You’re ready to start or grow your business, but you don’t know where to start. Every time you get a handle on one part of your business, you feel like you’re dropping the ball somewhere else.
That’s usually because there’s something missing, a vital cog that helps everything to run more smoothly. If you’re going to scale, you need to do an inventory on your service-based business.
Here, three things you need to have in your business if you’re going to take it to the next level.
Workflows
You cannot do business effectively without workflows. End of story.
Workflows help you keep track of projects, onboard clients seamlessly and basically keep your sanity (no joke). They are what tell you what to do next and help you be more productive when you sit down to get the work done.
Not only that, but if done right, workflows will allow you to automate parts of your business so that things happen automatically. And that’s what I call winning.
Email List
You’re posting on social media to engage with your audience, and that’s a great place to start. But what if Facebook goes away tomorrow. (Not likely, but possible.) You don’t own the followers you have on Facebook or Instagram. And you also can’t control how many people your posts get in front of.
Oh, the joys of algorithms!
But you do have control over your email list. There are so many things you can do to grow your list size, encourage engagement and grow a community there.
Plus, having an email list gives you direct access to your followers--right in their inboxes. This is where you speak directly to the people who have told you they respect what you have to say (by trusting you with their email address) and can nurture them into buying something.
An email list and an email growth strategy is a must-have for any business owner who wants to grow and scale.
Google Analytics
If this one’s surprising to you, bear with me for a minute.
I know that many new business owners struggle with the cost of a website. If you have to start solely with a social media presence, then so be it.
But as soon as you’re able, I recommend jumping board with a website. (Squarespace is one of the easiest platforms to use and just about anyone with a computer can build a website there with minimal tech abilities.)
The benefit of a website is Google Analytics. With analytics, you can see what people are doing on your website (where they’re clicking through to other pages, where they’re leaving it, etc.) and where they’re coming from.
Having this information available to you allows you to:
Make changes to your website to encourage people to stay on it longer
Tweak copy to provide a better visitor experience
Beef up the platforms where most of your traffic is coming from (to encourage even more visitors)
Of course, a business isn’t built solely on workflows, an email list and Google Analytics. A lot more goes into it, like marketing, a solid sales strategy, blood, sweat, tears...you get the picture. But if you need to divide your time up right now, this is exactly where I’d start.
