In this systematic episode, Samantha Whisnant, Owner of Systems with Sam, shares how she help coaches and service providers scale their online businesses to multi-six and seven figures with simple systems and automation.
You will discover:
– The first systems you need for your business
– How to take a full month off
– How to hire your first employee
Episode Transcript
Scott Ritzheimer
Hello, hello and welcome. Welcome once again to the secrets of the high demand coach podcast and I’m here with yet another high demand coach. And that is Sam Whisnant, she set out on her entrepreneurial journey feeling totally unprepared. However, after tackling everything from copywriting, to managing to coaching now over 20 Plus member masterminds, she realized you don’t need an MBA, you don’t need a full time team are the most expensive tools on the market to build a thriving business. All you really need are the right systems in place that support your growth. Now she thrives as a certified Digital Business Manager and systems whiz helping growing entrepreneurs set up systems so that they can organize and automate their businesses hire and onboard their first team member with ease and stay focused in their zone of genius as much as possible. Well, mantha, I’m so excited to have you here on the show today, I’m so excited to dive into your how you help with the role is of systems and helping businesses scale. But before we get all that I just love to hear a little bit of your story, you tell us a little bit about what you’re doing before moving into systems coaching, and how did that lead you to make the leap?
Samantha Whisnant
Yeah, thank you so much for having me. I’m super excited to be here. Originally, I actually started out with nothing to do with online business or systems at all, I have a degree in biochemistry. And after graduating with my degree, I decided not to pursue any graduate school or job because it just wasn’t feeling right for me. And I decided to take a gap year traveling. And I moved to Barcelona, Spain with a friend and I was broke. I was teaching English online, I was just down a Google rabbit hole, how do I make money online? And I found being being a virtual assistant. And I took a course and I just kind of was like, No, I’m just gonna go for it for a year, I told myself, I’m just gonna give it a year, see what happens, you know, see how much I can grow and how much I can learn in this. It was all completely new to me. And yeah, a year later, I was making I think around five or $6,000 a month as a as a virtual assistant. And from there, I just got into online business management and systems and just kind of fell in love with the strategy and helping CEOs manage their business. And as well eventually got into like the coaching side as the coaching side where I was able to work with, you know, masterminds and just have more of a consulting role with systems.
Scott Ritzheimer
That’s fantastic. That’s fantastic. So what would you say, then, you know, if we kind of fast forward today, what some of the most important work you’re doing for your clients?
Samantha Whisnant
I think really just kind of making their lives easier and making their plans, you know, come to lie, a lot of my clients, you know, they’re CEOs, they’re visionaries, they have a lot of great big ideas. But the problem is, you know, we can’t do it all, we don’t have enough, a lot enough time in the day, unfortunately. And so really, my job is to break down those really big plans of action and actually make them happen. And break them down into doable steps, make sure the team is all on one page, and just really help them see the light at the end of the tunnel. And also, you know, keep them keep in mind that shiny object syndrome, like keep the priorities straight, make sure we’re at like, you know, we’re on the right path for our overall big goals. And we’re still staying aligned with our mission and values as well.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, yeah, I love that. One of the things I really liked as I was kind of doing some research before the episode was you had a quiz online to find out what systems you need. And I love that because you know, when you get into this world of systems and processes, it’s kind of like it just one big lump up and you need it. And that’s not necessarily true. There are some that you need and some that you don’t there’s a right kind of timing and sequence to this. So if you could, can you kind of walk us through? Let’s start at the beginning. You know, when’s the first time you need systems? And what are the first systems that you tend to need.
Samantha Whisnant
One thing I always say about systems is everyone that comes to me, not everyone, but most people will say I don’t have any systems. And I’m like, that’s a lie. Everything you’re already doing is a system, a system is just a way that you are making something happen. So you have clients, you have a business, if you’re taking money, you’re posting content, you have a system, it just is that system really working best for you. I like to start all my clients with the money making system. So those are content systems like Client Onboarding, or you know, deliver delivering a product, however, you’re making money and taking money. And then like lead generation, and like the funnel systems in the backend, because all in all those three systems are probably where you’re spending the most of your time, especially if you are in that newer or like growth stage because that’s where you’re you know, you’re kind of just focus on building a business that’s going to be able to support you. And so whenever you have those foundational systems in place, and you put them in place super intentionally, it’s so much easier to scale to those higher, higher numbers. For example, I had a client that we started working together about 20k months, which was great. She was already doing great, but because we really fixed up her system, she was able to easily scale to 100k months with you know, just very simple systems. A very lean team. I think we only had you know five people on the team ever When working together, so yeah, so it’s really amazing what systems can do for your business.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah. So once you get this kind of first rung of systems in place, really around client acquisition and onboarding, what do you find is kind of the next tier of systems that you really need to refine and hone in.
