Secrets to Preparing Your Backend for a Spectacular Launch

Launching CAN feel stressful. There’s so many moving parts, from pre-launch events to content to promotion to sales pages to purchasing to delivery. 

And if you don’t have a proper strategy and a simple, yet effective, process in place, I guarantee you’ll feel the weight of the load amplified by the deep overwhelm that is inherent in launching your baby...not to mention the very important things that are inevitably forgotten when you are sending your new ideas out into the world. 

How about we make sure you launch with EASE? So that your launch goes off as flawlessly as an airbrushed model on the cover of Vogue.

Planning Is Everything

The first step in making sure your launch runs smoothly, is to map out the details of your launch & create a timeline. Then, you will  reverse engineer from your launch date everything that needs to happen from end goal to start date (yes, this feels backwards ;)). This gives you the clarity to ensure you don’t forget any detail. 

Make sure you also build in some time for review and revisions for each step of the process. For example, I always plan to be done prepping 1-2 weeks before the actual launch date. This gives me time to recover from the rush, time to do an extra round of proofing & revision as needed, as well as time to make sure everything works (and who knows, sometimes I get a little crazy and throw in a couple extras as well). 

Use a PM Tool 

Use a project management tool such as Asana to assign all tasks to your team. 

Once you have it mapped out you gotta “put pen to paper” and set actionable deadlines according to your timeline. Make sure you’re giving all details inside each task to make it easy for your team to execute. I highly recommend having a spot at the beginning of your project titled “Key Info”. This includes the objective of the launch, the details about what you’re launching, copy direction, what the problem you’re trying to solve is, and any other details in your head that will help your team support you in this launch.

My launch planning template available in Pocket OBM outlines every step for you over an 8-week launch process + a bonus pre-launch event template. 

Talk Talk Talk

Make sure your systems talk to each other. There’s nothing more frustrating than launching and then things crash because the software you use isn’t set up to communicate. Depending on the platforms you use, some can talk to each other directly, while others need a third party to facilitate the discussion. 

If that’s the case, you need to make sure you have automations set up via Zapier. This software lets you connect almost any programs to each other for near seamless integration without the worrisome interruptions that may occur without it. 

TEST and Retest 

As you may have noticed, sometimes links get broken. Automation sometimes glitches. Or deliveries don’t go as planned. If you want a flawless launch, plan to do a test and then do a retest closer to launch day to make sure all is well in the land of tech and the backend. I always recommend running through the entire process as if you were a customer/purchaser. This ensures the best user experience and usually finds a kink or two along the way to workout prior to launch day.

Launching doesn’t have to be as painful as most business owners make it. With a little time, patience, organization, and execution, you can pull off even the toughest of launches like a pro!

Not sure you can get all of this done and not have to SWEAT through your next launch? Then grab the Pocket OBM to help you pull off a beautifully supported launch...every time you launch.

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Katelyn Hamilton is an Online Business Manager and Get Your Sh!t Together Strategist. She helps busy entrepreneurs organize, strategize and prioritize their business to go from overwhelmed to out-in-front.

After spending 6 years in the corporate world working with multimillion dollar companies, top-rated chefs and celebrities, she launched her own business to find more flexibility and freedom. She matched her corporate salary in just one year of starting her business.

Katelyn is also a wife, stepmom, dog mama of three furry friends, fitness lover, sports fanatic (Go Dawgs) and dreams of living at the beach.

Click here to book a free call to talk more about your business goals and to see if hiring an OBM is the right fit for you.

What It DOESN’T Mean When You Hire An OBM

There seems to be an epidemic in the OBM community where business owners onboard them and then ghost them or expect them to figure out the path to success. 

Newsflash: Hiring an OBM is not a permission slip to peace out your biz. It’s not a mark of “I made it.” 

You STILL have to show up as a CEO. You STILL have to make decisions. You STILL have to invest in doing what only you can do (aka your craft). 

Your OBM is there as a partner, team player, not the coach, nor the team, itself. With an OBM onboard, you now have the ability to have a “partner” in your biz and continue to grow and expand your ideas with someone who is all-in on your biz, just like you. They are an added strategic voice, but not the ultimate decision maker. 

The Driver

Think of it this way, when you hire an OBM, you’re essentially hiring a driver. 

And when you hire a driver, you can’t just get in the car and go. You have to tell the driver where you want to go (i.e. your business goals), give the driver directions (i.e. what you’re launching, who will benefit from it, and what the results will be), and check in with the driver to make sure there’s enough gas to get there without stopping, and the road is clear, etc. (i.e. team meetings to assess and adjust).

Your driver gives you the luxury of time to not focus on getting from point a to point b to point c. They allow you the ability to sit in the back and get 7x more work than you would alone. And the work you’re able to get done while your driver is driving is the work that only you can do in your business.

