Show Notes for “TCWN – Supporting Business To Grow Stronger”

Episode Title: 12 Tips to Streamline Your Business Operations for 2025

Episode Summary: In this episode of TCWN, Nicole Smith dives into 12 actionable tips to help you streamline and strengthen your business operations as you prepare for 2025. Whether it’s auditing core processes, decluttering your tech stack, or creating a clear quarterly planning rhythm, these practical strategies will set you and your team up for success in the year ahead. With Nicole’s signature mix of insight and empathy, this episode is a must-listen for business leaders ready to take control and create lasting impact.

 

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Key Points Covered in This Episode:

1. Audit Your Core Processes:
   • Regularly review systems and processes to identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, or opportunities for automation.
2. Reduce Communication Chaos:
   • Centralise communication with tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, or ClickUp, and create simple guidelines to enhance team collaboration.
3. Declutter Your Tech Stack:
   • Review unused subscriptions, streamline tools, and reallocate resources to maximise efficiency and save costs.
4. Standardise Onboarding Processes:
   • Build consistent onboarding experiences for both team members and clients to foster ease and clarity.
5. Document Your SOPs:
   • Use tools like Loom or ChatGPT to create Standard Operating Procedures for repetitive tasks, building a valuable resource library.
6. Streamline Client Communication:
   • Establish clear communication protocols to enhance collaboration and efficiency with clients.
7. Set Meeting Cadences:
   • Define structured meeting rhythms with clear agendas, durations, and action points to save time and boost productivity.
8. Leverage Visual Dashboards:
   • Use dashboards to monitor key business metrics and make data-driven decisions that align with your goals.
9. Clarify Your Decision-Making Process:
   • Create a clear framework for leadership teams to prioritise and align decisions with business objectives.
10. Implement Quarterly Planning Rhythms:
    • Break goals into manageable 90-day chunks, assign responsibilities, and stay focused on strategic outcomes.
11. Simplify Your Project Management System:
    • Evaluate your system’s effectiveness and ensure your team is trained and confident in its use.
12. Celebrate Your Wins:
    • Reflect on your achievements and learnings from the past year to guide your progress moving forward.

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Nicole’s Takeaway: Building a stronger business starts with just one step. Stay curious, take action, and let these small, intentional changes create big results.

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Resources Mentioned:

• Link to the Tech Stack Audit resource (mentioned in the episode).
• Tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, ClickUp, Loom, and ChatGPT.

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Connect with Nicole:

• Website: The Artisans Business Solutions
• Instagram: @theartisanssolutions
• LinkedIn: Nicole Smith

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Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your network! Let’s grow stronger together.

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Full Transcript

On the 12th day of Christmas, my ops team said to me, yes, today is all around 12 tips that you can do right now to really streamline and improve your operations for 2025. Hello, I’m Nicole Smith, business consultant, COO and systems designer from the Artisans Business Solution, and you’re listening to Take Control With Nicole.

It has been a red hot minute since I have hit record to bring you an episode out to the world. And I am thrilled to be back here today. I’ve been talking about the podcast quite a bit over the last few months, and it’s just feeling like the right moment and the right time. You know, the way that we look at where our energy is.

Spent is really important in the way that I work each and every day. And this felt like the right time to hit record. So today’s episode is going to be all around some really quick tips on areas of [00:01:00] focus for you that you can look at for your business operations to really bring awareness front of mind to maybe those things that have just been.

Uh, just dealing with it, you know, as you go through the year, so we can bring those front of mind to be able to set you up for success for next year. So let’s dive straight on in. And number one is to audit your core processes. Now, this is something that we recommend you. set in play on a quarterly basis.

Just give yourself that sense check as part of your strategy planning to say, how are those systems still working for you? What processes need a little bit of a tweak and what is it that’s something new that you’re not yet have brought into the world now today in particular, though, my recommendation, pick one of those babies, pick those ones that have been causing the most.

Pain for you. Where has it been that your team have been feeling some bottlenecks or inefficiency start to creep on in, take 10 minutes, review that process and really identify some ways that you can simplify or even automate it automation. And AI is the buzzword and it’s not going away. So lean on in to see what is it that you could bring into that particular process that’s going to support you.

Caveat here. Automation and AI is not the solver for all the problems in the world. Human elements are still really important to the way that we support our clients. However, when we bring the two together, they compliment each other beautifully and can really create a beautiful ease and approach to the way that you’re working.

And remember, small changes now, they save those big times later. Number two, communication chaos. Now, this is something that we speak to our clients about quite frequently is that we do not have a clear way of communicating with our team. So we might have text message,  email, , project management tool, the pigeon that’s flying from Brisbane to Melbourne to give me a message, whatever it might be.

