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3. A Simple Way to Organize Your Business Today · Simple Enough: Organizing, Productivity, and Mindset for Entrepreneurs

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: If your business feels disorganized and it's starting to get in your way,
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: here's what I want you to know.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: You're not bad at this.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: You just never set up the systems or outgrew the systems you did start with.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: And you need a new perspective.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: If you're smart and capable,
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: but overwhelmed by too many decisions,
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: half-built systems,
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: and things you keep meaning to get to, you're in the right place.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Simple Enough.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: Remember when you first started and you didn't have any clients and you had a bunch
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: of time and you set up cute forms and you set up a website and you made a few calls,
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: then you got some clients and then you thought, I'll set up systems soon.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: I just don't know what my clients need or want.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: I need to know that before I set up any systems.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: So now you're not sure what to work on and when,
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: you don't know your numbers,
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: and you are so frazzled that you've completely lost your life-work balance.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: The whole idea of freedom and setting up your own business has gotten away from you
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: because now you're doing things the hard way instead of the easy way.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: And it can feel overwhelming because we didn't set up the systems
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: and now we're trying to keep everything in our head and remember what we're doing.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: And there's volume,
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: there's pace, there's the rhythm of business and the sheer number of decisions.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, there's a bazillion decisions to make when we run our own business.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: And you can't do it all at once.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: And you can't hire everyone all at once.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: And you can't scale or grow if you don't have systems in place.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: So now you're the bottleneck.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: You are stuck.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: The fear of doing something wrong in this day and age of treating everyone like
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: an open book on social media where we see everybody else's businesses
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: and what they're doing, it can feel like we're behind all the time.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not true.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's a facade.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get ourselves together, shall we?
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: Because fear of doing it wrong and comparing yourself to others is the real problem.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Disorganization comes from who and how you want to be in your business as the leader
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: of your business.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: You need to do something about it.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: I had a client that ran a print shop,
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: and she was very proud of the variety of things she could print and
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: the solutions she could find to customers' problems,
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: and it showed up in ways that quickly became disorganized.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: There were shelves and cabinets full of catalogs,
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: and there were rooms full of papers and specialty things that they could print on,
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: and someone would need it one day.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: And there was no room.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: For spreading out a catalog on the counter to actually help a client make a decision
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: about what they were going to print.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: And there was no room for her to take a vacation and be assured
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: that things would be taken care of.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: This actually led to an employee getting fired and accused of theft and When really,
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: the owner of the business had hidden the petty cash
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: because they were afraid something might happen to it
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: or someone wouldn't know what it was for.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: And so they hid it before they went on vacation and then forgot where they put it
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: and lost it for months, thinking someone stole it.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of having a process in place where someone would know what the petty cash was for.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: So the piles of samples and options and the inability to make decisions in order
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: to create systems that could train other people to run parts of the business
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: while she was on vacation or just wanted to go to lunch or take a day off led to
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: a lot of chaos and cost her business a lot of money.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: There was just excess inventory everywhere and clients would walk out
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: because they couldn't make a decision in such a cluttered environment.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: You have to start with who and how you want to be.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: How that connects to your vision, mission, and values for your business.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: And when you're systematizing, there's no one right way to do it.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: But every business needs systems.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: And what those systems look like depend on,
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: again, who and how you want to show up in your business.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's where you get to meet your clients where they expect you to be.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: Systems set you free.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: They do the heavy lifting of meeting the standards you set for yourself and
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: the expectations of your customers.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: So you get to design it however you want.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: You created the business in the first place, so you know how to do it.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: So just start.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: Do it.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: The trick is designing it based on your needs and how to best serve the client.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: So workflows and repeatability are really what it's all about.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: I have some clients that are completely analog and some that are completely digital.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: It just doesn't matter.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: It shows up the same way.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: A system is only as good as how much you thought through.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: It can be as complicated as,
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: you know,
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: a six-level deep filing system or as simple as chronologically setting the new bill
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: on top of the old bill in a pile under a rock on a table.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: That's a system.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: The system is the repeatable process so you know where things are when you need them.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: A cluttered desktop or a simplified desktop.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: It can be a file or a pile.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: Because really a pile is just a sideways file and a file is just an upright pile.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: So you get to decide how you want your system to work.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: But really, it's all about identity.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: Stop putting it off.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: Be the kind of person that knows what they're doing and sets themselves up for success.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: There is a deeper pattern underneath identity.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: All of your fighting against creating systems.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's the old imposter syndrome.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's about identity.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: You are deciding who and how you want to be,
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: not comparing yourself to other people we see on social media that seem
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: to know what they're doing.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: They don't.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: They've just decided to try something on for size and run with it.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: Get curious.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: Try a system on for size.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Use it a while.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: Adapt it.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: Change it.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: Try something else.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: But the system itself,
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: not the tool, the app, the planner, the file system itself is what matters.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: The system of the workflow is what matters.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: We need to designate a holding space for the different kinds of work you do
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: and create a rotation plan for the things in that space and the steps involved
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: in putting that stuff into action.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: What do you do with that business card when you go to a networking thing?
