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35. Friends Don't Let Friends Do Business Alone with Mallory + Nicole
8 Plays5 months ago
Co-hosts Mallory and Nicole kick off season four with a deep-dive into the support systems that make their businesses feel manageable, efficient, and enjoyable (most of the time, anyway).
Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur, or just starting out, this episode is packed with practical tips and heartfelt advice to help you make business feel better all day, every day.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why you need at least one person who "knows your whole story"
- How a dedicated team can boost your efficiency and personal well-being
- How pets can reduce stress, improve mood, and increase productivity
- The benefits of having a "personal wellness team" and how to build yours
- Why we cannot survive without Canva, Teamwork, and Dubsado
For more inspiration, subscribe to Unbound Turnarounds on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!
LINKS:
- Connect with Nicole
- Connect with Mallory
- Dubsado 30% off first year or month code: dubsado.com/?c=moreyouagency
- Workflow overview: https://www.moreyouagency.com/free
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Transcript
Introduction to Unbound Turnarounds
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to Unbound Turnarounds, a podcast all about the challenges women business owners think about constantly, but rarely voice. We're Nicole and Mallory, entrepreneurs, friends, and co-founders of Business Unbound.
Mission and Season 4 Overview
00:00:16
Speaker
Our mission is simple, make business feel better. And that starts with honest conversations about the ups, downs, and turnarounds of entrepreneurship.
00:00:26
Speaker
So whether you're just starting out or you've been your own boss for years, tune in for stories, insights, and strategies that actually make work work for life.
Support Systems for Entrepreneurs
00:00:39
Speaker
Welcome back to Unbound Turnarounds and we have made it to the start of season four. We are going to dive into different types of support entrepreneurs can cultivate in their businesses and lives, including ways that systems can support you to make business feel better. Nicole,
00:00:58
Speaker
What else are we gonna cover today? Yeah, so season four, we are gonna be talking today about all the support and systems that we have personally put into place in our own businesses that we absolutely can't live without.
00:01:10
Speaker
Yep. All of our secret weapons. I know. I'm excited to get into it. But first, we have two fun things to share. So we have two new free resources for you. So you want to head to UnboundBoss.com to download our Make Business Feel Better Guide, which includes five free ways to stop stress in its tracks.
00:01:31
Speaker
Plus, if you are not over into the entrepreneur space yet, but you follow us along here on the podcast, you can also head to unboundboss.com and get our free Be Your Own Boss mini email course for telling you exactly how to get started. It gives you the first five steps of what you need to do to logistically get your business off the ground. I love it. I love it. We hope you take advantage of these freebies and tell us what you think. We want to see how you put them into action.
00:02:01
Speaker
Yes, we do. Okay. So with that out of the way, let's get into some of the support and systems that have completely changed how our own businesses feel.
Hiring Strategies for Entrepreneurs
00:02:10
Speaker
So Nicole, I am going to put you in the hot seat first and you're going to get to share your go-to. So what you got for your first one? Yes. Okay. So when I think about the things that I've done on the systems and support front that have made the biggest difference in my
00:02:26
Speaker
life in my life as a business owner and the way that my business actually feels every day. The very first one has to be the staffers that I have put on retainer over the years. So that's the biggest one. And by staffers, again, I'm not saying legal employees. So I don't have businesses with employees. I just have 1099 contracting folks.
00:02:52
Speaker
But you can still put those folks on retainer. So that's what I've done over the years. And it's for a few reasons that I just wanted to talk through. So the first is that there are people who enjoy what you don't enjoy.
00:03:07
Speaker
And that was something that I had to allow myself to realize and then live out because you can make yourself really miserable, really fast, owning a small business and trying to do all the things, right? Because maybe you think, hey, I can't spend money on anyone. I don't want to find people. I don't want to train people. I don't want the responsibility. No one will do it the way I do it.
00:03:32
Speaker
Well, I'm currently in a place 10 years in where I'm like, oh, I don't need people to do it the way I do it. I need people who like doing these jobs and are better at them than I am.
Organizing Tasks and Support Teams
00:03:42
Speaker
So that's the lens through which I view hiring at this point.
00:03:48
Speaker
I mean, I think it's true. And I want to hit on something you just said about, we think we can't hire. Now I understand people right in the beginning, there is kind of a line, right? Where you have to get past that line to be able to hire support. But once you're past that line where you logistically can't afford to do it,
00:04:09
Speaker
It really actually is a return on the investment, right? Because then you are able to sell more develop more Deliver more because you have more time because you have them doing those things you don't like right? That's correct. So for me, it's all about
00:04:26
Speaker
you know, I have what I call the energy thimble and it doesn't go that far. It just, it just, I wish it did. I wish it was like an energy vat, but it's not, it's not. So to me, you know, responding to client emails
00:04:42
Speaker
That would take half of it away right there, right? And I can't do it. So what I need is someone who loves doing that and to just price in the cost of that person in my services. So it's not like, you know, I think a lot of people think about it like, then I have all this overhead and it's like, yeah, you also have control over your pricing. So price those people into the services that you are selling so that you can feel good about it.
00:05:12
Speaker
but you can get the jobs done that you are not uniquely suited for. They're not in your zone of genius. Right. So you're not saying like you're just paying them no matter what you're saying, I sell this contract and out of this contract, I know what's going to cover them for these many months of this retainer. Yeah, that's how I have it set up too.
00:05:31
Speaker
It makes it a little less stressy, I feel like, to have someone. It does. Yeah. Unless you make a lot and that's fine and you can just monthly cover it. If you're concerned about the finances, that's one way to do it for sure.
00:05:44
Speaker
Well, and I like the retainer structure because it lets you plan ahead for it. Like you're saying, I know what this is going to cost for a year. I also know that that person's going to do it. So it's not, oh, I wonder if they're too busy to do this task for me this week. You just know that these are their duties, and they get done every month. So to me, that's an extra way to just set it, forget it, and then know that these people are going to do their jobs.
