PopUP! Series ✈️ Part 3/5: The 5 Simple Systems You Need To Step Away With Confidence.

The gatekeeper to stepping away and finally living the time freedom you craved when you started your business is...you guessed...systems.

In this episode we're diving into the 5 simple and essential systems your business needs for you to step away with confidence.

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Link to Music Credits
Track: Positive Motivation
Author: AShamaluevMusic (ASM)
Publisher: CD Baby (IPI 700570289)

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Transcript

Ilonka Ras (00:00.578)
This is episode two of the series, take a vacation. Your laptop isn't invited to. In the previous episode, we talked about why your business needs a vacation from you. In this episode, we're diving into the five simple systems your business needs to run smoothly while you're away. You ready? Let's go. Welcome to the effortless CEO podcast. The only show that teaches South African business owners.

how to improve their operations, and design a business that can run without them. If you're interested in leading your team more effectively, creating more operational efficiency, delivering with excellence while getting some of your life back, then you're in the right place. Here's your host, Strategic Intervention Coach and Operations Specialist, Ilonka Ross.

Ilonka Ras (00:56.002)
Many of my clients reach out for help because they work all the time and their business is taking over every part of their life. They simply cannot switch off and they often say that it feels like having a thousand tabs open in your head. Now this is a painful place to be, especially if you can't see how things could be different. We often also look at other businesses and we think that it's easy for them because maybe they have a team or they have

are the resources that we don't have available for ourselves. We think that because they are in a different industry, it's possible for the owner to step out of the day to day. And we tell ourselves that it's not possible for us. The truth is your business is different. You may not have all the resources those other businesses have. And you can still design your business to run more independently of you. You can still design your business so that it works for you.

You simply need the right systems to get you there. Now, typically when we think about systems, see big companies, complex algorithms, Excel spreadsheets that you need a degree to understand, lots of red tape and bureaucracy. So we mistakenly believe that because we're small businesses, systems aren't that important. It's something we do when we are bigger. The truth is systems are important, whether you're a solo entrepreneur or have a team.

You need systems. It doesn't matter how small you are. Systems are the gatekeeper to the growth and the freedom you want. Also, can we just call a spade a spade? Systems aren't making the list of sexiest, most fun things to do in your day, am I right? This is the boring work. And it's also the difference between being overworked and chained to your desk or

Being able to step away and not stress that things are going to fall apart. Putting systems in place is also usually put on the back burner because there are more pressing things to do like delivering to your client. So here's the good news. You didn't know you were waiting for. Are you ready? Your business already has systems. You don't need to spend hours painstakingly creating systems.

Ilonka Ras (03:20.696)
for your business. They already exist. The problem is they are living in your head, which means you are the system. And because you're the system, it also means that you are the emergency plan. What we actually need to do is to extract those systems from your head and optimize them so they work for you, your team, and the goals you have for your business.

Once we have the five systems in place that I'm going to share with you now, your business will run like clockwork. You won't feel like you have a thousand tabs open in your head anymore because you won't need to remember every little detail of each client or consistently remind others of important details because the system will do that for you. The efficiency inside of your business will increase and you will deliver consistent high quality work to your base clients or

the time, you won't feel like you're behind or constantly reacting to client requests. Your clients will get what they need before they ask for it, before they need it. Your team, if you have one, will be able to function at their highest level without constantly asking for guidance. You will be able to relax and not worry about micromanaging them either, because you will know that things are going to happen the way you expect it to happen.

These five systems will also help you to spot bottlenecks inside of your business so that you know where to focus and where to fix things when they aren't going according to plan. Systems are the bridge between where you are and the business you want. They create stability. They give you space to grow. And to me, that's pretty sexy. So let's dive into the five simple but essential systems your business needs to run like a well-oiled machine.

The first system is a system to optimize your time. Now this is the most critical system and we actually start with this inside of my program because we have to know exactly where your time is going. Where your time is currently going is actually dictating the direction of your business. So we need to put a system in place that protects your calendar for high impact, energy work. What do I mean by this?

Ilonka Ras (05:49.922)
High impact work is work that moves the business forward, that grows the business. High energy work is work that you actually enjoy doing, work that lights you up, that you can do all day long, even if you don't get paid for it. So you need a system so that you know what to say yes to, what to delegate, what to stop doing. You need a system that guards your time because what gets your attention is really important.

And this is true for the entire team, right? We need to make sure that everyone is operating in their ideal role and zone of genius at all times, because this is when we make progress the fastest. In my program, we look at where your time is going and then we categorize the type of work that you're doing based on the impact it has on the business and also the impact it has on you. We want you to spend all of your time on the things that give you energy and grow.

business. The second system we need to have in place is the attraction system. Now we actually do an exercise inside of my program where we determine exactly who your best clients are, where you found them in the past, what the commonalities between them are, so that you are always positioning yourself as the go-to solution for them. You want to know exactly who your best clients are so that you can attract more of them, right? Consistently bringing in leads

without needing to hustle or network 24-7. We need a system that consistently puts us in front of our best clients. And this could include things like social media, it could include things like networking events, workshops, referrals. Your attraction system is how you are currently getting in front of your best ideal clients. The third system we need is a sales system.

And this is a system that consistently takes potential clients or leads and turns them into paying clients. Right? This could be things like your consultation sessions, discovery calls that you may have where you discuss working together, sending proposals. It's basically how you take someone from being interested to paying you to help them. The fourth system you need is a delivery system. Your delivery system.

Ilonka Ras (08:11.614)
is how you serve your customers. It is why businesses or customers do business with you. It will include things like onboarding new clients, the different milestones or deliverables that you offer as part of your services and making sure that those things happen on time every time. We want to deliver your services consistently and predictably, but without everything needing your personal touch.

And that's why we need to create a system around all of that. The fifth system is your money system. And this is one that I am really excited about always when we start extracting this for my clients. And it is a system that helps you to know and understand the most important numbers inside of your business. It's a system that helps you manage cashflow confidently because we know cash is queen in the business, right? It's also how we make

decisions based off of data and not emotion. So having a money system in place is going to empower you to show up more confidently as a business owner, as it relates to the information that you gather and also the decisions you make from that information, but overall just how you manage money in general. Now, when these five systems are optimized and firing on all cylinders, your business will start growing

with a heck of a lot less effort. Freedom isn't complicated. It is intentional. If you're ready to stop spinning your wheels and start optimizing these five systems in your business, I want to invite you to apply to work with me. Inside my program, we will work together to design the systems you need to create a business that works for you. You can head over to ilongkaras.com forward slash apply to apply to work with me or find the link in the show notes.

In the next episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on one of the biggest myths business owners believe about hiring and delegation and how it's actually keeping you stuck in the day-to-day operations. Hiring a team doesn't automatically buy you freedom. If you don't shift your role inside your business, all you're doing is adding more to your plate. I'll show you what real delegation looks like and why it's the missing link between working harder and working smarter. I'll see you there.