But this is not about productivity. This is expansion.

And expansion can’t happen if you don’t give your driver directions, they could end up “lost” along the way. 

Ultimately, you have to step more into the CEO mindset. 

Give the direction and vision to the OBM to work. Let them, then, come back to you, along the way, for feedback and approvals. This way, you’re working together as a team...not your OBM doing everything while you simply check out. 

Commit. 

Commit to still showing up. Commit to sharing goals. Commit to the path to success. Together. 

Don’t force the load on your OBM and expect them to be driven and motivated to do BOTH your job and theirs. 

Give your driver their directions and let them go do their thing...while you go do yours.

What IS your job? Strategy. Figuring out what your people need. Discovering what you best bring to your clients. Becoming the best at what you do. Being the face of your business. Meeting people. Every. Single. Day.

Connect. 

See eye-to-eye on the vision. Share the passion for making it happen. Inspire each other to carry out your roles together. 

Because as a team, there’s nothing more important than the shared vision of success and the road to get there (see what I did there with the driver analogy??). 

Check-in daily for immediate to-dos. And weekly to set the course heading for your journey for the week ahead, as well as to assess how the journey’s gone so far. 

You Are the CEO

In the end, you are STELLAR at what you do, which is why you hire an OBM to do the things that you are not as proficient at. And, together, the two of you can make an unstoppable team that skyrockets to success, if you’re both focused on doing those things you do best. 

Now, go forth and accept your role as CEO, make the decisions, and do your share of the work to see your business explode.

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Katelyn Hamilton is an Online Business Manager and Get Your Sh!t Together Strategist. She helps busy entrepreneurs organize, strategize and prioritize their business to go from overwhelmed to out-in-front.

After spending 6 years in the corporate world working with multimillion dollar companies, top-rated chefs and celebrities, she launched her own business to find more flexibility and freedom. She matched her corporate salary in just one year of starting her business.

Katelyn is also a wife, stepmom, dog mama of three furry friends, fitness lover, sports fanatic (Go Dawgs) and dreams of living at the beach.

Click here to book a free call to talk more about your business goals and to see if hiring an OBM is the right fit for you.

Hiring: Who to Hire and When in your Business

Congratulations! You’re growing your business and hiring a team for support. That is definitely the way to scale and grow to continue to take on more clients and expand your service offerings, not to mention giving you the opportunity to make things more efficient in your business. When you’re just starting out, you’re doing ALL THE THINGS, right? The accounting, the backend management, the content, the sales calls, the programs, the coaching, the courses, etc. As you grow, you have the opportunity to outsource more of the things you don’t want to be doing in your business to allow you to focus on the things you love, and the things that can grow your income.

The big mystery question when it comes to hiring is WHO do I hire and WHEN do I hire them?

A lot of people make a lot of mistakes when hiring. They hire too late, they hire the wrong person, or they hire without a strategy. I’ve worked in many 6 and 7-figure businesses with teams of 30+ people, as well as hired a team of my own, so I’m here to share with you WHEN and WHO to hire to help your business thrive.

Hire BEFORE you’re ready

The hardest thing to do is hire when you’re desperate for help. This will cloud your judgment because you’ll just be looking for SOMEONE, ANYONE to help take the load off your plate. Hiring takes time, so it’s best to hire before you’re ready. As soon as you start to feel the strain and not enough time to get things done, consider looking for that next hire. The hiring process consists of more than just bringing someone onboard, you have to write the job description, post the job, review applications, conduct interviews, then, onboard and train the new team member. It’s a full month-long process. You want to make sure you’re dedicating the right amount of time to finding the right fit for YOU. 

Hire the PERSON over the resume

Hire QUALITY. You can always TEACH people things, but if you have the wrong person in place just to fill a role, your team and business will suffer. Sometimes yes, it may be best to hire someone a little more experienced that can jump right in, but other times you want to hire someone you can mold and train, someone that doesn’t have “set ways” that you can groom to do things the way you want them done. Determine the values you want in a person and the role and then hire based on the person you liked best. This is why interviewing on the phone is SO much more important than just picking someone out of a stack of “resumes” or emails. The person that is going to be the best fit for you and your team will be worth so much more to you in the long run.

