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233. A Smarter Way to Implement Changes in Your Solo Business · The Life-First Solopreneur

• 0:00
  Carly Ries: Making changes in your business doesn't have to feel overwhelming or chaotic. In this episode of the Aspiring Solopreneur, we introduce the smooth method, a step by step way to roll out improvements without burning out, blindsiding your customers, or losing sight of your goals. From sequencing changes in the right order to keeping communication open, owning risk to tracking success and harvesting lessons, you'll walk away with a practical framework for implementing change with clarity and confidence. So if you've ever felt stuck between knowing what to change and figuring out how to make it happen, this episode is your guide to moving forward smoothly. You're listening to the Aspiring Solopreneur, the podcast for anyone on the solo business journey, whether you're just toying with the idea, taking your first bold step, or have been running your own show for years and want to keep growing, refining, and thriving.
• 0:51
  I'm Carly Ries, and along with my cohost, Joe Rando, we're your guides through the crazy but awesome world of being a company of one. As part of LifeStarr, a digital hub dedicated to all things solopreneurship, we help people design businesses that align with their life's ambitions so they can work to live, not live to work. If you're looking for a get rich quick scheme, this is not the place for you. But if you want real world insights from industry experts, lessons from the successes and stumbles of fellow solopreneurs, and practical strategies for building and sustaining a business you love, you're in the right spot. Because flying so long business doesn't mean you're alone.
• 1:27
  No matter where you are in your journey, we've got your back. Joe, we are still in the improving phase of the solopreneur success cycle. And you left us with an awesome acronym in the last episode, the priority acronym that you came up with alongside your trusty companion, Chat GPT. But if listeners thought we were done with acronyms, we're not. We have one more for you today, and I really want you to dive into this.
• 1:52
  And this is just how you can make the changes to your business. So, Joe, tell us about the smooth method.
• 1:58
  Joe Rando: Smooth method. Yes. It's about making changes in a way that makes sense. And some of this I alluded to last time. But, as you go into making these changes, you really want to think through how you're gonna do this.
• 2:13
  And so we went back to ChatGPT and said, here's what we think you should do to change. Make us an acronym, and it's great. So the smooth method stands for s, Start by sequencing smartly. As I alluded to in the last episode, there might be a certain order that makes the most sense to do first because some things are tied together.
• 2:35
  M is manager load and energy. you want to be careful as you go through this phase. Sometimes you might take a break. Don't try to do everything at once. Take on one thing at a time.
• 2:45
  You know, take a break in between. Making changes while you're running a business is very, very stressful, and it's the kind of thing you don't wanna burn out on because it's important to make changes and make improvements. you want to protect your time, protect your sanity. So then we have the first o, which is open lines of communication. And this is something that honestly, this is one that's good for me because sometimes I put my head down, start working, and, you know, the world be damned.
• 3:11
  I'm just doing my thing. And it's like, your customers, any partners, contractors, community, keep them in the loop of what's happening. If something's gonna change, you don't want them waking up going, what happened? And literally, Microsoft, in my last startup, we woke up one day, and Microsoft had made this major change to their big mapping system, and our app didn't work anymore. We had, hundreds and hundreds of customers, and it didn't work.
• 3:36
  And they never told us they were making the change, so then we're, like, scrambling. So don't be Microsoft. Just, let your customers know what's happening. Keep them in the loop.
• 3:44
  Carly Ries: it's okay to be transparent. And I guess just use your humor. Use your personality. Use your human side to communicate that. I think people are afraid to be transparent, but just be you.
• 3:58
  Joe Rando: Yeah. That's so true. that's a great point because if you're straight with people, they trust you. And if you can tell them, hey. this is gonna happen. It might be a little dicey for a couple of days. Whatever it is, you know, they'll go with you.
• 4:16
  The fact that you let them know in advance makes a world of difference. Okay. So going back, the second o is own the risks before they own you. that means test things.
• 4:27
  Don't just go, this will work, and then wake up and go, yeah, it didn't. You wanna go in and try testing soft launch, see what might go wrong, and try to, check for it before you go out there and launch it to the world. You know? Sending out an email. We always send a test email.
• 4:44
  Have people look at it. Because worst thing in the world is that email goes out with some really bad typo. I should make a list of the terrible typo emails I've gotten over the years. It's pretty funny.
• 4:55
  Then you've got t, and that is track your success with clear metrics. Know what success looks like, before you start. So you want to basically say, this is what's gonna happen when we're done. I know I'm gonna be successful when this is this. I mean, I know that sounds obvious. But you kinda wanna know when you're finished because it's pretty easy to get in there. And, again, this is another one I'm great at. I was like, oh, I could do this too. But if you do that, you're gonna wind up not making all the changes you planned on and probably leave out something that's important. So kind of have that goal line in place, track it, and when you get there, it's time to move on. Remind me of that, Carly, next time. Okay? And lastly, h is harvest lessons and lock them in. You know, document. Reflect on what happened, how did it go, What went well? What should I do differently next time? You know, you are seeing me talk about the things that are wrong about the way I approach things. I can talk about them because I have learned those things about myself over time. And by documenting these things, you learn that lesson faster, maybe the first time instead of the third. so this is a good process for kinda getting better at changing. does that make sense to you, Carly?
• 6:15
  Carly Ries: Yeah. Oh, of course. I mean, even when you ran the idea by me originally, I was like, this is genius. maybe I have bias.
• 6:24
  Joe Rando: Wow. Cool.
• 6:25
  Carly Ries: part genius.
• 6:28
  Joe Rando: anyway, so that is the smooth method, I think it's really cool. I really like it, and I strongly suggest that you adopt it. And it's covered extensively in Solopreneur Business for Dummies. So, you know, shameless book plug, but you'll have the whole thing laid out there for you. There are downloads for worksheets and all that kind of stuff as well.
• 6:53
  Carly Ries: Awesome. Love it. Listeners, hopefully, you think Joe is as much of a genius as I think he is.
• 7:00
  Joe Rando: Been called other things.
• 7:02
  Carly Ries: We'll stick with genius. And in previous episodes, we said that we're gonna start giving shout outs to people who have given reviews on Apple Podcasts. We started in the last episode. We have another one today, and that is from the Biz Guide for Gen Experts.
• 7:16
  And this listener said, as a former professor of entrepreneurship and a serial solopreneur, I have to say that Joe and Carly are doing a great job diving into topics that are useful and actionable. This show is a wealth of knowledge and super practical.
• 7:34
  Joe Rando: Professor? Wow
• 7:35
  Carly Ries: Yes. Wow. Cool. Thank you so much. We so appreciate it.
• 7:39
  If you want us to give you a shout out in an upcoming episode, don't forget to leave that five star review. And as always, share this episode with a friend and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. And we'll see you next time on The Aspiring Solopreneur. You may be going solo in business, but that doesn't mean you're alone. In fact, millions of people are in your shoes, running a one person business and figuring it out as they go.
• 8:03
  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 advice from other solopreneurs. Be sure to join in on the conversations at community.lifestarr.com.