1. Admin Processes 

Admin processes include goal setting and the daily operations essential to your business like calendar management, data backup, and tech/systems management. 

These tasks are the backbone of your business, and while they may seem tedious or minuscule, they will add up quickly if they are ignored regularly. Here are some areas where you can start setting up automated tasks or processes: 

Goal Setting

When do you set your goals for the month, quarter, and year? Many business owners will take a day to set goals at the beginning of each quarter, or some will set them at the beginning of the year only. But the key is taking the time to check in with those goals. Set up a process and a reminder that gets you and your team in the habit of checking and updating on your goal progress. Unmeasured goals are unmet goals. 

Data Backup and Security 

Sometimes it’s easy to go about our lives and forget that our businesses are run entirely online. And with that, it’s critical to recognize that disasters happen in the online world, as well. In fact, they are much more prevalent than in a brick-and-mortar business. One of the first things to put into place is a system for data backup and security. That includes your website, your files & essential documents, and your email list. These are critical components of running your business – so don’t take the risk of losing them to save a few minutes or bucks.  

Tech/Systems Management 

Setting up and documenting a process for your tech systems like CRM, task management system, and email management systems will save you HEAPS of time in the long run when it comes time to onboard and train employees or freelancers. While it will take some time and commitment upfront, it is worth the investment. 

2. Finances

You would think that finances would be the thing that business owners focus the most on. Surprisingly, it is one of the first things that gets overlooked when things inevitably become hectic! So here are some processes to put into place early to set yourself up for success in your business finances.

Taxes and Financial Planning

When businesses start out, taxes and financial planning are often put on the backburner because they just “aren’t making enough to worry about it.” But taxes are one of the number one causes of stress I see in business owners. They spend all year not “worried about it,” and then come tax season, they are overextended, unprepared, and their books are in complete chaos. 

Put a process in place early for keeping your tax information organized throughout the year and find a trustworthy accountant to take filing off your plate. Hiring an accountant is another thing that is 1000000% worth the investment! Tax laws can get tricky with online businesses, so having a trained professional making sure they cover all your bases is vital in protecting your business. 

Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivable 

Another essential item that often gets put on the backburner during hectic times is paying and collecting invoices. If you are going months without noticing a payment from a client is overdue, you will have difficulty accurately setting goals, determining revenue & cash flow, and forecasting for the future. Not to mention that the longer an invoice goes unpaid, the less likely it becomes that it will ever be fulfilled. Put a system in place for making sure you are tracking and receiving the money you are owed. 

As an online business, you will most likely rely on freelancers and other online service providers to help you complete projects. The reputation of your business among your network partially depends on invoices being fulfilled on time. A freelancer is much more likely to give project priority to a client who is on time with paying invoices and respectful of their time and energy. 

Metrics Tracking

Implementing a system for financial metrics tracking will show you where you are getting the most ROI in your business, what is working, and what is not. If you track throughout the year, you can use these metrics at your goal-setting sessions when determining new offerings or marketing efforts or when doing financial analysis for your business. Start tracking these metrics early on, and you will be hugging past you when you can use data to make strategic decisions and move your business forward. 

3. Client Management 

Welcome/Onboarding Process

A sloppy, impersonal, or missing client onboarding process can be detrimental to your business, especially in the online space. There are too many tools and systems that allow you to automate it, so people no longer tolerate a lack of connection when they decide to begin working with someone online. Take some time to flesh out a Welcome/Onboarding process for your clients and get it automated. And then put a process in place for updating it every once in a while to stay fresh. An outdated onboarding process is almost as bad as no onboarding process!

Client/Customer Service

Similar to the Onboarding process, people will no longer tolerate companies with bad client or customer service. Save yourself some headache and develop an SOP for how specific client requests should be handled and by who! Some examples of things you could include are: 

• What to do when a client forgets their course password. 

• What to do when a client asks for a refund. 

• What to do when a client needs to reschedule a call with you. 

Setting these things up now will also save you hours when you are ready to bring on a team to take over.

Offboarding Process 

Most businesses will have clients come and go, which is entirely natural! And you want to make sure that your client’s offboarding experience is as impressive and seamless as their onboarding. This care will not only show clients that you value them even if they are leaving but leaves them with a great experience on the top of their minds. Use this opportunity to differentiate yourself from other businesses, and you will likely see a higher number of referrals and repeat clients! It is also a precious time to gain client feedback & testimonials and to see how you can improve your business and client experience.

If you are ready to put some of these systems and processes in place but don’t know where to start, shoot me an email and I can help you find the areas you should focus on first to help you achieve a solid operational foundation.