A lot of times what holds us back from taking action is not knowing where to start.
I know I have a lot of projects that I really want to start, but it takes me a while to focus my time and energy on figuring out where to start.
A project can’t be tackled from the middle. Each has a start, middle and end.
I have a feeling that may be why so many entrepreneurs and small business owners don’t have systems in place.
Knowing where to start
They understand the benefit – they can see how they work, and if they read the EOFire blog or listen to Kate’s Take, they know exactly how to create them ;)
But once you know how to create them, you still need a place to START.
You can’t create 10 systems at once.
That’s why I’m writing this post. I want to share a few of the most common systems every business should have – to give you a place to start.
I’m going to go big-picture here; I’m not going to talk about the several processes that might live under each of these systems in detail. But we’ll get there – we’ll be diving into each of these systems individually in future posts here on the blog and on Kate’s Take.
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Alright, let’s dive in to some of the most common systems every business should have so you have a place to start for your business.
Note: this is Part II in a mini-series on the most common systems every business should have. If you haven’t check out Part I yet, you can do that right here :)
System #3: Marketing
This one is pretty massive, and will ultimately be broken down into smaller systems that will each have their own set of processes. But when you think about your business as a whole, you have to have a plan in place in order to actually gain awareness, traction, momentum…
Marketing is what will help you do this.
Some things under this umbrella might include:
- Your social media strategy
- Paid advertising (think Facebook advertising, sponsorship opportunities)
- Brand awareness campaigns
- A “circuit” of joint ventures (think podcast interviews, guest posts, JV webinars)
A System for Marketing
Here’s what a system for marketing might look like:
- Determine what you’ll focus on first when it comes to marketing: setting yourself up on social media is a great first step;
- Select the platforms you’ll be using to promote you and your business (starting off with 1 or 2 is best so you don’t feel stretched too thin);
- Put together a strategy that gives you consistency and SMART goals to reach through each of the platforms you’ve selected;
- Create a list of people and businesses you’d like to align yourself with (whether that be through building relationships, doing joint ventures, or simply someone with a similar audience you can follow and get tips from);
- Start testing out your strategy and set review periods so you can see whether or not it’s working.
System #4: Outreach
You’ve heard the whole saying, “Your net worth is made up of your net-work”, and we definitely believe here at EOFire that the most important thing in business is the relationships we build.
Building relationships with others in your industry / niche takes time, and it’s certainly not something that happens overnight. Therefore, having a plan in place to help you start building your network can be incredibly beneficial, and it’s something that should never “stop existing”.
A system for Outreach
Here’s what a system for outreach might look like:
- Write out a list of the Top 10 businesses in your industry / niche
- Write out a list of the Top 10 influencers in your industry / niche
- Write out a list of the Top 10 people who you follow in your industry / niche
- Be strategic about connecting with the businesses, influencers and people on your lists – follow them on Twitter and Facebook, start reading their blog, subscribe to their email newsletter and engage with them;
- Once you feel like you’ve “put yourself out there” and you have something of value to add, reach out via email, or direct message if email isn’t an option, and GIVE;
- Find other ways to connect with the people who you want to build relationships with: conferences, in person meet ups, 1-day even opportunities;
- Never be the one who ends the conversation.
Just Start
A lot of times what holds us back from taking action is not knowing where to start, but remember: a project can’t be tackled from the middle.
I hope the outline I’ve covered here for a few of the most common systems every business should have gives you a solid place to start.
Perhaps your systems will look different than the ones above – and that’s okay. The point where you get to find out what setting SMART goals for your business looks like – or what your content system looks like – is when you start creating it.
Start today.
