The One Tool I Used to Scale My Business Past Six Figures
The One Tool I Used to Scale My Business Past Six Figures
SEPTEMBER 8, 2018
Organization - you’re either really good at it or NOT, and I have to admit it’s something I was born with.
I remember organizing my mom’s closet and basement on the regular as a child, teen and young adult.
I like to give a little credit to the fact that I’m a Virgo (shout out to my fellow Virgo’s), but I also know it’s because I don’t like my space or head to feel crowded.
You know the feeling right? You have a million thoughts running through your head, a million things to do, that you can’t seem to narrow in on the must-do task.
Ok, cool so I’m not alone.
Well, when it comes to being an online entrepreneur, a lack of organization and productivity can impact your business, and not in a good way.
I mean think about it, if you’re always wondering what you should be working on and when, and flailing from one thing to another without a clear plan of action, you’re not going to move very fast in the direction of your dreams.
When I started my business, I was a loyal supporter of the good ‘ole pen to paper planner. I would write my tasks every Sunday night in my planner to prepare for the week ahead until I didn’t.
I got to a point in my business where I couldn’t have my planner with me at all times and would often forget to write my thoughts, etc. down promptly. Ever seen those planners that have months missing? That was me.
So I switched. But before I share what I’m now using in my business I want to chat about the importance of organization and planning out your tasks (yes, day-to-day all the way to a year in advance).
THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING
When I started my business, I was just trying to get by, so if you are reading this and thinking, “Yeah, Michelle that is so me right now!” then know that I totally get it.
But, eventually I just felt like I was spinning my wheels, I needed a better way to look at the big picture if I was going to keep moving forward, but I still was reluctant to take action.
Then I heard something that completely changed the way I looked at planning and organization, and that’s coming from a Virgo. I listened to a podcast in which they chatted about building a 7-figure business. They said, and I’m totally paraphrasing here, “If you want a successful 7-figure business start treating your business like it now!”
What? Mind blown! If I want to get to 7-figures, if you want to get to 6 or 7-figures, then we better start treating our businesses the same way they do.
And let me tell you, they are not flying by the seat of their pants.
ENTER TRELLO
I knew I needed a system to not only organize my day to day tasks but a way to organize every aspect of my business, including my workflows for content, client onboarding and working with my team.
I absolutely fell in love with the possibilities with Trello, the fact that it was free (I mean YES) and how visual the platform was.
As someone who loves a good post-it note, it felt like a much more efficient and eco-friendly way to organize my ideas.
Since using Trello, I’ve been able to create multiple boards including but not limited to:
My Brand
My Weekly Schedule
My Big Picture Goals
Blog Workflow
Podcast Workflow - Subscribe to The Free to Be Podcast
Client Onboarding
Content Creation Strategy
Oh, and the occasional personal board (in fact I used Trello to organize my checklists and to-do list for my trip to Paris and Iceland).
Interested in trying Trello, check it out here →
*Please note this is an affiliate because as the blog post suggests, I absolutely LOVE IT!
One of my absolute favorite ways to use Trello, besides the weekly schedule, is to organize my big goals. I feel like this is what was holding me back when using the planner, I couldn’t see the big picture.
Now I have a designated board which easily shows my HUGE quarterly goals, my ideas for passion projects and a breakdown of what I’m working on and when in my business.
It’s changed the game for me and contributed to me hitting multiple 6-figures in my business this year.
Did I mention it’s free? Ok, cool!
Want all my Trello workflows, customizations and additions? This month in Free To Be U, my monthly membership community, we are taking a deep dive into task management and organization.
Learn more and sign up today →
I’d love to know in the comments your favorite way to organize your business tasks and if you don’t have one, will you be using Trello?
