Scaling your business to the next level is all about developing new habits, upgrading the way you do things, and paying attention (and believing in) your success.
Here are twenty-one tips to get you going on that journey.
- Use Your Style Guides
Growing and driving to the next level takes consistent work, simplicity, and also sophistication. (Yeah, I get that simplicity and sophistication seem at odds, but it is what it is.) Create and use team-wide guidelines, style guides, and charts to make sure that your site, social posts, content, events, and offers are all consistent in appearance and language.
- Create a New Facebook Page
This is super important if you’re rebranding or relaunching a series (or program for non-fiction folks). Give the new page the original series name and invite all of the members of your other pages or groups to join. Don’t forget to shout about it to other potential followers, as well.
- Create a Livestream Event
Shout about your new Facebook page by creating a Livestream event and invite everyone who accepted your invitation as well as those who haven’t yet joined you.
Tell everyone what the new page is about and wrap it up with an invite to take an action (join the group, check out your new book(s), get a free gift, etc.).
- Use the Expertise of Others as Leverage
Arrange an interview or guest post with someone your readers follow and lurve. Or be interviewed by them and guest post on their site. Another option is to see if they’ll join your Livestream.
- Provide and Encourage the Use of Checklists
Make checklists part of your team’s process so your team members don’t just use your style guide, but also use checklists to make sure every step is followed.
- Use Content Reviewers
Grab a copy editor to read through everything you plan on posting. Not only to catch mistakes, but also to make sure it reads well and is clear to others. Even the smallest tweaks can make a difference in your content quality and its value.
- Allow for Your Ideal Client’s Journey
A mistake authorpreneurs make is to assume every reader is the same and wants the same things as others. Find the specific wants of each reader’s journey and create offers that will keep their attention and also move them through your sales funnel. Your reader’s journey is a process, not just a destination.
- Learn to Under-schedule
Perfectionism spawns chaos and workaholism. Seriously. People take on too much or push themselves to the breaking point to reach impossible deadlines.
I don’t want you to only focus on simplifying your author empire and laser targeting your branding. Use the whole process to teach yourself to under-schedule. Figure out how long it will take you to finish a project and then multiply that by three. Get rid of other tasks to work within that time frame. Outsource, delegate, automate, or discard them entirely.
Once you learn the value of under-scheduling, you’ll discover you have the time to do the things you want to do.
- Take the Time to Hire the Right People
If your author business is only you, it will stay small and will be limited by your limitations. Instead, create a dream team of others with the skills you can leverage. This will add value to your business. Be sure to check references, interview potential employees, and work to build strong relationships with the right people. There are millions of contractors out there ready to work, but there are only a few who will “click” with you and your business.
Take your time when it comes to finding the right person. Once you do find that perfect contractor, make sure they’ll want to stick around. Treat them not as just someone you pay to do a job, but as an important part of your team.
Your business is as good as your team!
- Provide Over-the-top Reader Care
I don’t mean you should be at the reader’s beck and call, but do put some super awesome customer care in place. Respond to emails quickly and with a smile. Give your virtual assistant guidelines on how to respond to different types of emails and provide clear FAQs. Above all, make readers feel like contacting you is welcome and that you’ll happily answer questions. You want to be seen as a person, not a faceless presence.
- Split Test Your Landing Page Content
Pay special attention to images, headlines, and calls to action. This includes button text! The easiest way to do this is to use a service like LeadPages which can automate split-testing for you.
- Find Trigger Words that Work for Your New Upscaled Market
Using what you learned from split-testing, you’ll now know which keywords give you the highest engagement/conversions. Make a note of these words and share them with your copywriter(s). Use them in content and any other place where it’s natural to include them.
- Be the Captain, Not the Crew
Let go of the nitpicky details. This is doubly important if you’ve always been super hands-on. It’s gabillionty important if you’ve been attempting to do everything yourself up to this point. Take a step back and focus on the overview rather than the nitty gritty details. Focus on what keeps your author empire moving forward—not on one task that will take up your entire day.
- Make Sure Your Business Runs Full-Steam-Ahead without You
You’re thinking too small if everything comes to a stop if you’re sick for a day. Make sure everything can run just fine without you and have people in place to take over things when you’re not available. They should know what to do and be capable of handling any issues.
Bonus: You’ll have more time to take care of yourself!
- Get Quality Sleep by Banishing Your Mobile
After free time and relationships, sleep is generally the second thing to go. Take a minute to talk with any successful authorpreneurs and you’ll probably find that sleep is sacred. Intelligent decisions can’t be made, and they can’t be on top of their game, without a good night’s sleep.
I want you to put your cell phone in another room when you head to bed so you’re not tempted to check your email “just one more time” before you fall asleep. Lights out, in bed, and eyes closed. Any problems that may pop up at midnight will still be there at 8AM. Your bedroom should be a place of peace, not stress.
I’m serious, leave your cell phone in another room.
- Focus on Relationships and Retention
Writing new books isn’t enough. You need to keep your current readers happy and coming back for more. Keep in mind that investing in your current relationships is important to success at any level. Don’t lose sight of the times when you can help and serve your readers.
- Practice Perseverance
I want you to use every “failure” as a lesson. Be grateful for what those failures teach you, the issues they point out, and evidence you’re still moving toward your goal. Don’t beat yourself up! Recover and move forward because I promise that you will get there.
“You never learn from success, but you do learn from failure.” ~ Sir James Dyson
- Find the Strengths in Your Weaknesses
Everyone has weaknesses, but instead of beating yourself up, figure out what they can teach you to help you scale up your business.
- Use Milestones Strategically
What does a milestone do for you in everyday life? It’s not that warm and fuzzy feeling you might get for reaching that point. It’s a factual indication that you’re moving toward the finish line. You’re one step closer to wherever you’re heading and an indication that you’re on the right road and making progress.
Look at what must happen this year for your business to scale up. These things should become your milestones. Give them the respect they’re due and work toward them.
- Be Choosy
It’s a heady feeling when others seek you out and look for opportunities to partner up. You’ll squeal and get excited, but don’t jump in quite yet. Keep your focus on your brand and decline any opportunities that might confuse your readers. For example, if you’re a paranormal author, don’t partner with a contemporary author for a bunch of promotions.
Keep your attention on what you’re passionate about and what your readers expect. You’ll build a dependable, trustworthy reputation with your reader audience.
- Keep Systematizing
A successful business is built on repeatable processes. Don’t systemize once and think you’re done. As your author empire grows, keep systemizing until your business races onward.
In order to scale your business to the next level you’ll need a strong drive, courage, and action. Put these tips and advice into action today and join me in success!
