BRIANNA & NATASHA VOROMPIOVA CALL
This video is part of a series of case studies featuring Brianna Scott. If you’re just joining us, I recommend you start here.
Many of us freelance moms got into businesses to have more freedom, and time to spend with our families – but as our businesses grow, little inefficiencies can really suck up our valuable time.
Brianna Scott, owner of Creare Marketing, has been facing this problem for a while. Ideally, she’d like to work 20 hours a week in order to spend as much time as possible with her son. But since her marketing firm is what pays her family’s bills, she also wants to grow her business.
I connected her with Natasha Vorompiova, a systems expert who helps others streamline their work with her company Systems Rock. Natasha gave Brianna tips on how to systematize her client management, delegate work, cut hours out of her weekly accounting, and tame her email inbox. All in all, Natasha’s advice will save Brianna hours a week to spend growing her business or with her family.
If you’re feeling frustrated and overwhelmed by trying to run your business, you need to listen to this call. There’s a goldmine of information here!
One note: As you watch, you’ll hear Natasha suggest a ton of helpful tools and apps – but don’t worry about taking notes. Just scroll down, I’ve listed them all at the bottom of the page.
Watch the call
Streamlining client management and intake
Pay attention around minute 11:15 to learn how Brianna can streamline her client intake system by creating templates in Asana (her task management software), then set her clients up for success by breaking down the steps of working together (around minute 13:40).
Brianna estimates she loses precious time when her clients miss their deadlines, or when she has to help them through steps various steps in the process. At minute 15:40, Natasha suggests she combat that by creating a “welcome packet” to help educate her clients, with a contract, checklist, and even informational video on how to use any special programs she uses to manage tasks, like Asana or Trello.
Delegating work
In our introductory call, Brianna said she was hoping to delegate out more of the tasks that don’t fulfill her creatively, or aren’t a core part of her business. At minute 25:50, Natasha gives her advice on how to choose which tasks she should give to someone else. She recommends choosing repeatable tasks that you can be clearly explained, and suggests a few methods of recording these tasks to make sure they get done just like you would do them.
Accounting and invoicing
As we talked about in the introduction call, one of Brianna’s biggest frustrations is with accounting. “I think Quickbooks was just invented to give people jobs,” she says, noting that the program isn’t intuitive. If you feel the same way, pay attention at the 28:20 minute mark, where Natasha gives her recommendations for other programs that are great for small businesses, how to save time entering receipts, and how to streamline her repeat client invoicing through Paypal.
Bonus: Tools to tame the flow of information.
As one last question, Brianna asked Natasha how to stay up on the flow of new information about her industry without getting overwhelmed by blog posts and email newsletters. At the 40:15 mark, Natasha recommended several apps and talks about how to integrate them together to discover, share, and save timely news.
Want to know more?
Check out Natasha’s website, Systems Rock, for more tips and personalize help to “organize your business so you can get your life back.”
Your Homework:
Download this worksheet to help you out.
Keep a notebook handy while you watch this video, and jot down anything that comes to mind:
- What repeatable steps (like client intake) can you make templates for?
- What parts of your business do you love? Which tasks do you hate? Which are frustrating?
Now, make a list of everything you do throughout the day – all those tasks that make up your “job description”. Write down everything you can think of.
Now grab three highlighters. First, highlight everything you love to do. These are the reasons you got into business in the first place. Then, using another color, highlight everything that drives you nuts, but has to be done. Now, highlight everything that you don’t mind doing, but isn’t your passion.
How many things in the last two lists can you outsource? Keep in mind Natasha’s rule about delegated tasks needing to be repeatable tasks that you can clearly explain, step by step.
Brainstorm any places (like client intake or repeat invoicing for Brianna) where you could implement a checklist, template, or system to help streamline the process.
Tools Cheat Sheet:
Project Management: Organize and share tasks with your team or clients:
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Keep track of client data, remember to follow up, and more.
- Contactually (The most robust option)
- Highrise (A more pared-down program that may be more suitable for smaller businesses)
- Capsule CRM (Also more pared-down)
Accounting platforms: Natasha’s alternatives to Quickbooks – she recommends both as very intuitive. Both connect with your bank account to track expenses without manual data entry.
Receipt scanning tool
Blog readers and social media
- Feedly – an RSS reader that allows you to add and browse through your favorite blogs and publications at a glance, organize them by topic, and save articles to read later.
- Buffer – allows you to easily schedule posts to social media.
- Pocket – save articles to read later on your phone, or when you have time.