00:06:11
Speaker
Yeah. And give us an example of one of your success stories with hiring. Yes. So my very first hire that I ever put on retainer was Abby and she was for my agency and she's still there. So she's been with me almost 10 years, which is amazing. Amazing amount of patience on her part. And I remember back like right when I started my agency, I was sitting at traders point Creamery. I had invited Abby to lunch. We were eating like
00:06:41
Speaker
bait on site ice cream, like it was a whole vibe. We're outside at picnic tables, there's flowers, the bees are chirping and I'm like, um, do you want to work here? So she had left the company that I was with before at the same time and wanted to start a family and move to the farm and do all these other things, but she still wanted to have a professional life and use all of her skills.
00:07:05
Speaker
And I had worked with her for years. So I was like, I know what your skills are. I know what you're good at. And lucky for me, they're the things that I'm not any good at. So she immediately took over client relationships. She's the only one that talks to the clients at this point. She took over our team of freelancers managing them, and she took over project management. So those are all the kind of day-to-day things
00:07:31
Speaker
that I was like, I can't do those things while selling, while doing the creative direction, while doing the writing for a lot of things. Like, I can't do everything. And so I need to hire someone I can trust, put her on retainer. She has that certainty about her finances, her time, she can plan around it. And to this day, she still owns those tasks and does them all better than I could.
00:07:59
Speaker
So it's wonderful. And I know this from you, so we've talked about it before. I know some people get hesitant about hiring people they know are friends or whatnot, but what's your theory and philosophy on this?
00:08:11
Speaker
Yes, so personally, I am pro friends. I am pro working with friends. I am pro friends being your team members and also your clients. So for me, that has always been the preferred way. I like the added trust that comes with those relationships. I like the extra amount of grace that goes both ways.
00:08:32
Speaker
It's not quite so formal. It doesn't feel sterile. It's like, hey, you want to do life together? Great. Let's do that. And so for me, I really like hiring people that I know or that I get to know and become friends. So my content manager, for example, at my other horse related website,
00:08:54
Speaker
So she became a freelance writer for me and then became a friend over time. And then I put her into a bigger role. So once I knew her and felt comfortable with her work and how she was just always on top of everything, I was like, she would be a great content manager. So then put her on retainer, managing a team, she understands horses, she knows writing, she knows all these different pieces and keep them going.
00:09:20
Speaker
So that was a big deal for me. I mean, it's another perk that their skill set, their history, if you already know them as a friend, their reliability, which is one of the biggest things in terms of hiring a freelancer for me. So I know people get hung up, oh, what if something happens? But I think, especially with you and I,
00:09:41
Speaker
I mean, we've been working together for a long time and then partnering on this. It's clear expectations from the beginning, but then it's just knowing them as a person and how they will respond when things come up so that you know it's not going to damage something.
00:09:56
Speaker
And that happens with clients, too. That's, I think, where people also get stuck is maybe they'll want to work with friends, but they don't want to sell to people in their industry that they know. Whereas I'm like, I already know those people. I know how they work. They know me. There's a level of trust there. And you just get to skip a bunch of steps that way. You men just enjoy working with people that you know. There's just a lot less uncertainty doing it that way.
00:10:26
Speaker
All right, well, that's number one. What else do you got? Is there anything more on this topic about hiring that you wanted to share? Well, the one thing that I will say that was important to me was just to keep things moving while I wasn't working. So that gets to like the efficiency piece, kind of the systemization of teams even, but to know that because I work a non-traditional job with non-traditional hours,
00:10:54
Speaker
If I'm not doing it but I own all the tasks, then nothing gets done when I'm not working. That doesn't really sit very well with me. I think that clients deserve to hear back fairly quickly. I think that team members need answers to keep projects moving. To me, the team is the way that I can fill that gap and be able to take that time for myself or to be able to work at the hours that I like.
00:11:21
Speaker
And so that's a good gap filler. So the example of that to me that comes to mind, of course, is you. Because when I heard you, we built out your responsibilities. And it was like, here's a group of tasks, like as we call it stadium operations for the agency, but it's
00:11:39
Speaker
all of the logistics, all the systems, all the processes. And you can do those whenever you want to be working, right? And it makes no difference to me. And I know that your tasks are getting done no matter when I'm working. And so it just makes it a lot easier to create that balance in the space to have your own life and let other people have theirs. So those are just all reasons that I love putting people on retainer. I love the consistency of it and the planning and just knowing things are getting done.
00:12:08
Speaker
So that's a big one. Yep, for sure. All right. Number two, what is your second pillar of support? You couldn't live with that. Oh, they're
Pets as Support Team Members
00:12:19
Speaker
furry. They're free little love nuggets. I count all of my pets as support team members and we don't talk about pets a lot on the pod, but they need a shout out and so I'm shouting them out today.
00:12:30
Speaker
I would not even still be a business owner without pets. That's just a fact. Like I cannot mentally do life without them. So I know there's a lot of listeners who are probably the same way. There's a few reasons when I was thinking about it that I'm like, yeah, these are team members for me. So I just find that having specifically like a dog in my house, like that really lowers my stress level, like my anxiety.
00:12:59
Speaker
I'm able to just nest in my house and feel comfy and cozy, and my dog's here, and I can work for hours. When you work from home, like a lot of us do, having that extra heartbeat in the house is just really lovely. They just improve your mood. They scientifically do. They increase the release of that, quote-unquote, love hormone.
00:13:28
Speaker
It just makes you feel happy and bonded and connected and that all makes you work better. So that's a big deal. Plus, they're very good about getting you up and out of your chair, like getting you to take breaks, which is really important as an entrepreneur.
00:13:44
Speaker
because it's easy to go sit down for 10 hours and you lose the whole day and you're like, I haven't had a drink of water. I haven't walked anywhere. Like that's not right. So having a pet can make a diff. It's a big difference with that. For me, the horses do that too. It gets me out of the house. It gets me exercising. Like those are all just really good, good pieces that they can provide for me. And, you know, for me as someone with no kids, no spouse, like they're also
00:14:14
Speaker
a bit of purpose and motivation. There's a lot of shirts I see that are like, I work hard so my horse can have a better life. And I feel like that is definitely my life where I'm like, well, these things are incredibly expensive and they break all the time and they need more supplements than any Olympian. And so I need to make this work.
