How To Optimize Processes for Efficiency and Scalability In Business | MM#139

In this episode, Jessie and Angela focus on optimizing business processes for efficiency and scalability. Key topics include implementing automation to handle repetitive tasks, streamlining workflows by removing unnecessary steps, and investing in technology that aids efficiency. They also discuss the importance of continuous training for teams, data-driven decision making, and the need to regularly review and refine business processes. The conversation emphasizes the impact of these strategies on improving business operations and the importance of adapting them to individual business needs.

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Jessie & Angela

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Transcript

00:00.00
Angela
Hey everyone we are so excited to have you with us today. We are going to talk about how to optimize your processes for efficiency and scalability.

00:41.25
Angela
So I want to start by saying even though we are including scalability in our discussion today. We understand that most of you are at the point where you are either not scaling just sort of maintaining or scaling slowly.

00:55.59
jessievalle
A.

00:57.85
Angela
Which is where the efficiency part comes in because if you can make your business more Efficient. You don't have to spend as much time on it and part of that can include adding team members or other things that are considered scaling even if it's not like. Exponential income growth.

01:17.20
jessievalle
That's a really good point and I also sometimes consider efficiency and scalability like scaling as almost like a way to maintain what you're doing while working less.

01:32.13
Angela
Um, yes, yeah I.

01:33.70
jessievalle
So that's another thing because a lot of people think scalability is I'm going to work the same and do more right? but I don't want to do more I want to do the same So I'm going to go the opposite way I'm going to do the same and work less.

01:37.70
Angela
And make more money. Yeah.

01:46.97
Angela
And work less. Yeah I know it just I know it sounds weird for us to say like we're talking about maintaining. We're talking about slow growth and then jump into something and be like let's talk about how to scale your bits this like.

02:04.79
jessievalle
Yeah I want I mean we should come up with a term for that like okay I it's too early in the morning I can't come up with something creative but it would be the opposite of scaling up scaling down.

02:05.20
Angela
Not that kind of scaling.

02:11.12
Angela
Um, yeah.

02:16.16
Angela
Um, no I haven't had enough coffee yet. Yeah scaling sideways.

02:24.31
jessievalle
There we go oh I like that that's good skinnic sideways the piano scale there we go? Um, no because the keys keys the sounds go up anyway, the first thing is implementing automation that is the.

02:29.91
Angela
Um, there you go. That's true.

02:42.33
jessievalle
Easiest way to optimize your processes and become efficient. It's just taking those mundane tasks that you do manually over and over and over again and finding way to automate them.

02:55.23
Angela
A.

02:57.68
jessievalle
Now Angela and I get super lit up about this because we are automation and tech geeks. But that's why you would find someone like us to look at your business and find ways to implement automation where you never thought you could um.

03:01.43
Angela
Yes.

03:12.57
Angela
Um, yeah.

03:15.19
jessievalle
For example I know someone who is working on ah a program where actually I think it's an event and every time they at that someone purchases the event they add them to a course in teachable or something which.

03:26.81
Angela
2

03:31.44
jessievalle
It's not being used as a course. It's just being used as an information hub for the event. So it's like go to teachable and you'll find all the information for the event and they never thought about hey by the way you can automate that to where when someone purchases they are automatically added to teachable and so it's.

03:35.91
Angela
Um, right? a.

03:45.65
Angela
Um, oh you.

03:50.35
jessievalle
Little things like that where it's like hey by the way did you know you could automate that you don't have to add them manually or check every day and figure out who purchased to go add them to teachable. So it's just little things like that Sometimes yeah, it's almost like maybe you should start writing down the things that you do.

03:52.77
Angela
Um, yeah, you don't have to do that and he.

04:07.44
Angela
Over and over again.

04:09.45
jessievalle
Over and over and over again and thinking about a way that you could automate that.

04:14.83
Angela
Yeah, and this one gets a lot of pushback because implementing the automation takes time like you have to think about what you're automating how you want it to work What programs you're going to use actually do the setup and run the test to make sure it works and so I see a lot of.

04:20.93
jessievalle
If it.

04:33.40
Angela
Business owners especially service business owners that push back on that like no, it takes too much time I'll just do it. It's faster like it is faster for you to do it one time than to set up the automation. But once you've set up the automation. You don't even have to think about it anymore.

04:44.69
jessievalle
Ah.

