A resource for business owners & entrepreneurs who want to reclaim their time. Become a SCALING:lab Member and receive the articles + case studies a week before they’re live to the public..
“I’m really concerned, Veronica,” Ange confided during one of our sessions. “My events are always full and interactive. But this time, no one spoke. No one networked. It was like presenting to ghosts. Have I lost my touch?”
Ange (not her real name) and I had been working together for several months at the time of this conversation. We have pivoted her business to focus on her niche in a more targeted manner, and this was her first workshop presentation post-pivot.
Understandably, she was worried that the pivot had destroyed her business. So I got curious.
“Had you done this workshop before?”
“No,” she said. “This was the first time.”
Great, I thought. That means that the issue was isolated to this particular workshop.
“Did you use the same format as usual?”
Ange admitted that she had not. She typically conducts an ice breaker or some other initial networking activity to begin her workshops, but this one was already jam-packed with information. “I didn’t want to wear them out or run out of time.”
But what was the topic?
“Identifying your dream and building a plan to achieve it.”
That told me everything I needed to know.
Ange is a mindful, empathetic events organizer. She works hard to ensure her attendees have a transformational experience. But in this case, she had taken out the one thing that would make her attendees feel comfortable enough to share and collaborate on a very sensitive topic.
“Though most of your community is very dynamic and excited to share, in this case they won’t feel safe enough to show their most vulnerable selves if they haven’t had the chance to build trust through an ice breaker,” I explained.
But Ange still had an issue. Ice breakers and networking would extend an already very dense workshop. She hadn’t priced the workshop accordingly and was worried it would all get out of hand.
As an entrepreneur coach, this showed me a great opportunity.
“Ange, you’re telling me that you packed the workshop so tight that you don’t even have time for a five-minute ice breaker. What that says to me is that the workshop is too dense as it is. Let’s take this opportunity to break it into two parts. You can slow down the information, add more ice breakers and networking, and charge more.”
“But won’t it look weird to have a single two-part workshop when all the rest of mine are one-off events?” Ange worried.
“Let’s take a step back,” I said. “Do you have any structure or orientation for how your workshops thread together? Are they organized along your Client Journey in any way?”
Ange shook her head. Another opportunity!
“Let’s organize your events, then. We can label them as ‘beginner, intermediate, and advanced’ according to the amount of information in each. That will give your attendees a sense of orientation, firm up your client journey, and allow you to charge more for the ‘advanced’ workshops!”
Ange loved it. In one short session we were able to both identify and resolve the issue she experienced in one workshop AND transform her events to invite even more enthusiastic attendees to work with her.
Key Takeaways:
A clear path forward helps clients stay oriented and involved
Labeling events or courses creates greater income opportunities
Participant interaction within workshops is never time wasted
Study success AND study challenges — they both can open massive doors!
“There’s one thing I regret about working with Veronica – not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects.”— Niki A., Executive Coach
https://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/case-study-events-workshops-5513479.jpg10801920Veronica Kirinhttps://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/VSignatureBlack-1024x342.pngVeronica Kirin2021-10-29 14:53:002023-04-28 15:53:23Redesigning an Event Series for Increased Participation and Income
A resource for business owners & entrepreneurs who want to reclaim their time. Become a SCALING:lab Member and receive the articles + case studies a week before they’re live to the public..
In September of 2021, I achieved a life-long dream: I became a Croatian Citizen.
Dual citizenship.
Freedom of movement. Freedom to live in more than one country indefinitely. The freedom to access and use multiple currencies.
But I didn’t tell anyone, because I didn’t want to make the people I love feel bad.
Of course, I know I’m not responsible for other people’s feelings. I’m not responsible for their dreams or actions. I’m not responsible for their efforts (or lack thereof).
But I am also an empathetic business leader.
I want to improve the lives of others through the work that I do. Hurting a loved-one’s feelings goes against those values.
Let’s take a step back.
In 2015 I burnt out.
Badly.
I’m very open about the fact that I spent about a week unable to get out of bed. I was overworked and totally lost. I was so sick of hustling to run my business that I just wanted to throw it away.
Forget all the hard work and well-earned clientele I had built.
Forget the dream of freedom and control over my life.
My business was making me sick.
A few friends at the time were talking about a book called “The Success Principles,” insisting that I read it. They raved about it, saying they’d read it multiple times and couldn’t get enough.
Fine.
I needed something. I trusted my friends. So I bought a $4 used copy on Amazon.
This told me I had a problem. So I sat with these questions for months, struggling to answer them.
What I realized is that I wanted big things. I wanted a location-free business. I wanted a certain level of income (and financial literacy). I wanted dual citizenship to give me freedom of movement. Multiple properties around the world. The list went on.
And it blew. my. mind.
For some reason I was operating under the assumption that none of this was possible for me. The moment I decided I wanted these things, my identity (and my behavior) changed.
But so did my friendships. I started being made fun of for my dreams by the people I thought of as family. They didn’t understand the shifts I was making; more importantly, they didn’t want to understand, because they were living under the same ‘old rules’ I had been.
