As a mom of two little boys, a wife and business owner (with multiple business), I’m thrilled if I can save time and make any aspects of my business run more efficiently. That allows for more me time—walks, self-care, and generally not feeling rushed through every aspect of my day.

Setting up my business to run more efficiently also saves me brain space. I automated as many aspects of my business as possible so I’m not the one doing every little menial task. These tasks drain me and take away from my creativity.

Chances are, you have tasks that drive you nuts as well! The good news is that it’s actually easier than you might think to streamline your business so that it runs smoothly—even when you’re not around.

5 Hacks for Running a More Efficient Business So You Can Save Time

Better Intake Forms

Most of us with online businesses will have some sort of intake forms somewhere on our website. Maybe it’s that initial contact form, or maybe it’s an onboarding form to collect information from your client.

Really think about what information you want and need from your clients or potential clients and put space for that in your form. Want to know budget? Ask! Want to know when they want to start the project? Ask! You don’t have to go crazy, but if there are certain factors that would immediately disqualify them to work with you, ask those things and you’ll save yourself a bunch of time.

Automatic Payments

The energy around chasing down money is so low vibe. This was something I experienced in my own business, and finally decided that all payments would be automatic. You can do this through a cart software like ThriveCart or a myriad of other platforms out there.

It does take a little bit of time to set up, but knowing exactly when you’re going to get paid every time is quite literally magical! You just get an email notifying you that money is going into your account. You can be so grateful and excited about that without the stress and worry of collecting on an invoice.

Use a CRM

Also known as a customer relationship management—these platforms allow you to set up forms, contracts, questionnaires, payments, emails and so much more to go on autopilot.

It keeps projects more organized and makes it easy for your client to stay up to date on what’s happening. There are so many different platforms out there. I personally use Dubsado and really like it, but do a search for CRM and your industry and see what comes back as the best one.

Again, these do take some time to set up and understand, but it was a game changer! Now writing and sending a contract and initial payment link takes me just a couple of minutes instead of an hour.

Website That Functions for You

A website is an absolute essential for your business. This is your first impression to the outside world, so ask yourself—do I like the impression I’m giving people? Does my website really represent the level of service and professionalism I bring to the table? Is my website doing the work for me and selling my services?

If you’re not sure, ask a friend that you trust and will be honest with you. It should be crystal clear to anyone who lands on your website what you do, who you serve and how to connect with you.

If you’re in need of a new website and don’t want to spend a fortune, check out my website templates for a serious upgrade!

Set Client Expectations

Lastly, set your client’s expectations upfront. Be clear about when you’re available, how you communicate, what you need from them to get started. The more clear you are upfront, the smoother your process will run. As time goes on, you’ll probably run into more snags, add that into these client expectations.

You can send this in a welcome document titled “What to Expect” and outline exactly how your process works so there is no surprises. At the end of the day, most clients just want to be kept in the loop! This helps solve a lot of problems and usually makes your projects run more smoothly.

I hope you found this immensely helpful and if you loved it, you can dive into my full Streamlined Business Blueprint course inside The Collective. This membership includes:

• monthly group coaching call (worth $250)
• monthly coffee chat (worth $250)
• access to my Streamlined Business Blueprint course (worth $297)
• 1:1 access to me via chat within the group (worth $250)

You can join today for just $97/mo and join other like-minded female entrepreneurs who are committed to growing their businesses just like you! See you inside!

BTW, Showit vs. WordPress: which website platform is better for your small business, and how to be more productive when you work from home.