Hire a generalist FIRST then a specialist by niche

One of my most common questions I get is who do I hire first? If you don’t have any support in your business yet, you’ll want to hire a generalist. This is someone who can do a little bit of everything. Schedule emails and social content, engage on your behalf, update reports, manage your new client onboarding and invoicing, etc. Now, don’t expect them to be a MAGICAL UNICORN who has expertise in all things -- like content creation, graphic design, video editing, etc. but just some GENERAL SUPPORT on the backend will help take some things off your plate. THEN, once you get some things off your plate, you can hire the “specialist” when ready to make the next hire. Maybe you suck at graphic design and want someone to create kickass graphics for your IG and social content. Or you really need some tech support for your website and email funnels. Or you want to launch a podcast and need a podcast editor. Or you need someone to manage Facebook ads (because FB Ad Manager is overly complicated for no reason hah). You get the point, first hire general support and then hire in the niche that you spend the most time in, but either don’t love doing or aren’t great at it. This formula right here will 10x your income in a heartbeat.

Hire a kickass OBM to manage your team

Hiring support comes with added responsibilities. Make sure you have someone to support you in managing your team and responsibilities. The last thing you need once you outsource is to fill that time with managing the people you outsource the work to. Hiring an OBM or project manager to support you in managing your team, responsibilities and workflow will truly give you the amount of time back you want and need in your business.

Following these simple reminders when hiring support in your business will allow you to be more efficient and scale your business faster! Support is critical for continued growth and success, but it can also hold you back if done poorly. This will save you time and money in the long run.

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Katelyn Hamilton is an Online Business Manager and Get Your Sh!t Together Strategist. She helps busy entrepreneurs organize, strategize and prioritize their business to go from overwhelmed to out-in-front.

After spending 6 years in the corporate world working with multimillion dollar companies, top-rated chefs and celebrities, she launched her own business to find more flexibility and freedom. She matched her corporate salary in just one year of starting her business.

Katelyn is also a wife, stepmom, dog mama of three furry friends, fitness lover, sports fanatic (Go Dawgs) and dreams of living at the beach.

Click here to book a free call to talk more about your business goals and to see if hiring an OBM is the right fit for you.

How your Email List will Earn you Money as an Entrepreneur

What would happen to your business if Facebook and Instagram shut down tomorrow and you lost all of your followers?

Would you panic? That 10k, 50k, 100k+ followers don't seem so important anymore, do they? The thing is, Mark Zuckerberg actually owns all of your followers. But guess what you own?

Your email list.

This is the most important piece of your business to focus on growing and nurturing. This list is going to get you sales. This list will earn you money. I’m going to teach you how to grow it and use it to build relationships, position you as an expert in your field, and generate sales.

1. Give Value Up Front

People don’t just give out their email freely anymore. Those days are long over. They’re tired of their inbox being cluttered with sales pitches vs. the content they truly want to consume. You have to give them a reason to want to be on your list from the get-go. To do this, you’ll need to give them something in exchange for their email address. This is called a “freebie.” What can you create and turn into PDF form, video, or a 5-day series that will solve a problem and get a quick result for your target audience? This will give people a reason to share their email address with you - think of it as an exchange. This will get them on your list to continue to give value to (and sell) down the line, but it creates a favorable first impression.

2. Nurture them along

You want your audience to feel nurtured and not forgotten about. You want to continue to help them, serve them, and let them get to know you. This is where automation comes into play. Set up a sequence so that once they sign up for the freebie you’re offering they’re not just delivered that freebie, but instead they’re delivered a series of emails over a couple of weeks that gives them a better idea as to who you are, what you do and how you can serve them. Pop into their inbox every couple days for those first couple weeks to stay top of mind.

3. Share a vulnerable story to relate

People relate to people. Share your story. Give people a peek behind the curtain as to who you are and how you can relate to them. Did you struggle with the same things? What led you here today? Emotion paints a beautiful picture for people and allows them to see a piece of themselves in you to form a true connection. Use this in your welcome/freebie series, as well as periodically in your campaign emails - and especially when selling a program, course, or new service offering. Guess what? Emotion sells. 

4. Make them feel like a VIP

Give them early access, discounts, and special bonuses just for being a part of your list. You want it to feel like they’re part of an exclusive community, and you want to give them a reason to stick around. The goal is for them to be excited to see your name in their inbox, not think “ugh another email from YOUR NAME HERE”. Again, tap into their emotions and make them feel so special. Plus they’re the ones showing up for you by giving you access to their inbox, and you want to take care of those on your list first and foremost.

5. Find your “hot” market

Analyze your list. Yes, this means looking at your analytics, and segment based on engagement. Who’s active in the last 7 days or 30 days? Who consistently opens your emails? Who clicks on all your links? These are the people that are on the verge of a sale if they haven’t purchased already. Segment them into their own list and market to them even more specifically.

Finally, I want to encourage you to be consistent with your emails. Show up in your audience’s inbox frequently. Deliver value, don’t just ask for the sale. Use all of the tips I mentioned above and watch your list grow and your income grow. You can apply these tips to almost any email platform, but if you want my recommendation, I love FloDesk. Use this link to get 50% off.

