Episode 128: The 4 systems that give me my time back!

In this episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes of my own business to share the 4 systems that have helped me get my time back without sacrificing growth.

If you're an ambitious entrepreneur who’s feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or just looking for smarter ways to automate & scale then this episode is for you.

I'm walking you through the exact strategies I use to automate key parts of my business so I can take meaningful time off with my family while still seeing consistent results. 

From content repurposing and automated sales funnels to seamless client onboarding and my weekly CEO check-in, I’m breaking down how each system works and the tools I rely on.

If you’re ready to reclaim your time, boost your productivity, and build a business that supports the lifestyle you really want, hit play.

Let’s dive into the systems that can transform your online business.

Links mentioned:

• Click here to book a free Discovery Call
• Click here to access Passive Profit Plan

Transcript

Karen [00:00:00]:
Hello and welcome to Online Business Uncovered. This is episode 128 and in today's episode I'm going behind the scenes of my own business and I'm going to share with you what systems that I use that actually give me my time back without sacrificing growth. So let's jump right in and let's get started.

Karen [00:00:28]:
Welcome to Online Business Uncovered, the show that lifts the lids on what it really takes to turn your brilliance into digital products, passive income and time freedom. I am your host, Karen, an online business strategist, course creation expert and your go to for building a business that works for you and not the other way around. If you are an ambitious entrepreneur, feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or maybe you're just ready for a smarter, more sustainable way to grow, then you're in the right place. Because each week I'll be bringing you inspiring conversations, practical strategies and step by step guidance to help you create scalable, repeatable digital products that sell even while you sleep.

Karen [00:01:10]:
So if you're ready to stop trading.

Karen [00:01:12]:
Your time for money, reclaim your time and finally build a business that gives you the freedom that you deserve, hit, subscribe and tune in every Thursday. Let's uncover what's truly possible for you, starting now.

Karen [00:01:30]:
Hello and welcome. Thank you for joining me today. I'm your host, Karen and I really do appreciate you hitting that play button to listen to another episode. Today I'm continuing the theme of talking about automation in your business by talking about what systems you can actually put in place. It's going to give you your time back and I'm going to take you behind the scenes of my own business and share with you the systems that I have in place, the systems that I've built basically off the back of experience of being able to get my time back so I can really focus in and do other things. Now we are currently at the end of July and I am gearing up for August where I'm, I'm literally going to take the month of August off so I've, I've not booked any meetings in my calendar. I've literally closed my calendar down because I want to take time off to spend time with my girls. My, my children are 11 and 13 now and they're kind of coming to that age where they want to be with their friends.

Karen [00:02:39]:
My youngest is going over to secondary school in September so I want to spend some time with them and I want to make the most of us being at home, being able to kind of take that time whilst we're outside of Our usual routine. But the great thing about setting up systems in your business is that you can do that. You can take time, you can spend time with your favorite people and you've got this machine working for you whilst you're not at your desk. And that's the point. My goal of my business was always to build something around my family, something that would support me to do what I love to do, to bring me in the income that I want to earn, but also to give me the time, freedom and flexibility so I can spend that time with my children and my husband as and when I choose. I didn't want to be pinned down and having to ask permission by being in a job. I wanted to be able to kind of choose my hours, choose the work that I do, and of course choose the time that I spend with my family. And I'm around the house a lot.

Karen [00:03:52]:
I spend a lot of time with my children and I have done ever since they were born. And that was a choice that I made. And what I have come to realize is that if I set up systems in my business and I get them working, then it means that I don't have to worry about certain things happening because it's been taken care of. So being able to kind of have that freedom that systems give you means that you can have the business that you want, but also enjoy your life as well. Because there's no point running a business if it's running you into the ground. And so we have to be really smart with the way we approach it. So as I said, that's why today I want to talk about systems. Now why are systems essential for sustainable growth? So I want to kick start with thinking about this.

Karen [00:04:50]:
Most people get into the online business because essentially they want freedom. In fact, I'm just going to back up a little bit. I believe that most people start a business because they're looking for some kind of freedom. Whether it's time freedom, creative freedom or financial freedom, there will be a desire to achieve some kind of freedom. I've always felt that like for me, why I start my business, as I mentioned, is because I wanted to have the freedom to choose when I can be around for my children. That was something that was a bit of a non negotiable and, and that's what businesses give us. Our businesses are a vehicle that can take us wherever we want to go. It's just setting the vehicle up in the right way and knowing the destination and then being able to get there on your terms.