04:49.19
jessievalle
Yeah, oh I have another example so I'm working with a client who has a challenge and they they have specific emails. They send out during that challenge right? and for it's a monthly challenge. So every month. They set up the emails where it's week one week two week three week four all the things and I come in and I take a look at this and I'm just like you. You do realize you don't have to set those emails up every time right? because you're not changing the emails like even though.

05:22.95
Angela
Yeah, you can just automate that.

05:26.56
jessievalle
It's a copy and paste it still takes time to think. Okay, you got ah you got to copy it and then you have to think what day and time do I want to send this out in in thinking. So I swooped in and you're right? Angela it did take me a couple days to really think about and implement. Okay, here's how it's going to work.

05:30.17
Angela
Are one.

05:43.65
jessievalle
They're going to be added to it and um, this is one of the beautiful things that I love about the new click funnels 2.0 is that it has events and so I created an event that resets every first of the month and so what it does is it. It. Assigns people to an event and then based on that time a few days before it will send email number 1 and then it triggers like it uses that event time as the trigger for the rest of the emails for the rest of the month and now guess what they don't have to set up another email.

06:11.31
Angela
Um, yeah.

06:18.80
Angela
Um, yeah, yeah, yeah, and no, you should be That's really cool. Yeah, and that's the kind of automations that I really enjoy because it really does make a.

06:19.40
jessievalle
Ever again for that challenge I just did it all and it took me a couple days and I'm very proud of it if you can't ah.

06:36.66
Angela
Big impact now I have smaller automations for myself and my business that are not quite as impactful as that but still make a huge difference for me like I have automations to send a text message if someone schedules a meeting with me so that I.

06:53.12
jessievalle
You.

06:55.79
Angela
Like I get an email but like just so that I have it if I'm out you know I get an extra reminder like don't forget. Somebody's got a meeting with you um things like that and you those are really simple automations. It took me like 5 minutes to set up but it's made a big difference in.

07:12.75
jessievalle
Um.

07:14.84
Angela
Making sure my calendar is organized so it doesn't have to be like a big Grand automation. Although those are going to make a really big impact. It can be smaller simple automations that can help streamline things.

07:16.27
jessievalle
Okay.

07:29.59
jessievalle
Yeah, you made me think of just the simple act of filter in your inbox if you're using Google anyway, it's really easy to filter by a certain type of email or from a certain sender and send it.

07:35.92
Angela
Yeah.

07:46.77
jessievalle
Into a folder or something like that. So it never hits your inbox Angela and I are very different in this. She is the type that likes inbox 0 she likes clearing out her email this and that. I sign up for so many random things and get so many emails I just let it go I have thousands and thousands and thousands I've given up. Ah so no matter which type you are I will still say that the the filtering still helps.

08:08.70
Angela
Um, yeah, yes, definitely.

08:16.67
Angela
All right? So kind of going with that. The next thing that you can do is to streamline your workflows which is basically look at the process that you're using to do certain things and then take out all of the unnecessary stuff and that's. It goes along with automation because a lot of times when business owners especially service business owners start to look at the implementation of of automating things. They realize that they're doing a lot of extra stuff. They don't necessarily need to do. In the process of doing whatever else.

08:54.13
jessievalle
Right? And I think there is a difference there like we're not talking about workflow in the sense of automation. We're just talking about the steps. It takes you to do something are you doing something unnecessary. Is there a way you could simplify.

09:05.47
Angela
Yeah.

09:13.46
jessievalle
Ah, for example, a lot of people like to batch things like social media posts or um, videos and like whatever you create blog posts all these things they like to do them in batches.

09:27.52
Angela
Um, yeah, and yeah, and another thing with that is using templates so having templates for certain kinds of social media posts or certain kinds of blog posts.

09:30.59
jessievalle
Because it really streamlines their workflow.

09:36.49
jessievalle
A.

09:43.69
Angela
Can help because one it's going to help you structure your actual content when you're trying to like write or plan um and 2 if you can just drop the content into the template and go. You're not constantly redesigning the you know redesigning it every time you go in there.

10:01.60
jessievalle
Yeah, and along with.

10:03.41
Angela
And canva is really nice for that because it has that little randomizer button so you can use the same template click the randomizer button it'll like change all the colors to your like with your brand colors to something different so that it doesn't necessarily look exactly the same on your Instagram every single time.

10:21.40
jessievalle
Yeah I like that a lot and not just templates Let's talk about ah sops if you just write down the process.

10:26.85
Angela
Yeah.

