7 Secrets to Designing a Simpler Business for Your Life

I have this phenomenon that has been going around in my head and heart for the last few months.

I want my business to be simpler.

As may be true for you, I have been through stages in my business where I have been too stressed, too overwhelmed and too exhausted. I was working too hard and often felt I was just spinning my wheels and not really moving forward in spite of all my hard work.

As my business has grown I have realized I needed to make things work more smoothly and easily.

And funny as it may sound, the older I get the simpler I want things, especially my business. So, I have been making extra effort to streamline.

Here are some secrets I have discovered that I want to share with you. It's so strange how so often I can make things more difficult than they need to be. Do you ever do that?

Secret #1: Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will your business. Keep moving forward every day but be gentle with yourself.

Secret#2: Don't do this alone. Running your own business is not for the faint of heart but it can be one of the most satisfying things you'll ever do. Surround yourself with like minded peers and always have at least one coach to learn from, to support you and to keep you accountable.

Secret#3: Create blocks of time for your work. Do not start out your day with checking emails. All this does is put the people writing the emails in charge of your day. Start out with the projects that you need to get done but aren't your favorite things to do. Get them done and over with.

Block out 45 minute for smaller projects and 2-3 hour blocks for bigger projects. By 'blocking' out times, I mean no email, no kids, no pets etc to distract you. Close your door. Don't answer the phone. You will be amazed at how much more you will get done!

Secret#4: Only take on new projects or commitments that really jazz you. Be sure you know the amount of time they will take, how much will be asked of you and what you will reap in return financially. (In case you forgot this is a business not a hobby.J)

If you have previous commitments and they are no longer working for you (more time than expected, more work than expected, less money than expected) then simply bow out. I know that can be hard to do but you need to do that to honor your commitment to yourself to keep things simple.

Secret #5: Create systems in your business. What is your system when someone gives you their name and email and gets on your list? What is your system when a client signs up for one of your programs or services? When you have systems like these in place you don't have to figure out each time what your next step should be. It's all set up. Keep it simple!

Secret #6: Hire help! You cannot do this all by yourself. Well, I suppose you can but you will totally burn yourself out and unless you know all that needs to be done (website, auto responders etc) then you will do things wrong and create more problems. There are VA's (Virtual Assistants) and personal assistants everywhere for a very reasonable investment. Your sanity is required in this simple business of yours! Hire help!

Secret #7: Keep a launch calendar. This is simply a calendar, on-line or on your desk, that will take you through the next year or year and a half. Now don't let that panic you! This is part of making your business easy.

You probably have tons of ideas of things you want to do in your business. New programs and services that you want to offer your clients. That's great, but if you have them set up on a calendar you can be clear about when you are offering what. That way you aren't wondering each week or each month what you are going to do next. It's all planned out and you know when each launch (promotion) is going to happen. Keep it simple.

I hope this is all helpful to you. As I mentioned earlier, my big goal for myself is keeping my business simple. Life gets complicated enough!

You don't need to follow every new bright, shiny nickel out there! Pick and choose wisely what works for you, for your business and your life.