How to Simplify Your Business Through Automation & Outsourcing

When running an online business, it never seems like there’s enough hours in the day to get everything done. You jump from customer service to marketing to admin and everything in between. This doesn’t even include all that you do in your personal life too! However, your life is meant to be more than your business. I am going to show you how you can simplify your business so you can enjoy achieving your goals & still take that vacation too.

In this blog, you will walk away understanding how automations & outsourcing can be incorporated in your everyday operations. By taking these steps, you can experience less stress & better results in your business. Are you ready to take the first step towards a more balanced and productive life? Let’s dive in and explore how you can delegate tasks effectively.

P.S. If you have no desire to set up automations yourself, we’re here to help! Book a consultation today, and discover how we can turn your everyday overwhelm into organized success so you can have a business that supports the way you want to live.

Understanding What Your Business Needs

The reason automations & outsourcing can be overwhelming is due to not knowing what your business needs. You may even have a running list of things you’d love off your plate, but you have no idea where to get started. This is where understanding your goals is important.

Your business goals are what drive the tasks you do on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. By understanding your goals, it is easier to work backwards to see what needs to be done in order to achieve it. That list of to-dos can be broken down even further into “tasks you love doing” vs “tasks you dislike doing.” Anything in the “tasks you dislike doing” are what you want to automate or outsource.

By getting those tasks off your list can relieve so much stress & create so much more space for creativity. Beyond understanding your goals, you can also ask yourself, “How do I want to work in my business?” The way you want to work can also clarify what type of support you need. Spend some time mapping out your business goals before jumping into automations & outsourcing. It will make the process 10x less overwhelming.

You might like this too: 4 Easy Steps to Overcome Business Overwhelm with Effective SOPs

Systemizing Your Business With Automations

Now that you are clear on your goals and desired working style, we can start thinking about automations for your business. This is the first step any business owner should take before hiring outside support. Not only will this save you money, but also help you lay the foundation for your business.

Yes there is a time investment upfront, however, once they’re set up your business can run smoothly. All you’d be responsible for is managing errors if they arise or tweaking it based on changes in your business. 

Below are 3 steps to creating automations in your business:

1. Identify Your Core Processes: Outline all the key operations of your business. This can be client onboarding, inbox management, scheduling, content creation, social media management, email marketing management, bookkeeping, and so on. Make a list of your operations and narrow them down by the tasks needed to achieve your goals.
2. Incorporate an Automation Software: Sometimes already come with automations as a feature. For example, email marketing tools offer automations for email sequences or CRMs offer automations of contracts, invoices, etc. I would recommend looking at what automations you currently have before adding in another. I personally use the Streamline Success System (powered by GHL) to automate a majority of our business operations.
3. Focus on One Process At A Time: Setting up these automation can feel overwhelmed if you are trying to do them all at once. Focus on the process linked to your goals first. This will lead to better results in the long run. Establish clear communication channels. 

With any workflow, make sure you test before publishing! This will save you so much time on putting out unnecessary fires. 

Streamlining Your Tasks Through Outsourcing

Now that you have a plan for your automations, you can start thinking about outsourcing. There are two ways you can go about outsourcing. You can have it be project based or ongoing.

Project based outsourcing can look like hiring a website developer/designer or the implementation of a Customer Relationship Manager (CRM). It is temporary support in order to get a specific task done.

Ongoing outsourcing is having someone to support you on a monthly basis. They would be able to handle more aspects of your business leading to more time back in your day.

Katie, my business partner, and I have had experience with both types of outsourcing. If you’re new to business (1 year or less) project based is best whereas if you’ve been in business for a while (3+ years) ongoing support is best.

Referring back to your list of tasks you love or dislike doing, anything in the dislike column is what you want to outsource. These are often tasks you’re not good at or do not enjoy doing. By hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA) or Online Business Manager (OBM) they can handle those things for you.

You might be curious as to what the difference is between VAs and OBMs: 

VAs typically focus on specific tasks and day-to-day activities. They execute predefined duties like answering emails, scheduling, social media posting, data entry, and other administrative or repetitive tasks.

While OBMs handle higher-level, strategic business management tasks. They are responsible for overseeing operations, managing teams, implementing systems, and ensuring the business runs smoothly.

You can start out with a VA and then as you grow you can expand your team to include an OBM to ensure everything runs smoothly. Something that Katie & I that is different is we provide the higher level support like an OBM while also helping you implement it all like a VA. 

You can get the best of both worlds at a fraction of the cost. If you’re curious on what that support can look like for you, let’s book a time to connect! 

You might like this too: How to Know You’re Ready to Find and Hire a Virtual Assistant

Final Thoughts

Systemizing & outsourcing can be overwhelming especially if you’re used to handling everything yourself. It requires a shift in mindset—from controlling every aspect of your business to trusting technology & others with your vision. But the rewards are worth it. Imagine waking up to fewer emails, having more time for strategic planning, or even taking a guilt-free afternoon off!

Creating systems and outsourcing tasks is not just about handing off work; it’s about creating a business that supports your goals & your desired lifestyle. Are you ready to reclaim your time & grow your business? Book a consultation to learn how we can help you streamline your business to be in alignment with your goals. It’s time to let your business work for you rather than the other way around!

P.S. If this blog was too long to read, here is the gist:

• Get clear on your business goals first.
• Understanding how you want to work in your business on a daily basis.
• Start mapping out what task you need to do in order to reach your goals.
• Focusing on automating tasks you dislike first.
• Begin thinking about outsourcing once you have automations in place.
• Are you ready to start outsourcing your time consuming tasks? Book a free consultation with us to find out how we can help you find the perfect systems for a more organized, stress-free business.