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Katelyn Hamilton is an Online Business Manager and Get Your Sh!t Together Strategist. She helps busy entrepreneurs organize, strategize and prioritize their business to go from overwhelmed to out-in-front.

After spending 6 years in the corporate world working with multimillion dollar companies, top-rated chefs and celebrities, she launched her own business to find more flexibility and freedom. She matched her corporate salary in just one year of starting her business.

Katelyn is also a wife, stepmom, dog mama of three furry friends, fitness lover, sports fanatic (Go Dawgs) and dreams of living at the beach.

Click here to book a free call to talk more about your business goals and to see if hiring an OBM is the right fit for you.

How to Launch your Online Business During a Pandemic

Deciding to start an online business is easy. It’s actually launching it that can feel scary and intimidating and bring up a lot of feelings of self-doubt and uncertainty.

How do I know this? I’ve been there. I remember launching my online business, while not in the middle of a pandemic, it was a moment in my life that felt very similar. I was let go from my safe, corporate job. I struggled for about 5-6 months in trying to figure out what was next for me while searching for yet another “safe” option. But it just didn’t feel right to me. I dabbled in entrepreneurship a bit by freelancing through connections I had in the marketing world.

For some reason, it felt safer to call it “freelancing” than pursuing entrepreneurship.

Once I did finally DECIDE to launch a business, I had no clue where to start or what I needed to do. So I created a website by paying a guy on Fiverr $160 for some design help and I felt official.

The thing is - you don’t need to do that to launch an online business. All you need to do is decide, and then start promoting your business.

This is where a lot of entrepreneurs get caught up. The HOW. There are SO many things to learn. That’s the beauty of it - we were all there once and we all have just figured it out. To save you some time, stress, frustration and anxiety, I’m going to share with you some tips to launching your business, during a pandemic nonetheless.

1. Show Up Every Day

Consistency is KEY. Show up relentlessly for yourself and others. Join entrepreneurship Facebook groups and comment on posts, get your name out there. Also, show up for your business. So many people get analysis paralysis and over-analyze, or fear, taking the wrong step in their business. Stop worrying and just take action. Do SOMETHING to move the needle forward in your business every day whether that’s engaging, building relationships/networking, building out your first course, writing a bunch of content, etc. Just start showing up for yourself and your new business every single day.

2. Get Clear on What You Do and Who You Serve

Clarity is imperative for long-term success. No, you don’t need to have it all figured out right now, but get clarity on who you want to serve and what you want your focus to be in your business. You want your target audience to know what exactly you can help them with and if you are offering social media management services alongside website design and graphic design, they’re going to be CONFUSED. Pick one thing, and define your target audience. Remember, you can ALWAYS pivot later on. 

For example, when I first started my business I came from the corporate marketing, PR, advertising world, so naturally, I started a full-service marketing agency. I did what I knew, marketing for small corporate clients.

As I became more invested in the entrepreneurship world, I realized I would be a kick-ass OBM. It was so much of what I was already doing in the account management world of marketing, just needed a little bit more knowledge of digital platforms to add to it and BAM I realized how marketable I would be to people knowing I had this sort of knowledge alongside my marketing experience.

Now, after growing my OBM business over the last 18 months, and finding success in my first marketing agency (Fast Follow Co), I’m confident in my ability to grow successful businesses and my ability to share that knowledge with others to help them grow theirs -- in comes business coaching to the mix.

So no, you don’t have to have it all figured out day one, it can evolve. Just start somewhere and get really good at what you pick first.

3. Give Lots of Free Value

You have to build that know, like and trust factor with your audience. To do that, you need to give a shit ton of free value to warm your audience up to you. It takes people on average 7 times before they actually convert to a paying customer. So during those 7 interactions, you need to not only be pitching your services but also providing them with information to solve their problems based on the types of services you offer.

I suggest my clients set up a simple funnel. Create a downloadable “freebie” to give value and grow your email list. Then share with them your story and expertise to get to know you a bit better, give them some more value, give them a discount on a service you provide to get them in the door and then funnel them to a higher-priced offering.

Free value is important throughout the lifetime of your business, but even more when you’re just starting out. I traded my services in the beginning for things and to obtain testimonials to help me promote my business as well.

4. Set up Systems and Processes to Create a Strong Foundation

I wish I knew what I know now about systems when I first started out. Man, it would have simplified SO much in my business. There are a million and one different systems out there. They help you to create a strong foundation from day one where you can feel organized and professional. The ones I highly recommend figuring out how to use in your business include:

• Email Marketing Platform - you want to grow your email list from day 1. I recommend FloDesk or ActiveCampaign personally.

• Business management tool - Dubsado. There really is no other comparable option in my mind. I even have a super simple, and crazy affordable minicourse that will help you get it set up. Learn more here.