Karen [00:05:48]:
Unfortunately though, I think with A lot of entrepreneurs, along the way, they start trading that dream of freedom for their never ending to do list. And you end up finding yourself the technician, that person that is constantly doing, rather than the visionary and the CEO that is actually implementing the right things to make things work. The problem is that if you are somebody in your business that is trying to do everything, it is going to lead you to burnout. Problem with that is your business will then become stagnant because you're not in the right head space to move it forward. Now, with the right systems in place, it does the heavy lifting for you so you don't have to get caught up in the weeds of doing all the time. I think back in 2020, 2021, I think this was a mindset shift that I had to make because I was very much caught up in the weeds and it, and it takes time. I am somebody that I like to do, I like to get stuck in. If there's a task to be done, I'll be that person that puts my hand up and says I'll do it because I like to move things forward.

Karen [00:07:01]:
But the problem is in your business, you can't be doing everything because by doing everything, you end up not focusing on actually move the needle. And we need to move the needle. We need those needle movers to be the area that we focus on. Because growth doesn't come from doing more, it comes from doing the right things consistently. And that is exactly what your systems will allow you to do. So I want to just walk you through four key systems that I rely on every single week. Now, these aren't complicated or tech heavy, they're just strategic, they're intentionable and they're repeatable. So my first system is content repurposing.

Karen [00:07:54]:
Now, we are told all the time in entrepreneurship that content marketing is the way we need to demonstrate our value. We need to show that we're experts and we need to create content. The problem is that can be very time heavy if you are trying to run a business, because not everybody has the time to constantly create content. So then we have to get smart and we have to think, well, instead of trying to create brand new content for all of the platforms, for Instagram, for LinkedIn, for email, for podcasts, for blog, so on and so forth. Just start with one core piece. Decide what your hero content is. Now, for me, my hero content is my podcast episode and all my other content will sort of feed off of my podcast episode. So for this week, I'm talking about systems.

Karen [00:08:53]:
So that will then influence the content that I release through the week, because I repurpose from this podcast. So I will record this episode, and from there I will repurpose it into a blog post. I will probably create two to three Instagram posts or carousels. I will create a LinkedIn post. I will also create a weekly newsletter. And then I will create Pinterest pins that link back to either the blog or the podcast. So I take one piece of content and I repurpose it in five, six different ways. So I'm saving my time.

Karen [00:09:40]:
I'm not having to be creating content on a constant basis. I have that content. And the great thing about podcasting is that once I have completed this episode and I've recorded it and I download it, I will get a transcript, and it'll be from that transcript that I can take everything from. I also have a really great tool that I use called Cast Magic. And what I tend to do is I upload this episode into Cast Magic. And what it will do, it'll give me all the content that I need for the week. So it will give me the transcript, it will give me the Instagram posts, it will give me the LinkedIn posts, it will write my blog for me, it will give me the pins, it'll give me reels, it'll give me X, it'll give me everything I need, which is really handy because it's such it saves me so much time. Now, the other tools that I use for this is I use Notion for planning my content calendar.

Karen [00:10:44]:
So my content calendar lives in Notion. And then what I do is all of my content that I create, I create from Notion. It sits in a calendar. I plan it for the week, and then I go into that calendar and I just click on a page and I can write my content. And then I'll go into Canva, and I have templates that I use for speed. So I repurpose all the time. I'm not starting from scratch. And then from there, I will schedule it in a platform called Metrical, which I really like.

Karen [00:11:21]:
That's for social media scheduling, and it means that I can keep track of my metrics on that platform. So it's really cool. Now, the magic here isn't just about saving time. It's staying visible consistently without constantly having to reinvent the wheel. It's really worth creating yourself a system for content repurposing that's going to help you to stay visible, but also give you your time back, because you're not having to reinvent the wheel every Single time. The second system that I use in my business is lead generation and a really great sales funnel as well because this is the heartbeat of my business that grows whilst I sleep. So I'm just going to break it down to how mine works. So I have lots of different freebies that I promote and this could be something like my 10 steps to online course success or I've got my 14 digital products or it could even be my free training on my website.

Karen [00:12:31]:
Now, once someone downloads or subscribes to one of my freebies, they're taken to a Tripwire page and this is where I sell my passive profit plan or my Easy Course Kickstarter kit. So these are really low offers, they're high impact, but they, they're really low. They're like 27 quid, so they don't cost a lot at all. After somebody then purchases those offers, they're invited to join my membership Sell youl Brilliance Online, which is where I help them to build, launch and scale their digital product. Now this funnel is fully automated in a platform I use called System IO. Once somebody's in it, the emails, offers and touch points are all handled by me. And what I love about this is that people move through it on their own timeline. I'm not chasing them, I'm not pitching to them and I'm not pushing them because my system does the heavy lifting.

