Two Solutions to Help You Stop Being the Bottleneck In Your Business

Ready to break free from the bottleneck holding your business back?

You are your business's worst enemy! So in today's episode, we will discuss how you can build a business that thrives without you having to be chained to it around the clock.

I understand the frustration of being a hindrance to your own success. That's why we're going to take off the kid gloves and talk about the importance of streamlining your workflows, investing in expert help, and the art of team building.

Whether you're expanding your team or making long-term investments with positive ripple effects, this episode is your roadmap to success. Join me to unlock the door to a smoother, more efficient business that liberates you from constant demands.

Stop scrolling and start thriving – let's break free from the bottleneck together! Tune in to see where to start.

2:47 What happens when you are the bottleneck
3:53 Where to start making changes when you want your business to grow
6:32 Why building a team is not enough
7:29 Two solutions that can help you remove yourself as the bottleneck
9:53 How a back office assessment will jump-start this transformation process
11:38 How to make progress after booking a back office assessment
13:05 The truth about removing yourself as the bottleneck

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Episode 117 - How to Calm the Chaos In Your Back Office with Jodi Silverman
Episode 127 - What Happens During a Back Office Assessment
Episode 128 - How to Use An Action Plan to Strategically Prepare For Business Growth
Learn More About a Solo Power Assessment (Back Office Assessment)
Learn More About the MY-T Society Membership
Leave a Rating and Review
Connect with me on Instagram: @the_shannonbaker

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

I hate to break it to you, but it has to be done. You're the bottleneck in your business. If you're working without processes and systems and if you've started building a team, even if you're just working with a virtual assistant, they are frustrated because you're the bottleneck. So today we're going to talk about what you need to do to fix that, so that everyone can be happy and your business can grow. Welcome to the Mind, your Time podcast. I'm Shannon Baker, your host and coffee aficionado. Whether your goal is to increase your side gig income or scale to six figures, you're in the right place. You will learn about the tools, actionable strategies and tactics you can use to take back control of your time and life. I specialize in helping purpose-driven women like yourself work smarter and tap into the growth potential their business holds. So if you're ready to make a bigger impact and achieve business growth without being tied to it 24-7, then stick around.

Speaker 1: 0:59

Let's dive into today's topic. Well, let's kick things off by diving into the concept of a business bottleneck. I mean, it's critical for us to be on the same page about this term, because our discussion today really revolves around that word. So if you're not entirely familiar with what a bottleneck is and the impact it's having on your business. That's okay, I'm going to break it down for you. Simply, being the bottleneck in your business means you're hindering its growth. So I'm going to paint a picture to help you visualize this.

Speaker 1: 1:33

Think of your business as a Starbucks my favorite place for coffee as a coffee enthusiast. Now, as you step into the store, you can fill the energy with the baristas taking orders and the other baristas crafting those wonderful tasty drinks. But here's the thing do you remember days at Starbucks before the app? You had to physically go in, stand in line and then wait for your drink. Talk about a huge bottleneck. Right, it definitely was not the most efficient process and even if it made you late for work if you're like me, you would endure it. But let's fast forward to today. Many of us just order our coffee in advance through the app, which has been a game changer because it cuts down on the bottleneck most of the time. But let's be real. Processes fail. So there are still moments when you order in advance and you have to wait for your order.

Speaker 1: 2:40

But let me really hone in on this illustration of using Starbucks. When you're the bottleneck in your business, you begin to slow down the entire process, which is like those old days of waiting in line to order your coffee. It's like being stuck in the slow lane on the highway and it's holding your business back, and our goal really is to break free from that by streamlining your operations so that your business flows smoothly like a well-oiled Starbucks and it's serving success in every cup. So to drive this point home being the bottleneck in your business means that you are slowing down the flow, especially when it comes to your growth, so it's like putting the brakes on your business's ability to move full steam ahead. So how exactly can you remove yourself from being that bottleneck?

Speaker 1: 3:33

Well, you've got to start by investing in your business, and you do this by investing in others, and I'm really referring to investing in people who have expertise and experience in areas that are not your strong suit. Free is great, but when you really want to grow your business, you have got to get some skin in the game and pay for help to shorten the learning curve for you. Investing in others and in your business really marks a crucial stride towards you achieving success. I've been through this process myself and let me tell you why. I was afraid to invest the money in my business. It has been a game changer, and it's because it's being open to the risk of trusting others to support your business so that you can concentrate on growing your business. So this means that you have to make the time to articulate your needs to someone else, but you also have to get the right systems in place for your business. And then this absolutely this is non-negotiable. You have to do this before you start building a team. I've seen too many business owners fail at this and make other people's lives measurable. When you start building a team, think of that as a long-term investment with a positive ripple effect on your overarching goals if it's done right.

Speaker 1: 5:05

So let's talk about building a team. It really requires more planning and preparation than most entrepreneurs realize. So don't feel bad if you're thinking this isn't a big deal. You just hire a VA, whoever else you need, and it's okay. No, now I'm not going to go all deep on this subject and get on the soapbox, because I've talked about the art of delegation in another episode of the podcast and I'm gonna put a link to that in the show notes, but I want you to understand that if you start building a team and your back office has no processes in place, no systems in place, and you're already working in chaos. You're bringing someone else into that foolishness and it's just going to get worse. So, again, you can go back and listen to that episode, where I really share some key points that you need to keep in mind when you wanna start expanding or building a team and delegating tests.