00:14:38
Speaker
if I want these things in my life. So I just love them a lot. My dog's name is Squirrel. He's like, he's my joy. He's my humor. He gets me out. He gets me moving. And then like I said, the horses are just like, they're outside, they're community, they're learning and exercise. Like they just feel so many purposes that for me, I really do. I count them as support team members.
00:15:04
Speaker
I love it. I think we had, well, in the very first season when we had Darby on and she's a dog walker, she, she actually, I think maybe she just calls them. She has names for her animals or unless she was, unless we saw that on her website and she's like, and this is whatever her cat was. Yeah.
00:15:22
Speaker
Yeah, they have their own job duties that they do better than she does. Yeah, I don't think you're a load of this. Okay, animals number two. All right, so people first. Okay, that's good. Animals. Second. All right. What would you say is your third pillar of support?
Wellness and Mental Health Strategies
00:15:39
Speaker
Yeah, so this is one I did not do well with at the beginning and I'm doing slightly better with now as a 10-year entrepreneur. As a baby entrepreneur, I really didn't build out kind of this holistic wellness team. I didn't have like a wellness safety net, I would say.
00:16:00
Speaker
And mostly just because no one talked about it. I know 10 years doesn't maybe sound like that far back, but this was not a thing. This is not a topic. So currently, I'm being a lot more intentional, partly inspired by you because you're so good at this part. But of really having the big pieces of my well-being supported not just by me. Because when things get tough,
00:16:29
Speaker
You can't really rely on that, right? You need a little extra. So when I was thinking through what that team looks like for me now, it's really, we've talked about this before, but I have a resilience coach. She was on season one, I believe. Two.
00:16:49
Speaker
She's part of our wellness season. We have a whole season on wellness if this topic resonates. Season two, yes. Yes. So I met Lorca on the podcast and then hired her to be resilience coach. And for some reason, I don't know. She's like, bomb for my heart. Like I just, it works for me. And she's kind of that mental and physical wellbeing piece because
00:17:13
Speaker
when your mental health is improved, you can do all the other things that keep you physically healthy. So, love having her recently dipping a toe into traditional therapy. Sure, he's out. I'm trying. I've struggled a little bit with the idea of it, but I think there's some value there.
00:17:39
Speaker
I'm giving it a go. I think a lot of people have that type of support in their wellness team and people love it and I have had it in the past and also have thought it's been super helpful. I think for you it's just hard because you already have like a resilience coach and so the line between the two is
00:17:58
Speaker
It's fairly similar, so do you really need both? I mean, they have maybe some different backgrounds and different tactics and strategies, but I will be curious to see what comes of this for you. Me too. I'm very new to it. Very new to it. The other thing I would say on the physical health front is that I do monthly massage, monthly chiropractic.
00:18:24
Speaker
Massage I've been doing for a while, but I wasn't doing it regularly until a couple of years ago. And then Kyra I just started this year. And between the two of them, the machine works a lot better. So, you know, you've talked about in your episodes in the wellness season that back pain, you know, if you're in pain, that really takes up a lot of your brain space.
00:18:48
Speaker
And that affects your business, obviously, but also your general happiness in life. And so for me, it's like, if I can keep the machine working as well as I can,
00:19:00
Speaker
without dedicating my entire life to it. Like I'm not going to become the fitness person or whatever, but I can do monthly maintenance on the machine. So I do try to do that now. Yeah. You know, I'm a big fan of that combo. You're so, you're so good at it. It's really made a difference. Yes. The other thing I tried this winter, like I'm looking at things that are more seasonal.
00:19:26
Speaker
So infrared saunas? I know, and you told me this too. I learned so much from you. I know. If I had just done everything you told me to do, like a decade ago, when we weren't even working together, that would have been better. I agree. Well, I'm newer to the sauna. I'm only two years in, and mine's a traditional sauna. But I really pushed you guys. I was like, Nicole, I just need you to go to a sauna just a couple times and try it.
00:19:54
Speaker
And I was like, this is so nice to do absolutely nothing. Absolutely nothing. I just sit here and I know that something is working on cells and I just quietly sit here and that was very good for me. So that's a good one. When I think of wellness team, I also include my writing coaches in there. So I take weekly lessons with my courses and to me, those coaches are
00:20:25
Speaker
both, it's about a hobby, yes, but it's also about life. Like every lesson has
00:20:32
Speaker
bigger lessons about life like the whole sport does, right? If you're, if you're paying any attention. So my riding coaches are definitely part of my wellness team and they know me personally and they pick up on whether I'm okay or not. And they understand how horses and how the horses you're doing impact your life and, and all of that. So I love that. But then I think my, my biggest support system that I have are kind of like, I call them my little six. It's, you know, the friends that I,
00:21:02
Speaker
really intentionally try to keep in touch with every day, every week at least, and really doing the check-ins and putting in a lot of time and energy and trying to keep those friendships going and relationships going. And if I start to fall off there, that's when I'm like, okay, that's something else needs to change because
00:21:25
Speaker
these are the people that I really value and I need to be pouring back into. When I even look at the list, I feel calmer about it. I'm like, look at all these people. They've got me. They've got me. It's fine.
00:21:41
Speaker
You're not alone. Yeah, it's not alone, which is big deal for an entrepreneur who can also, it can feel pretty lonely sometimes. Yeah. And it's hard, I know, like looking at this list and people might be going, oh, it takes a lot of time to get to this. So you don't have to be like, oh, right away, I need to have this all put in place. And you have to try different people and find your people. But I have felt when I found the right person,
00:22:10
Speaker
Like just, I knew and I know and...
00:22:15
Speaker
One of them, I'm having coffee with Tamara. She asked me at my last appointment, do you want to cross over onto the friend's line? Or cross the friend's back? I can't remember what phrase she said. Yes, please. We're having tea, right? And so you just kind of radiate, kind of like your soul sees their soul and you nod and you're like, okay. And now you're in each other's circle, right? So it's just intentionally putting yourself out there and trying and not forcing and then just trusting that you'll magnetize the right people you need at a certain point.
00:22:44
Speaker
points in your life. And it might be for a season, right? It may not be that every person is part of this team for you forever and being okay with that. But like you said, I think you have to try out people and see.
