Calm is the New KPI™: Engineering Calmer Agencies & Consulting Firms

This week, someone asked me about the main thing my clients struggle with – the one thing I would fix for them if I could. I think my answer surprised them.

All my clients are working towards the same goal -- profitable, efficient, resilient businesses. But how you go about creating that is specific to each business because each business is a reflection of the owner or the founder. 

Our businesses take on our characteristics. Our weaknesses become weaknesses in our business. Our strengths are its strengths. Our personal priorities and values become ingrained in our businesses, for better or for worse. 

So sometimes shoring up the weaknesses in our business means getting real with ourselves as founders and business owners. We need to identify our own limitations and recognize where we get in our own way. 

What is the one main issue that I see my clients confronting? The problem is them. 

Founders get in their own way. 

Most of the problems I fix in business, with systems or technology or new team members usually directly stem from the owner. Their weaknesses have become the businesses weaknesses. And by identifying those weaknesses, we can put systems in place to specifically counteract their unique issues. 

That's what we're going to tackle in the next series of episodes. I'm going to talk to both coaches and business owners about some of the most common ways founders sabotage themselves. And practical strategies and systems that can help counteract those weaknesses. And get us out of our own damn way. 

To start things off, I’m having Michelle Warner back on the show to talk about how having a process can be a competitive advantage AND how having a clear process and systems in your business can help make you more efficient and keep you from sabotaging the whole damn thing.

Michelle designs tiny companies that are built to last and is the creator of Networking That Pays, the 5 minute a day, never awkward networking system. She's a pro at helping business owners get out of their own way... and she's who I go to when I'm getting in MY own way. 

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How to use your process to be more competitive and make our services more efficient to deliver
• How we can use solid processes to make sure we're doing what's important.
• How to build your process from day one – creating a repeatable process
• How to overcome your own shortcomings and start getting in your own way 

Michelle’s Links:

• themichellewarner.com
• Networkingthatpays.com
• Instagram: @michelle.warner
• Twitter: @warnermichelle
• Facebook: @themichellewarner

Susan’s Links:

• Scalespark Action Plan
• ScaleSpark

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

These days, we're all looking for a way to cut costs, shore up our foundations, and make our businesses just that little bit simpler.

I was in a small group call the other day and one of the women on the call compared this moment in our businesses to when a jigsaw puzzle gets knocked to the floor, scattering pieces everywhere. The great thing is that we don’t have to pick all the pieces – we get to pick and choose.

This might mean re-examining your business model or changing up your service offerings. This might even mean reevaluating the structure of your team.

Today we're going to talk about one member of that team, the project manager.

Having project managers as a specific position on your team is a choice that can drive what your business looks like. It's a choice that can ultimately determine what your position as a founder looks like. Are you a manager of managers? Do you directly work with clients? It can mean a difference between running your business as a solopreneur or running your operation agency-style.

Bringing on a project manager is the right choice for some businesses, but not for every business. And it's certainly not a required position.

Today, I'm talking to Sean McMullin, lead consultant for production and management at the podcast production company Yellow House Media. You might recognize his name from the credits of this show because he's also the producer of Break the Ceiling.

Sean works directly with clients to create custom editorial calendars, production workflows, and distribution systems as well as managing full-service podcast production. Together, we're going to attempt to tackle the question of when do you need a project manager? And when is it a choice that might needlessly increase your costs and your complexity?

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How a project manager has been a critical role in the growth of Yellow House Media
• How knowing whether or not you need a project manager depends on the kind of business you want to run
• When a project manager IS a critical team member and when it might it not be
• How to make plans to scale your team as you grow

Sean’s Links:

• Yellow House Media
• Instagram

Susan’s Links:

•  Scalespark Dollars + Decisions Roundtable
• Twitter @ScaleSpark
• LinkedIn @thesusanboles

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

Most businesses grow on the fly. We add software and processes and systems here and there – patching in tools “for now” because “it’ll do”.

But “for now” almost always turns into “forever”. Because who wants to spend time picking out (and setting up) project management software when you could be out closing clients or delivering white-glove service?

You probably picked your project management software based on a recommendation or because it’s something you’re “supposed” to have. Maybe you got started on Asana or Trello because that’s what "everybody" was using at the time.

But now, 3 or 5 or 10 years down the road, it's become a major limitation to you and your team being able to actually DO your work.

When you're focusing on getting lean and efficient in your business, evaluating your software is an easy place to start.  For remote companies, not only is software usually one of the biggest expenses, but it's also usually a primary communication tool.

It's what you use to let your team know what to work on and it keeps everyone in the loop on what's happening. Or, at least it SHOULD.

