Business

Using Systems to Operate Like Your Assistant

September 15, 2023

Raise your hand if you feel like you need help running your business.

It’s a lot of work, right? You feel like you’re always jumping from projects to tasks to clients to emails and everything in between, leaving no time for strategic work that helps grow your business.

We get it – we consistently work with business owners who feel the exact same way. And, more often than not, they’ve thought about hiring help in the form of a virtual assistant or project manager, but it’s just not in the budget, or it doesn’t take enough work off their shoulders.

The good news? You can actually use systems to help you run your business! The better news? You don’t even have to manage these systems – they’ll do work for you…automatically.

Exciting, right?!

Well, we’re ready to spill all the details.

Check out our latest video below, where we take a deep dive into systems and show you exactly how they can transform your business for the better.

Need the text version for now? Bookmark the video to watch later, and get a sneak peek in the meantime!

Why you need systems

Before we hit the gas, let’s take a second to remember what systems are and why you need them.

Systems (also called tools) are used to execute any and every process your business has. Whether it’s a two-step task or a 200-step project, systems help by organizing and automating everything along the way. But systems are so much more than that. Some of the other amazing benefits include:

  • Wasting less time on time-consuming tasks like answering emails, scheduling calls, sending invoices, etc.
  • Enjoying more free time to focus on deep work, enhancing your skills, or just taking a much-deserved break
  • Saving time, money, and energy it takes to hire and train the new team members
  • Preventing yourself from burnout
  • Having clearer goals (and tangible steps to get there!)

How systems can help

So, what does setting up systems actually look like? And how can you make them work for you?

It starts with identifying the areas you need the most help with. For most business owners, that typically includes the tasks below.

Time tracking

Do you wait months to send invoices because you aren't great at tracking time? Or maybe you simply forget to send them? Focus on creating a system for this first.

Use a time-tracking template or a tool like RescueTime that tracks everything you do for a specific project. Our personal favorite way to track time is through ClickUp. Whichever tool you use, just remember to write your time down or start the timer!

Invoicing

Once your time tracking is set up, you can create tasks that automatically upload your logged time in your billing tool, like QuickBooks or HoneyBook. From there, you can automatically send invoices based on your tracked time and even schedule invoices, so you don't have to think about them on your billing day!

Keeping track of client projects and tasks

If you struggle with managing tasks across multiple client projects, it might be time to consider using an integration tool like Zapier. With it, you can set up an automation that sends emails or Slack messages to your task list, so you never lose a request or task again.

Pro Tip: The ClickUp Chrome Extension has been a game-changer for our business, ensuring no request goes unnoticed.

Setting up new projects

Are you tired of creating projects for every new client you take on? In your project management tool, you can create a template for projects. That way, you just duplicate projects for new clients and watch the subtasks or milestones populate themselves!

Onboarding new clients

Onboarding new clients can be a pretty tedious task, but it’s one of the most important aspects of your business. To make sure nothing falls through the cracks, it’s time to get a CRM like HoneyBook. Trust us, it will be your new BFF.

With HoneyBook, you can make it so easy for potential clients to:

  • Inquire about your services (and get pricing info, schedule a call, etc.)
  • Book a call
  • View proposals
  • Sign contracts
  • Send over relevant project information
  • Review deliverables for their project
  • Get email updates and check-ins

Best of all: Everything is automated. You can create automations and workflows in HoneyBook that make it so easy for all of this to happen without you doing a thing. All you have to do is set the trigger (like sending a proposal), and the rest will come together!

Pro tip: In your email tool, you can also set up something called canned emails. These will help you quickly respond to common questions, schedule emails to go out later, and even set snooze or "boomerangs" on emails you need to respond to later!

Automations, automations, automations

If you haven’t noticed yet, the entire foundation for systems is automation.

Automating your business – even in small ways – will keep you organized and save you so much time. There are so many integrations and automations you can leverage across your entire business, helping you focus on what's most important: the work you do inside your business or for your clients.

Check out more how-tos on our YouTube channel!

If how-tos and videos like this are helpful, let us know by hitting the thumbs up and subscribing to our channel! It’s where we share so much more about ways to keep your business organized, how to use tools like ClickUp and HoneyBook, and tips for reducing stress (and getting your life back) while running a successful business. Stay tuned!

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