00:23:01
Speaker
if it's like soothing to your soul to hang out with them. But yeah, it's made a big difference. So I wish that I could go back and insert all of these people into every struggle I ever had, but better now than never. We learn as we go. We do. All right. Your final pillar you couldn't live without. What is it for today? I'm sure there's more, but these are our top four. So what's your last one?
00:23:27
Speaker
Yes. These are straight up systems.
Tools for Business Efficiency
00:23:31
Speaker
We talked a lot about the people side of things, but we also, us particularly, are really big into systems. I know that you have some of these on your list coming up too. But for me, there are some systems that I literally use every single day and my business doesn't function without. I wanted to touch on three of those.
00:23:52
Speaker
The first of which is Canva. So a lot of people have heard of it. I am someone who grew up on like the traditional design tools, you know, the illustrators and in designs and all the things. I can still do it. And that's fine. But man, do I love efficiency even more than making stuff from scratch. So for me, Canva is the tool that I am in literally every day making graphics for
00:24:20
Speaker
all of my various jobs, right? We're in the middle of writing clinics and I manage those for the barn and I'm like, every day I'm in there making social sharing graphics and all the things. And for our business, I use it. And it's good for, you know, just having all these templates at your fingertips that you can modify so you can still make it your own, but you're not starting from a white piece of paper. You can save all of your brand assets in there. You can,
00:24:48
Speaker
just quickly produce things that look higher quality. And especially for people that don't maybe have a design background.
00:24:57
Speaker
really, yeah, like it's a really big gap filler for that. So that one's huge. And if you're in any kind of business, just get on camera, just do it right now. I mean, I still have the free version because I have so many people have you and I have someone on my team who is really into it. So I for so long was like, I don't need to, I don't even need to be in there. I don't need to learn it. I don't want to learn it. And then
00:25:23
Speaker
I made something, myself, and I sent it to you. Nicole was like, this is incredible. I was like, look at what you did. I can't believe it. You're right. And finally I was like, okay, I guess even I could use it if I didn't have, so I don't have to rely on other people. So yeah, very easy. I am now a Canva convert. Yes. Great.
00:25:47
Speaker
Okay, system number two. Yeah, system number two is called Teamwork Projects, and it is our project management system for the agency that I've had. We've had it almost since the beginning. We used Basecamp originally and then outgrew it. And Teamwork Projects, it's where we assign and organize and manage all of our tasks. It's where we have all of our reminders and notifications, so I'm not being like, I wonder if I owe anyone anything.
00:26:14
Speaker
I don't ever want to have that question. I don't ever want to have it. I want a system that tells me when I need to do something. It lets us turn tasks into templates. So when we have a new campaign, Abby, like I mentioned before, who runs our project management side, she can just load the template for what tasks are in a direct mail campaign. We're not making it every time. What a huge time saver.
00:26:39
Speaker
It's how our team communicates. Everything is in there. There's no one-off emails from designers or writers. No one's left off anything. It's just everything in one place, which is lovely. We can manage files in there and stuff. We don't do a ton of that. You can also use it to manage time if you're billing hourly, which is not my personal jam, but you can totally do it.
00:27:07
Speaker
And yeah, so it's just, again, it's a huge time saver. It keeps everybody organized, and we love it.
00:27:14
Speaker
Yeah, my two favorite things about it, I would say for you as the business owner, it's also visibility for a virtual team. So you can see at any point where all the projects are, where everybody's tasks are, what each staff member, staffer, in quotes, has done and hasn't done, right? And so that's always a selling point for me when I'm working with clients saying, if you want to scale and you want to hire, I really think you need to be in a project management system because you don't have that visibility otherwise with a virtual team.
00:27:41
Speaker
And then i think the other thing is that it's really accessible and easy to use compared to so like there's click up for example which is an exceptional product and does a lot more than teamwork does but it's.
00:27:55
Speaker
It is overwhelming. It is hard to learn and to understand. Where teamwork isn't, it's similar to Asana. I personally, I like the interface of teamwork better. So it's not something to be intimidated by. It's very easy to start using and to implement.
00:28:13
Speaker
There's a mobile app, so we all use that too. It lets us just keep on top of things without feeling like, I need to get back to a computer to answer that. It'll send reminders to your regular email inbox.
00:28:29
Speaker
So it's all accessible on your phone too, which when you're like us, like you have kids, you're always running around. Like I'm at the bar in half the time and it's just, it makes it easier to keep things rolling when they need a five minute response. Like you don't have to wait. Right. Which I don't turn the notifications on though for it. I do try to protect that. So don't worry. You don't have to use the app. But if I know something came in an email and I need to go to the app while I'm out, then I don't feel like I have to be back to a computer. Exactly.
00:28:59
Speaker
All right, you have one more that I know you use all the time, one of your favorite systems. Yes. So Boomerang is my joy. It's my love. It is what I use to pause my inbox. And I love inbox pause. If I could convince all of you to just go get inbox pause,
00:29:22
Speaker
Would be delighted my life would be complete if everyone listening to this pod gets boomerang what i love specifically is pausing my email overnight and just knowing it just you just know that no one can get to you.
00:29:37
Speaker
So you're protected, you know, and that's what I need, right? Because I don't want to wake up at two in the morning and reach over and check email. How many people do that? But everybody's doing that, right? And I used to do it as well. And now
00:29:54
Speaker
Never, I never do that. So inbox pause huge for that. It's also really good if like you're on vacation, you're taking a long weekend and you don't trust yourself to not be checking in all the time. So it's just a really good way to set some boundaries for yourself.
00:30:13
Speaker
The tool also let you schedule emails to send later which is super handy so like you can get some things prepped but maybe you don't want that person getting the email until thursday you can do that super easy. You can also have a boomerang things back to you if someone doesn't reply so again this is just like removing the amount of clicks that i need to do for my life and it removes the amount that i have to keep in my brain stem.
00:30:37
Speaker
about, you know what, did Mallory get back to me about whatever? I mean, A, of course she did. Of course she did. She always does. But B, if she was a different kind of person and I needed to follow up with her, like, I don't have to remember to follow up.
00:30:52
Speaker
Which is, I know that's a good one. So yeah, so I love that. And also you can, you can set up your own notifications. You can do recurring emails. Like I have an email that sends to myself every day that just says, what would make today feel like a success? And I see it every morning and I think, well, here's one thing, you know, and it just, it's a little reminder. So yes, I love it so much. Yeah.
