Embrace the thrill of transformation as we journey through the ins and outs of scaling your business from a solo venture to a dynamic, flourishing team. I unveil the intricate tapestry of my own business evolution, highlighting the milestones that propelled me from solopreneur to the conductor of a small but potent ensemble. This episode is saturated with practical wisdom, from leveraging the might of automation and delegation to the realization that the magnitude of your team doesn't put a ceiling on success. I also share an inspiring tale of a client who spun their modest blog into a six-figure powerhouse, proving that with the right mixture of systems and ingenuity, business growth can be both seamless and spectacular.
As we explore the diverse landscape of entrepreneurial achievement, you'll discover that the digital domain offers a plethora of opportunities regardless of your crew size. I encourage you to tune in and absorb the valuable strategies discussed, ensuring you're equipped to navigate the entrepreneurial waters with confidence and creativity. Remember to hit follow or subscribe for a steady stream of guidance, and consider passing on this episode's insights to other entrepreneurs in your network. Until next time, keep your ambitions burning bright and your business strategies sharper than ever. Farewell, my entrepreneurial comrades – may your ventures soar to new heights!
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Social Media Decoded podcast, the number one podcast to help you understand social media better, so that you grow your business, get more clients and monetize. And I am Michelle, your host, coming at you with another episode packed with some insights, inspiration and, of course, actionable advice to help you navigate the digital marketing landscape. So today, my friend, we're diving deep into a topic that's close to my heart and my journey the solo journey, building a scalable business as a one-woman show. Whether you are currently rocking it solo, considering expanding or anywhere in between, this episode is going to be from you. Now I want to start off by saying when I first started this journey online, I was a solopreneur. I've grown during 2020, 2021, 2022. I hired a team for my digital marketing agency and I do have two people on my team for my digital marketing agency, and I do have two people on my team for my digital marketing agency for my coaching and consulting business, where I have a 12-month group coaching program, my one-on-ones, my digital courses and things like that. It is now a one-woman show. I have had some VAs and assistants to help me, but it's now a one-woman show.
Speaker 1:
I do my podcast, so you're hearing me, I record the podcast. It's me doing everything, and so I want to talk about that, because I've come from, like I said, having a team, having a full team of people, and also being a solopreneur. And I want to talk about it all because I know that some people may be thinking and they may be trying to figure these things out. So again, I want to kick things off. Again. I have been where many of you are a one woman show, handling every single aspect of my business, from the content creation to client calls and everything in between. I still do. I still show up on my client calls, I still go to my daughter's school.
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What I've really learned? And over these last five years, I've really developed a strategy where my calendar is not blocked with all these things. That's the number one thing, right? So it can be overwhelming, it's exhilarating and challenging, but we can do this. But here's the thing I feel that being a solopreneur is also incredibly empowering.
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Or a small team, like I currently have, running lean, doesn't mean limiting your potential. I know everybody out here has a big team, get a big team, outsource, do these things, but maybe that doesn't fit for what you're doing right now right. Running a lean team does not mean that you are limited. In fact, running a lean team has taught me invaluable lessons about efficiency, delegation and the power of automation, which I definitely lean into. And I am not in this journey alone. I want you to really think about how you can better serve your clients, how you can better do all of these things, all the things that you do if you are a solopreneur or if you have a lean team.
Speaker 1:
I want to talk about one of my clients who turned a small blog into a multi-six-figure business using smart systems and a dash of creativity. So my client was able to leverage her social media to build a global brand, all while keeping her team super tight and agile. She had three team members, she had an email list, she had a podcast, she did online events and she kept it really simple. Okay, she kept it really simple, and you can too. It doesn't have to be so overwhelming.
Speaker 1:
Again, I am not against big teams, I am not against small teams. It just really depends on who you are, what you do, your preference, where you are in life. For me, I feel like it's been where I am in life. You know, I've had times where I've had a big team, things have been running amazing and smooth. I've had times where I had to downsize and really have a small team, and right now I feel like I'm in a really great space. I have an amazing team. It's a very small but mighty team and we get things done. But I am still doing a lot of the things in my business, but it's not stressful. It's not stressful because I have automation. It's not stressful because I have a plan and I'm not doing 35,000 things. I've really cut a lot of things in my business just to be simple and more strategic, and it's actually helped me bring in more money, and so that is really exciting to me. Just to continue to see how my new strategy and the things that I'm doing in this season of 2024, because when you listen to this, it's April okay, it's 2024.