Samantha Whisnant
With would say, after that, it’s definitely your team systems. Because once you really start, you know, bringing in a lot more money, that’s probably when you’re also going to start hiring a team, because you also have a lot of stuff going on, you’re probably doing press or, you know, you want to start a podcast, or whatever. And you really have to create space for yourself. And that’s what systems do is they allow you to have space for other things. And so really focusing on automating and, you know, documenting the processes in your business so that it’s super, super easy to onboard and bring on team members and also for everyone to do their job. I think having like some sort of autonomous, you know, work environment for your team is so important. So that, especially in the online space, where people could be in different time zones, or you know, what, you know, or just have different work schedules, if they’re a stay at home mom, and maybe they only work at night, where they can still do their job, even whenever everyone’s not online, or if someone’s traveling or taking a day off, really being able to empower them to you know, find the answers themselves, but also providing them the enough resources to be able to do that.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, we kind of make a joke about this in my line of work. And that’s you kind of get this visionary entrepreneur, they’ve got some big ideas, they’re ready to go for it. And, and they’re like, yes, we need systems. But when they say we they mean, ye need systems, right, everybody else? So how do you help someone who who’s not necessarily wired to even think in terms of systems and processes? Right? How do you help them to kind of understand the role of in the value systems? And how do you help them actually put together a system if that’s not the way that they naturally think?
Samantha Whisnant
I love that question, because I actually work with a lot of like, creative entrepreneurs, and I love working with creative entrepreneurs and coaches, but you know, they are also the like, most hot mess people that I work with. But that’s what we love about them is because they have those great ideas. And, you know, they’re really big on just taking action and going for it. And, you know, I can’t help but admire that. But it’s also I think, there comes a point when they also we’ll realize that not having systems and the lack of structure is really holding them back from achieving those higher goals, and it’s holding them back from the lifestyle that they want. So I think when it comes to systems, the first thing I like to do is just really make it understandable. systems can be super intimidating. Tech can be, you know, intimidating, I’ll have a lot of people say, Well, I’m not really techie enough for that. And I’m like, Yeah, but you know, it’s a skill, it’s not a talent, we, I didn’t know how to do any of this, before I started working online, I have a degree in biochemistry that has nothing to do with, you know how to make anything on Canva. So give yourself some grace, take the time to learn it. And also, you don’t have to be an expert, or you don’t need to be a clickup expert or a dubsado certified specialists to work just that, you know, manage your clients and dubsado. So really just taking the time giving yourself grace. And then I think also tying that end result to something that’s a little more tangible in their eyes. For example, one of my clients loves, is really working towards the, you know, taking one month off work completely offline, doesn’t want to like be online, I’m like, that’s great, I want that for you as well. To be able to do that we have to have systems in place, we have to have things organized, we have to have a team that can work without you. And that can be very hard for entrepreneurs to kind of let go of that control and like let go of their baby. But if we really tie it to that, like end vision of how they want to live their life or a goal they want to achieve, then I think it becomes a bit more understandable for them. And it, you know, puts a bit more pressure on it to make it work.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah. Now, one of the things that I saw in a couple places on your site was this idea of you kind of bringing in your first few team members, and a lot of folks that goes really wrong, you know, as the you’re not really great at hiring, you don’t really know how you do what you do. So how can how can you know an entrepreneur, they’re out there looking? Maybe they’ve tried it in the past that didn’t work very well, or they have someone on their team and it’s not working very well or they’re just worried that it won’t work? Well, if they try it. What can we do to kind of up the you know, the likelihood that those first couple of hires are going to succeed.