• Automatic Scheduler - Acuity, Calendly, Satori, Dubsado. I love Acuity but I also get it for free as I was grandfathered into a plan. If you’re just starting out, I’d recommend just using Dubsado’s scheduler for convenience and not having to learn another platform

• Website Platform - I am a huge proponent of Squarespace. So easy to use and integrate with other platforms.

• Social Media Scheduler - Later.com or Planoly. These are so easy to set up and will allow you to schedule your content in advance. 

• Project Management tool - Asana, Trello, ClickUp. All great resources and will help you to keep track of your to-do lists and manage your clients with ease.

5. Invest in Yourself Before You’re Ready.

Give yourself this permission. It will feel scary. Especially if you don’t have many (or any) clients yet. Investing in yourself reaffirms that you believe in yourself and your business. You have skin in the game. It helps to keep you accountable and learn faster than if you wait until you think you’re ready. Because the truth is, you’ll never 100% be ready.

Hire a business coach. The ROI is WORTH IT. Think about it, would you rather spend 10x longer trying to figure it out on your own, or would you prefer to have someone who’s been there before guide you. This will save you time and earn you money FASTER and you’ll see a huge ROI on this investment. Not only will they help you with the strategic and logistical side, but also your mindset which is so fragile when starting something new.

Personally, I invested in 2 courses within the first 6 months of my business, a business mentor the second 6 months into my business and a year later a business coach. All have been instrumental in my success as an entrepreneur.

If you’re ready to launch your business, stop playing it “safe” (this pandemic has proved that nothing is truly safe anymore) and follow your passions to create the freedom in your life you long for, let’s chat!

I’m offering an introductory coaching rate of $500/mo for a 3-month coaching program. In those 3 months we will get your business set up, launched and bring in money consistently, growing your client roster.

Book a free coaching consult here.

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Katelyn Hamilton is an Online Business Manager and Get Your Sh!t Together Strategist. She helps busy entrepreneurs organize, strategize and prioritize their business to go from overwhelmed to out-in-front.

After spending 6 years in the corporate world working with multimillion dollar companies, top-rated chefs and celebrities, she launched her own business to find more flexibility and freedom. She matched her corporate salary in just one year of starting her business.

Katelyn is also a wife, stepmom, dog mama of three furry friends, fitness lover, sports fanatic (Go Dawgs) and dreams of living at the beach.

Click here to book a free call to talk more about your business goals and to see if hiring an OBM is the right fit for you.

Mastering Public Relations as an Entrepreneur

Public relations is a skill. There’s an art to doing it well and I’ve found that many entrepreneurs haven’t a clue what PR is or why it’s important as you grow in your business. I’m here to teach you how to master public relations as an entrepreneur.

I started my career at a public relations and marketing firm here in Nashville, TN. It was always my dream to work in PR. I did all my college internships in PR, was on the executive board of or college PRSSA chapter, I joined the Nashville PRSA Chapter where I also led the annual awards gala and sat on the board, I won a prestigious award in my first couple years out of school as an upcoming leader in the industry… let’s just say I was ALL IN. I dove into consuming all the knowledge I could about how to be a PR Rockstar. I took every opportunity to learn from the leaders in my company and was given some pretty big projects to work on that led me to incredible opportunities. Yes, I am tooting my own horn a little bit here, but I did become great at getting my clients coverage and truly feel like I learned some key skills that are truly learned from being in the industry and gaining experience.

I highly recommend hiring someone who’s skilled in this area to create and execute a PR strategy for you, but if you want to take this on by yourself, I have some tips! 

1.     Start Local

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me they wanted me to get them on GMA or in Forbes, I could retire already. You have to realize that the media receive hundreds of pitches every single day and everything thinks they are the next big thing worth covering. But to be totally honest with you, you’re not likely THAT cool. Unless you have somehow gone viral or achieved something literally no one has done before that impacts someone(s) else, your story is probably not national news.

2.     Research

I cannot stress this enough. Research the publications you want to pitch and research the reporters at each publication. Nothing will get your pitch trashed faster than mass emailing to every reporter at the media outlet. Take the time to do your research. Local business journals are a great place to start as they typically have an entrepreneur focus and want to highlight the community. Not all publications are the same. Check their website to see what types of content they cover, and always look at their media kit and editorial contents (usually they have these up on their website). You want to make sure that your “story” that you’re pitching is a fit for that publication as something they typically cover. If you take the time to do this research early you’ll save yourself a lot of time in the long run and potentially embarrassment and frustration. 

