This month’s theme is Work from Home Power Hacks & Habits. I’ve got lots of tips on everything from automation tools to building better work habits!
As a small business owner, you’re probably always looking for shortcuts to enable you to get more done in a day. Thankfully, with the proliferation of high-speed internet, there are ever more options and opportunities for you to get more done in less time through automation.
In this video, I’m sharing my 7 best no-cost & low-cost business automation tools.
Welcome to a new Systems Sunday. This month’s theme is Work From Home Power Hacks & Habits.
I’m Lisa Wells, your Virtual Assistant Trainer.
As a small business owner, you’re probably always looking for shortcuts to enable you to get more done in a day. Thankfully, with the proliferation of high-speed internet, there are ever more options and opportunities for you to get more done in less time through automation.
- Zapier.com
This amazing tool that uses IFTTT technology enables you to do amazing secret organization and automation that you don’t need to totally understand to make sure it works. IFTTT means, “if this, then that.” The platform enables you to automate your data flow between software platforms.
For example, you can set the program up to automatically take email attachments you receive and put them in a file in Dropbox. This software does so much; you will be shocked and excited to learn more.
- AWeber.com
Most people realize they need email marketing software, and there is a lot of discussion all over the web about which one is best. The reason AWeber is so great is that it’s been around a long time; it’s growing and adding features that marketers really want, and the price isn’t outrageous.
This software enables you to build an email list and set up autoresponder emails and funnels to help you market to your list members on a very personalized basis. You can also make amazing sign-up forms and more.
- Hootsuite.com
You know that social media posting, sharing, and engagement is essential today for any type of business. But who has all day to do this? No one. You have a choice. You can hire someone, or you can use software. Software is an excellent choice to automate posting and sharing and organizing your engagement.
Using the social media management tool to post is great, but you can also use it to keep track of all your social networks in one spot. You can monitor and respond right from the platform by looking at all your streams in one place.
- Grammarly.com
If you use content marketing, and of course you do, checking anything you buy or write in Grammarly (at least for plagiarism) is a great way to ensure that your content is original and unique. Even if you use private label rights content (PLR), check it, and then fix it up to be more unique using this software.
Grammarly is a cloud-based product that you can use in the cloud, or you can use the plugin with your MS Word software, both using the cloud-based 365 and the hard-drive-based MS Word by installing the app. By installing the app in your MS Word, you will essentially automate plagiarism checks and it’ll even help you improve your grammar and sentence structure.
- AcuityScheduling.com
If you allow your clients to set up appointments with you and that process is not automated, you’re truly missing out. Imagine being asleep while a prospect visits your site, clicks a few buttons, and signs up for a meeting with you – all without you having to do a thing.
Not only that, the software prompts them to fill out a questionnaire that you have created and uploaded, and it can even take payment, send some handouts, and more. It’s truly a wonderful and fully-featured scheduling automation software.
- Quickbooks.intuit.com
Every business needs to keep track of their income and expenses, not only for tracking purposes but also for tax purposes. QuickBooks makes it easy for small to medium-sized businesses to set up and automate a lot of the bookings, even if you don’t understand bookkeeping.
You’ll never regret automating your bookkeeping because there is a certain calmness in knowing where you stand at any given moment. With QuickBooks, once you set it up almost every booking will be entered automatically. Because of this, researching and understanding your financial situation will be instant.
- Honeybook.com
Honeybook is an all-in-one solution that I’m crazy about. By combining tools like invoices, contracts, and project management features all in one place, HoneyBook helps service-based small business owners manage, streamline and scale their businesses with less legwork. Whether it’s capturing leads, building on-brand brochures or easily processing payments, HoneyBook has the capabilities to do it all so that business owners can spend less time on administrative tasks. I’m an affiliate partner for HoneyBook so be sure to take advantage of my discount code. I’ll provide a link in the resources area below.
When you do seek more ways to automate your business, remember that what you want to automate is anything that does not require your personal touch. For example, it’s great to automate social media posting and sharing, but as a small business owner, don’t automate interaction and engagement in the same way. Use automation to give you more time to engage with your audience, and you’re sure to build more trust and make more sales.
If you enjoyed this episode and want more work-from-home hacks, check out my new Work Management Hacks Project Plan and Template Kit. The project plan includes a Step-by-Step Marketing Plan, task tracking calendar, checklists, and lots of templates so that you don’t have to recreate the wheel. Most of the documents come in .doc format so that you can customize them to your business needs. But here’s the beautiful part, not only can you use these ready-made templates and plans in your OWN business, but you can also use with your CLIENTS as well!