10:33.54
jessievalle
Of how you do something. It makes it so much easier for one for you to not even think that you accidentally forgot a step when you're doing something but also it makes it super easy if down the line you hire a team or even bring on an assistant to just be like.

10:39.49
Angela
Um, right.

10:49.40
jessievalle
Oh I have this process written down for you right here here you go This is how I do it and then you'll know that they're not going to skip a step and it's easier for you to let go knowing that you created that process.

11:00.22
Angela
Yeah, and I know we've talked about a couple ways to do that with things like loom and Tango and things like that.

11:11.58
jessievalle
And ah hinting winling we might be talking about it again in a few weeks more in depth all right. The next thing is to really.

11:16.50
Angela
Ah, yes.

11:23.81
jessievalle
Adopt these lean principles where you just eliminate the extra waste we are all doing something that we're doing because it's easy and because it helps us avoid the actual money making activities eliminate those.

11:33.70
Angela
Me. Yes.

11:43.59
jessievalle
Just get rid of for me, it was making my inbox 0 apparently Angela does not feel the same but I got to a point where I was like I'm wasting time going through these blasted emails I'm just going to let it go.

11:50.25
Angela
Um I do not.

11:57.29
Angela
Yeah, but to be fair I use my inbox as like a to do list as well which you don't do so another thing and this was one of the things back when I offered um like automation and things like that as so like this as a service.

12:00.30
jessievalle
Yeah I do not I don't.

12:13.80
Angela
1 of the first things I would do is have um, have my clients write down all of the places they're spending money on programs and services. Ah one so that you can see what can be connected to automate but 2 because then it's easier to see. Like oh you're spending $27 a month on this thing and you're not even using it like why are you? Why are you doing that and a lot of times they would be surprised like oh I didn't know I wasn't using that or I didn't know I didn't need to spend $27 on that. Um.

12:36.96
jessievalle
The.

12:48.98
jessievalle
The.

12:52.17
Angela
And it's just because our businesses naturally change we change the programs we use we change services a little bit. We adjust the way we're doing things but we don't necessarily go back and look and make sure that we're only spending where we should be spending so that is one.

13:09.12
jessievalle
Ah.

13:11.34
Angela
Really nice way because once you eliminate some of those expenses then you automatically have a little bit more profit.

13:17.22
jessievalle
I like it or maybe you have a little bit extra to spend on a higher version of something you actually really like and use.

13:28.11
Angela
Yes, yes, which is our next thing which is to invest in technology. Um, and I've seen this too I Always tell people to get the cheapest version of whatever does the most stuff that you want it to do.

13:34.62
jessievalle
Need it.

13:44.36
jessievalle
Ah.

13:44.80
Angela
But sometimes the cheapest version is the top tier of a thing like it's okay to be the person that spends you know one hundred and fifty dollars a month on zoome if you're hosting 4 webinars a month and you have 400 people coming and you know.

13:49.76
jessievalle
Ah.

14:01.90
jessievalle
Ah.

14:02.54
Angela
Then that's fine. That's what you need you should invest in the technologies that are going to help you make your business easier simpler more effective.

14:12.98
jessievalle
The one that always blows my mind is when people try to use Wix or some free website builder here's the thing here's my soapbox for like 30 seconds if you had a physical business.

14:21.19
Angela
Um, yeah.

14:30.91
Angela
Oh.

14:32.90
jessievalle
You wouldn't bat an eye at spending hundreds even thousands a month on a so a physical space to rent for that storefront. How can you not spend one hundred and fifty bucks on hosting in a domain for a legit wordpress website.

14:42.41
Angela
Um, yeah.

14:50.58
Angela
Um, yeah, yes.

14:52.45
jessievalle
That's all I'm asking or I know some people love squarespace cool go do squarespace. But seriously if it's not Squarespace or wordpress now.

15:04.10
Angela
Yeah.

15:08.52
jessievalle
Everyone knows I am very deeply connected with click funnels I understand you can you can use click funnels for your website as well. That's fine because it's also something you pay for if you're not using one of those 3 things I don't know why like do you? it just doesn't feel professional enough to me.

15:20.33
Angela
Yes, well and.

15:26.68
jessievalle
Treat your so treat your business professionally because you are a professional. That's all I Want to say.

15:30.76
Angela
Yes, and they're not free is the thing and I have clients that will start on like a Wix site because they think it's free.