00:31:18
Speaker
I don't know that you did that. Have fun. I do. Yeah. So those are, yes, those are my go-tos.
Free Resources and Outsourcing
00:31:28
Speaker
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00:31:36
Speaker
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00:32:06
Speaker
I know that you have some similar things on your list, and we talked through this, about different types of support and systems, but it's got your own Mallory flavor to it. So what's first on your list when you think about the support or systems that you can't live without anymore? Yes, okay. So my number one, I'm calling a solid sounding board.
00:32:31
Speaker
So what I mean by that is there's at least one person who knows the whole story, right? And how to communicate with you when things are up and down. So it's not like, oh, you know, they only know bits and pieces. And so if I were going to rely on them, I'd have to fill them in on all this and it just takes so much energy. Yeah, I don't want to go through all those things.
00:32:56
Speaker
They just are, you keep them up to date on the big, you know, not every tiny little thing, but on the big thing. So they just know. So at any point they could support you, right? So for me, I mean, my main person, I think I have a few of these, but my main person is my husband. You may have heard him on episode 25, Stefan, he talks about flow, flow state, but for you, it could be, you know, it could be a partner, it could be a best friend, a mentor, parent.
00:33:23
Speaker
So it's that one person who just kind of knows everything. And ideally, they'll encourage you to be yourself around them high or low. So you don't have to wear a mask when you're around them. You can just be authentic. So if you can think about those people, I would encourage you to express gratitude to them and let them know how important they are to you. And also make sure that you can continue to foster that relationship.
00:33:52
Speaker
expect that in return from somebody without putting energy and effort in and maybe being that back for them, right? So even when things are busy, you want to make sure you're doing that and you don't take that for granted.
00:34:06
Speaker
Well, and what do you think about, does it always have to go both ways with the same person? Or do you think that sometimes you might be this person for one friend, but then maybe your husband is that person for you? Is it always a two-way street of like, we have to be each other's person for the business side of things? I mean, I don't think so, but I think that
00:34:29
Speaker
even still that person needs to give back to you in some way or else it would eventually, I feel like it would feel one sided.
00:34:39
Speaker
You know, and I don't, I don't think you can be all the things to one person, but I think that there has to be like some give and take. I also think it fluctuates, especially when you're talking about a partnership, especially a marriage, right? There's sometimes when you're giving, it's like collectively there needs to be a hundred percent. So sometimes I'm giving 70 and he's giving 30, but sometimes he's giving 80 and I'm giving 20 and collectively it hits a hundred percent, right? That's how I look at it.
00:35:08
Speaker
I just think, I love how you phrase that, that there needs to be someone who knows the whole story. That was such a brilliant way to say that because it means that you can skip the steps, right? And when something is happening, you don't have to add all the stress of telling them why you're stressed, right? Like that doesn't help. You can skip that part and just be like, you get where we're at, right? So what are we gonna do today about this thing?
00:35:35
Speaker
And that is so comforting, right? To just be like, I don't have to rehash the history of my business to this person. They get it. They know where I am. They also, I think you said this a little bit, but encourage you to be the better version of yourself and reflect back to you the things that you would like to be
00:35:58
Speaker
behaving like the things you would like to be saying the actions you would like to be taking because they know you and You may be a little too involved to see those things. That's true Yeah, and I think you and I are each other's sounding boards a lot too So I would put you in this in this category where I said, you know My number was is my husband but I think I have a few and I think we we really can pick up from where we left off and I think that piece about
00:36:25
Speaker
Actually, I think with you and I a little bit more, it's a witnessing. It's just an understanding and I see you and I get it because I know your history and I know the story. I would say you more than anyone taught me to do that. I mean, you're still better at it, but to just be like,
00:36:44
Speaker
What people really need and actually, Nicole, what you need is just to have somebody be like, oh, yeah, no, I hear you. That sucks. I don't need you to solve it. I just need to be like, yeah, no, I see what's going on. You know, that that sucks. And how many times do we want to just step in and offer advice and we want to solve it and we feel like we're taking on people's problems. That's now it's our problem to solve. And that's not actually why we're sharing it. And it it really does it.
00:37:13
Speaker
It benefits both people to just become a really good witness, right? Because it keeps you from, like you said, taking on everyone else's problems, which just burns you out. But your friends also feel seen and not alone. And they have a place to go to just be like,
00:37:32
Speaker
Everything sucks. Like, that's it. You don't need to do anything. Just that's where we're at today. And they can just say, yeah, it does suck. And I'm not going to solve for you. And I think this is a really good parenting strategy too. And I will give shout outs to I learned a lot of this from Molly from last season.
00:37:53
Speaker
who talked about the sabbatical from her programs. And I've learned a lot. I think Glennon Doyle has talked about it some on her podcast too. And from StrataJoy, from Molly, we use the yellow heart emoji. Just be like, I'm witnessing and it's a yellow heart, right? And it's just, yeah, shorthand. Yes, I see you. And that's really all we need not to feel quite so alone in business. So you have done a great job teaching me the value of that. So thank you.
00:38:23
Speaker
But this is not the end of your support team, is it? It's not just Stefan. So there's more. Yeah, because one person can't be all. Yes, one person shouldn't be all the things. OK. So then I'm saying my support team, and you had different words for it. So for me, this was initially when I added agency contractors to just me being a solo virtual assistant before we became online business managers.
00:38:50
Speaker
And originally I kind of had to fumble my way through this. I brought them on and I was still owning all the contracts and just giving them tasks. And I quickly realized that wasn't saving me any brain space. You're the bottleneck. Yeah. So I ended up giving them entire contracts to own and that is where the relief and the support came.
00:39:14
Speaker
And then I eventually, I had been preaching it for a long time, but I finally brought on a bookkeeper myself and I don't know what took me so long. And that was amazing. Yes. This brings back the things that we're not super good at that other people are and they like them for some reason passing understanding. I can't, I can't get it, but they like it.