Here’s how:
- Use the project plan as your guide while you strategize with your client as you discuss each marketing plan step in depth
- Walk through the questions with your client, writing out the answers on the pages
- Wrap up the call with a plan of action for how to proceed and assist your client in their business
You’ll come across as a total pro as you take initiative and have all the bases covered. Create a new service offering with every project plan!
You can find the product below or head over to my VA Business Builder Boutique by clicking on Shop in the menu bar.
Stay tuned for more Systems Sunday episodes coming your way soon. Bye for now.
Catch up on other “WFH Power Hacks & Habits” episodes + resources mentioned in the video:
- [Video] Curing Shiny Object Syndrome in 5 Steps
- [Video] How to Clear the Way for New and Better Business Habits
- [Video] Productivity Hacks to Grow Your Business FAST
- Zapier.com – automate your data flow between software platforms
- AWeber – email marketing software
- Hootsuite – social media management tool
- Grammarly – cloud-based product automating plagiarism checks and helps you improve your grammar
- AcuityScheduling – automates the call scheduling process
- QuickBooks – helps with automating bookkeeping
- HoneyBook – All-in-one solution that combines tools like invoices, contracts, and project management (save 50% off first year using this link and code “lisawells”)
Did you enjoy this episode and want to put it into action? Check out this project plan and template kit!
Work Management Hacks Project Plan & Template Kit
$35.00
Work Management Hacks Project Plan
You’re an incredibly talented and creative entrepreneur and people love your work.
But you have to admit, your business feels messy and chaotic and you know that it’s negatively affecting how you show up for your clients.
- You have trouble managing your time
- You tend to take on too many clients at once
- You don’t have an efficient system for doing consult calls and onboarding your clients
- You don’t have a time limit on your calls, so you always end up spending way too much time talking with clients on Skype about their projects instead of working on them
- You frequently drop the ball on client communications because your schedule is so overburdened (and your clients wonder where you went)
- You sometimes make promises to your clients that you can’t keep
- You allow your clients to control your time and you don’t really have any boundaries in place
- You have a tendency to hop from client project to client project… doing just enough on each one to keep your clients from complaining about the lack of progress
And secretly, you sometimes get sick of your own drama.
The Work Management Hacks Project Plan & Template Kit includes a Step-by-Step Marketing Plan + Templates + Checklists + More!
Tackle your marketing to-do list and put systems in place using my done-for-you marketing plan and templates!
Here’s what you get:
- Step-by-Step Marketing Plan (.doc format)
- Getting Started
- Marketing Strategy Overview
- Timeline & Budget
- Section One: Business & Lifestyle Goals
- Section Two: Get Clear On What You Do and Who You Work With
- Section Three: High-Level Planning & Milestones
- Section Four: Daily Organization & Time Management
- Getting Started
- Templates + Worksheets + Swipe Files + And More! (.doc format)
- Business and Life Goals Template
- Ideal Project Worksheet
- Ideal Client Worksheet
- Passion Project and Hobby Tracker
- Client Criteria List Template
- Ideal Client Avatar Template
- Non-Billable Tasks Template
- Life and work Goals Contract
- 3 Client Response Email Series Templates
- Daily Calendar
- Weekly Calendar
- Monthly Calendar
- Annual Calendar
- Task Tracking Calendar (.doc format)
- This calendar is such a simple but powerful tool with task reminders to help you stay on schedule and meet deadlines.
- Checklists (.doc format)
- Client Criteria Checklist
- Maintenance Essentials Checklist
- Set-up
- Maintain
- Monthly Results Report (.pdf format)
- A fill-in-the-blank report that your assistant can fill in at the end of every month or the completion of your project. It will give you a snapshot of your business after the new marketing plan has been implemented, what your assistant worked on, what else she can do to help you clear your plate, share feedback, unexpected hurdles, etc.
Your project plan can be used in your own business or you can use with your clients!
These DFY project plans are chock full of automation techniques, time-saving systems, and step-by-step guides to show you exactly what you need to do and when. Most of the documents come in .doc format so that you can customize them to your business needs. But here’s the beautiful part, not only can you use these ready-made templates and plans in your OWN business, but you can also use with your CLIENTS as well!
Here’s how:
- Use the project plan as your guide while you strategize with your client as you discuss each marketing plan step in depth
- Walk through the questions with your client, writing out the answers on the pages
- Wrap up the call with a plan of action for how to proceed and assist your client in their business
You’ll come across as a total pro as you take initiative and have all the bases covered. Create a new service offering with every project plan!
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