3.     Build relationships

I always try to create relationships with the reporters I pitch. I want them to know that I value their time in reviewing my pitch and/or covering my story. They’re busy. They have 101 stories to research and write, so make their job as easy as possible. I think this goes without saying but be polite in all communication. I find that when you make it easy for a reporter to get the info they need and deliver them value, they continue to come back to you as a reputable source in the future.

4.     Write concise, value focused pitches

Before you even decide to send a pitch out, I need you to really ask yourself if what you’re about to send is valuable. I like to recommend asking the “so what” question. When you write your pitch ask yourself, SO WHAT? Essentially it means, why should they care. Did you let them know WHY what you’re sharing is important and why they should care? How does it impact them, or the local community or a specific industry, etc.? It should provide them and/or others by sharing this information with others. Do you have a one-of-a-kind product or service? Are you changing the world in the way you work? Have you achieved notable success? Then, make sure your pitch is straight to the point. Always lead with your strongest line and then you can fill in with a little background info, but for the most part you don’t want a long post or they will literally trash it.

5.     Follow up

You may have heard the saying that the money is in the follow up, and the same is true with your pitches. You have to follow up. At least once or twice via email and once via phone. Give it a few days after you send your initial pitch to follow up, but make sure you do it! More times than not people forget or meant to get back to you but something else came up.

One last bonus tip – stay away from the “pay to play” type of content. If it’s true PR you won’t have to pay for coverage – if you do, that’s not PR anymore, that’s sponsored content or an advertisement. Not saying all of those options are “bad” but if you’re trying to truly get PR, you should not have to pay the publication to get it.

I hope these tips have been helpful!! Please let me know what questions you have, or any other questions that come up! I know they will help you obtain some great coverage for you/your business!

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Katelyn Hamilton is an Online Business Manager and Get Your Sh!t Together Strategist. She helps busy entrepreneurs organize, strategize and prioritize their business to go from overwhelmed to out-in-front.

After spending 6 years in the corporate world working with multimillion dollar companies, top-rated chefs and celebrities, she launched her own business to find more flexibility and freedom. She matched her corporate salary in just one year of starting her business.

Katelyn is also a soon-to-be wife, stepmom, dog mama of two furry friends, fitness lover, sports fanatic (Go Dawgs) and dreams of living at the beach.

Click here to book a free call to talk more about your business goals and to see if hiring an OBM is the right fit for you.

The importance of REST!

When’s the last time you actually took the time to rest? Rest is so important and I will be the FIRST to admit that I am not good at it. I think now more than ever our culture is so “go, go, go” that we forget to stop and breathe, and rest. We forget that rest is GOOD for us and needed. We forget that rest actually helps us be successful.

I think specifically entrepreneurs have a hard time with the concept of rest. I know from my own business that there is ALWAYS something to do, or that could be done and I feel behind 99% of the time. But that’s the thing. We will likely never feel AHEAD. And the more we stress ourselves out over trying to get all the things done all the time, the quicker we will burn out.

Personally, I’ve realized the need for rest after the last month of my life. It started off with a vacation in Aruba, which you think, yay, REST, but honestly that vacation led me to working crazy hours before and after the trip, stressing about work I was missing and even working 2-3 hours a day on vacation. It didn’t truly feel like a vacation. Then I played catch up for 2 weeks, and then the last Monday of the month my dog unexpectedly passed away from an unknown cancerous tumor that ruptured, in which I proceeded to take the week off because the grief was too much to handle, followed by a wedding I was in that next weekend out of town. I came back to an insane work-load from the unexpected days off and just finally said to myself I cannot keep doing this. The anxiety and stress is going to kill me. Then, ironically, our church started a series on REST and SABBATH and I know this is the message I needed to hear and I need to practice in my life.

Here are some ways I am incorporating rest into my life, why it’s helpful and how you can too.

Uninterrupted time alone

This is the hardest thing for me to do. I find that I ALWAYS have my phone on me, or my Apple watch and I’m constantly bombarded by technology. I rarely take time to sit alone in my own thoughts, journal or pray. When I do my morning PD time, it’s typically very short and oftentimes, if I’m being honest, I do it to check the box for the day. I want to give myself a couple hours once a week to remove all technology -- yes this means no phone, watch, computer, TV. Just sitting outside somewhere, or even in my bed with a notebook and a pen, and just my thoughts. I think sometimes sitting in “the uncomfortable” with our own thoughts can feel like the hardest thing to do, but can bring us SO much clarity when we do so.

Saying NO, or not taking on more than you can handle

Guilty again. I suffer from this condition called FOMO. Ever heard of it? ;) Seriously though I have a fear of missing out. I say YES to so many things I need to say no to because I don’t want to miss out on them, or I feel bad saying no to the person. When in reality, this is only causing me more stress. I’ve gotten better, but there’s still room for improvement here on only saying YES to the things that are a “HELL YES” and prioritizing those things.