00:39:38
Speaker
I tell you, I mean, cause the reconciling of the accounts every month, it kills my soul, right? But people do find that, you know, the tediousness and then like checking a box and like, look, it's done. They find that fulfilling. They probably don't say tedious. Yeah. They, they have it. They think it's fun. I don't know. We'll ask them on the money season. Yes.
00:40:04
Speaker
So my bookkeeper, I do have an accountant as well, especially because now we're Canada, US taxes and all that. I just don't even bother and I trust them and they're dual certified and it's expensive and I don't care.
00:40:17
Speaker
I just pay it every year. So for you, this might be a virtual assistant or an online business manager, maybe a content manager or social media manager. In my life, I've had so many of these people out there helping me in different ways and they help in my business. And then I also lumped into this category, my wellness support team too. So they've helped in my business, they've helped in my life.
00:40:45
Speaker
I also have a massage therapist slash osteopath, a chiropractor. She's a gentle chiropractor, so she doesn't actually do. She was also on the pod. Karen, yep, season two as well. And my naturopath was on season two as well. We just bring all of our loveys on. And I really do think that building your support network in all areas of your life is worth it.
00:41:08
Speaker
and it is necessary. I know it can be hard. I think for me, when we moved each time historically, I've had many big cross-country and then the international move. And I think that's why it was always so hard for me in the beginning because I had to start over and build those in-person support networks, not the virtual ones. I still had some.
00:41:30
Speaker
But I think having those in place has all, once I've got those in place, I felt more anchored and more connected and supported and grounded and resourced, right? And it has made everything feel better.
00:41:41
Speaker
Well, and we have this thing where usually after appointments, we'll voxel each other. I don't know why it's just after appointments and we're like, here's what happened in this appointment. And I could just tell from your voice, when you go to the naturopath or when you go to the chiropractor, you're just like, here's what we're doing. And there's someone else on your side to address
00:42:03
Speaker
Life or health or whatever and you don't feel like okay well now i need to be the one to solve back pain like i need to be a doctor now as well as being a business owner that's not realistic.
00:42:16
Speaker
I do remember when I was in therapy last year and those were intense boxers on the way home. But I do remember recently I messaged you and just said, oh my gosh, I was so worried. I had this foot pain for like three days. I thought it was going to be something that took me out for months and I went in and Karen did this and it's the next morning I woke up and was gone. Right? Yeah. It's just being able to share the joy of the support with someone.
00:42:42
Speaker
Yes, so I love that. You've definitely taught me how to do that. But this is not the end. You have three of yours. Three out of four are about people and that is not surprising if you know Mallory. But what's your third group here? I'm calling it my collaborator group.
00:43:00
Speaker
Okay, tell me about these people. Okay, well, this is where you come in. Oh, okay. Okay. This is where I live. This is a large Nicole category. No, you've been in all three of them so far. But before, you know, I was really building everything on my own and I did use my contractors to bounce ideas off of, but kind of like the phrase of like the buck stopped with me, right?
00:43:20
Speaker
But now in this endeavor, we are splitting decision making responsibilities, being able to brainstorm with one another.
Collaboration and Managing Relationships
00:43:29
Speaker
It brings a fresh challenge and it's new and it's invigorating and it's a new challenge because it's not just me trying to tackle it on my own.
00:43:39
Speaker
So it's different than a sounding board, which is what I put earlier, I think because they're in it with you. So if you don't have a business partner, this could be another business owner. I do have some other people who it's like, we get together for a coffee and we brainstorm each other's businesses. This could be a business coach for sure, obviously an executive coach.
00:44:02
Speaker
And because it's these people that are actually in the trenches that get it, even people in your support network, if they're not entrepreneurs or solopreneurs, they don't quite understand. So I'm talking about the people who get the industry, who understand your challenges, who don't have to, you don't have to explain like what you're doing or why it works or how you make money or the fact that you have to pay taxes. They're like, yeah, I know. Yeah, they just get it. So I'm talking about the people in the industry that understand that you can get with a mentor,
00:44:32
Speaker
another colleague, if you will, someone in the same industry that you can bounce ideas off of and support each other that way. And I would even call these people like the reserves, you know, so maybe they're not your everyday person, right? They're not Stefan who's, you know, listening to your story over breakfast and knows all the stories from yesterday and all the days before, right? But maybe this is your business coach who you call on
00:44:58
Speaker
to be like a reservist and be like, okay, here's the thing. Here's the thing we're doing. I need you to weigh in and help me solve it. Not just listen to me. This is not just your witness. This is like, help me do the thing.
00:45:14
Speaker
Or give me ideas that I can ponder and then find my sacral note. That's where I get a little woo woo. Find my sacral yes from you saying out loud and I go, oh, that resonates, right? So it's a sounding board, but in a sense where they just understand, right? So yeah, there you go. That's what I'm calling my collaborators.
00:45:33
Speaker
That's perfect, that's perfect. But you are not only about the people, right? This is not enough to support your businesses and make them run efficiently. There's also quite a few systems that you can't live without anymore. So what are three, I know there's more than that for you, but tell me about the first one. And I knew what this one was gonna be before you even sent me your list. I know.
00:46:01
Speaker
Well, if anybody's listened to my episode at the start of season three, then they probably know too. I'll preface this by saying if you took any of these three things away from me today, I would struggle to manage my business and partly my life.
00:46:22
Speaker
my actual business is systems. So it's funny because I am the connection and the person. But what I actually do is create efficiencies in people's businesses through systems. So there's so many and there's some that are specific to what industry you're in. But I would say for me, I have to start with dubsado.
00:46:43
Speaker
I use it and I love it. I'm now a specialist in it. I really do love the system because it was built for entrepreneurs. And it's a CRM, right? It's a client-relationship management system in a sense. It's kind of like a system hub where it also has other features that entrepreneurs need, like a scheduler, like an online signature signing software. All in one, so you only have to have the one system.
00:47:06
Speaker
This is how we manage this podcast with guests. So I would say without it, I would lose a lot of sanity and sleep. Oh, I tell you, this is when I became a convert when she set this all up. And I was like, holy cow, how do people do without this?
