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5 min read

More Income With Less Hours? How Some Solopreneurs Do It

More Income With Less Hours? How Some Solopreneurs Do It

At LifeStarr, we work with tons of solopreneurs, and one of the most common questions we get is, “how can I earn more money without working more hours?”

There are a lot of different paths you can take to make this happen, but one way is to look at the inefficiencies in your business that are costing you both time and money. To put money back into your pocket, you don’t just have to look at ways to earn more, but ways to save more as well.

So, today I want to discuss a few things you can be doing in your business to streamline your efforts and open up more space for you to cut back on costs while also freeing up time to earn more and put your attention where it needs to be. 

You may think you’re doing everything you can to make your business as efficient as possible, but read on, you may be missing areas you didn’t know you should be focusing on.

Sound good? Let’s dive in.

 

5 Ideas to Streamline Your Business Efforts and Put More Money Back in Your Pocket

 

1. Analyze Your Current Processes

Ever hear people tell you to work on your business and not just in it? 

It’s so easy to get caught up in client work or fulfilling customer orders, but if you neglect the operations side of your business, you’re failing both you and your customers.

Start by analyzing your business. Take a look at things that are working really well and see how you can apply what’s working to other areas of your business. 

Then, take a hard and honest look at the things that aren’t working so well. Identify why they aren’t working and then put a list of solutions together to see how they can be improved. You may have to make some hard decisions in this phase, but the end goal is to make your business a well-oiled machine.

Also, figure out what is meaningful vs. mundane for you. If you do things that you drag your feet on over and over again, you’re likely wasting a lot of time that can be put towards other efforts. Figure out ways to either delegate those tasks or get rid of them. Note, this doesn’t mean you’ll only ever work on stuff you like, but if these tasks take a lot of brainpower because you’re always having to overcome a mental hurdle, then you need to do something about it.

Lastly, you don’t need to figure out what’s working and what isn’t on your own. Ask for feedback from clients and customers and see what they are happy with and what can use some improvement.

 

2. Make Technology Your Friend and Automate

As I started out, I didn’t realize the many types of technology that I had at my disposal. Some of the platforms are even free! They not only streamline a ton of my tasks, but they were also surprisingly easy to use, and that’s coming from somebody who would consider herself a very untechnical person. Here are a few types of platforms that can help you.

CRMs and Project Management Software

A system for customer relationship management (CRM) is used to manage your relationship with your customers, as the name implies. It can help you track interactions, reach out through different phases of the customer lifecycle, keep notes, and ultimately increase sales.

Solopreneurs often think they can handle their communication and tasks through DIY systems, and while that may be the case for some, others will quickly realize how out of control their to-dos may get and how difficult it is to keep track of customer communication. These tools will make you more efficient and will keep you organized and sane.

Shameless plug: LifeStarr is creating an app that is designed for solopreneurs, like you, to take control of your inbox and manage all of your tasks and communication, both personally and professionally, in one place. To get notified as soon as it is released, click here.

Accounting and Financial Tools

I’ll be honest, handling the financial side of my business is my least favorite part, but obviously the most important. These tools are not only easy to use and save so much time, but they also remove human error that can often be made on the money side of things. Start by looking at a tool like Freshbooks. Again, I am not a technical person and I can understand it, so check it out!

Find an accounting tool that works for you.

CRM and Marketing Software

Sending the same emails over and over again? Want to automate follow-up correspondence? Want to make sure your website pages are optimized for SEO? The list goes on, and there are tools to help you manage your marketing without having to do everything manually, especially with repetitive tasks. We use HubSpot as our CRM and for our marketing automation, but there are tons of tools out there that can help with your specific marketing needs. Note, we don’t have any affiliation with HubSpot. Just big fans over here!

Find and use CRM and marketing software to save tons of time. 

Personal Productivity Tools 

People can mix up these types of tools with project management software, but where the latter keeps you organized, personal productivity tools keep you focused. These tools help to minimize distractions and help you get in the zone. A quick Google search will unveil a plethora of tools in this area. Do some research and find what works best for you. I personally use the Pomodoro Technique and Coffitivity to get in the zone. Finding the right music is another way to focus and increase productivity. Joe Rando uses this Hemi-Sync Concentration technology (available on Apple Music and Spotify) to focus when he works.

Find ways to increase your focus when you are working.

Scheduling

Ever write countless emails between you and another person simply to nail down a meeting time? So annoying! I personally use Calendly to solve this problem. With this tool, people can pick an open time that’s available on my calendar to schedule a call. I simply send them a link to see that availability. Such a time-saver!

 

3. Say Goodbye to Bad-Fit Clients

Nobody likes working with difficult clients, but many also don’t realize what a time-suck they can be and how they can be taking away from your bottom line. If they start to take away from other clients or get so bad that it’s hard to focus on your work, it’s time to let them go. 

Sometimes the problem isn’t that the client is being difficult. Instead, they are awesome people but their needs are a bad fit for your business. This can be more difficult to address but you need to do so.

However, don’t make the relationship with them all for nothing. Turn client problems into systemic solutions. Identify what went wrong and see where you can change things and prevent the same issues moving forward.

 

4. Outsource

Just because you’re a company of one, doesn’t mean you can’t delegate tasks to independent contractors or virtual assistants. Many solopreneurs do this. Sure, you may spend some money contracting with these people, but you need to look at it as an investment. By passing off mundane, time-consuming, and tedious tasks to others, you can focus on other more important things that require your time and energy.

 

5. Do It All Over Again

I wish I could sit here and tell you that once you’ve gone through the advice above, you’re set forever, but the reality is, inefficiencies will always creep up in your business, and you have to stay on top of them. 

I try to run through this type of analysis quarterly. Personally, monthly seems too frequent and it’s easier to identify patterns after a few months. On the flip side, I’ve found that if you go longer than that, you could end up wasting a ton of time and money if you let these inefficiencies go on for too long. Find the sweet spot for you.

Honestly, there isn’t really a downside to streamlining your workflows and processes and finding inefficiencies in your business. Sure, you may spend time up front, but the payoff, both in terms of time and money, far exceeds the attention at the beginning.

What other things have you done to streamline your business efforts?

 

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