Karen [00:13:37]:
So what's great about this is that I can just focus on making sure that I'm delivering that consistent content to bring people into my world. My third system that I use is my client and customer onboarding system. This is where I used to spend so much time when I had my branding studio because I would do it manually. Now when somebody signs up, I am sending them welcome emails, I'm sending them links and instructions and it's all done on auto because I've got an onboarding flow in place. This includes an automated welcome email. When somebody signs up with the links that they need to access whatever offer they've purchased, the next steps so that they know what to do next and how to get the most out of their purchase. So if they've bought one of my low cost offers, I am walking them through what they need to do in order to kind of get the most out of it. I also have a thank you page that offers bonus content or I might even have an upsell offer and then I also have a short welcome video to make things more personal.

Karen [00:14:58]:
This is going to make the experience so much smoother for them, but it also makes this process so much simpler for me. Plus it also sets the tone of what they can expect because you want people to feel supported and confident right from the start. A system isn't just for you, it is about your customer because it's the thing that's going to elevate that experience. So making sure you've got the right steps in place and you're delivering it in a way that's authentic to you is really important because it's going to set those expectations. Expectations of what else is to come. My fourth system is a weekly CEO check in and planning. So I do this every Monday. I sit down with my Notion tool and I as I've said this before, I absolutely love Notion.

Karen [00:15:59]:
I've got a CEO dashboard and what I do is I get in there and I just do a 30 minute review. So I check my sales from the past seven days, where my leads have come from and what content has performed well and what I need to focus on this week. So I also make sure that I'm mapping out my three top priorities. I keep it simple. I just focus on what is going to move the needle because clarity is what drives growth, not chaos. And I find this system grounds me and it keeps me focused on leading my business and not just reacting to it it. So I would recommend if you don't do this then start building this into your calendar and protect it like it's a client meeting. So this is your non negotiable every Monday morning 30 minutes, review what's happened and then make plans for the week ahead and build that habit because that habit is going to make so much difference to the performance of your business.

Karen [00:17:15]:
Now I know systems can end up leaving you feel overwhelmed especially when you're trying to do everything right from the get go. And, and also you may feel like you don't have the time to set this up, but you don't need to build them all at once. Start with the area where you are constantly feeling stretched. For most people that's either content or lead generation. Pick one thing and create a repeata process for it and use tools to feel intuitive to you. So check out Notion. I'm actually going to be training on Notion in my master class in my membership in August because I want to build a sort of productivity corner and it's going to be all about notion and how you can use notion to up level your business processes because I think notion is almost like this hidden secret but it's made such a huge difference to my own business. So I want to start weaving that into my membership.

Karen [00:18:25]:
I've already got a selection of my members using it and they absolutely love it because it is a game changer. 100 it's a game changer. Also check out Trello if you like Kanban style boards. System IO is absolutely brilliant. Like I say, I use that for my online business manager. So all my sales go through there, all my landing pages, my sales pages, all my checkout pages, my online courses are on there. I don't necessarily use the membership piece and the community because I have another tool for that, but it's a very extensive tool and it's absolutely brilliant for those that are starting out. And of course check out Canva if you're not currently using Canva because Canva will help you to create really great designed visuals and you don't have to be a graphic designer to do that because it just has so many great templates.

Karen [00:19:27]:
The goal is to not over complicate it. You can iterate as you go along, but you have to get started. Your systems don't have to be perfect on day one. Mine weren't and I'm still refining them. Sometimes I look at something and I'm just like, I can do better on that. And then I tweak them as I go and then I figure out what works, I figure out what doesn't work and then I adjust. That's it. But you've got to make a start.

Karen [00:20:00]:
I know systems can seem really unsexy. Everyone's busy all of the time and you're juggling and spinning so many plates. The thing about systems is they are actually what is going to give you freedom, which is why you've started your business growth that doesn't require you to do more. It requires smarter strategies that run when you are not working. And that's what systems give you. So start small, pick one system, build it and let it support you so you can get your time back. Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. I hope it gave you some clarity and sparked some new ideas.

Karen [00:20:45]:
If you found it helpful, then please go ahead and share it with a friend or a fellow entrepreneur who's also building their online business because it may just be the thing that they need to hear today. And if today's episode has you thinking that maybe you are ready to start turning your expertise into income, then check out my free training three steps to turn your expertise into an online Income stream. It's available now over at www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com and it's the perfect place to begin if you're ready to move from burnout to building a business that's scalable. I will be back next week with another episode to support you on your journey, but until then, have a great rest of your week.

Karen [00:21:34]:
Thanks for tuning into today's episode of Online Business Uncovered. If today's conversation has sparked an idea.

Karen [00:21:42]:
Or gave you a dose of clarity.

Karen [00:21:44]:
Then please make sure to check out the show notes for all the links and resources mentioned. New episodes land every Thursday, so hit, follow or subscribe to stay in the loop. And if you're loving the show, a quick rating or review goes a long way in helping more brilliant entrepreneurs like you find this show. Until next time, keep showing up, keep sharing your brilliance. And remember, freedom in business is possible, and it starts with taking the next right step.

Karen [00:22:15]:
It.