So it's worth your time to take a few minutes and evaluate the tools you're using.

And that's why today we're going full-on geek and talking about project management software with two of my fellow project management software nerds.

Marie Poulin, of Notion Mastery, helps ambitious business owners level up their digital systems, workflow, and productivity, so they can spend more time on what matters. She's been an influential voice in the Notion community and has created a lot of the Notion resources available today.

Layla Pomper is a fellow member of Team ClickUp. She owns ProcessDriven.co where she equips “old school” teams with the right software to increase their consistency and profitability in day-to-day operations.

We're talking about why you would pick one particular software tool over another, the importance of making sure the software you pick works with your brain, and how to avoid sabotaging yourself with getting distracted by the latest shiny new tool.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How we have different approaches to setting up our software and why we chose the particular software tool we did
• What our philosophies are when you're picking out or recommending software
• How constantly looking at new tools can result in self-sabotage
• What cool things Marie and Layla are doing in Notion and ClickUp that have really changed how productive or focused they’re able to be
• How strong systems create stability – something that we all can use right now

Marie’s Links:

• mariepoulin.com
• weareokidoki.com
• youtube.com/c/mariepoulin
• How to Run Your Life Inside of Notion
• Instagram: @mariepoulin
• Twitter: @mariepoulin

Layla’s Links:

• ProcessDriven.co
• Instagram: @ProcessDriven.co 
• Facebook: @ProcessDriven.co 
• Youtube: @ProcessDriven.co 

Susan’s Links:

•  Scalespark Dollars + Decisions Roundtable
• Twitter @ScaleSpark
• LinkedIn @thesusanboles

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

For a service business, every single task and touchpoint – from the initial contact to the final payment – should be considered as part of the project that needs to be managed.

And you've got a lot of projects on your plate. Projects for clients, projects for your own business – there's always more stuff to do. That's the nature of running a business.

When we talk about 'project management', we're usually talking about managing an individual project. But in a service business, project management isn't just project management – it's really client management.

Outside of the scope of an individual project or service, there are a bunch of interactions and tasks that need to be handled. Like sending a contract before you start working together, on-boarding new clients and introducing them to the way you do business, or following up for a testimonial after your project is complete.

All this month on the podcast, we'll be nerding out on project management – the tools, the team members, and, today, the scope.

When it comes to managing projects in a client-focused business, you really need to think about the whole client process – beginning-to-end. If you ONLY think about the specifics of how you deliver the service, you're missing opportunities to improve upon your system and really delight your customers.

My guest today, Hailey Thomas, is the master at delighting her customers. You might remember Hailey from Episode 12, when she came on the show to talk about her Worktreat Intensives. Hailey is a business coach for online entrepreneurs and one of my very favorite friends to nerd out about project management with. 

Hailey comes to each of her clients with a deep appreciation for who they are as individuals. With Hailey, client experience is built into every touchpoint. So, when I was thinking about doing an episode about project management versus client management, she was absolutely the first person I thought of. 

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How Hailey is building a personalized, white-glove client experience
• How in client-based businesses, you have to look at the end-to-end experience
• What the different phases of a project are and how to approach managing sperate projects in different phases of the process
• And how Hailey’s Worktreat Intensives have been going – how the process has changed and evolved

Hailey’s Links:

• Hailey on Linkedin
• The BrainSpace Optimized Podcast

Susan’s Links:

•  Scalespark Dollars + Decisions Roundtable
• Twitter @ScaleSpark
• LinkedIn @thesusanboles

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

"Everything sucks at first, very few things suck forever.” – John Gorman

Being an entrepreneur is a roller coaster.

Some days you’re excited, some days you’re terrified, and every day there is something new – something you’re testing, improving or changing.

For me, this is a reminder: When you're on that roller coaster it might a day when you're heading up and it might be a day when you’re heading down.

Things are always changing and we don’t know what tomorrow might look like.

We still don't really know how long or how impactful this whole situation will be. We have to take it day by day but it won't always be like this – things will change.

Part of being resilient is just learning to roll with the punches. Because even if it sucks at first, it won't suck forever.

My guest today is showing us how it's done. Lauren Caselli owns a strategic event planning and marketing firm. She coaches business and agency owners looking for more financial breathing room on how to institute rate raises and price their services appropriately – setting them up to earn more per client and feel in control of their business.

