers.For Rob, the crux of the proposal process is reducing your sales time. You can quickly spend a ton of time, often unpaid time, preparing proposals to pitch projects to clients even if they never end up hiring you.This time can really suck the profit out of any project. Rob has developed a system that allows him to give accurate quotes on the initial call and send out proposals within 15 minutes of getting off that call. It's a system that saves a ton of time, and dramatically increase his profit per hour without changing the deliverable he’s actually providing to clients.On today’s episode:How Rob’s 30-Minute Profitable Proposal System sets him up to make a quick and accurate decision resulting in a proposal that makes the most sense for the client How having a proposal process that makes clear what you are selling and how much you are selling it for takes away a lot of the stress of selling Why delivering a proposal to your client quickly instills a greater amount of confidence in your abilityHow Rob breaks his proposals down in terms of the size of offer: small, medium, and largeWhy profit per hour per client is the only metric Rob chooses to track on a regular basisAnd how when you develop the mindset of an owner building a business, it sets you up for growth and success down the roadLinks:The 30 Minute Profitable Proposal SystemBetter Proposal StudyScalespark Dollars + Decisions RoundtableTwitter @ScaleSparkLinkedIn @thesusanboles Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

We have the freedom to design just about any business we want. We can work with clients in a hundred different ways to deliver our service.  But how that works has a lot to do with the boundaries you set in place.  Boundaries are expectations, guidelines, and frameworks around how we want our work and our lives to happen. They're a really effective way to both deliver better customer service and make your business more efficient. All while building more resiliency into your processes.  Today, I continue our month’s theme of opting-out by talking with Brittany Berger, founder of digital media company Work Brighter.  Brittany’s boundary game is strong.  When building Work Brighter, Brittany made the conscious decision to prioritize the mental health and personal life boundaries that make room for unproductive things like rest, self-care, and fun.  For her, boundaries are a powerful tool for streamlining and increasing her operational capacity. By choosing how she works with clients, when she works with clients, and who she works with in the first place, Brittany is explicitly setting expectations for how they will be working together.  By establishing these boundaries she is not only taking care of herself she is also ensuring that she will continue to have the capacity needed to continue helping high achievers and productive unicorns go beyond just working smarter to a better version of productivity.  On today’s episode:Why Brittany has opted-out of the normal method of doing one-on-one business and instead leverages her strengths and interests in ways that are more profitable. Why she defines success in her business in ways that are not necessarily tied to profit or revenueWhy she only checks her email twice a week so she can focus on deep work and self-careHow she manages energy and focus by doing the hardest thing first, preserving the most energy for sustainable productivityThe transparent guidelines she uses to reinforce boundaries with her clientsAnd how making it difficult for herself to access social media has been a great tool for freeing up space in her business Links:Work With Brittany at Work Brighter@workbrighter on Instagram@thatbberg on TwitterThe Slackification of the Family Home–The Atlantic MagazineScalespark Dollars + Decisions RoundtableTwitter @ScaleSparkLinkedIn @thesusanboles Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

Opting out of business-as-usual practices  or deciding to buck your industry trend can be a really powerful point of differentiation for service businesses  When you opt-out of using corporate jargon or ridiculously complicated implementation processes, you can really stand out from the crowd.  And, making this choice can also be a really great tool for increasing your operational capacity behind the scenes.  By opting-out and choosing not to implement a cumbersome or overly complicated process, you free up your time. By choosing to not administrate the process and hire somebody to manage it for you, you save all that time, money and effort that you would have spent otherwise. Today, I am having business strategist, Michelle Warner, back on the show to talk about how we both use opting-out as a tool to help our clients become more profitable and efficient.  We talk about how Michelle helps service providers, coaches, and course creators drill down and focus on what's important, as well as how they can stop spending time on unproductive distractions and start designing profitable businesses. On today’s episode:How Michelle uses an 80/20 framework to harnesses creative energy, turning it into something useful instead of something that can quickly derail us.How Michelle helps clients move away from their startup phase and start optimizing as a companyThe ways that doubling down on a single project has compounding effects and is uniquely beneficial to entrepreneurs  All the ways that entrepreneurs are naturally creators and how they can look to the art world for guidance and inspirationHow you can take your financial metrics and turn them into qualitative choices for what you want your business to be.How we can slow down and build our awareness in our business with tracking and mindfulness practices Links:Where you can work with Michelle WarnerAtomic Habits by James ClearForte Labs - Building A Second Brain Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

If you’re struggling to keep your head above water in your business and you can’t figure out how to break the ceiling and scale your business, then you should listen to this Break the Ceiling podcast with ScaleSpark Founder, Susan Boles. In the first few episodes of this series, Susan has focused on tackling default decisions, those decisions that you might have made in your business without thinking about them or realising that you had another choice. “Default decisions aren't necessarily good decisions or the right decision for your business.”In the upcoming episodes however, Susan switches the focus from default decisions to opting out and why she advocates ‘Default to Simple’, the touchstone she uses when trying to figure out the solution to any problem in her own business, or her clients businesses. Because often, the next thing you have to do in your business process is just really simple. But before we go ahead and begin the next chapter, if you didn’t get the chance to listen to our series on default decisions, definitely go back and dig into them because they frame the upcoming episodes on opting out, and get you thinking about alternative options that you might not have considered in your business. On today’s podcast:Why the tech that promises to make your life easier can just be another complicationWhy your business needs processesWhy writing a list allows you to keep it simpleHow to simplify your process to get paid by opting outWhy opting out is such a powerful toolFuture guests on the podcast for the opting out themeLinks:Scalespark Dollars + Decisions RoundtableTwitter @ScaleSparkLinkedIn @thesusanboles Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

In this special podcast episode, the shoe is on the other foot - Susan herself is on the receiving end of the interview. And she’s talking to Tara McMullin (who you might remember from the first ever Break the Ceiling episode.)Bottlenecks in a business workflow process and complicated workflows can combine to create huge business growth headaches, not to mention potentially impacting your quality of work, resulting in poor customer satisfaction, or worse, letting things slip through the gaps. So Susan wanted to share this episode (first aired on Tara’s podcast, What Works) because she wants to discuss her experience of default decisions in software and technology. “When you're starting out, you don't know what you don't know.”In this episode, Susan and Tara talk about why and when you should review your software tools, and how you can really use software to help automate your operations and address some operational capacity issues. They also talk about the challenging work of implementing new software and how to make the change a little bit easier and more effective.So tune in to hear all that and more. On today’s podcast:What Susan typically finds is standing between her clients and tripling their revenueThe basis for business default decisionsWhy hiring more people won’t fix an operational capacity problemMistakes small business owners make when they try to use software to expand their capacityWhy software can be another bottleneck to workflow process rather than an aidThe audit process Susan carries out for each individual business to figure out what software could help themHow Susan makes software recommendations for each businessHow to implement a new software system painlesslyCommon mindset problems business owners face when switching softwareLinks:Walk through of how to do a software auditWhat Works podcastZapier - automation platform that connects SAAS toolsXero - accounting toolScalespark Dollars + Decisions RoundtableTwitter @ScaleSparkLinkedIn @thesusanboles Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here