Take a moment today to think about. What have you got in place that you can set up as a team hub for communication? Could it be that you’re an Office 365 user and you’re not yet utilising Microsoft Teams? Do you have Slack as part of your tech ecosystem and you’re only partially using the functionalities?

Or is it that you’re in ClickUp and you’re activated that new chat window? Doesn’t that look amazing if you haven’t? Get on in there, talk to me about that later, but activate that, whatever it is that you’re going to decide as your central place, get that set up and configured and ensure that you support your team to understand how to use it.

One of the little tips that we put in place for a previous client was to have even an emoji key that indicates those responses. So  thumbs up. Yes, I read it. Celebration emoji might mean something else, whatever it is for your team that can really help the ease and flow of those communications. And as a plus going forward, if you’ve got, you’re working on project X, you know, confidently that all communication that is relating to that is going to be saved in the one location.

Talking on tech stacks, declutter your tech stack is number three. Now that we do have a resource for this for you, I will put a link in the show notes, take an opportunity at this end of year, as you’re coming through to refreshing all the fabulous things, to have a look at what’s actually in your tech stack.

Recently, we, went through this process with a client and we saved them over $3000 a month, By reducing the tech stack, there are hidden things in there that are going in and out every month that might be just a line item on your P& L, but take this opportunity to dig a little bit deeper. What subscriptions do [00:05:00] you have in your ecosystem that just aren’t serving you anymore?

Is there a piece of software that you thought was going to be amazing? And maybe it’s. Just not, you know, stepped up to the mark or is there something there that is something you absolutely love and you’re not utilising it properly. Being aware again of all of these things in your world will be able to start to support you to set what those focus areas are for 2025.

Don’t forget to cancel those subscriptions as well. Awareness is the first thing action is the second. So anything that you know is no longer serving you. Hit cancel on that subscription. So then you’ve got some resources to put towards something else. If you need to, your wallet is going to thank you.

Trust me. Okay. Number four, you’re on boarding process. This is an opportunity to standardise it. Wow. So many conversations have been around this as well recently, where we have onboarding experiences that are not  yet. Lined up and consistent. When you bring in consistency to anything in your business, it creates space.

It creates time. It creates ease for the users on both sides, so smoothing out this process is really essential, not just for your team members, but for your clients as well. So when we’re talking onboarding processes, you could look at it in twofold.

Is it onboarding your talent member into your team? Or is it your onboarding process for your clients? Both are equally as important by the way. So create that checklist that really covers all those key steps. So what tools and applications are you using? What are the training and expectations that are part of either your service delivery or working within the business?

What are those things that you can template that you can use automations? Really think about what success looks like from that client journey and that team talent journey as well. Start small. What is it that that’s one thing that you can change today? That’s going to  instantly improve that onboard onboarding experience.

SOPs number five, how are your SOP libraries looking? If there are repetitive tasks that you and your team are doing day in and day out, Take a moment just to document those. Use AI to help you. There are so many tools out there. What I do, hot tip, two of my favourites. I love to use loom as a recording. When I’m walking through those final steps of a workflow process that we’ve documented or using chat GTP on your mobile, grab the app and do an audio recording of the steps that you’re wanting to take to create that document.

Give it the context as well. Say. What systems, what’s the purpose, all of those sorts of things, and it will spit out that SOP starter for you. Keep in mind, it will not be perfect. It’s AI. It doesn’t know all the intricacies It gives you a real baseline to  get moving and get starting. Pick one, do that action, let me know how you go.

Over time, you’re going to start to really build up that SOP library. And remember, your SOPs translate to financial value in your business. So invest that time now, so you’re going to reap those rewards in the future. Streamline your client communication. Tip six. How is it that you want to communicate with your clients?

Are they say a corporate and their go to is email? So you know that that’s the way that’s going to be best to communicate with them. Or is it within your communication strategy? You have selected that your project management tool, where you’re managing all the actions for that project. Everything’s going to be going in there.

What is that primary? What is that secondary escalation point as well? Just be really clear as part of your onboarding process, which we spoke about before, what is it that is your communication strategy for the [00:09:00] duration that you’re working with the client? If you provide clarity upfront, that’s going to really support success and smooth communications throughout the entire experience.

And remember, fewer platforms, faster responses, right? You want to be able to make that process really streamlined so that you know where to go, where that information is, and what timeframe they can expect your response. Oh, this is a fun one. You’re meeting cadences. Who has meeting cadences in your business right now?