Lauren and I chat about how all the craziness around coronavirus has affected her events business. We talk about how that's impacting her cash flow and her approach to her finances and how Lauren built some great financial processes into her business that are serving her well during this time.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How to handle cash flow during a worst-case scenario
• How COVID-19 effects events businesses and how those effects trickle down to other agencies 
• How opportunities can reveal themselves in unconventional places
• What kind of financial processes you can have in place to build resiliency

Links:

• Lauren Caselli Events
• Instagram @laurencaselli_
•  Scalespark Dollars + Decisions Roundtable
• Twitter @ScaleSpark
• LinkedIn @thesusanboles

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

You don’t have to look like the other businesses in your industry to learn from them.

In my work as a CFO, I've have had the privilege of looking behind the scenes of a lot of different companies in a lot of different industries. And what I've found is that most tend to look toward businesses that are similar to their own for ideas on how to operate.

This is something that has always been my goal on this show – talking to service business owners about how they run their business in the hopes that it sparks something inspiring for you.

But often, the best ideas come from businesses that look nothing like your own. While standard practice in one industry can be disruptive and unconventional when applied to another, often the best, most creative, ideas come from unexpected places.

Today, I am talking to Justin Jackson, co-founder of Transistor.fm, a 2-person bootstrapped software company that does podcast hosting and analytics for folks like Basecamp, Taylor Otwell, VH1, and, incidentally, this show.

Justin and his partner, Jon Buda, have decided to do things differently than other businesses in their industry. And because they have decided to fund themselves as opposed to taking investor money, measuring growth is incredibly important to them.

Justin and I talk about some of the key data that they measure at Transistor.  We talk about how to track monthly recurring revenue and churn – two fabulous metrics you can look at when measuring the health of your business.

And we talk about how their strategy of being profitable and maintaining margins gives them the latitude they need to carefully consider their growth instead of just jumping on the next wave that comes along.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How to identify business opportunities and what to do about them when they come your way
• How to build margins into your business
• How to approach the analytics of podcasting and what kind of impact this has on our understanding of who the listeners really are
• How paying attention to what part of your revenue comes from recurring versus one-time projects can be a great indicator of the health of your cash flow
• And why Justin and his partner decided to share their numbers and why they decided to stop

Links:

• Transistor.fm
• justinjackson.ca
• Build Your SaaS Podcast
• Justin Jackson’s Weekly Newsletter
• Baremetrics Open Startup Project
•  Scalespark Dollars + Decisions Roundtable
• Twitter @ScaleSpark
• LinkedIn @thesusanboles

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

"If you can't measure it, you can't improve it."

My guess is that you've probably heard some version of this Peter Drucker quote. It’s a widespread idea for good reason: it's true.

Luckily, there are tons of ways to gather good data on your business and track the metrics that really matter. But having access to good data isn't the only hurdle to measuring growth.

It’s the day-to-day realities of running a business that are most likely to get in our way.

All this month we've been talking about how to measure growth–what numbers to collect, what feedback to gather, how to make space for growth–and if you've missed these episodes, scroll back through your feed and check them out.

Today, we're going to bring it all together and look at the effect that collecting and using data can have on your business’s growth. We're looking at how all the parts get pulled together in an actual agency and implemented in the midst of day-to-day operations.

I'm chatting with Maggie Patterson from Scoop Studios and Small Business Boss. We talk about all the different things she's tracking, how she tracks them, and how she's integrated what she learns into her growth strategy.

We also talk about how she gets over the mental hurdle of “but, I don't wanna” and gets herself to actually track data.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• What was happening in Maggie’s business that made them focus their energy on tracking lead generation and what the exponential impact of having solid information was over time
• How Maggie proudly chooses to keep her process of data collection super low-tech and uses Airtable as one of her main tools
• How collecting the data gave them a taste for the numbers, taking them to next level nerd territory 
• How granular time tracking allows Maggie to make better decisions and to delegate things in a more informed way
• And how having the data helps remove worry and anxiety related to the business because she’s able to see what’s really happening to make a reasonable decision based on facts and not on emotion

Links:

• What I Learned About Finding Clients In 2019
• Scoop Studios 
• Small Business Boss
• Maggie on Instagram 
•  Scalespark Dollars + Decisions Roundtable
• Twitter @ScaleSpark
• LinkedIn @thesusanboles

To schedule your free consultation with Susan Click Here. 

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

Are you creating space for growth in your business?

You might be measuring every metric–collecting every piece of data and then turning it into a strategy for growth–but do you have the operational foundations to be able to handle growth? Does your team have the capacity to take on more work?

In the last 2 episodes–episode 20, episode 21–I talked about two different approaches to collecting data about your business. I talked about the numbers and the nuances, and what to do with that information once you've got it.

Today, we're going to take a different approach, get a little bit woo, and talk about creating the space in your business for growth.