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: Do you take a picture of it and put it in your CRM or do you put it in a Rolodex?
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: Do you leave it in a pile, in a shoebox, in the top drawer?
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: What do you do with it?
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: What's the plan?
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: That's what a system is.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's the plan for doing the work you need to do to serve your clients every day.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: And it is the plan for delegating those tasks when you don't have to be the one
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: to do them anymore.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: And it is the plan for freeing up enough time to do the deep,
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: creative and strategic work that needs to get done.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: Turns out yesterday was the best day to get organized.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: Today is a great day to get organized for a better tomorrow.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: And it pays off because every system you set up allows you to practice that system.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: The repetitiveness of a system is what frees up time,
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: energy, and money so you can do the actual work that matters.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: It allows you to feel like you got it done and you get faster and it gets easier
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: the more you do it.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: And so you get to feel satisfied and more productive at the end of every day
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: when you work a system.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: When you leave it to chance or you wing it or you're a free spirit
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: that floats around doing whatever you feel like doing next,
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: that's when you start feeling overwhelmed because
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: the stuff isn't actually getting done.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: You're just enjoying playing around in your business.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: A real business is one that you've set up for success,
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: one that has repeatable Tasks that can be delegated
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: and sold once you have them documented.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: So over and over is how you get good at it.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: Documenting it is how you scale and delegate and sell your business to make money.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: You get to decide how much of that you want to do.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: But really, we want to create clarity.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: The standards,
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: the expectations your customers have about how they're going
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: to receive what you provide.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: Whether it's,
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: you know,
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: a Big Mac or your six-month organizing package,
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: whatever it is,
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: you get to decide how you are going to live up to the standards
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: and expectations you set for yourself and your business
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: to provide excellent customer service for your clients.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: Because that's where it really shows up.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: Bad customer service is where a lack of systems really, really shows up time and time again.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: So think about that.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Your processes are the most important part of your business,
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: both in terms of client retention,
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: in terms of scalability, in terms of money, in terms of sellability.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: And luckily, there's a system for developing systems.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: Of course there is.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a step-by-step process and it's easy and you can look it up in
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: a hundred different places.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: But the trick is one system at a time,
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: workflow,
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: designate a home for the things you need for it and have a rotation system and
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: then you practice it.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: You aren't behind.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: You just haven't systematized yet.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: There is one small thing you can do today to get you started with systematizing.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, a piece of paper doesn't work as good when you use a computer for this particular project.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I want you to draw a vertical line straight down the middle of that paper
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: so you've got two columns.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: On the left-hand side, I want you to list the things you put off until later.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: And on the right-hand side, I want you to put why you put them off.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: This is the time where you go through that pile of stuff you set to the side
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: of your desk or heaped on a pile on the credenza that you were going to get
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: to later.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: And just go through the pile and list them one by one.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: There's that form I need to fill out.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: There's that reminder.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I want you to then list why you didn't do it right then and there
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: or why it didn't get scheduled with a specific time to do it.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: That's it.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: Go through that pile and then leave this piece of paper on your desk for a few days,
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: maybe a week, and see what patterns evolve.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: Are there things that you put off regularly because you don't know where
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: the information is or it's going to take you a long time to gather the information
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: to fill out that form because you don't have a system set up for knowing
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: where those things are right away?
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: The numbers you need to fill out the new bank account or to pay the bills.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: Do you not know your numbers?
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: Do you need a money system?
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: This is what we're looking for.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: The common threads.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: And when you find the one or two that have the most hiccups because you don't have
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: a system in place, set up that system first.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: Good luck with it.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to hear what you might discover.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: To celebrate the launch of Simple Enough, I'm giving away four streamlined solution prizes.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: One grand prize winner will receive
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: the complete three-course bundle covering clutter, time, and paper.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: Three additional winners will each receive one of the individual questions.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: To officially enter,
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: visit morethanorganized.net/podcastlaunch and submit the entry form.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: Entries close at midnight Eastern time, August 30th, 2026.
• 13:09
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• 13:11
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• 13:13
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• 13:18
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• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: and complete giveaway details.
• 13:25
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• 13:30
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• 13:32
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• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for spending this time with me today.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: Before you go,
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: choose one thing from this episode that could make life just
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: a little simpler this week.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: Not perfect, just simple enough.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: Come join me on Substack at morethanorganized.substack.com and remember,
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: organizing doesn't have to be so hard.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'll see you soon.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: In the meantime, have a delightful day.