00:47:23
Speaker
How is anyone running a podcast without this? I don't know. If you have guests, I think that's the big piece of just remind, like getting them scheduled, reminding them when they're recording is, getting all their assets, getting them their questions, getting them their promo materials, right? It's those pieces. Otherwise you could have it in a project management system, all the tasks you had to do. But it's the communication with, it's external communication. That's not in your project manager system. That's not happening. That's all internal. So this,
00:47:50
Speaker
This is what Dubsado does. So it does all that communication in a timely fashion, even when you're not working, because it has workflows built in and many things are automated and they trigger, if they're not automated, they trigger Nicole and I on what we need to do when we need to do it based on something else getting done first. And then we know. And you use this for your agency as well, right? It's not just our, our podcast management, but what kinds of stuff do you use for that? What kinds of features?
00:48:20
Speaker
Anytime we get a new client in, there's a contract signature. So there's just signing online. It's super easy. There's the workflows and the automations for onboarding new clients, onboarding new team members. There's also there's proposals. So if you're selling multiple packages, you can send them the proposal and then they can choose what they want.
00:48:39
Speaker
The workflow creation, if they're doing that offering with me, they can choose the whole white glove service, or they can say, I've already set up and dubbed site. I don't need that. I just need you to build the workflows. There's two different offers. You can choose from, there's the online scheduler, so I don't have to have Calendly as well. There's multiple scheduling links. There are some times in the past, we're kind of away from this now, but in the past, we were using time tracking. There's a whole time tracking application in there.
00:49:07
Speaker
And then I actually use it for my invoicing and my transaction tracking. So all my invoices and all my expenses go in there. And then I can generate a P&L report at the end of the year for my accountant. So easy. And they use that. My bookkeeper is so lovely to use my transaction list from Dubsado to reconcile with my bank account every month. Yeah.
00:49:31
Speaker
I mean, what you just said was basically seven specialty systems in one place. And I know that because I have had so many systems. So this is better. And I see why you're obsessed with it. That's why it was built for the entrepreneur in mind, just knowing there's all these things, right? And I shared in the workflow episode, but it is a cute story, the husband and wife. The wife was an entrepreneur, the husband.
00:49:59
Speaker
is a developer. So he built this system for her and now it's like a full on tech company. This is like their child. Yeah, they have real children. This is what you get between.
00:50:08
Speaker
Yeah, this is their CRM child. Yeah, between an entrepreneur and a... Yeah. Yep. Yep. You're like, this is what you get. Yeah, that makes sense. Blue eyes, dark hair. Yeah. And if you want 30% off, so my affiliate link does get you 30% off now that I'm a specialist. That's for your first year or month. And I will put that link in the show notes. And then of course, if you need more information about what the heck I'm talking about, you can find me.
00:50:31
Speaker
and get in touch. Yes, I love it. I love it. So you use this for a lot of, like you said, reminders, notifications and all of that. But you actually do have kind of a light project management system too,
Task and Time Management with Digital Tools
00:50:43
Speaker
right? So that's one of the things that you would struggle if you didn't have it. So tell me about that.
00:50:48
Speaker
Yes, this is how I function. And everybody praises me for being so organized, and I never forget anything, and this is how I do it. It's just very simple. It is not a full-on project management system. I mean, they might call it that, but I use Trello. To me, it's my to-do list. I used to be a pen and paper notepad person, and I had my to-do list, and I would cross it off. But that became less efficient when I was mobile.
00:51:12
Speaker
Right. And I'm now going to this kids activity and I have two hours to wait and I have my computer, but I don't want to bring my notepad. So it's basically my to do list now in electronic form that way on any computer I can access it. And I have it set up like days of the week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
00:51:31
Speaker
I have all the tasks laid out on what's going to happen each day. They can have deadlines associated with it. I also label the black color later on each of those days. So I know it's coming up on next Tuesday, but it's not this week. That's so smart.
00:51:51
Speaker
Just context, just context. Yeah, but what I really like about it is that if I do, if I don't, and I, you know, you can move them very easily, but I put them in order of importance. Like on Tuesday, these three things have to happen in this order, but if I don't get to the fourth thing on the list, I just move it to Wednesday, unless there's a hard deadline that I have, you know, set on there.
00:52:13
Speaker
I also pull everything out of my inbox if it's not something I answer quickly. I do not keep tasks in my inbox to do. I put them onto this list. So that helps me manage my inbox. And then you file those emails.
00:52:27
Speaker
because it's in your Trello. Yeah. So you're like, I'm not going to forget it if I don't see this in my inbox. And I file it. I do have labels in my inbox, and I put them where they need to be. I'm not like a huge inbox zero person in a sense that I still keep informational things in there that I know are coming back, or I can boomerang them back to myself on a certain day. But it's always small enough that I can see it on one screen. And there's no tasks living in there. We are one screen people. Yeah, for sure. 100%.
00:52:57
Speaker
So yeah, that's my big secret to how I stay organized. I even put personal reminders on there too. So when I have to book an appointment for the kids or I need to send something to the accountant, I put it on there. And honestly, if I didn't have this as a guide, I would just wonder what I'm supposed to do every day when I sat down. What do I need to do today? I think that's the exact thing that we're trying to get away from is what systems can free up the brain space?
00:53:26
Speaker
from wondering, what should I be doing? What did I forget? Do I need to do literally everything on my list today because I don't have it planned out with time blocked for Thursday? It just takes the uncertainty away and it takes the overwhelm away of just being like, listen, everything has its place.
00:53:46
Speaker
there is time for those things. It is not today or it is today. And I know where to find the details. It's not overwhelming. And that's like the biggest thing that systems does. It just frees up space. Yes, honestly, which is one of my core values.
00:54:05
Speaker
Every Friday, it's like a little ritual. I mean, it takes me a few minutes. I just look at my week coming up. I move everything to the appropriate spot. I look at what days, you know, a lot of times we're recording most of these episodes on Tuesdays. So I don't put as many tasks on Tuesdays, because I know those are meeting days. And then I have client meetings Thursday. So Monday and Wednesdays get packed with really long lists. Tuesdays and Thursdays are kind of light. And I get it ready. And then I'm not spending just 15 minutes wondering what I'm doing Monday morning. It just creates efficiency.