Speaker 1:
And so I am telling you today I have a small and lean team. A small and lean team to help me with my coaching and consulting business and also a small and lean team to help in my digital marketing agency. But we are making it, we are doing it. We have clients who are eight-figure clients and we are helping and getting things done as a small and lean team, but my client has a big team and we are a part of her team too, so let's talk about automations and systems. One key to part of her team too. So let's talk about automations and systems. One key to my client success and mine has been automation Tools like social media schedulers, email marketing platforms and customer relationship management. Crm systems are game changers. They work for you while you focus on what you do best, which is creating, serving your clients and growing your business. Okay, you can do all the things, but having systems and automation is really important. Now I want to talk about as you scale.
Speaker 1:
Delegation is going to be crucial. Now, I'm not saying you have to be a solopreneur forever, or this is you just have to do everything yourself. No, no, no, no. You can delegate right. It might start with outsourcing a task that you're not a fan of or hiring a freelancer to manage specific aspects of your business. Remember that investing in the right help at the right time can propel your growth exponentially, and I want to say this is true. I have been working with my right hand in my social media digital marketing agency and hiring and Lamisha, who is amazing. She helps with social media management, community management, with all our clients. She is cold. Okay, when I tell you the girl is cold, she is cold. Hey, lamisha girl, if you're listening, I appreciate you. Girl, you are so amazing. I cannot thank you enough for helping me propel and grow my business, because I hired the right help, the right person, to be able to help with amazing tasks that maybe I don't have the time to do. And this person can do this task amazing exponentially and just get the job done and we can continue to grow. So thank you, lamesha, for being an amazing part of the team and I'm just so excited to see us continue to grow and who knows, we might continue. We might add another person to our team.
Speaker 1:
I am a person that goes with the flow and I believe in the seasons, and in this season, I feel like I'm in the season of a small but mighty team. But hey, I don't know, next year could be a season where we grow even more and add more people. So I'm that type of person. I love being a go with the flow. I'm really chill. I don't like to think too much and get myself too stressed out and overwhelmed. So when things are going right. When I need to make some changes, I just make those changes and keep it moving. So that's what I've been doing and it's been amazing.
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So creating systems is another cornerstone Systems for content, systems for client onboarding, and even your daily routine can free up your energy and time, allowing you to focus on strategic growth without burning out. And that's what I've been able to do. And so if you are nodding along, thinking, yes, I need to get the systems and automation in place, or I'm ready to get delegate, but I'm not sure where to start, then I've got something very special for you, my friend. It's my marketing makeover. Okay, this is a done for you video. You send me all your burning questions, the links to your websites, everything that you're doing, even if you need help with. You got questions about team or something you know that you've outsourced. I'm here to help you. Okay, my marketing makeover is designed to help you streamline, scale and elevate your business, no matter if you're flying solo or with a slim team. I'm going to dive into your unique challenges and opportunities and craft a personalized plan to help you grow efficiently and sustainably. If you're interested, my friend, go ahead and slide into my DMs over on Instagram at Michelle L Thames. Send me the word makeover or hit the link in the show notes to learn more. Let's turn your solo journey into a success story together. My friend, you know I got you.
Speaker 1:
So this has been an amazing episode, and I want to say this before we head out today that building a scalable business as a one woman show is not impossible. It's happening every day for women entrepreneurs around the world. With the right mindset, tools and strategies, you can achieve incredible things. And again, I'm not saying that a team, having a team, is a bad thing. I am for having a team, I am for delegating, but sometimes we are not in that place to be able to hire a team right, and so we can do some of these tasks ourselves, or we can automate them, or we can delegate and hire a VA to handle certain things in our business. It just really depends on where you are right, and so I want to say that I'm for having a team.
Speaker 1:
I'm also for solopreneurs as well. We can do both. You can do it Either way. If you have a team, if you don't have a team, if you've got a small team, you've got a big team. It is possible, okay. So thank you so much for tuning into Social Media Decoded today. If you enjoyed today's episode, please make sure to follow. Follow and don't forget to subscribe. Share with a fellow entrepreneur who it might help. Okay, so until next time, keep shining and keep decoding your way to digital success. Bye, my friends.