Written by: Arna Van Goch, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Marie Kondo, pretty file folders, maybe a filing cabinet with some colored tabs? Maybe it’s a clearly organized kitchen with a little 3-ring binder for this week’s recipes? Or maybe you’re one of those people who buy uniform herb bottles with custom labels?
Whatever your definition of organization is to you, there will undoubtedly be a little bit of chaos in your life because that is, inevitably, the life of a solopreneur.
Being a solopreneur means that you have your pulse on all aspects of your business. You need to be simultaneously the finance department, HR, marketing, product, engineering, sales, and CEO. It’s a tough nut to crack, especially when you consider how much time is put into selling (Ideally, you are spending 80% of your time selling).
When it comes to organizing your business, the first thing you need to do is compartmentalize.
Sales and Marketing are your big focuses. They should always be working in tandem together.
I’m not a big proponent of going “all in” or “burning your boats.” I prefer a much steadier approach to gear up eventually. When you’re first starting, you shouldn’t hire a team immediately because you really need to understand your business's different aspects. When you’re first starting, you shouldn’t spend more on advertising than you are bringing in. That’s what organic social media marketing is for.
And let me be the first to tell you: there will be growing pains. There will be tear-your-hair-out moments. But this is your baby. So take care of it like it is.
Desktop
So, let’s start with your desktop!
Computer experts have told me this, so I’m not making this up: but a clean desktop is a happy computer. And a happy computer gets more work done.
Besides, you want to be saving stuff in the cloud. So pick one (or two): One Drive, DropBox, AWS, or even Google Drive. I use a combination of One Drive (you get a terabyte with your Office subscription) and Google Docs.
Next, pick specific places for specific things.
One Drive is where I save my important documents/storage and where I handle finance. Google Docs is what I use to interact with my clients and store information I share out like freebies and blogs and my media kit. I think I even have a meditation folder in there somewhere that I share with clients and friends.
Folders within folders
Next up, we have folders within folders. I’m a mac user, and I love the columns view on my Finder. It means that I can easily follow my train of storage.
I have main folders to start that splinter into smaller folders.
Let me give you an example: BeingDutchanese → BD - SM → UPW Miami 19 → Roadtrip
In this sequence, I can find road trip photos in my UPW Miami 19 folder, which sits in my social media folder, which sits under my BeingDutchanese brand.
Or, you can find my Chatbot clients in my clients folder, which sits under BeingDutchanese.
These are no more than 3 or 4 steps, but they make it super easy to find and compartmentalize different aspects of my business.
Tagging
Yo, I can’t even stress this enough. Tag everything. Everywhere! On Facebook (several times over!), on your email list, in your inbox, and even in your notes.
I use several different systems with my clients. Some are paid, some free. One of my favorite tools is also one of the easiest ones to keep track of and one that reaps the biggest reward: the Facebook Friends List.
When you first start doing it, it will take a while, especially if your friend count is high. But once you’ve done it and do regular upkeep, you’ll be able to use it to your advantage like no other.
When you go to a friend’s profile on Facebook, you’ll be able to click on the button that says “Friends” and then “edit friends list.”
Some of my favorite (and key) lists are:
Friends / Family
Potential Clients
Potential Partners/Coaches
*Insert name of online course you’re in *
*Insert name of membership club you pay for *
I also have lists for my Uni friends, high school friends, or specific subsections of potential clients for my biz's specific parts. I also had lists for people related to my ex-clients so I could share updates with them without letting my whole feed know that “tonight’s webinar is canceled.”
This way, when you are navigating through Facebook daily, you can do simple things like post something only your Friends / Family can see by limiting the audience (remember to change the settings back before you post again!)
You can go to your potential clients' newsfeed and only see posts from potential clients you interact with and do the same for your fellow coursemates/clubmates.
You can become that super awesome friend/ coach/ networker without having to remember a bunch of names or connections. This is a super useful feature to have.
In essence, being super organized is about understanding how your brain works and how it can be easier for you to compartmentalize. There are a myriad of things that can be done, including even organizing your phone apps to suit you best in your time of productivity. Not everyone will find what I do use, but you know what? It’s not about me. It’s about you!
If you want to know more about how to be organized as a solopreneur and get some 1:1 support, I’ll be sharing so much more in the Brainz Magazine Exclusive Club, and I’d love to hear your perspectives and answer your questions!
When: March 22, at 11.20 UTC
Where: Brainz Magazine Exclusive Club (on Clubhouse)
How: Join our Brainz Club or follow @Beingdutchanese and hit that notification button!
Arna Van Goch, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Arna van Goch is a business automation coach. She helps 5 figure entrepreneurs hit 6 figures by streamlining their businesses and strategies to work less & earn more. Over her own entrepreneurial journey, she has worked with online businesses to land 6 figure contracts and supported businesses reaching 7 figures. Besides working online, she has an avid passion for travel, energy work, and awesome Netflix series like Next in Fashion.
