Have you ever wondered what would happen to your business if life threw you an unexpected curve ball (or 10)? That’s exactly what happened to Kaci as she was diagnosed with and treated for cancer, got emergency surgery, got married, and moved out of state all in the beginning of 2021!
Systems quite literally saved her business, and in this episode, she generously shares the strategies and resources she has learned to support other service providers.
In less than 2 years, Kaci went from dental office manager, to being furloughed during the early days of Covid 19, to running a six-figure business! She’s a Certified Online Business Manager and ClickUp expert who transforms freelancers into CEOs with strategy, planning, and systems building so they can be confident in the back-end of their business, and not stuck in the weeds.
Her mission is to meet business owners where they’re at in their business and serve the hell out of them!
I had a blast recording this episode with Kaci Ackerman, and not just because she’s a fellow OBM. There is so much value packed into this episode for online service providers at all stages of their business.
Highlights from this Episode
We talk about:
- The powerful personal story of how systems and support in place equipped Kaci to deal with a year of major life-altering changes and challenges while still keeping her business afloat and supporting clients in her absence.
- How systems really are sexy! And they can empower business owners to focus on doing what they love in their business and whittle down the time they spend on the day-to-day minutia in their business every day.
- Her Clickup templates, course offers, and VIP Days that customize and simplify automated systems for virtually any kind of service provider at various investment levels.
- Embracing what speaks to you and lights you up when serving others to find your niche and what to know about yourself and look for in others when seeking support or mentorship
- Addressing the seemingly daunting tasks and realizing the simplicity of putting the tasks in place with SOPs when you take it one small step at a time.
- Why systems don’t just empower you, but they also empower your team and support the longevity of your business through unexpected emergencies or times of struggle.
Captivating Quotes from this Episode:
9:15 Helping CEOs find the right support to grow.
I like to work with people that are really stepping into that CEO role. And so we’re taking all of their ways that they did everything, putting it into a system, but then also hiring somebody to help them manage that because if you really want to get to… 100k a year in revenue or something. While you probably could do that living out of notebooks and sticky notes, it’s not sustainable.
21:30 Investing in Mentorship and Coaching to help Scale Your Business
I wanted to scale my business. So I found a sales slash scaling expert, I didn’t just find a generic business coach. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But they serve different people., I actually found her on Instagram. And her content just spoke so much to me, because she was hitting all of the points that I no longer wanted. And I remember, the day that I said yes to her was when she posted this reel about how you start your business, because you want a life of freedom, but then you end up working, more than you did in your corporate world,
or more than you do at your nine to five and she’s like, don’t make your business, your new nine to five. And I was like, Oh my gosh, I That’s it! That’s me! So I think it’s important once you do find somebody that you might be interested in, to actually consume their content a little bit. And I don’t mean just sign up for their freebie and go on their email list, I mean, like, actually look at their Instagram and read their captions and watch their reels, or go to their Facebook or LinkedIn, or whatever. And really see what advice they’re giving out, and how they’re conducting themselves.
26:40 How systems saved her own business during a series of complex personal circumstances and challenges in 2021
2021 was a big year for me personally, and systems literally saved my butt. So in April, I had emergency surgery and was in the hospital for six days and completely like, out of it, like I was there, I don’t even remember it. And then June came around, and I got married and went to Hawaii. And that was basically the whole month of June. And then October, I got a double whammy. One positive thing was we moved from California to Idaho. But the other thing was, I was diagnosed with cancer during our move during all of that. So systems saved all of it. To be honest, you know, yes, I have a VA on my team. But because she and I have worked together to set up systems and support my business, she was able to log in and support my clients and support things that I normally do. Because we had the SOPs in place because we had ClickUp setup, those tasks that I do are in there, they’re not just on my own little sticky note or notebook. So with that, just as well as it’s important to your team to have those in there. It’s important for the CEO to have them in there as well, because with my cancer, I had two surgeries. And then I had roughly three to four appointments a week for, I don’t know, December to like March. So that’s to me why they’re so important. It’s not for the vacations. Obviously, it’s great to get to enjoy your vacation and not worry about your business. But how good are your systems when you literally have to leave at a drop of a hat? That’s where they become so powerful. And if I didn’t have systems, I don’t think I’d have a business.
45: 00 The value she brings with templates, course videos, and VIP days
I need to make these [templates and videos] very dynamic, digestible, very specific, you know, so that you can learn what you need to learn and move on. But… my VIP day really speaks to either a person ready to step into that CEO role or is in the CEO role. And they need organization around their team, or they need organization with hiring, stuff like that. And I also see a lot of people that have tried the DIY route, and their ClickUp is just like a mess. And they need somebody to organize this and really set up some automations and reset how we’re doing things. But typically they do have at least probably two team members at that point. Or they want to have this set up before so they’re ready to hire, but they also know that the system is important to do before they get those team members on. I’ve also even had OBMS reach out to me, for their client because they don’t specialize in ClickUp.
Connect
Website: Kaciackerman.com
Instagram @Kaciackerman
Links
Freebies:
Start here: www.kacieackerman.com\freebies
Or the link in bio on Instagram
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