The online business world is always busy. It’s no secret that every single day there is a “new best thing” bursting onto the scene that could potentially change the way we run our businesses. And while sometimes they can be helpful, sometimes they’re just more. 

This epidemic of over-complication is not only something that can harm our businesses, bogging them down with unnecessary extras, but it can also negatively impact our lives and the way we live – hindering progress towards our goals, making us more inefficient, blinding us to the direction we really want to go in, and ultimately leading to burnout. 

So, we must mindfully simplify. 

Simplifying in our businesses isn’t about cutting corners or trying to take the easy way out, it’s about making sure that each of our actions are intentional and purposeful, and every tool we use or piece of content we share actually adds value to our business. When we get rid of extra noise and busy-ness, we can focus more on tasks that actually make an impact in our businesses’ growth, and have time to live a life outside of our businesses. 

The spaciousness that simplification creates frees up mental space for clear decision-making, more creative ideas, and ultimately reduces the feelings of overwhelm that can be so detrimental to our lives and businesses. 

Plus, a simplified business is more easily scalable. As your business grows, it inherently becomes more complex and includes more things you need to juggle. But when your foundations are simple and clear, it becomes easier to adapt to new challenges that arise, and scale without making it unnecessarily complicated. 

And, a simplified business model will also often lead to a better customer experience. When people know exactly what to expect from you or how you can help them, it becomes easier for them to have a positive experience with your business. 

The power of simplifying cannot be overstated. In a world where being busy is often mistaken for being productive, taking a step back and simplifying can be revolutionary. It’s not just about working harder, but working smarter. So, let’s dive into six areas of your business that you may be able to simplify. 

Business Softwares and Tools

These are the things we use in the day-to-day of our business to do things like manage projects, send emails, share content, and more. These are the bedrock of our business operations. However, this is one place it can be so easy to get caught up in the allure of flashy new solutions and systems offering up ways to automate and organize our work. But, scattering our systems across the internet, as opposed to keeping them organized in one or two platforms, just leads to more time spent trying to remember what you put where, and trying to navigate this new maze of online tools you’ve created. 

Instead, keep it simple and focus on one or two high-powered platforms that contain what you need. One of my favorites is Kajabi – mainly because it contains just about everything I need to run my business! Aside from Kajabi, my most-used tools are Acuity and Trello. Kajabi offers a suite of tools for online course and membership creation, marketing, and sales, all in one place. Acuity Scheduling streamlines appointment setting and calendar management, and Trello provides an intuitive platform for task and project management.

When selecting software and tools for your business, focus on solutions that offer integration and centralization. This not only saves time but also creates a more cohesive workflow. For a more detailed look at the tools I use and recommend to run your business, check out this blog post.

📌⬇︎PIN IT⬇︎📌

Workflows

Speaking of workflows, let’s chat about the processes and systems we follow as we go through the normal operations of our business – aka, your workflows. 

A well-organized workflow is essential to smoothly running your business. It provides a road map, a blueprint, to your day-to-day operations, detailing exactly how you do what you do, ensuring consistency and efficiency in your work. 

When your workflows are scattered or not written out, it can be incredibly difficult to come back to projects you want to re-visit, or even to hire someone for help inside of your business – they won’t be able to help you if they don’t know how to do what you do! I organize all of my workflows in Trello, so my team and I can easily visualize what needs to be done, what has been done, and what’s coming up next. 

Some places you may want to start with organizing your workflows are areas like your client onboarding process or your approach to social media content creation. When I first started working 1-to-1 with clients, I would recreate every single thing during the onboarding process. Write new emails from scratch, design new welcome packets, etc. I cannot even tell you how much time that was wasting in my days! 

But by setting up systematic workflows for these tasks, you can create a repeatable and efficient process, saving time and reducing errors over time. 

Offers and Digital Products

First, let’s get on the same page about what an offer is – your offer is essentially just the thing you’re selling. Whether that’s 1-to-1 coaching, a group program, a membership, a course, or something else.

One of the most common overcomplications I see is entrepreneurs thinking they need to create countless offers to serve every single person who could ever come in contact with their brand. But, this could not be farther from the truth! 

Having too many offers in your business has a few very important drawbacks, including:

• Your focus will be spread so thin that you’ll never have the time to get really good at one thing and one offer
• You dilute your messaging and expertise
• Too many choices make potential clients feel overwhelmed and confused – and a confused, overwhelmed mind always says no. 

Each offer you create and sell requires time, energy, and resources to develop, market, and deliver. The more offers you have, the more stretched your resources become, which can lead to subpar services and customer dissatisfaction – something I know you don’t want to attract in your brand. 

While there is no “one right answer,” I recommend limiting your core offers to around 3 to begin with. This way, you can spend your time and energy on the things you do best, and that bring the most value to your clients. You’ll also be able to refine and perfect your offers over time to ensure they are tailored to your ideal client’s needs and wants. 

As the business owner and expert in your field, YOU are the one who knows what your clients need to succeed – not the other way around. It is absolutely important to keep client feedback in mind when creating and refining your offers. However, you should not be creating customized solutions for every single potential client who might find you online. Your offers should reflect your expertise, and help your clients get from point A to point B. 

