3 automations that will help you scale your business, FAST
Automations.
It’s a word that strikes fear into the heart of many a business owner.
It makes you think of robots and technology and scary, complicated things that just aren’t really you. You’re creative, you care about your clients/customers, and you prefer to do things with a bit of personality, not with the help of faceless technology
So automation just isn’t going to work for you, right?
Thankfully, I’m a nerdy, super logical, super efficient, tech-loving human who’s here to show you that it can work for you.
(Hopefully) by the end of this blog post, you’ll realise that a) automation isn’t as complicated or impersonal or horrifying as you think, and b) it might actually be the secret weapon you’ve been looking for to scale your business, fast…
Um, what is ‘business automation’?
If you’re sitting there with images of robotic production lines and laser pointers and machines that eventually become sentient and take over the world, pause for a moment.
Because that’s not what I’m talking about.
That might be what the massive corporations of the world are aiming for, but it’s not what we’re about here. We don’t want fully automated businesses that never need us to lift a finger, because there are parts of our business that we *shock horror* actually like doing.
So when I talk about business automation, I don’t mean automating you out of a job. I mean automating the parts of your business that take time, don’t earn you money, and leave you feeling frustrated and overwhelmed and questioning why you started your business in the first place…
The parts of your business that you love, the bits that are the reason why you started your business - they’re still yours.
But the bits you hate? They can be automated.
Usually, it’s the behind-the-scenes processes that drag us down. It’s onboarding new coaching clients, sorting out the tech for your new course, chasing team members for updates, the invoicing, the scheduling calls, the replying to emails, the endless pile of paperwork waiting for you every single day. It’s that stuff that we can automate (or outsource to your new favourite Right Hand Woman, wink wink) - so that we never have to worry about it ever again.
3 business automations to grow your creative business
So how can automations help you? I imagine that, since you’re reading this, you’re ready for your business to grow, right? You’re ready to see it reach its full potential, see it reach new heights and see exactly how far it can go.
But you also know that you have limited time and resources. Your team is small (or just you). There’s a limit to how many weddings you can shoot (if you’re a photographer) or words you can write (if you’re a copywriter) or bouquets you can deliver (if you’re a florist) or websites you can design (if you’re a website designer).
You and your team aren’t miracle workers.
So you’re probably wondering how you can break free from that trap. How can you grow your business, make more money and serve more people, without increasing your team’s workload and destabilising your already-suffering work-life balance?
Automations.
That’s the answer. Automations won’t necessarily bring more customers through your doors. They won’t necessarily solve every problem your business is facing. But they will give you precious time back to focus on money-making activities. They will make your client experience so good you can charge more money than ever for your services. They will nurture enquiries and impress potential clients so much that your conversion rate will be higher than ever.
But where to start?
Here are 3 easy automations that will help you grow your business, without running you into the ground.
Automation #1: enquiry auto-response
The simplest, easiest, most effective automation you could possibly imagine - and one that doesn’t require a single piece of technology outside of your email platform.
We’ve all had those moments where we suddenly emerge from a scroll-hole with a fright, remembering an enquiry that came in last week that we have no recollection of replying to… And then when we do reply, the client either ghosts us because we took too long to reply or has gone with a competitor because, again, we took too long to reply.
With an automated enquiry response, you’ll never have that gut-punching realisation ever again.
As soon as someone emails you about working together, they get an automated response - they know you’ve got their enquiry, they know how long they can expect to wait to hear back from you, and (if you’re extra fancy with your auto-response) they can even book a discovery call straight into your calendar before you even realise the enquiry exists.
And it doesn’t need to be complicated either. It can be as simple as something like this:
“Hi!
Thanks so much for your email. It’s safe and sound in my inbox and I’ll get back to you shortly.
Here are some things you might enjoy in the meantime…
If you fancy a chat about how we can work together, feel free to book a discovery call straight into my calendar here [link to your booking system]
Follow me on Instagram!
Read my latest blog post
I’ll be back in touch soon (usually 2-3 working days).
Thanks!”
See? Simple. You’re letting your potential clients know that you’ve got their enquiry, you’re giving them the ability to book in a call, and you’re encouraging them to learn more about you by following you or reading your blog.