15:34.18
jessievalle
It.

15:42.69
Angela
But if you want to have any kind of ecommerce on there if you want to use some of their integrations if you want to connect a regular domain like just a normal dot com domain. It's going to cost money so it's not like you're getting a website for free.

15:53.86
jessievalle
Who. Got it I'm just saying in the grand scheme of things. Yeah I'm just saying at the grid. Yeah, the grand scheme of things is $100 for your your storefront home wet like web presence.

16:01.23
Angela
It might be cheaper, but it's not free and and a lot of people don't understand that.

16:13.23
Angela
Um, yeah, yes, yeah.

16:17.49
jessievalle
Is totally worth it. It's totally worth it. It's a no brainer anyway. Okay, that's my soapbox. Um, but yes, like if you especially at this point in your business. You're not trying to penny pinch.

16:33.76
Angela
In here.

16:35.68
jessievalle
You probably have a little bit of money to play with for your business and if there is a tool that let's say you use a project management system that has in the next tier that has more automation and better features. This might be the time to invest in that and upgrade. To make your life easier. So that again, you can step out more and not have so much manual work.

16:59.54
Angela
Um, yeah, so our next one is kind of situation specific and that is continuous training for yourself for your team and. Sometimes that can mean a new course or a summit or something like that. Sometimes it can be as simple as giving your staff an hour to go play in a program and learn about it. It doesn't have to be.

17:34.14
jessievalle
Ah.

17:37.23
Angela
Like a big Grand expensive thing but it is important for yourself and for your team to have that time available to just learn how to use the programs because the better you are at using your programs the better they are using your programs.

17:39.17
jessievalle
Yeah.

17:56.54
Angela
The easier and faster. It's going to be to get things done.

17:58.71
jessievalle
Now another thing that I have done when I've been the lead of a team is doing quick 10 minute videos or less like once a week so that everyone's on the same page about how we do things and that business.

18:17.28
Angela
Um, in.

18:17.94
jessievalle
As a process so that person a doesn't do it one way and person b doesn't do it another way and so that to me is also continuous training to be like person C is the 1 actually working on a task related to this but I need everyone to understand how person c is doing it.

18:31.43
Angela
Um.

18:36.63
jessievalle
And how I want it done So I'm going to make a video and every team member has to watch it even though you're not really working on it right now and that also reminds me um, again with working with that same team I have an entire location.

18:37.00
Angela
Um, yeah.

18:42.41
Angela
Um, yeah.

18:56.13
jessievalle
Where I've built up a repository of all those trainings so that if they finally do have a time where they need to do a task like that they go back and like oh I know Jesse did a training on that. Let me go find it and it's not just trainings. It's also processes. So.

19:08.40
Angela
Yeah.

19:13.90
jessievalle
I Myself create some of these things and then I go reference them I'm like wait a minute. What did I say like what's the naming convention that I said here How do I add tracking on this like I go back to those things even though it's not like it's all about processes.

19:18.31
Angela
Um, yes, because some things you don't do very often. Um, yeah.

19:31.87
jessievalle
And it's not just programs. It's also processes and things like that. So um I I would encourage you not just to create trainings. But then to create a bank of them a searchable bank All right.

19:34.30
Angela
Um, yeah.

19:42.37
Angela
Yes, yeah, something searchable for sure.

19:51.44
jessievalle
The next one is like decision making using data right? This is one I have a hard time with because I I'm not the biggest fan of the numbers and stuff. However, um, using your analytics like first of all, you got to.

19:56.69
Angela
Yes, this is another 1 people have a hard time with me too.

20:11.35
jessievalle
Know where your analytics are and look at them. But then know how to make informed decisions. That's the big thing here is making informed decisions not just making a decision by random and this feels right? No here is the data make a good decision about it.

20:11.99
Angela
In here.

20:18.50
Angela
Um, yeah.

20:25.57
Angela
Right.

20:31.10
Angela
I.

20:31.31
jessievalle
And also to identify areas for improvement. So for example here on this podcast Angela and I weekly take a look at our numbers of which podcast episodes are getting the most listens and then from there we know where our audience. Is leaning what you like more which ones didn't really hit that you didn't like so much and that kind of stuff we really take into account as we move forward. So if we're like oh they don't really like hearing about this. We don't really talk about it them.