Success often roots out limiting beliefs in the ones we love. One friend insisted, “I can’t do that in my industry,” to explain why something I was working toward wasn’t possible for him.
A friend who kept asking me about finances would rebut my suggestions with, “I don’t have any money,” while simultaneously drinking a craft beer with me at a brewery (that she paid for).
And when I set out to gain my dual citizenship, a friend said, “Other countries don’t want disabled people, so dual citizenship isn’t for me.”
Hearing these things from the people I love taught me to be ashamed of my success. I stopped talking about my achievements, to the point of which I was missing out on opportunities that were available to me because of the doors that had opened due to my hard work. By hiding, we reduce our capability for leadership.
And that’s not who I set out to be.
Anyone reading this that has had to ‘break up’ with a friend knows how hard this evolution was. I eventually left a lot of those people behind because the dissonance between what I wanted and what they thought was possible was too painful for all of us.
If you know what I’m talking about and you want to surround yourself with people who aren’t afraid to dream out loud, come over to SCALING:lab. We’ll support you without judgement, help open doors for you, and cheer for you when you hit a major milestone. I look forward to seeing you there.
“There’s one thing I regret about working with Veronica – not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects.”— Niki A., Executive Coach
https://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ashamedofsuccess-5502247.jpg10801920Veronica Kirinhttps://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/VSignatureBlack-1024x342.pngVeronica Kirin2021-10-18 14:56:002023-04-28 15:53:38I Have Been Ashamed of My Success
A resource for business owners & entrepreneurs who want to reclaim their time. Become a SCALING:lab Member and receive the articles + case studies a week before they’re live to the public..
It’s Tuesday morning. You have an event to put on tonight, and you’re scrambling, even though you’ve done this before. Every event you host feels like a cobbled-together project, and each time you hope that no one notices.
You wrack your brain, trying to think of any last minute items that need to be included, promoted, or planned. Is everything ready? Is everything in place?
Unfortunately, you’re making it harder on yourself.
Business does not have to feel this way. Yet, if you’re resonating with the feeling of anxiety in the above story, you wouldn’t be alone. There are thousands of entrepreneurs just like you who feel stressed whenever they take action in their business, despite it being something they’ve done many times.
I was just like you. Totally overwhelmed by every little thing I was working on in my business. Even though I done each task multiple times. It felt like being on a hamster wheel.
You don’t have to live like that.
If you ever wonder why other entrepreneurs seem so happy, it may be because they have systematized their business. It runs like a fine clock, chiming predictably on the hour, telling them where to be and when. They’re not juggling mental checklists. They have a real checklist that keeps them on track.
And you can, too.
You’ve already written your systems — you’re just keeping them in your head. Let’s change that.
[bctt tweet=”An app can’t plan your next retreat — but a well-documented system can make it very easy for you to put it together like a Lego set.”]
Start by brain dumping anything that you’ve done more than once in your business.
Next, break them down into the individual parts and tasks that turn the big chunk (like putting on an event) into small steps (like scheduling social media posts, finding guest speakers, and scheduling the Zoom room).
Finally, be vigilant in your business. I am certain that there are more opportunities for systems than you have thought of. Document them. Write them down. This is your chance to learn from yourself. A well-documented system is study-able.
I’ll say that again.
A well-documented system is study-able.
Imagine finding all the cracks in your business and fixing them so that your business runs even better, has higher conversions, and generates a greater income.
You can’t study what you don’t know. And if you’re mentally juggling, you’ll never have that big beautiful efficient business you’ve always dreamt of.
“There’s one thing I regret about working with Veronica – not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects.”— Niki A., Executive Coach
https://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/systematize-small-business-5159404.jpg10761920Veronica Kirinhttps://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/VSignatureBlack-1024x342.pngVeronica Kirin2021-10-11 15:00:002023-04-28 15:53:53Systematize for Peace of Mind
A resource for business owners & entrepreneurs who want to reclaim their time. Become a SCALING:lab Member and receive the articles + case studies a week before they’re live to the public..
Make money while you sleep. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? It could be your reality with technology at the helm.
The First Pillar of Business Scaling is Automation. That is, using tech to manage recurring tasks within your business that don’t need a human touch. While many founders would argue that the former is the difficult part, it is, in my experience, the latter that needs help. Many founders believe that they must have their hands on the wheel 24/7, despite tech that is free and ready to take the helm of many tasks.
For example, the other day I had coffee with a friend I’ll call “M.” M had launched a webinar, but didn’t want to pay SamCart $49/mo to manage the checkout process on her website. Instead, her call to action was to email her directly in order to sign up.
That’s a whole lot of extra work for her when there are many free services that can do the simple task of taking money for you. We added one such tool to M’s website and, just like that, she could make sales in her sleep.
It’s time to do that for your own business.
Below I’ve put together a guide of the FREE (ie. no upfront cost) tech tools that will help you automate your business so you can generate leads, sell products, and make money in your sleep. This is an ever-growing list, so do check it regularly.
So let’s go!
