Prioritizing efficient operations is often the last thing on the mind of most wellness professionals, as there are so many other short-term items that require full focus. Ensuring a solid operations plan, however, is essential to both the long and short-term success of any business.  When executed well, it allows you to manage demand effectively and free up your time to focus on serving your clients and generating revenue.

1. Simplify & Study

When it comes to streamlining operations for wellness practices, the good news is much of the trial-and-error has been done already. Take the time to connect with your peers, study your competition, and consult with your mentors to gain clarity and perspective based on their experiences. Based on the feedback you receive, filter the information to determine which advice is most valuable and pertinent to your goals.

Then, simplify! Eliminate anything that you consider superfluous because it isn’t driving the value or results you had envisioned. Set attainable goals for operational excellence, execute on the systems and strategies you’ve identified as most valuable to you, and revisit regularly to analyze and adjust as necessary to meet current goals and priorities. 

2. Systems > Strategies

Building strategy is undeniably an important part of starting and running any business, but we would argue that having the right systems in place is an even more valuable indicator of success in growing your wellness practice. This is because while a strategy tends to be a static statement of goals and outcomes, effective and dynamic management of “systems” is an ongoing mechanism to drive constant improvement.

· Automate whenever possible – if your business operations include a weekly communication to your client base, a monthly bill-pay schedule, or payroll, be sure to automate these processes to your maximum ability! These are examples of necessary, but not “value add” parts of your day, so invest the time upfront to automate these processes and save countless hours of “busy work” to free you up for more client-facing or otherwise valuable activities.

· Resource appropriately – use existing web-based tools rather than homegrown operating mechanisms to organize your team and manage facets of your business that can easily become disorganized. Podio is a good one for implementing a culture of seamless collaboration. For growing your client-base, promoting events, and networking with your peers, SoulBeing is the resource for you!

· Regular review – build time to process review (aka “organizational optimization”) into your calendar on an ongoing basis! Analyzing your operations consistently will help to eliminate inefficiencies and low-productivity activities, as well as identify and fix bottlenecks that are holding you back from maximum impact!

3. When it’s more than just you: Strategic Staffing

Most successful entrepreneurs cite building the right team as the key to success, and we couldn’t agree more. If you are in the process of building a team for your wellness practice, focus less on depth and more on breadth – your first hires should be multi-faceted, and should complement (not duplicate) the skill sets of your current team. A curious mind and desire to learn are much more valuable skills at this point than a robust resume or deep experience in a very specific niche area.

For those skills that are not currently captured by your team (or aren’t your particular strength, if your service is just you!), there is an easy and effective strategy to manage any gaps: Outsource! Anyone with a busy schedule in today’s modern world knows the value and wisdom in outsourcing daily activities that aren’t a priority or strong suit. Increasingly, we see individuals turning to outside services for laundry, house cleaning, financial management, even grocery shopping, personal styling, and dog-walking.

This is a sensible strategy because by outsourcing these tasks, we are leveraging experts in their relative fields that can complete the job better and quicker than we are able to do ourselves. The same logic applies to your business – if someone can do it better and quicker than you – hire them to do it! Technology is making this easier and more affordable than ever, with apps and websites such as Upwork and Indinero, connecting you instantly with resources who can manage these back-office tasks. Some potential areas of outsourcing to explore: payroll, virtual assistant, content marketing.

This formula will look slightly different for each individual implementer, but while the science isn’t exact, the outcomes are proven. For more ideas on how to run a stronger business while focusing on your clients, join our community and start collaborating with your peers today!

Be well,
Marteen