Saying NO is hard for me in my personal life, but even harder in my business. I think for so long I was in growth mode and saying YES to everything and all work because I felt like I had to, or needed to for the experience and the money, but I’ve come to realize that I need to first ask myself if this work would be a good fit for me before simply saying yes. Now that I am fully-booked, I do have more control over my schedule and my client list, but I still feel bad telling people no. BUT WHY? I shouldn’t, and I HAVE to. Because taking on too much doesn’t allow me to service my clients in the best way I can. It also leads me to feeling overwhelmed and burnt out vs. truly being able to serve my clients well with the immediate tasks on hand and then strategizing other ideas to help them grow their businesses.

Doing one thing for ME each week

Rest doesn’t ALWAYS have to mean doing nothing. Rest can be something that helps you relax and brings you joy too. Each week, I plan to do something for me. It could be as simple as heading to the park with my pup and taking him on a walk just to get outside, or even relaxing at the pool for 60 minutes on day in the sun. Or, it could be something bigger like getting my nails done, or my hair done, or even taking the entire day off just to shop, go out to lunch and binge watch my Netflix obsession. But the key here is to release the GUILT for doing these things in knowing that it fills your cup up and allows you to be more energized for your work.

So while rest is HARD and it’s not always the easiest thing to prioritize, it HAS to be if we want to create sustainable, long-term, successful businesses. So tell me how you’re going to incorporate more rest into your life -- or maybe you do a great job of this already and have some tips to share with the rest of us?

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Katelyn Hamilton is an Online Business Manager and Get Your Sh!t Together Strategist. She helps busy entrepreneurs organize, strategize and prioritize their business to go from overwhelmed to out-in-front.

After spending 6 years in the corporate world working with multimillion dollar companies, top-rated chefs and celebrities, she launched her own business to find more flexibility and freedom. She matched her corporate salary in just one year of starting her business.

Katelyn is also a soon-to-be wife, stepmom, dog mama of two furry friends, fitness lover, sports fanatic (Go Dawgs) and dreams of living at the beach.

Click here to book a free call to talk more about your business goals and to see if hiring an OBM is the right fit for you.

Efficiencies, Not Shortcuts

I was on vacation the other week with my fiance and his family and the amount of times we had to go to the grocery store drove me bananas. I am a very efficient person by nature. So the idea of going to the grocery store every single day to get food for dinner KILLED ME. By the third day I finally said to my future FIL, why don’t we just plan meals for the week and buy everything we need now? He apparently likes to grocery shop and wants to decide day of what to eat #retiredlife, but it just seemed SO inefficient.

But you see I do that with EVERYTHING in life. I try to find ways to be more efficient with my work, workouts, finances, meals, where my time is spent with people, etc. because this season of life is BUSY for me, as I know it likely is for you too.

That being said, there is a difference between creating efficiencies and taking shortcuts.

Defined:

Shortcut: “an accelerated way of doing or achieving something.” 

Efficiency: “achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense.”

While they seem fairly similar, I want to point out three key differences.

Difference #1: Fast doesn’t always been more productive

Just because you take a shortcut and do something FASTER it does not mean that you are being efficient and creating more productivity. Take weight loss for example. Sure you can follow a diet for 3 weeks and lose 10-15 lbs  - that’s a shortcut to weight loss, but will you keep that weight off is the question? Most of the time, the answer is no. If you follow a fad diet it’s more than likely going to come right back once you allow yourself the foods you restricted again. So what’s more efficient you may ask? Follow a plan consistently over time that includes eating healthy foods MOST of the time mixed in with some fun, less nutritious foods some of the time, coupled with exercise for the least wasted effort and maximum success.

Or maybe that example doesn’t necessarily relate to you, so let’s talk business again. A shortcut may be doing a project yourself really quickly just to get it done, when it likely would have been a better use of your time to outsource it to someone else who has more knowledge in that area than you do.

Difference #2: Eliminating a step does not make it more efficient

Sometimes there are certain steps you just can’t cut. While I am all about streamlining things to reduce the number of programs being used or steps in a process, it has to be done strategically. You can’t just take a step out of a process without understanding the consequences of doing so. For example, some of my clients create custom proposals instead of having a fixed number of services that are applicable to everyone. From an efficiency standpoint it is easier to set up workflows in the system I use, Dubsado, if they have specific contracts for their services + consistent price points. But that being said, some people just don’t. So I can’t just cut out the step of manually inputting contracts/proposals for each client and automating it as that would not make sense for their clients. But what I can do is look at how they are currently writing, sending and communicating with potential clients and optimize those steps by putting everything in one platform, creating templates to work from, etc. 