Payments & Invoicing
Good payment and invoicing portals should be able to schedule and auto-send invoices and receive payments while you sleep. Even better if they will auto-draw from your clients at desired intervals and generate accountant-worthy reports.
Square has taken US small businesses by storm over the past decade. When I started my first business in 2012, Square had just emerged on the market. Since then, it seems one can’t go into a coffee shop without paying through a Square portal.
What makes Square so disruptive is their low fees (lower than PayPal) and easy to use interface. They have since added many products to their offerings, but if you need a checkout button for your website (for either one-time or subscription payments) Square can easily meet that challenge.
Stripe competes with Square on price, but not on usability. That is because Stripe is the big brother to Square. Stripe can take payments from banks and apps worldwide, making it the go-to for international businesses (like my own). Luckily, Stripe can also now generate a checkout button for your website for both one-time and subscription payments. Woo hoo!
I jumped on the Wave bandwagon in the very early days of its creation. Wave is free to small business owners who need a simple accounting tool to manage their revenue. It will generate balance sheets, profit and loss reports, and more — great for keeping your CPA happy.
What’s more, they offer a fantastic invoicing tool that allows you to send beautiful quotes, invoices, and receive payments. What I love about their system is that it both can handle subscriptions and recurring payments without your needing to spend any time on it after it is set up. Perfect for making money while you sleep!
Scheduling
Not ready to hire an assistant to manage your diary but tired of the back-and-forth in scheduling? There are several free apps that can handle this for you. Note that they must be able to integrate into your calendar so they don’t double book you!
I remember the week I added Calendly to my tech company. It felt like I’d hired an assistant! There was no more back and forth with clients trying to find the right time. I just sent a link and boom, my scheduled filled up.
Calendly is free for one calendar type, which is typically enough for a small business that is in the early stages of scaling. The next level is $15/mo, which may seem steep, but includes the ability to get paid for appointments, which is very nice indeed.
Tasking
Good task management software should help you task your future self so you don’t have to hold all the items in your head. Imagine deadlines popping up on your computer or phone that you set weeks or even months ago, helping you to stay on track and seize opportunities.
The first task management software I used was Trello. It is a simple drag-and-drop system using cards and boards, almost like an old school newsroom plan. Move things around as needed, set deadlines, assign roles and tasks, and customize accordingly.
Today, I’ve graduated into Asana, which offers both traditional task lists and the drag-and-drop boards that Trello boasts. An added feature is the ability to zoom out and view tasks on a calendar layout so you know exactly what is coming up next.
Team Management
One of my clients once said to me, “I have six teammates and I have no idea what they are doing with their time.” Eep! Use the below tools to track their activities so you have the full picture at a glance.
Need a simply app that can tell you what your team is spending their time on? I love Clockify because it’s free, integrates into Asana and Trello, and generates simple reports that help keep everyone accountable.
Client Relationship Management (CRM)
I’ve written extensively on CRMs in the past, but the most important features to look for are organization along a pipeline so you know which category and stage in your sales process your clients are in, as well as reminders so the technology tasks you (rather than the other way around).
Streak was the first CRM I ever used. I like it because it integrates seamlessly into Gmail and GSuite and allows one to organize contacts, keep notes on deals and progress, and reminds one to check in with a contact if they haven’t replied to recent messages. It’s free for a single user and up to 500 contacts, perfect for a growing small business.
Hubspot is a powerful marketing tool that provides a lot more than a simple CRM. It is a graduation from Streak in many ways, but what Streak has over Hubspot is the email integration and the ability to have multiple pipelines/categories for contacts on the free plan. I personally keep track of both my coaching clients and my anthropological work in my CRM, so Hubspot wasn’t the right fit in the early days of my work, despite its powerful offerings.
Social Media Management
Ever wonder what it would be like to post to social media in your sleep? I’ve gotchu.
If your primary market is on Instagram then you need Later. This app is optimized for managing Instagram, including beefy stats and analytics that Instagram itself doesn’t provide. You can schedule up to 28 posts per 10 posts per month for free. That’s plenty for a growing business!
This is the app I used when I launched my first business over a decade ago (gosh, it’s been a while!). It is free for two accounts and one user, and comes with some beefy stats as well.
Course Creation
Courses are a fantastic offering that codifies your knowledge so you can scale without increasing your time commitment per student. Many course platforms use a freemium model — free for the first few students. Here are my faves.
I like Thinkific because it makes course creation super easy. It’s free to use for your first course, making it a great platform to start flexing your course creation muscles and test your ideas.
I launched my first courses on Teachable. The platform offers all its features for free for the first 10 students. That made it easy to play around with and brainstorm on while I was still developing my own course plan.
“There’s one thing I regret about working with Veronica – not having met her sooner! She had a clear perspective on the challenges I was facing and was quick to offer me the latest tools for my projects.”— Niki A., Executive Coach
https://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/AutomationBlog-4041055.jpg10801920Veronica Kirinhttps://veronicakirin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/VSignatureBlack-1024x342.pngVeronica Kirin2021-10-01 15:06:002023-04-28 15:54:09Free Tools to Start Automating Your Business Now