Samantha Whisnant
I totally see that a lot where you have someone who comes in they’re like, Yeah, I’ve tried hiring a VA five times it just never works out. The first thing you can definitely do before you even start to start the hiring process is put systems in place, get your businesses living in your head and we’re not mind reader’s styling. No one is a mind reader. So if you can get your business out of your head onto you know, some documented thing online that you can share with someone else and someone else can actually refer back to, then it helps so much with that communication and just sharing like your standards of how you want something done, or your expectations of how you expect the relationship to be. Or even a task to look like. I think getting super, super clear on those things. And then even getting super clear on what you’re even hiring for. A lot of times, I will hear people that are like, Oh, I’m just gonna hire a VA and you know, hope it helps. And it’s like, they don’t even understand what tasks they’re really hiring for. That’s already creating confusion from the get go. And the other piece of this is I love, I’d love to say hire slow, fire fast. Take time with your onboarding process, have a good in depth onboarding process, if you’re really want to hire someone that’s going to stick around for a while, go through, you know, have the job applications, have the interviews, do a paid test task, but something I love doing with potential hires, especially if you have a few that you’re kind of stuck in between, because it really really lets people like shine in what they’re good at. And just kind of like, prove to you like, Okay, this is this is the work that I liked the best. And this is the work that I want to keep seeing. So really taking that time to that hiring process, but also trusting your gut. Like, if you are already feeling like something is not going to work out and someone is not the right fit for you. It’s probably nothing against them or nothing against you. But trust that, you know, let them go like let them move on. Definitely give them enough time in those first, like 60 to 90 days to make sure that they are understanding everything you have that open communication, but there’s no need to waste your time or waste someone else’s time. If you are just, you know not feeling not feeling it.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s so true. So I want to want to kind of tag on to that. And is there anything in particular that you found they should be looking for in that first hire? You know, is there something about because we talked just now a lot about, you know, how the, the entrepreneur has to kind of set themselves up and set them up for success? You know, should they go and hire their niece? Because she knows about social media? Or, you know, is there is there something to look for in those first couple of hires that you found is really important?
Samantha Whisnant
Definitely, I think the biggest thing for me that I look when I’m hiring people is just a sense of proactivity. And a sense of curiosity, I think, you know, there’s so many hard skills that you can have. So depending on the role, if you’re hiring for a more of a higher level role, I think those hard skills are way more or a more specific role, those hard skills are way, way, way more valuable, because that test take time to learn. But I think the most important thing is if you can hire someone that’s you know, super proactive, super willing to learn super open to feedback, that is going to last you so much longer throughout the duration of your business, because most people hire with the intention of the role to grow, right, I don’t think I’ve ever hired for any client that said, this is going to be the same role for the next five years. Like it’s, it’s never gonna go anywhere, but it just doesn’t happen. So making sure you have your like longterm priorities clear and making sure you express those to the person. And making sure that person does have that sense of productivity, they’re willing to speak up, if they see something that’s, you know, doesn’t look right. Or if they see something that could be improved, they’re they’re willing to tell you and that they care enough about like the business to, you know, help you grow as well and make those improvements and just see those things. I think that’s so so important that we often miss a lot of times when we’re just looking at, you know, the hard skills.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, yeah, that’s so true. So I want to shift gears a little bit to another topic that I saw you address. And that’s this, kind of the shiny object syndrome, but the digital expression of that. So it’s like, you know, I heard I need to have systems and so I’ve got like, nine CRMs. And well, so that you know, the kind of tech savvy entrepreneur who’s maybe a little too savvy for their own good. How do you know, when you actually have too many tools, and not enough clarity or system inside of that?
Samantha Whisnant
I think if you could, if I asked you what systems you had, and it took you more than five minutes, or more than two minutes to tell me, then I think it’s probably too much. I think, really how I like to focus the sums is just having centralized hub hubs for places. So having like a project management tool that’s really like the business and team hub, having a CRM that’s really like the client hub, you know, and maybe a few other tools here and there, every tool kind of has their place. But if you’re onboarding a team member, and it takes you an hour to go through every single tool that you have, and what the purpose is, and every tool only has one purpose, you probably have too many systems and that’s just leading to complete overwhelm for you and your team you know, that there’s, especially with tools nowadays a lot. A lot of them do you know, the work have multiple tools and one which is which is wonderful because then you can save money and you can just have everything in one place. So I think it’s important, you know, once a quarter, once or twice a year to go through your system. to go through your subscriptions, do an end up audit of am I really using this tool? What am I using it for? Could another tool be doing this for me if it’s just like one thing? Because yeah, it just kind of a waste of money at the end of the day and a waste of time. Because your team is everywhere, it takes forever to learn things. It takes forever to you to like, actually remember and train someone and tell someone what’s going on. And you know, you just don’t want that.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, I’ve seen a number of folks like really sweat, like, You got to get the right tool. And so part of it is like, we go from one to the next to the next, we’re always in search of the right one. And then kind of similarly to that, once you find the right one, it’s like, we have to do everything in it. Like we have to use every part of it and and they almost move to serving the tool instead of the tool serving them. Do you see that happen?