I'm talking to Kathleen Shannon, the co-founder and creative director at Braid Creative, co-host of the Being Boss Podcast, and co-author of the Being Boss book. 

I talk with Kathleen about how to approach data when you identify as more of a creative person and less as someone with a data-first mindset. We talk about how making space for growth is such an important aspect of actually growing. 

And we talk about how sometimes making space for growth can just mean letting the universe know you're prepared.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• What work you can do as a founder to personally prepare to manage a larger business
• How to know if your business is actually ready to grow and how to make space for that growth
• How Kathleen's chalkboard method is a great tool for making sure you are intentionally creating the space to grow
• How you can use metrics to get a big impact even if you're not a "data" person
• And how to grow while still serving the (smaller) clients you love working with

Links:

• Braid Creative
• Being Boss Podcast
• Being Boss Book
• Kathleen on Instagram
•  Scalespark Dollars + Decisions Roundtable
• Twitter @ScaleSpark
• LinkedIn @thesusanboles

To schedule your free consultation with Susan Click Here. 

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

It’s easy to get caught up in all the numbers you can track to measure growth.

You might be measuring your time, your profit & loss, the number of new clients closed, or even profit per hour per client like we talked about in the last episode.

But not all of the useful information in your business presents itself as a number.

When it comes to measuring the more murky, squishy, qualitative information in your business, where do you even begin?

There's a lot of information rolling around in there that's helpful to measure, but you can’t track it in the same way you track your numbers.

For instance, conversations with customers can give you an incredible amount of information about how your business is performing, what your opportunities are, and where you need to address weak spots.

So, how do you measure how your customer feels about your service? What's happening when they reach out to you? What do they think you do versus what you think you do?

All of that information comes in handy when you're trying to update your messaging, write your copy, or just simply figure out how to improve your customer service. It's crucial data floating around out there that you can use to measure and optimize for growth.

But how?

My guest today does just that. Karyn Kelbaugh is a squishy data specialist. She helps small business owners learn what their clients think by capturing their stories. Owners get feedback, insights into their clients' dreams and frustrations, and their exact words describing it all. In other words: research you can use. 

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How Karyn collects all that squishy data goodness and gets it into a useable form that's easy to keep up to date
• How frequently you should be looking at the data, what should they be looking for, and how should you use that data to drive decisions
• How actively collecting your clients’ perspectives helps paint a more accurate picture of what's really going on with your business and how to integrate that perspective in a meaningful way
• How one of the biggest mistakes you can make is collecting data you don't have a purpose for 

Links:

• heykaryn.com
• The Testimonial Toolkit
• Karyn on Instagram
• Katyn on Facebook
• Karyn on LinkedIn
•  Scalespark Dollars + Decisions Roundtable
• Twitter @ScaleSpark
• LinkedIn @thesusanboles

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

Is there one metric you could track that would ensure the success of your business?

A lot of startups would like to think so. Some call it the “One Metric That Matters,” or the “North Star Metric.”

It’s basically the idea that you focus on measuring and improving one thing at a time.

By focusing on a single thing, you can filter for decision making and ensure that the actions you're taking in your business are actions that will truly make an impact.

The problem is that what you track has a huge impact on the action you take. Choose the wrong metric and you can sink the sustainability or profitability of your business.

So whatever your one metric to rule them all is, it better represent what you truly want to get out of your business.

This month we're kicking off a series all about measuring growth. What do you measure? How do you track it? What do you do with the data once you have it?

My guest today is a master at this.

You might remember Rob Howard from Episode 9, where we talked about streamlining the proposal process. Rob owns a web development agency, Howard Development & Consulting, and runs a course for freelancers called Automatic Freelancer. 

He has one simple metric for measuring the financial health of his business: profit per hour per client. 

Tracking that metric has changed how I evaluated and measured my own business and has become something I incorporate into my clients’ businesses as well. 

It's not something you have to look at every day, but keeping track of this one metric will help you grow in a sustainable and financially healthy way. 

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• What Rob considers to be the key metrics to measure for service business owners and how he determined which metric to measure the financial health of a business 
• What's happening behind the scenes for Rob to actually get to this profit per hour per client
• How the number of dollars you made and the number of minutes you spent are data points where there is enough quantity to make real decisions based on them
• What tools Rob is using to collect data or measure his metrics
• What metrics he has consciously chosen not to track or pay attention to and some of the mistakes he has made with tracking metrics

Links:

• Howard Development & Consulting
• Automatic Freelancer
• The 30 Minute Profitable Proposal System
•  Scalespark Dollars + Decisions Roundtable
• Twitter @ScaleSpark
• LinkedIn @thesusanboles

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here