How auto-responses help your business grow
… they keep your enquiries warm and tended to, even when you’re not actively manning your inbox! It makes your client experience ten times better and prevents leads from turning cold before you have a chance to get back to them.
Automation #2: call scheduling software
Speaking of booking calls… another automation that can save you TONNES of time (and make life easier for you and your clients) is using call scheduling software.
Instead of having to go back and forth with your client, each suggesting times and dates that don’t work for the other person and wasting so much time and energy in the process, call scheduling software connects with your calendar and lets your clients book appointments at a time that suits them, without the hassle.
If you’re using Dubsado (hint: you should be! Here’s why), you can set up scheduler templates for each type of appointment you offer clients, e.g. a 15-minute discovery call, a 30-minute catch-up, or a 60-minute kick-off call. And once those scheduler templates exist, you can incorporate them into your workflows to send scheduler links to clients and enquiries automatically.
Even if you’re not using Dubsado (hint number two: you should be!), you can still make your life and your team’s life easier by using another call scheduler. Using something like Calendly will allow you to connect your team calendar (and individual calendars, if each team member has their own) to the booking system, so a) your clients can easily see your availability, b) you can easily keep track of your team’s calls, and c) so you never end up with the dreaded double-booking embarrassment!To unlock all its features you’ll need to pay for the Pro version - but if you’re using nothing right now, the free version will do the trick!
How call scheduling software helps your business grow
… they save you time. And save your client time. You can use that saved time to do fee-earning work or build your business in other ways. And it’s yet another thing that elevates your client experience too, meaning you’re more likely to get referrals and positive feedback from your client because you’ve made their life easier too. AND, as if that wasn’t enough, you can even connect up a payment processor to Dubsado or Calendly (or most other call schedulers) to take payment for bookings before they’re even confirmed. No more invoicing, no more chasing for payment before calls, no more frustration!
Automation #3: recurring invoices (and reminders!)
Unless you’re someone who enjoys working for free, the chances are you do actually want to get paid for the work you do, right?!
But if you’re still manually creating, sending and chasing invoices, you’re probably exhausted. And you’re probably not getting paid on time either. Both of which we want to avoid.
Which is where automation number three comes in to save the day.
By using a piece of invoicing software, you can generate invoices in a few clicks, send them in one click, chase them with no clicks, and set repeating invoices to go out every single month without you even realising.
Which means no more middle-of-the-night ‘have I sent that invoice?!’ fears. No more ‘As per my previous email, please pay me’ reminder emails, and no more monthly invoicing sessions dominating your calendar.
Again, if you’re using Dubsado, all of this can be done using workflows and payment plans and canned email templates. Set your package, your client’s payment plan, and then sit back and relax. And, bonus points: Dubsado connects with payment processors (Stripe or PayPal) so it knows when your invoice has been paid and stops chasing clients.
If you’re not using Dubsado (yet), you can usually do some sort of invoicing automation from within your accounting software, like Xero, QuickBooks, etc.
How invoicing automation helps your business grow
… because it actually gets you paid! As a small business, there’s very little that’s more important to your growth than being paid on time - without having to chase endlessly. So not only does automated invoicing save you time and takes another annoying piece of admin off your to-do list, but it also gives you confidence in your cash flow and lets you financially plan for your future.
Ready to automate your business?
See? Automations aren’t scary or complicated or too tech-y or impersonal.
And you don’t need to automate every single part of your business to benefit from the power of automations. Just a few tweaks to your processes and a couple of pieces of super effective technology can really make the difference, giving you your time back and allowing you to deliver an even better client experience.
If you have zero idea where to start with automating your business processes, you’re in the right place - because technology and workflows and automation and processes are all my favourite things in the world to help you with. I’ve spent many a late night having an absolute blast developing workflows, streamlining processes, connecting bits of technology with other bits of technology (Zapier is my BFF), and making even the most complicated of processes as automated and simple as humanly possible.
Let’s chat about how we can help your business grow by handing over some of the stress to technology instead - book a call to talk to me about my Right Hand Woman services or Dubsado Setups and let’s grow your business together!