Difference #3: Delegating EVERYTHING

So all of us want to work less and make more, right? I mean that is the end goal. I am all for delegation, but there is a thing as TOO MUCH delegation. In theory, delegation should give you more time back. But if you start to delegate everything in your business in order to get quickly to that end goal of more time, more money, two things could actually happen. It ends up COSTING you money because you over delegated without enough income or jobs coming in, or you over delegated work that people truly hired YOU for. It’s important to note that there is a difference.

First, if you over delegate just to have more time back but you’re not bringing in enough money to pay the people who you hired to do the work for you + pay yourself, you might as well have not taken on the clients to begin with. Or, for example, if you market yourself as a business strategist but you have someone else writing strategies for you, then people aren’t really getting YOU, they’re getting someone else. Now, if you hired someone to edit/review your written strategies, or to help execute those strategies that’s different. That is being efficient, but you have to show up and actually do the work too.

 Shortcuts HURT your business. Efficiencies HELP your business. Learning the difference between the two can save you time, stress, money and results! Think about what could help you save time, reduce stress, increase profits and then think about what the things that cause you to waste the most time, cause you the most stress and eat your profits. That’s where you can begin in terms of finding efficiencies in your business. Remember the differences noted here and you’ll be on your way to creating a more efficient, profitable business.

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Katelyn Hamilton is an Online Business Manager and Get Your Sh!t Together Strategist. She helps busy entrepreneurs organize, strategize and prioritize their business to go from overwhelmed to out-in-front.

After spending 6 years in the corporate world working with multimillion dollar companies, top-rated chefs and celebrities, she launched her own business to find more flexibility and freedom. She matched her corporate salary in just one year of starting her business.

Katelyn is also a soon-to-be wife, stepmom, dog mama of two furry friends, fitness lover, sports fanatic (Go Dawgs) and dreams of living at the beach.

Click here to book a free call to talk more about your business goals and to see if hiring an OBM is the right fit for you.

How to stop doing ALL THE THINGS

The phase “ALL THE THINGS” has become the “it thing” to say right now. Now don’t get me wrong, I say it too, but I think sometimes we almost transform it into a badge of honor so to speak like we tend to glorify busy.

But I’m here to probably share an unpopular opinion.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO ALL THE THINGS.

I feel like I could stop right here and just let this be your permission slip, and mic drop, but I want to give you some tangible content, aka the HOW to stop doing all the things.

1. Prioritize.

   I don’t just mean like your daily to-do list. I mean your life. Seriously. Cut out all the shit that doesn’t work for you right now. That doesn’t fill you. That’s not a hell yes. That maybe was something that fit old you but not next level you. Make room for the things that matter, and cut out or reduce in frequency the things that don’t. This could include time with specific people, television, social media, certain clients (yes girl - you don’t have to work with sassy Karen anymore), etc. Truly sit down and make a list of what is important to you. You can break these down into categories such as family/home life, business/work life, health/fitness life, etc.

2. Outsource.

   I say this a lot, but seriously stop trying to do everything and give the shit you don’t want to do or is repetitive in nature to someone else. The things you hate, someone else loves - so they’ll probably do it better and faster than you would anyways. Also, if you’re not sure what else to outsource, especially in your business, repetitive weekly tasks are a great place to start with a VA. I outsource all my blog posting, social media scheduling and email marketing to my VA. It’s freed up my time to focus on other, more important, things in my business that only I can do.

3. Take a vacation.

   Seriously. Sometimes we need to just take a deep breath, refuel and remind ourselves why we started businesses in the first place. This will likely lead you back to figuring out your priorities and what’s important because when you go on vacation those non important things get left behind and you realize the world goes ‘round anyways. So take some time off. A day. A weekend. A week. A month. Whatever you need and just stop doing all the things. I think you’ll come back with a renewed perspective. I actually am currently doing the same as you’re reading this I am floating down a lazy river at a hotel in Aruba (#outofoffice).

I know that this feels so much easier said than done. But, I promise you, you need this. Stop the overwhelm and stop feeling stressed out about how many things you have to do. What’s one thing you’re going to let go of this week to reduce that list of #allthethings?

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Katelyn Hamilton is an Online Business Manager and Get Your Sh!t Together Strategist. She helps busy entrepreneurs organize, strategize and prioritize their business to go from overwhelmed to out-in-front.

After spending 6 years in the corporate world working with multimillion dollar companies, top-rated chefs and celebrities, she launched her own business to find more flexibility and freedom. She matched her corporate salary in just one year of starting her business.

Katelyn is also a soon-to-be wife, stepmom, dog mama of two furry friends, fitness lover, sports fanatic (Go Dawgs) and dreams of living at the beach.

Click here to book a free call to talk more about your business goals and to see if hiring an OBM is the right fit for you.