00:54:33
Speaker
And then sometimes I get through the whole list and I can start on stuff from the next day because I'm not sitting there wondering, what do I have to do? Or go sit in the sauna. Yeah. Go have a coffee. Like do whatever else you want to do. Yeah. Yeah. That's there. There's the magic. That's the magic sauce right there. I love that.
00:54:53
Speaker
Well, but you also, you've hinted at this a little bit now, but like your calendar, you've got this dialed. And I feel like this is one of the things that you've got so dialed that if I took it away, you would be like, I can't know. We can't even talk about it. Okay. My calendar. Okay. So this is like, this is, I mean, this is a system, I guess I'm going to say system in quotes. This is it. Oh, I think it's a system.
00:55:18
Speaker
I mean, it's just literally my calendar on my phone, right? My Google calendar, whatever. I put all engagements and meetings on my calendar and I keep it synced. This sounds so silly and simple, but I do know people who don't do this. And if you don't do this, you can't use a scheduling link.
00:55:37
Speaker
If you can't use a scheduling link, the efficiencies, oh, emailing back and forth, when can you get together, oh, whatever, seven times and then you've landed, right? Scheduling this podcast, that would be a nightmare. Just keep your calendar synced so you can use some of the efficiencies, right? It saves so much time. I also know that everything's covered and I won't miss anything. I also share my calendar with people.
00:56:04
Speaker
different availabilities of what you can see. So Stefan, my husband, he has full access to it to see. So if usually it's the other way around, let's be real, I'm scheduling an appointment with so and so for us that we both need to be on. I can see his calendar and you need to know his travel and vice versa. Yes.
00:56:24
Speaker
But I will tell you, we also are one car family since we moved to the US. We only imported one car, which was a gigantic task if you've never had to do it. So I'm glad we only did one car and we live, we both work from home and we live like a block from the school. So we said, we'll just see if we need to buy another car.
00:56:43
Speaker
It's almost three years and we haven't had a need yet. I mean, I will say we've had to Uber every once in a while or we have family here now to help because it's mostly just like the kids. I don't crazy you enough for this. I can't even. So honestly, this is what we do during the day. I just put on my calendar if I need to take the car and he does the same thing. So if I need to make an appointment, I know if the car is free or not. Like how would you do it if you didn't do it?
00:57:11
Speaker
If you did, put it on the calendar. Yeah. But appointments, social engagements, I just book it. I put it on my husband's calendar so he knows. It keeps us on the same page. Honestly, I don't know how to do life without it. Well, and just think about how much conflict this never happens because you do it this way, right?
00:57:32
Speaker
There isn't confusion, just the amount, right? Not that it never happens. It doesn't mean everyone looks at the calendar, but no, it's just late. You know, if you're running late, you are saving yourself. Yes, you are. You are. Yeah. Or when I go into the car and there's a flat tire, I'm just trying to go to an appointment. I'm like, well, I don't have a backup car. That sucks. I remember when that happened. Yep.
00:57:55
Speaker
That was not ideal. Not ideal. I think calendar totally belongs in systems. If I had a fifth bucket that I could do today, it would be calendar 100% because the way that you manage your calendar can either increase your happiness and calm or make your life completely chaotic. For me, one of the things I like to do is color code
00:58:22
Speaker
The most important color is red, and that's something where I physically have to be there, or I need to be on a call, or I need to be at an appointment, or I have a lesson. Something that physically requires me to be on time for something. It is in red, because when I look at my next week, which I constantly do, my brain just knows if it's too much red.
00:58:46
Speaker
And if it's too much red, I am moving things. I am moving things around. I can tell if it's too much red on a particular day or for the whole week. Like that's part of me managing my own energy. And I know that you do that too. Just like look at the week and be like, does that look kind of like your sacral yes or no? And your body's like, nope.
00:59:05
Speaker
I'm going to go real deep here because we've talked about menopause. We've talked about women's hormones on this podcast. I know it's a business podcast. I think this should be part of the conversation. I also will compare to when I am in my cycle to know if I am going to be energetically or socially willing to do that task. This is new in the last couple of years.
00:59:27
Speaker
So if I'm going to some big networking event, if I'm in the second half of my cycle, I'm like, I'm not going to want to do that then. First two weeks, great, book it. And so this is something new. And I was really bad about that before. Or not looking ahead, and I book stuff because it looks free, but then I realize that's four days or four weekends in a row.
00:59:48
Speaker
Well, and you made the point of saying, am I going to be able to enjoy the things on my schedule in that particular place? And whether it's being on your cycle or maybe it's like the day before had a lot of red stuff. So if I'm trying to work on a big project the next day, I'm not going to have anything left.
01:00:07
Speaker
Right? So it also relates back to Stefan's episode about, you know, getting into this flow state of work and being like, if I have a big project next week, or I'm doing something that takes a lot of brainpower, I need to adjust the rest of the schedule. So I think a lot of times people think of it as a really like calendars are really transactional, right? And if there's time there, there's time there. No, like that time is not all to be filled. We are not trying to be busy.
01:00:37
Speaker
We're trying to add space, right? And so it's like the less you can have on there, the better. Or fulfillment. Right. Is it going to fulfill me at what part on that day at that time? And so often I think entrepreneurs specifically will just open up their calendar at any time anybody wants time.
01:00:58
Speaker
they're available, right? And that's like, that's a hard no. Set your schedule. That is the perk of having your own, having your own company. Exactly. Well, I love, I love these pillars for you. These are exactly right. This is what makes you organized and also Zen, Zen adjacent on some days when the, when the tire is, uh, is low, but still, but I do, I really, I like this group.
01:01:28
Speaker
for people to introduce them to different ideas or just the things that we have found made such a difference for us.
01:01:36
Speaker
Yeah. So if you, our challenge to you is to think about this interview and think about what your top four support and system pillars would be. And then maybe just show some gratitude for them to yourself or express them to those people. And it will make you feel real good. I promise. Yes. Yes. So thank you everybody for listening and we will see you next week with the first guest interview of the season.
01:02:04
Speaker
Thanks for listening. Visit UnboundBoss.com to download free resources, browse our courses, or leave us a voice memo for the podcast. And if you like the show, please subscribe, leave us an Apple review, and share your favorite episodes with other women entrepreneurs. Talk to you soon.