How High Earning Service Providers Manage Their Clients
Episode 586: Show Notes
It has come to our attention that there seems to be a widely held belief that high-earning service providers already know exactly what they’re doing. The perception is that everything is running super smoothly and that they are acutely aware of exactly what they need to be doing at all times. That they are solely focused on their zone of genius and that they've made no changes to the backend of how they run things. This is most definitely not the case.
If you’re feeling a sense of inadequacy or frustration, you are not alone. We’ve noticed plenty of instances where service providers are landing great quality clients, and are providing stellar services, while also dealing with a tremendous amount of haphazardness behind the scenes. There’s also the added pressure of feeling like you need to protect your clients from the messy middle of your business because you want to seem polished and professional at all times. And while these service providers are doing a really good job of faking it, this way of doing things is not at all sustainable, especially when it comes to your health and mental health.
As service providers, we often don’t fully comprehend what will happen as our businesses grow. There's an ever-growing pile of admin and clerical work, as well as marketing and content production, not to mention everything else your business relies on. But what if you could eliminate this problem by creating a system and eviscerating unnecessary work? That’s where we come in. Throughout our careers, we’ve gained tons of experience and insight into creating a system that works! So let’s get straight to it!
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You Need To Get Out of Survival Mode
When you’re frazzled and functioning in survival mode, instituting a system can feel incredibly daunting. Even though it is intimidating it is still 100% worth doing. No system stays perfect indefinitely. You may need to improve upon a system, and then have to go back and revise it three months later. But that's okay. What we want you to understand is that when you protect your mental health, your time, and you respect your boundaries, then things will get easier. And right now we’re seeing many people who are managing to deliver on client work, but not much else. They’re achieving that at a high cost where everything else is a little bit disastrous behind the scenes.
How We Can Help You Design Systems That Work for Your Creative Business
Finding a system that works for your business is often a lot easier than you might think. One of the most rewarding secret superpowers we’ve mastered over the years is delegating all the things that clog up our day. We’ve also learned how to create flexible and robust systems that can be tailored to your unique business. While there are similarities between service-based businesses, they also have differences that set them apart. We regularly work with creatives who have unique offerings and as a result, require unique systems. This is the beauty of us transitioning into this client hybrid coaching role and our exciting new incubator. It allows us the capacity to really sit down with you and talk through how your unique business is different. Our approach marries two systems that coordinate with one another. The ultimate hack is to get them talking to one another properly, and to utilize the best features and structures of each individual element to work best within your unique process! The key difference between where you're at right now and where you want to be, is a structured, creative system that's designed and built around how you want things to run on a daily, monthly and seasonal basis. It’s a system that’s fluid and can prepare you for expected or unexpected leave, and it even has the ability to grow with you. And if you can create a system that enables your brain to refocus on what is important. That's pretty magical. So if you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed with your business, send us a DM, drop us an email, or apply to our Incubator program, it only takes five minutes! We’d love to hear from you!
Becoming Clear on What You Want for Your Life and Business
One of the most frustrating things about being human is our instinct to compare ourselves to other people. And sometimes when we do that, we unwittingly take on other people’s goals and priorities because we think that’s what we should be pursuing. But when we stop and evaluate what we truly want, there’s a chance that the answer might be something you could achieve today. Whether it’s spending more time outside, exercising, or having coffee in bed, all of these things are possible to incorporate into your daily life, you just need to prioritize it. And the same is true for your business. You can have systems in place that empower your team and actually allow you to be the creative lead of your company, instead of constantly putting out fires. And that allows you the time and energy necessary to incorporate all the elements that bring balance and joy to your soul!
Achieving Your Goals One Step at a Time
Sometimes it feels as if we can only envision two extreme states of being, either it’s chaotic, stressful, and we’re functioning in survival mode, or it’s a seemingly unattainable aspirational state of success and calm. And when we’re in that frenetic state it can seem impossible to bridge the gap to where we want to be, so much so that we don’t know where to start. That’s why we’re so excited about our incubator program. It’s an accessible step-by-step program that allows you to reach your goals and have your business running smoothly and efficiently. In fact, that’s why we designed it, so that you can take it one step at a time! There are little things that you can do that are going to immediately take some weight off. And then over time, you're going to build the things that do take longer to build. Every time you do that, it'll be one more thing off your plate, allowing you to reincorporate something that you've been craving. And crucially, you’ll be doing all of this without sacrificing the quality of your service, your relationships with your clients, or the money that you're making. If you’ve already managed to deliver in a high-stress, chaotic environment, then imagine your ability to deliver when you have, intentionally reduce your stress levels and your workload, allowing you to have more time and be more intentional with your clients!
It Can Be Great and Still Get Better
In the past, we have made the mistake of thinking that something needs to be totally broken for it to need fixing. But that isn’t always the case. Often we don’t recognize how much grief small things are causing us because we’ve gotten used to them. Yet small things can make a big impact when we're more intentional about them. Even if something is partially broken it is still worth addressing it and fixing it, especially if it’s going to allow you to do other things and reap the rewards of all your hard work. If you have an issue with self-worth then you need to remember that you are worth pursuing these changes. And if you are someone who doesn’t feel resilient or capable enough, look back at the tough times in your life and recognize that you were able to overcome those obstacles and end up with more wisdom, empathy, and tenacity than you had before. Remember that you don’t need to be totally broken to warrant attention and even something great can get better!
Quote This
Actually living and breathing what you're freaking good at. That unlocks a lot of things for people.
Highlights
You Need To Get Out of Survival Mode [0:03:05]
How We Can Help You Design Systems That Work for Your Creative Business [0:07:46]
Becoming Clear on What You Want for Your Life and Business [0:22:14]
Achieving Your Goals One Step at a Time [0:28:12]
It Can Be Great and Still Get Better [0:31:23]
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Abagail & Emylee
The Strategy Hour Podcast
We help overwhelmed and creative entrepreneurs break down their Oprah-sized dreams to create a functioning command center to tame the chaos of their business. Basically, we think you’re totally bomb diggity, we’re about to uplevel the shiz out of your business.
KEY TOPICS
Balance, Goals, Growth, Change, Transition
