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197. Solopreneurs, Stop Winging It and Get Your Systems Together · The Life-First Solopreneur

• 0:00
  Carly Ries: Are you a solopreneur who left corporate life behind only to now find yourself drowning in disorganized chaos? Well, in this episode, we break down why doing things your own way doesn't mean playing solo without a plan. We've revealed the not so secret power move from corporate America that every solo business owner should adopt, which is systems. From documenting your daily tasks to prepping for scale and outsourcing, this episode is packed with real talk, personal stories, and practical tips that'll save your time and your sanity. You're listening to the Aspiring Solopreneur, the podcast for those just taking the bold step or even just thinking about taking that step into the world of solo entrepreneurship.
• 0:42
  My name is Carly Ries, and my cohost Joe Rando and I are your guides to navigating this crazy but awesome journey as a company of one. We take pride in being part of LifeStarr, a digital hub dedicated to all aspects of solopreneurship that has empowered and educated countless solopreneurs looking to build a business that resonates with their life's ambitions. We help people work to live, not live to work. And if you're looking for a get rich quick scheme, this is not the show for you. So if you're eager to gain valuable insights from industry experts on running a business the right way the first time around or want to learn from the missteps of solopreneurs who paved the way before you, then stick around.
• 1:21
  We've got your back because flying solo in business doesn't mean you're alone. Okay. So Joe, I think this is so funny because I see this from time to time with solopreneurs as they leave corporate America and they think I'm gonna do things my own way. I have my own way of doing things, yada yada yada. And they get so anti corporate that they forget to implement some things that may actually be beneficial that corporations do, such as implementing systems.
• 1:51
  And you may be thinking, one person business, I just get things done the way that I want to, but that's a mistake. And you need to get those systems in place from day one for a variety of reasons. Joe, what are some of those reasons you think that people need to implement systems even though they are running a one person business?
• 2:10
  Joe Rando: Well, the problem with not having systems is that when you're doing a lot of different things since I mean, some of the things you're doing all the time, but a lot of them you're doing maybe every once a week or once a month or something or a few times a month or as needed. And if you're remembering how to do those things, using your frontal lobe to figure it out every time, you're taking way more time than if you create, you know, a scatter operating procedure, or SOP, that tells you how to get that thing done, and you can just pull that, it's a template or a checklist, you can just pull up and work through that thing, and not have to think. Because look, it takes more time to think through something. It costs you energy, mental energy, that you could be better used doing something more creative and useful. So, just having that little checklist or template there at your fingertips to do whatever it is, you know, updating your website, or creating your financial statements for the month, whatever it is, it just a worthwhile investment of time because it just keeps giving back time as you use it.
• 3:19
  Carly Ries: Absolutely. And let's say you do have a photographic memory, and you can remember everything you do for every single task. If that is you, good on you, and I would love to have a conversation because I am envious of that skill set. But I think the other thing and the other important reason you wanna document all of this is because if you wanna scale your business and not hire employees at some point, you're gonna have to outsource. And if you outsource, it's gonna be so much easier to do that if you bring on somebody to do your marketing, if you bring on a VA to handle your emails.
• 3:49
  If you already have those processes documented, you can just say, hey, this is how I respond to this email. This is how I create social media posts. This is how I do x y z. And it's already there. And as you do these things, jot it down so you're not taking really any extra time.
• 4:06
  It might be a little bit of work at the beginning, but oh my goodness, it'll save you so much time on the back end. And let's say writing these processes down isn't your thing, record it. There are tools like Loom where you can just record what you're doing while you're doing it. With whoever you pass it off to, they can just watch the video and there's no extra time involved because you're just documenting it on your screen for somebody else. So I think that is another really big reason to document early and often, so that eventually you have the ability to hand that task off to somebody else, should the time ever come, which for a lot of solopreneurs it does.
• 4:45
  Joe Rando: Absolutely. It's a great point. Plus, you know, you can tweak it. You get better, you figure out what's working better and you tweak it and it gets better over time, and then when you hand it off, you've given them an optimized system.
