Editor’s note: This 9 part series is specifically designed for coaches, consultants, strategists, and service-based business owners who are in the scaling phase of their business. The JoyFueled™ Journey success path graphic will serve as your visual anchor and teaching tool for this content series. The EXPAND™ Method is our unique process we use to help our clients expand their already-working-business without burning out or imploding. All 9 parts of this series are linked at the end of this post.
Alright business owners—it’s time to talk about one of the biggest misconceptions when it comes time to scale and expand: “I gotta work on my systems and procedures.”
Many talented people will sell you on a so-called system that will streamline your business and make it more efficient. And while it’s absolutely true that better systems and procedures WILL help, the problem with this singular approach is that you can’t separate “systems and procedures” from the rest of what is going on.
Systems and procedures are a key part of every single component in The EXPAND™ Method. It’s why we don’t consult on “systems and procedures” in isolation but within every single section of the method. Because what you change in one section of The EXPAND™ Method will inevitably impact the others.
When Melanie Herschorn started working with us in our Joy Fueled™ Program, she had a deep desire to niche way down and only offer bespoke marketing strategy for non-fiction authors. Prior to working with us, she was offering “marketing strategy to entrepreneurs” (in an agency model). It was too broad, and she didn’t have the traction she wanted in her business.
So for Melanie, we started with the “X” in The EXPAND™ Method: X-Ray Vision. We dove into where she wanted to be in three years and laid out her Vivid Vision–and that impacted everything else in her business. Her messaging changed, then her offers changed, then her lead generation shifted, and finally, her team structure.
Had Melanie worked with someone ONLY on “systems and procedures,” she would have developed systems and procedures for a business model that no longer existed, lead gen that was irrelevant, and a team that was not necessary.
This is the main problem when you take a SILO approach (which we discussed in part seven of this series in depth) to expand and grow your business. All the pieces must be working together.
Today, Melaine is making more money than she ever thought possible each month and working with a handful of clients whom she loves. Her team is made up of three people, including herself, and she is currently finishing up an on-demand course that will be released in the next month or so—which she’s only creating because she loves the flexibility in her schedule. This way, she can continue increasing her impact with non-fiction authors without having to take on more 1:1 clients.
Melanie has estimated that this course will add an additional $10K-15K a month in revenue to her business without having to do anything more than what she is already doing. She’s currently headed on a dream anniversary vacation to Bora Bora this year with her husband—and she won’t be working one single minute while she is there. Melanie is the definition of a Joy Fueled™ Leader!
If you take anything away from this piece, please remember that when you’re ready to expand, you must take into account the entire scope of what is happening in your business. Everything is connected, and it’s wise to work with someone who understands how all the pieces work together.
So many small business owners lose their joy when it’s time to expand their biz. I know because I spent too much time there – and when I figured out the other way, I set out on a mission to flip that script!
What if you could discover how to expand your business–WHILE experiencing more joy, more revenue, and more time off? ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
Part 2: E is for Energy in The EXPAND™ Method: Understanding the Energetic Capacity of Your Business
Part 5: A is for Alignment in The EXPAND™ Method: Who does your brand want to be when it grows up?
Part 9: The EXPAND™ Method: Why you shouldn’t take a silo approach to improving systems and procedures in your service-based business
