Every month we run through a series of questions to help you run your freelance business like a bigger business — “self-coaching” your way to better results and a better life.

 

Hey! Happy COO month!

Since you’re the Chief Operating Officer of your freelance business, we’re going to be talking operations…what you do, and how to make it better.

You’ll see bigger businesses refer to the concept of “continuous improvement”, but I want you to know that you can apply some of the same principles to your freelance work to get the results you want.

It’s a pretty straightforward concept. Continuous improvement is an alternative to waiting for a need to make big change. Instead, you don’t let yourself become stagnant…making sure you’re always focused on moving forward. The nice thing about this perspective is it keeps you ahead of one of the biggest threats to freelancers…getting stuck in the status quo. You’re always making small, manageable improvements over time, so you don’t have to break your neck making huge innovations at some point in time.

So we’re going to discuss 4 areas where you can look for ways to apply continuous improvement. 

Ready? Let’s do this!

 

Are you getting more efficient?

Efficiency is a constantly moving target, which is why a continuous improvement approach can be so helpful.

The last thing you want to do is wait until your cash flows are low and you’re seeing red flags that you need to clean things up.

Be on the lookout for signs you need to complete assignments faster, spend less time getting contracts together, or are burning too many days every month preparing and sending invoices.

The answer could be better tech, outsourcing, or just a new process, but your first step is getting in the mindset to look for areas that can be cleaned up. The best way I’ve found? Look for the places where I’m frustrated, feeling like a client is asking for too much for what they’re paying, or where I feel like I’m “always” doing something I don’t want to. Those are usually signs of inefficiency…and opportunity to start making small improvements.  

If you’re looking to talk out ways to improve your business incrementally, come by the Academy boards and let’s talk it out!

 

Megan