How to Simplify Your Business (for Better Results)
Could overthinking be the reason you aren’t making more? Sure can!
I know we hear the gurus say they work less in their business and make more money but do they ever share HOW they’re doing it? Or how they’re hiring out the employees and multiple VAs to make it all happen?
Truth be told, a lot of them don’t. This can be pretty confusing when you’re trying to get a hold of your schedule, your revenue, and make all the things run without burning yourself out.
But don’t worry — I’m about to clue you into some secrets, my secrets, for keeping business simple.
Remember, what works for me may not work for everyone else, but I just wanted to show you one way of approaching this so maybe you too can bring a little bit of clarity to the chaos.
The minimalist approach to business
I like to take what I call the “minimalist approach” to business, which always boils down to two things.
One: Figuring out how much you want to work
Two: Figuring out how much you need to make to keep the lights on, and then some
Knowing the answer to these two things is important for guiding the rest of the things you do in your business. It basically acts like a compass for setting the rest of your tasks, whether that’s in weekly, monthly, or quarterly planning.
And it’s also the baseline for creating a business that you run, not one that runs you and your life.
I actually had this wake-up call in 2020. I was stressed and overwhelmed with trying to grow my business while also having two young kids at home. All of my business friends were reaching astronomical levels of success, but I wasn’t.
I was running through a loop of never having extra time to spend ON my business, I was just working IN my business, and trying to wrangle my family on top of that. It was a lot.
All of that forced me to sit down and reevaluate what was actually important to me. Where I needed to focus versus chasing shiny objects. And a lot of it came down to how I was thinking about money. Or at least, HOW I was making it.
Keeping social media simple
Oh…the social media dilemma. For years, I was trying to show up everywhere all at once. And then when TikTok exploded in popularity for small businesses, and Instagram then started pushing Reels, the pressure was on.
So when I sat down to evaluate my priorities, this was also something I had to look at. I had to think about the number I really needed to make in my business instead of forcing myself to grow to a number that I only set because I was jealous of everyone else’s success — real talk.
That meant keeping social media simple, because not everything was a good use of my time, and time IS money when we’re talking about business.
Now, I didn’t grow massively after this. It was definitely a long game to hit those numbers (mostly because I was using YouTube to get there, and that is a long game for sure).
But what happened was a huge amount of pressure was lifted from my shoulders and it ultimately did set me on the right path for sustainable growth. This led me to 2022, my best business year to date — making $700K, taking over 12 weeks of vacation, AND hiring 3 full-time employees. Wowza!!
How to find this rhythm in your own business
The key to all of this is to find what works best for you. So when we’re talking about finances, how much do you really need to make? To live, not to buy an expensive car, or to have tons of spending cash, or to keep up with the Joneses.
Because here’s the thing — I DO have my bougie habits, don’t get me wrong (Ben & Jerry’s over everything else, any day). BUT financial goals in your biz should be more focused on creating the opportunities to LIVE the life you want to live.
I’m not here to tell you what your priorities should be, and I’m not saying you shouldn’t ever treat yourself. I just mean that having more to open more opportunities for you, your biz, and your fam, has been so much more rewarding.
For example…
Every year, my family and I take a two-week vacation to the beach. We drive there, stay in a rental, and it’s definitely not all-inclusive (I can show you that grocery bill to prove it — whew).
I still have to do everyone’s laundry, and we still have to make our own dinner every night (which, shoutout to my MIL for coming along and helping out!).
But that’s something we all look forward to, every single year. The memories that have been made have been worth every season of hustle, and every moment of having to make those tough business/financial decisions.
THAT’S the kind of thing I want you to think about when you’re considering what money could buy you.
And don’t forget…
Figuring out what you want to make also should include what you want to save for retirement and investing. Not everyone will do this, but if it’s something YOU want to do, it needs to be factored into your goals. And don’t forget to consider those business expenses you may not be thinking about. Hiring help, paying for software and ads during your launch, etc.
It doesn’t have to be a crazy number either! Just make it realistic so you’ll stick with it.
So, how do you MAKE that money?
After you’ve worked all that out, it’s time to think about the HOW.
It can’t all be tied to your time, so you can’t just take on tons of clients and be done. Trust me, you’ll want a break! You need to find a business model that works for you and what you want to accomplish, whether that’s tomorrow or 2 years from now.
I actually just put the finishing touches on a quiz that can help you figure that out! It’s super quick (only 5 minutes) and you can learn more about where to spend your time and focus, so you can create the right offers, boost your revenue, and finally achieve $10K months (on replay)!
Go to trenalittle.com/quiz to take it now!
