I hate to break it to you but it has to be done. You’re the bottleneck in your business if you;re working without processes and systems. And if you have started building a team, even if you’re just working with a virtual assistant, they are frustrated because you’re the bottleneck. So today we’re going to talk about what you need to do to fix that.

Let’s kick things off by diving into the concept of a business bottleneck. It's crucial for us to be on the same page about this term since our discussion revolves around it. If you're not entirely familiar with what a bottleneck is and its impact on your business, that's okay; we'll break it down. Being the bottleneck in your business means you're hindering its growth.

Now, let's paint a picture to help you visualize it. Picture your business as a Starbucks – a favorite hangout for coffee enthusiasts like me. As you step in, you can feel the energy with baristas taking orders and crafting those aromatic drinks.

Remember the pre-app days at Starbucks? You had to physically go in, stand in line, and account for the wait – a bottleneck, right? It wasn't the most efficient process, but even if it made you late for work, you'd endure it.

Fast forward to today, where many of us order through the app – a game-changer, cutting down on those bottlenecks. However, there are still moments of waiting for your order.

Now, let's relate this Starbucks experience to being a bottleneck in your business. When you're the bottleneck, you slow down the entire process, like those old days of waiting in line. It's like being stuck in the slow lane, holding your business back. But the goal is to break free, streamline your operations, and let your business flow smoothly – just like a well-oiled Starbucks, serving success with every client.

To drive the point home, being a bottleneck means your actions slow down the flow, especially in terms of growth. It's like putting the brakes on your business's full-speed-ahead mode.

So how can you remove yourself as the bottleneck? Well, you have to start by investing in your business by investing in others. And I’m specifically referring to investing in people who have expertise in areas that are not your strong suit. Free is great but when you really want to grow your business, you have to get some skin in the game and pay for help to shorten the learning curve.

Investing in others and your business marks a crucial initial stride towards achieving success. It's about being open to the risk of trusting others to support your business, so you can concentrate on growing your business. This means you have to make the time to articulate your needs and establish the right systems for your business. And this absolutely must be done BEFORE you start building a team. Consider all of this as a long-term investment with a positive ripple effect on your overarching goals. Now before I move on, let’s talk about building a team because it requires more planning and preparation than most entrepreneurs realize.

Now I’m not going to go all in on this subject because I’ve talked about the art of delegation in another episode of the podcast. But I want you to understand that if you start to build a team and your back office is already chaotic, it’s just going to get worse. The worst part is you will be bringint other people into the chaos. So you can go back an listen to the episode where I talk about some key points you need to keep in mind when you want to start delegating tasks. The moral of this part of the story is, you need to have processes document before you start hiring. And this also requires you create job descriptions that identify the role you want to hire for.

Here’s the thing, investing time and resources into building a team and your business is not just a step; it's it’s important if you want to achieve sustainable growth. But you need to remember, even if hiccups occur, which they will, it’s an opportunity for you to refine your processes so you don't become the bottleneck again.

So now we’re going to talk about how I can help you overcome these bottlenecks and unleash the full potential of your business. Because trust me, you cannot do all of this on your own. This goes back to the point I made about making investments in your business.

Let’s have some black coffee talk. If you could organize your back office, get your processes in place and implement the six core systems your business needs on your own, you would have done it by now. But you haven’t. So let’s talk about how I can help you get over this hurdle.

I offer two key services that can make a significant difference in your business operations: the Solo POWER Assessment also known as the Back Office Assessment and the VIP Day for Implementation.

The first one we’re going to talk about is the Back Office Assessment. Think of it like a thorough check-up for your business processes. This assessment dives deep into your current operations, pinpointing areas where you are the bottleneck, the areas that need a tune-up. The result? You get a tailor-made action plan crafted just for your business. Your business is unique and has it’s own set of issues. The action plan I create is like having a roadmap to streamline your operations and wave goodbye to the processes that are blocking your growth. Feel free to check out my website and get more information. Go to theshannonbaker.com/assessment.

But a plan without execution is useless? That's where the VIP Day for Implementation comes in. It's like a power-packed day that accelerates the implementation process, saving you time and giving you immediate relief from the bottlenecks you’re creating in your business.

Imagine getting your on-boarding and off-boarding process in place, having an inbox that is sorted automatically so you can respond quickly with templates, or having your leads logged automatically so you can trace them through the customer journey…and it can be done in a day! Plus you get access to my strategic brain for an entire day, and my tech skills to turn your project around quickly and efficiently. But we have to start with the assessment. The back office assessment and a VIP day go together like peanut butter and jelly!

So let’s talk about a back office assessment a bit more. It’s a 2-hour recorded call that identifies areas of improvement in your business to improve efficiency. After the call you receive a custom action plan to help you improve your business operations.

I want you to hear how booking an assessment can help you get more clarity in your business. So I want you to hear about Jodi Silverman’s experience and results. I had her on the podcast to talk about her experience. I’ll put a link to that episode in the show notes. But this is what Jodi had to say, “After the assessment with Shannon, the Action Plan was a WOW! Not only was it presented digitally in a professional and organized fashion, it was crystal clear that Shannon truly understood from our assessment call what I was in need of if I was going to grow and expand. After reviewing the details and the breakdown of our "plan of attack" I knew I was in good hands."

And if you would like to hear what to do with the action plan, I have an episode for that. In that episode I share the three options that are available for us to work together to implement the action plan: a VIP Day, a 3-Month Minimum Project, and a Self-Implementation using the MY-T Society Membership. I’ll put a link to that in the show notes.

But I do want to let you know that I am only booking VIP Days for implementation because I limit the number of retainer clients I take on at one time and I have reached that number right now. But I want to make sure I can assist as many as possible but with a shorter timeline. ANd I want you to be one of those that I help.

So in all transparency, the services I talked about today aren't just about overcoming bottlenecks; they're about future-proofing your business for sustainable growth. With the Back Office Assessment and VIP Day for Implementation, you're not just breaking free from the bottleneck; you're setting the stage for a business that thrives and propels you towards your goals without being dependent on you.

So, if you're ready to move beyond being the bottleneck, these services are your tailored solutions to unlock efficiency, save time, and set your business on a trajectory of continuous growth. Let's transform your business into a dynamic, well-oiled machine that's ready to soar to new heights.

I want to thank you for joining me this week! If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me to get them answered.

If you found this episode valuable, please go to ratethispodcast.com/mindyourtime and leave a rating and review. Social proof matters and I need your help to reach more women entrepreneurs like yourself. And don't forget to share this episode with your biz besties. Take a screenshot and post in on Instagram stories and tag me @the_shannonbaker.

Or you can just DM me and let me know the one thing you decided to take action on. I can’t wait to hear from you.

I look forward to you joining me back here in the new year.

Until then, keep calm and streamline!