How many times have you thought to yourself, “I just can’t find the time to work ON my business”?

And I don’t blame you…

Because finding the time to work on your business (not in it) can be challenging, especially when you’re trying to do everything yourself and don’t have the revenue coming in yet to hire support.

However, the problem is…

When you don’t work ON your business, you’ll never break the cycle of feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and overworked.

And worse still… if you’re spending all your time working in your business and for your clients, then it’s probably the reason why you haven’t seen the growth you would like…

…yet.

Now, I often hear people in my community say they’re too busy with client work to work on their business.

And I worry that this belief is massively getting in the way of where they want to be.

It means they stay stuck in the same place in their business because they don’t have the clarity they need to move forwards and grow…

…they don’t see the sales and revenue they deserve because they quickly reach capacity and can’t leverage and scale their income…

…and they slow down their business growth because they aren’t consistent with their marketing activities and campaigns to attract and bring in profitable new clients.

However, there are some simple and effective ways to free up time to work ON your business.

Yes, they will take some time to set up and implement.

But the initial effort required will be worth it over the longer term.

So, here are five ways you can strategise, systemise, and structure your business activities to save time:

1. Get clarity around your marketing strategy

A marketing strategy is essential if you want to work efficiently and effectively in your service business.

It gives you the clarity and direction to know precisely what you should be focusing on next.

And you don’t end up wasting time spinning around in circles on tasks that aren’t important or that will deliver you the results you’re wanting.

Your marketing strategy will also help to guide all your business decision-making, which means you can make decisions faster and not spend so much time over-thinking things.

RELATED: Free Masterclass: How to Master your Marketing Strategy

Not sure where to start when it comes to marketing your service-based small business? That’s where I can help. Get started by downloading my free Ultimate Marketing Checklist by clicking the button below: 

2. Design systems and processes for repetitive tasks

There’s a lot of testing and measuring when it comes to marketing, and once you find what works, you’ll want to create and do more of it.

As such, you’ll end up with some quite repetitive tasks when it comes to marketing.

To save time, I recommend designing systems and processes in your business to enable you to be more efficient.

Examples include:

• Batch-creating content for social media posts
• Using copy templates for writing emails and blogs
• Preparing templated materials for onboarding clients
• Repurposing content across different platforms
• Enhancing and running marketing campaigns again

These are just some system and process examples, but there are likely many more in your business.

Consider what you’re doing repetitively in your business today and where you may be able to streamline it and save time with a specific system or process.

RELATED: 5 Marketing systems all service businesses need to grow

3. Use more marketing and business automation tools

Automation tools will not only save you time, but they’ll also improve the professionalism and effectiveness of your business.

At a minimum, I recommend having an email autoresponder in your business that will enable you to deliver your lead magnets and send automated email nurture sequences.

The email systems I recommend for new service businesses include, ActiveCampaign, Convertkit or MailerLite.

In addition, you can automate the scheduling and posting of your social media activities which will save a lot of time.

Plus, you can use several online marketing tools in your sales process, including forms to collect information to qualify client leads, calendars to schedule appointments and send reminders, electronic signature platforms for signing agreements, and financial platforms to take payments.

RELATED: 30 Marketing tools all service businesses should know about

4. Spend time upfront writing a plan

One of the most significant benefits of writing a plan is that you work on things at the right time and in the correct order to achieve your goals.

You’re also set up for success because you’ll have allocated all the resources you’ll require to get the work done.

When you spend time upfront writing a plan, you’ll be more efficient as you won’t have to work backwards because you’ve missed a step or don’t have what you need in place.

Instead, you’ll be able to implement your marketing activities much more quickly and smoothly because it’s prioritised to create efficiency.

Regarding your planning rhythm, I recommend having a quarterly plan that you review at least monthly.

For even greater efficiency, you can also use an online planning tool such as Asana or Trello to help you stay on track towards achieving your goals.

RELATED: How to write a marketing plan for a service-based business

5. Reach out and leverage your small business network

Sometimes you can get too close to your business and find it hard to step back and work out where you may need to make changes to work more efficiently.

And it can feel as though you need to do everything yourself in your business or work out everything on your own.

However, it doesn’t have to be that way.

There are likely several people in your network who could provide the advice, support, and outside perspective you’re seeking to help you free up time and get you to where you want to be sooner.

If you don’t have an extensive network of other small business owners, you could also join a networking group (like She Will Shine if you’re based in Australia) or a membership community (like the My Client Strategy Academy).

So, there you have five ways you can free up time so that you can work on your business not in it.

When you can find the time to work on your business, you’ll be more efficient and effective, leading to better outcomes and results.

You’ll also start to see more business growth and get your business to where you want it to be sooner.

Tired of trying to figure out what you’re missing when it comes to finding clients and making sales in your service business?

Break through the barriers that are holding you back with the support of an MBA-qualified Marketing Coach and Business Mentor who will tailor a 1:1 program specifically for you.

BUSINESS BREAKTHROUGH is a 3 or 6-month 1:1 Coaching Program for service-based business owners who want to develop the strategy, systems, and structure they need to find clients and make sales, so they can stop feeling stuck and start gaining massive momentum in their business.

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