I know this is something that we’re recently reviewing over here at the Artisans to really introduce some standard ways and practices of meeting within the team so that they’re productive, they’re really easy. We know exactly what we’re going to be doing when, what is the responsibility of me as a leader and also the other team members that are attending.

Keep in mind that each meeting will have a purpose. We want to set a duration. We want to set an agenda. We want to be able to really make sure that that space is utilised in the most effective and efficient way. Everyone then leaving, knowing exactly what they need to do by when, and know, if there is other actions that need to be scheduled, for example, if we’re in a meeting in the past, you may have allowed that thread to unravel, and then an hour later, you’re.

Still in that session, be really confident and strong to say, that is an amazing point. We need to go and schedule another session to thread that out and discuss that in more detail, Your time is precious. Your team’s time is precious. So being really confident in knowing that you’re meeting cadences, whatever they might be, really support your business.

If you’re interested in how this can look a little bit more, let me know. So maybe I’ll record another episode just on meeting cadences. Number eight, implement some simple visual dashboards. For your key metrics. So is it sales? Most systems will have some inbuilt dashboard reporting., there are limitations depending on the what the developers is brought out for you, but at a minimum understand what are those key metrics that you’re looking to monitor.

Awareness is key. Without the data, we cannot make informed decisions that support us to move on forward. So be able to bring that visualness in as well. Keep it simple so that whoever is looking at it can really understand at a glance where we’re at, what’s lagging, what are those actions that we need to take and what are we celebrating.

Let’s celebrate those successes. Really think about the core purpose of what that dashboard’s there for. Number nine, clarifying your decision making process. Now, recently we introduced a decision making process for a fabulous businesses leadership team. , what the current experience was is they would go on in and.

There would be so many things going on and no real key focus on the next thing that’s going to support the business to succeed. So bringing in a key process that’s going to support that decision making process is going to really support you and your leadership team to be clear on what is that next thing.

Is it that you have a parking lot to put those ideas in? Give yourself that space to really flesh that idea out before bringing it in for discussion. And really aligning it with, okay, is it aligned with the key objectives for the business for this year?

Number 10. Create a quarterly planning rhythm. Hands up, who has it? Hands up, who’s following it? This is new for me, I have to say. I have been doing it sporadically across the years, but this year in particular, This has been a primary focus. I look at it on a frequent basis. We break it down into chunks.

We have a real beautiful planning process that we go through on a quarter to really identify [00:13:00] what that focus is for the next 90 days, breaking it down into chunks and also assigning it through to the people in your business. This is a process that is integral. If you are serious to move your business.

Forward. Carve out that time, that energy and that focused effort is going to serve you in the long run. Every action that you’re taking will move you closer and closer and closer to that big mission that you have in plan. And you will love the fact that it is focused and it is planned. I know I do. And I love seeing businesses that have this in place and the progress that they make is just amazing.

Number 11, simplify your project management system. I had a conversation just yesterday with a fabulous business owner. She opened up her system and instantly I could see the way that it was set up was not going to serve her for what she was looking to achieve. So take a moment to again, really think about that system that you’re using day in, day out.

Is it serving you to support what you’re trying to achieve in the business? Is your team confident in how they’re using it? That’s a key blocker where you have set something up with beautiful of intentions and maybe not yet have supported your team to come along on that journey. Take that moment there to plan that into your strategic actions for the next quarter.

Get the main core area of your operational systems in there up and working. And so it’s beautifully humming along, bring your team on the journey, give them the resources, the training, and the time to really get on in there and feel confident. Cause in the long run, when you have. Simpler systems in place.

You’re going to see things progressing faster. You’re going to find that your team is feeling more confident. And as a result, efficiencies come in and people communicate easier things get done. Have a moment to do that for yourself and for your business. Get your project management team really humming and whatever it might be in your business, whatever system that you use to manage your operations and your, your actions for your business.

And finally, number 12, let’s acknowledge how far you have gone in the last 12 months. Take a moment to celebrate you. Take a moment to celebrate your team and anyone else who has been part of that journey. Acknowledge their efforts that they have put in. Each and every step moving closer and closer to where you are right now.

Yes, you may not be exactly where you wanted to be right now. Take a moment to pause and acknowledge all the learnings that you’ve made and all those things, maybe there’s been mistakes, maybe there’s been celebrations and successes, whatever it is, reflection and awareness. I think that’s been the key message through all of these tips, is have that awareness of where you’ve been, because it’s going to be guiding where you’re going, going forward.

Well, that is it for today. Thank you so much for spending time with me. I have loved hitting record after such a long time. I have some plans for next year on how we’re going to bring this back even stronger. So remember building a stronger business starts with just one step. Stay curious, take action, and we’ll catch you next time. Until then, keep making impact. Bye