By simplifying and streamlining your offers, you set your business up for greater success. This not only enhances your brand’s reputation and helps you create better content, but it also allows you to become known for the specific, high-quality service you offer. 

Ideal Clients

Your ideal client is an essential part of your business. This is the person you’re creating content for, speaking to in your messaging, and attracting through your branding. 

While your offer may be able to benefit many different types of clients, your business (and marketing) will be significantly simpler and easier to manage if you focus on one specific ideal client you can clearly speak to directly, without any confusion that they are who you’re talking to. 

That being said, I’ve been working with entrepreneurs long enough to know that for some business owners, focusing on one ideal client just doesn’t align with the vision you have for your business. If this is you, I’ve created two in-depth blog posts that you can read below:

• Is it Ok to Have Multiple Ideal Clients?
• How to Market to Multiple Ideal Clients: Finding and Speaking to the Common Thread

While catering to multiple ideal clients adds complexity, it doesn't have to lead to chaos. With a strategic approach and clear understanding of each client persona, you can create a business structure that serves diverse ideal clients without losing focus or diluting your brand message.

Managing Your Calendar 

Time is your most valuable asset, and how you allocate it can make the difference between thriving in your business or feeling perpetually overwhelmed. One strategy I personally use and love is time blocking – this is where you divide your day into “blocks” each dedicated towards a specific task or type of work. This allows for deeper focus on your work and significantly boosts productivity. 

For instance, you might block out Monday mornings for client meetings, reserve Tuesday afternoons for marketing activities, and dedicate Wednesday mornings to working on creating your course or offer. When you dedicate specific time slots to specific tasks, you avoid the mental clutter of constantly switching between different types of work, and you save time because you don’t have to think about what you’re going to do next. Not only that, but you work more efficiently, can easily track how long tasks are taking you, prioritize what needs to be done next, limit distractions, and create routine and structure for yourself. 

Another great practice for calendar management is blocking out times and days where clients can and cannot book appointments with you. If your calendar is open any time of the day for clients to pop onto your schedule, you’re almost inviting chaos to your schedule and time management, and might even find yourself always worried that an unexpected meeting is going to pop up at the same moment you need to get some extra work done.

While time-blocking and managing appointment scheduling are key strategies, holistic calendar management involves more than just scheduling tasks. It's about creating a rhythm that aligns with your personal productivity patterns and business needs. Decide which days of the week and hours of the day you are most productive, and try to find a schedule that suits both your personal life and work style.

A well-managed calendar is a reflection of a well-managed business and life.

Branding: Your Messaging and Visuals

The temptation to throw every idea, style, and concept into your branding can be overwhelming. You might think that by showcasing a wide array of elements, you're demonstrating versatility or creativity. However, this often leads to a disjointed and chaotic brand image.

Consistent simplicity in branding is a strategic approach that makes your brand more approachable and understandable to your audience. Here's why simplicity works:

• Clarity of Message: A simple, clear message is easier for your audience to grasp and remember. It cuts through the noise and speaks directly to the needs and desires of your audience.
• Consistent Visuals: Simplified visuals create a cohesive brand image. When your visuals are consistent across all platforms, they become instantly recognizable, strengthening your brand identity.
• Focused Approach: A streamlined brand helps you focus on your core values and vision. It aligns your branding efforts with your business goals, ensuring that every element of your brand is working towards the same objective.

If you feel like your brand may be more disjointed than you’d like, and you know there is some simplification that can be done – you’re in the right place! Start by taking a look at your current messaging and visuals and noticing whether they’re consistent or varied. From there, identify the central themes you’d like to convey, and eliminate anything that isn’t consistent with that. Then, implement this new consistent style across all your platforms, and stick with it over time! 

I have created so many various blog posts over the years that can help you simplify your visual brand, so here are a few of the most relevant for more in-depth work in this topic: 

• Your Brand’s Visual Identity: 10 Visual Branding Must-Haves for Service-Based Entrepreneurs
• Leveraging Brand Archetypes to Build a More Recognizable Brand
• Is Brand Inconsistency Costing You Business Success?

By simplifying your branding, you not only make your brand more accessible and understandable to your audience, but you also make it more memorable. A clear, focused brand stands out in a crowded marketplace, attracting more clients and building stronger connections. 

Throughout your simplification process, try taking a page from the Innocent archetype’s handbook. This archetype, centered around simplicity, purity, and clarity and teaches us invaluable lessons about running our businesses and living our lives.

The Innocent archetype reminds us that in a world increasingly complex and fast-paced, there is profound power in slowing down, simplifying processes, and focusing on what truly matters. This approach doesn't mean we are naive or unaware of the complexities of business; rather, it signifies a conscious choice to prioritize efficiency, clarity, and peace of mind.

Whether it's through choosing the right tools, streamlining workflows, refining our offers, targeting our ideal clients, managing our calendars, or aligning our branding efforts, tapping into the essence of the Innocent can guide us towards a more harmonious and effective business model. 

Even if the Innocent isn’t your dominant archetype, its principles can still resonate deeply and provide a guiding light in the bustling world of entrepreneurship. If you have yet to figure out what your primary archetype is, you can take the free quiz here.

If you want more actionable insights and a supportive community to help you build a brand that stands out, I’m here to support you in creating a purposeful, archetypal brand that makes money AND makes a difference. Explore how we can work together here.