• 4:57
  So, yeah, I totally agree
• 4:59
  Carly Ries: Well, the other thing is if you document things that are client facing, the consistency and the repetition will really help build your credibility. It'll separate you as a solopreneur from you as a freelancer. You will look like a real efficient business as opposed to just sending one off things and being inconsistent. I mean, people look at your brand, they want that consistency. They want to know what to expect from you.
• 5:24
  And if you have these processes in place, that's a really great way to do it, to build rapport.
• 5:30
  Joe Rando: Yeah. you think about it like McDonald's, right? It's by no means close to anything near the world's best hamburger. I mean, one might argue it is well below average, but it is consistent. You can go to McDonald's in Hoboken or Tokyo, and you're gonna get a very similar product so people know what they're getting, and that consistency builds trust. not that I'm suggesting you have a below average product, but clearly there's a benefit to being consistent in what you deliver to your customers and having these, standard operating procedures and templates really helps to achieve that and can really help build that trust.
• 6:10
  Carly Ries: Joe, it's so funny you mentioned McDonald's as the example for that because I'm not a huge McDonald's person. you won't see me driving there on a run Tuesday night to grab a burger. However, my family and I road trip all the time. We love seeing the quote unquote flyover states. it's just kind of our jam.
• 6:29
  And when we're on the road, we always stop at McDonald's for bites to eat because they consistently have clean bathrooms. I know that is like wild, but when you go to a fast food place when you're on the road, it's a wild card. You never know what you're gonna get. And for us, McDonald's always has the cleanest bathrooms across the country, which is so weird. Because of that, we end up getting a burger when we're road tripping.
• 6:57
  But it is that consistency. They obviously have a process in place, like go check every thirty minutes or whatever, but you know what to expect. And so taking that analogy and applying it to your business, whether it's digital or brick and mortar, that's my connotation now with them. it has nothing even to do with the burgers.
• 7:15
  Joe Rando: It makes sense. It makes complete sense. You just know what you're gonna get, and if you know you're gonna get is something you want, you're there.
• 7:24
  Carly Ries: Mhmm. And Joe, in my opinion, perhaps the most important reason to set up systems and processes is that everything will start to seem like clockwork. And as a solopreneur, a lot of you got into this type of business because of lifestyle, and you want to be able to pick your kids up at a soccer game, or go on a hike with your dog whenever you want. And if you can predict how things are gonna work because you've documented it, and because you have it all down to a science, it really frees up that time to achieve that solopreneur lifestyle that a lot of you are looking for.
• 7:57
  Joe Rando: You know, I think about when we first started doing the free events we do for solopreneurs, and do you remember how much work and stress it was in the early days? I was like, oh, and all this planning, but we figured it out, we put together a whole process, we've got two different events, and we have a whole process for how it works. And now it kinda feels pretty I mean, it just feels like kind of, riding a bike.
• 8:21
  Carly Ries: I mean, to the point, we had an event today, and while the event was going on, I knew what stuff I had to do that needed to be done after the event. And I was doing it during the event because I can anticipate it and I know what steps are in place and what my responsibilities are because it just becomes such repetition. So, yeah. Great great point.
• 8:41
  Anyway, solopreneurs do not neglect this. We know so many of you do. I have in the past. We are not immune to it. But please do not forget to document these systems and processes.
• 8:51
  And don't forget to join LifeStarr Intro. It's lifestarr.com/intro
• 8:56
  We have an awesome community of solopreneurs. We have awesome resources for solopreneurs, events, and it is all free, and it will be free forever. That link is in the show notes as well.
• 9:07
  And be sure to leave that five star review. Share this episode with a friend. It helps with our rating so that more of you can find these episodes. we will see you next time on The Aspiring Solopreneur. You may be going solo in business, but that doesn't mean you're alone.
• 9:22
  In fact, millions of people are in your shoes, running a one person business and figuring it out as they go. So why not connect with them and learn from each other's successes and failures? At LifeStarr, we're creating a one person business community where you can go to meet and get from other solopreneurs. Be sure to join in on the conversations at community.lifestarr.com.