Speaker 1: 6:06

The moral of the story is you have to have processes documented and in place before you start hiring, and this also requires you to stop and invest the time in creating job descriptions that identify the role that you wanna hire for. Do not hire someone and then insist on just spawning out tests to them one at a time. That is inefficient and it's just ridiculous and it's gonna fail. So here's the thing investing time and resources into building a team in your business is not just a step. It's an important step that you really need to consider if you wanna achieve sustainable growth. But you have to remember that in this journey and during this process, hiccups happen. You can't avoid it. But when they do happen, it's an opportunity for you to refine your processes so that you don't become the bottleneck again, and this means you need to actually follow your processes when they're in place.

Speaker 1: 7:07

So let's have some more black coffee talk. If you could organize your back office on your own, get your processes in place and implement the six core systems that your business needs on your own, you would have done it by now. But let me guess you haven't. You're not alone. So now we're going to talk about how I can help you get over this hurdle, because it has to be done, and I mean do this quickly, stop delaying it.

Speaker 1: 7:39

I offer two key services that can make a significant difference in your business operations. It's a solar power assessment, which I also call a back office assessment, and a VIP day for implementation. So let's start by talking about the back office assessment. I want you to think about it like a checkup for your business operations, because we dive deep into your current operations and identify points where you're the bottleneck kind of like. You know the areas that need to tune up and in the end, you get a tailor made action plan that's crafted specifically for you in your business, your unique. Your business is unique and it has its own set of issues that need to be addressed. So the action plan that I create after that call is like. I'm giving you a roadmap to clean up your back office, streamline your operations and wave goodbye to those bottleneck issues that are blocking your growth. So if you want more information on that, go to theshannonbakercom forward slash assessment.

Speaker 1: 8:45

But here's the truth A plan without execution is useless, and that's where the VIP day for implementation comes in. That's like a power pack day that accelerates the implementation process, saves your time and gives you immediate relief from the bottlenecks that you're experiencing in your business. Imagine getting your onboarding and offboarding process in place in one day, or having an inbox that it's automatically sorted so that you can quickly respond with templates, or have your leads logged automatically so that you can follow them through your customer journey Again all done in a day. And those are just a few of the options that are available. Not to mention, you get access to my strategic brain for the entire day and my tech skills to turn your project around quickly and efficiently. And you don't have to do much work.

Speaker 1: 9:44

I do the heavy lifting, but it starts with the assessment, the back office assessment and the VIP day. They go together like peanut butter and jelly. So let me give you a little bit more information about the assessment. It's a two hour recorded call where we sit down and really look at everything in your business, talk about your goals and what we need to do so that your business operates more efficiently. After that call, I take all the data that you share and I create your custom action plan to help you improve your business operations. But it considers what's going on in your personal life as well, because your personal life affects your business and your business affects your personal life, so we want to make sure the two are integrated together. Now, when it comes to the assessment, it really helps you get more clarity in your business, so it's not just about your back office operations. It really helps you focus in on the best path forward to grow your business. So I want you to hear this From the mouth of a person who has experienced amazing results, and that's Jodi Silverman. I actually had her on the podcast last year to talk about her experience. I'm going to put a link to that episode in the show notes, but this is what Jodi had to say. Quote After the assessment with Shannon, the action plan was a wow.

Speaker 1: 11:10

Not only was it presented digitally in a professional and organized fashion, it was crystal clear that Shannon truly understood from our assessment call what I was in need of if I was going to grow and expand. After reviewing the details and the breakdown of our plan of attack, I knew I was in good hands, end quote. So that's the assessment. Now let's talk about the action plan a little bit. If you want to hear what you can do with the action plan, I've got you covered.

Speaker 1: 11:43

I've got an episode that goes through that. I share the three options that are available for us to work together to implement the action plan. Or you can walk away with it and do this on your own, which I don't recommend. But your options are a VIP day, a three month minimum project, which right now I'm booked out, or you can self implement using the mighty society membership. So I'm going to put a link to the episode where I specifically talk about how to use an action plan, as well as a link to the mighty society membership so you can check that out. Or you can go to theshannonbakercom forward slash membership, because inside of that membership are a ton of resources that you can use to self implement that custom action plan, and it still gives you limited access to my technical brain.

Speaker 1: 12:38

So, look, I want you to know again, I'm only booking VIP days for implementation right now because I limit the number of retainer clients that I take long at a time and I am at that maximum number right now so that I can enjoy life and my business as well, but I still want to make sure that I can assist you with a shorter timeline so you can get your back office operations in order. So let me help you, in all transparency, that services that I've talked about today, they're not just about overcoming bottlenecks, but they're really about future proofing your business so that you can achieve sustainable growth. So with the back office assessment and a VIP day, you're not just breaking free from that bottleneck or removing yourself as the bottleneck. You're setting the stage for a business that thrives and propels you forward towards your goal, but your business will not be dependent on you. So, if you're ready to move forward, these two services I talked about today, they're tailored solutions to unlock efficiency, save your time and set your business on a trajectory of continuous growth. So let's transform your business into a dynamic, well old machine that's ready to soar to new heights. I want you to fly like an eagle, so thank you for joining me this week.

Speaker 1: 14:04

If you have any questions about anything that I've said today, please feel free to reach out to me on Instagram, at the underscore Shannon Baker, and get them answered, because just listening to this is not enough. I need you to take action. If you found this episode valuable, please go to ratethispodcastcom forward, slash mind your time and leave me a rating and review so that others can see the value in the episodes of this podcast and I can help more entrepreneurs like yourself. And please share this episode with your business besties or someone else that you feel could benefit from it. Take a screenshot, post it on Instagram stories and make sure you tag me. And again, if you have any questions, feel free to just DM me. And you can also just let me know one thing that you decided to take action on today, even if that choice is to just start to look at your back office to see what you need to streamline. I can't wait to hear from you and I look forward to you joining me back here next week. So until then, keep calm and streamline.