21:12.63
jessievalle
Angela's dog is like no not going to let Angela talk right now that she's on mute. But anyway, yes, it. Also it's also about using analytics for for another example. I'm gonna talk at Angela right now because she can't tell me no I'm gonna use this time to my advantage Instagram Angela we need to talk about Instagram you have been diligently posting daily and our numbers are not going up. It is. Pointless for you to spend all that time I'm like I'm like pointing like I'm shaking my finger at her. It is pointless for you to spend all that time doing daily posts when we would do just as fine with 3 times a week so for 20 24 I demand you stop posting daily.

22:08.63
Angela
And okay, we can definitely drop down that was the daily thing I actually did ask Jesse to let me I was like let me post daily for a little while. Let me see if I can get the numbers up but it she's right. It didn't it didn't make any difference at all.

22:23.46
jessievalle
And that's fine. You can try it. But now let's actually look at the numbers and be like okay now now here's what I want you to do I will hear hear I will let you post daily if.

22:27.12
Angela
Yeah, but yeah, look at the numbers.

22:40.47
jessievalle
So daily video post. Ah honestly I think that could work better than what we were doing. Um, so it's things like that like we tried it. It didn't quite work how we wanted to.

22:42.82
Angela
Um, oh that probably would yeah get some more reels up there.

22:59.97
jessievalle
Knowing it's okay to let it go or make changes.

23:03.70
Angela
Um, yeah, yes, exactly So our last thing our last thing is to regularly review your processes look over your business.

23:06.82
jessievalle
Okay, and.

23:14.44
jessievalle
And.

23:18.45
Angela
What are you doing? Why are you doing it What programs are you using and why um are your procedures still streamlined or do they have extra unnecessary steps just sort of take a minute and do an overview of. Your business and your processes and your expenses.

23:38.50
jessievalle
Yeah, and this doesn't have to be all the time it could be once a quarter. It could even just be once a year where you take a look and think about it but I would also encourage you to get feedback from anyone else that you've been working with maybe you hired an assistant to help with.

23:42.90
Angela
In here.

23:48.49
Angela
Is.

23:57.98
jessievalle
Something and they are the ones doing it all the time. Maybe they have great ideas on how to streamline it. But you've never asked be open to asking to do things differently I am a control freak I have a very hard time with this but sometimes it's okay.

24:03.94
Angela
Yeah.

24:15.91
jessievalle
Especially when working with contractors. We know this I can't always dictate how or when they do something I'm just paying for the end result. So trust that they may actually know how to do it better than you which is hard because I'm the best at everything. Everybody knows this.

24:17.48
Angela
Um, yes.

24:25.63
Angela
Um, especially if it's their business right? Of course.

24:37.54
jessievalle
But I guess you can have some good ideas too. Ah.

24:41.43
Angela
Ah.

24:43.80
jessievalle
So those are really ways that we think you can optimize your processes in your business for efficiency and scalability because all those things in my mind help scale the efficiency so that you can actually. Back down in this point in your business that Angela and I have been talking about to to step back to do what we wanted like the reason we started the business in the first place. Let's let's go do those things that we wanted to do most likely with our children or maybe just to go.

25:11.35
Angela
Um, yeah.

25:18.86
Angela
Um, yes.

25:22.55
jessievalle
You know, read a book I don't know whatever for you. It was you wanted to do I I kid you not like I've been watching some Hgtv side note oh my gosh. It's so addicting and I've been seeing these people with like screened in Porches and I'm just like ah.

25:26.63
Angela
Um, yes.

25:31.35
Angela
Um, nice a.

25:42.20
jessievalle
That's a dream right there. What would I do and because I have a deck I was like I could screen in my deck is it really like is it weird that that would make such a big difference I don't know but I'm I'm imagining in my own little.

25:43.70
Angela
Um, oh it would be nice.

25:47.70
Angela
Moving? yeah.

25:54.43
Angela
Um, yeah, screened imports would be amazing.

25:58.86
jessievalle
World that I am in a screened in sunroom Deck porch thing and sip in my coffee reading my book and guess what not working because I've made it so efficient that it can work without me. That's the dream right? there? ah.

26:05.27
Angela
Yeah, yes, not working.

26:14.82
Angela
Isn't that nice. Yes, definitely.

26:18.69
jessievalle
All right? So if you have anything that you do to so optimize your processes. Let us know reach out to us. We are at marketing mom's podcast on Instagram or you can always contact us at contact at marketingmoms co. and yeah we look forward to chatting with you next week. Bye.

26:40.89
Angela
I I.