Samantha Whisnant
Definitely, I mean, I can definitely say I am guilty of the always trying to find the right tool, I think in my line of work, I’m always testing out new things and trying out new things. But that’s the thing I just kind of come to terms with and I tell my clients like there will always be a, you know, quote, unquote, better tool out there, or there will always be a new tool. And it just, it’s really what you choose to do with that. And it’s the same with the tools that you’re really trying to do everything in if it’s if it’s making your life harder, it’s not working for you, I think the best system you can have is the system that works for you and makes your life easier and makes your business run smoothly. So if it’s causing you stress, if it’s causing you overwhelm, you know, if looking at all these new tools every week of signing up for the 50 free trials and taking three hours to like go through and see if this is the right tool is is really excited you and like that’s your hobby, okay, cool, go for it. But if it’s causing you stress, and it’s just taking time away from you know, those needle moving tasks that you actually need to do to grow your business, then just pick something stick with it, you know, you can change later down the line if it’s really, really not the tool for you. But you have to have some sort of like commitment there.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, that’s one of those things that sounds so obvious on a podcast. And yet the I see it tripped folks up all the time. And for anyone listening, just pause for a second and actually do a little inventory like hey, what what are these tools causing me stress? And yeah, there’s, there’s just so much wisdom in that I love that you’re able to really dial in on it. So here’s a question. I’d like to ask all my guests. And it’s this, what’s the biggest secret that you just What wish wasn’t a secret at all? What’s the one thing that you wish everybody listening today knew?
Samantha Whisnant
Things, the number one thing I wish I knew when I first started out was just to focus on like practicing perseverance, you know, practicing resilience. I think when I first started out, building a business, and even now it’s like you kind of expect things to work the first or second time. And that’s just not the case. And it doesn’t mean that every roadblock is a sign that you are a failure, and you should quit and you know, go back to whatever you were doing before. But it’s just a chance to practice that resilience and build up that resilience is really a muscle, right? Like you build it up, the more you do it. And the successful entrepreneurs just have really, really strong resilience muscles. And that’s why they don’t get tripped up by as much anymore, even though they probably still do with different types of problems. But it’s really focusing on just keeping that keeping going. And not like every single roadblock is the end of the world. Should I quit? Should I you know, not making so personal?
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, so good. All right. So I’m gonna, I’m gonna have you take off your coach hat for just a moment, kind of put your own CEO hat back on and talk to you? What’s the next stage of growth look like for you? And what challenge will you have to overcome to get there?
Samantha Whisnant
Yeah, I think the next growth stage of growth for me is really just putting myself out there more stepping into that more authority figure, sharing my expertise, I learned a lot about myself, my business for four years, I’ve learned a lot I’ve worked with over 50 clients, helping them you know, do all the things which has been such an amazing journey. And I really am in the stage of I want to share that and step up and express myself more. And I think that is also the biggest challenge is, you know, when you expand your audience, you also expand the opportunity for just a lot of other things to come into your life, whether those are good things or bad things. So just really practicing grounding myself, centering myself, and yeah, trusting myself to show up when I need to show up and to you know, take care of myself along the way.
Scott Ritzheimer
Fantastic. So we mentioned this quiz earlier. I love it. I really want to make sure folks can get it. So tell us a little bit about the quiz that you have on your site and where we can find it.
Samantha Whisnant
Yeah, the quiz is www.systemswithsam.com/quiz and it is a really simple I think it’s five or six questions quiz about your business and at the end it will show you exactly what stage you’re at in your business and what systems you need for that stage what systems you should be focusing on or make sure that you have set up. Exactly You know, for the stage that you You’re in in your business. So definitely take it. And there’s a lot of great resources at the end of it as well.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, that’s fantastic. So if you’re a new entrepreneur, if you’ve got a small leoline team around you, and you really want to find that next level of growth, check out the quiz. I did it myself. The results were super, super helpful and I cannot recommend it more systemswithsam.com/quiz. We’ll put it in the show notes. Go ahead and grab it there. Well, Sam, thank you so much for being on the show. It was just an absolute delight having you here and for everyone listening you know your time and attention to me in the world to us. I hope you got as much out of this conversation as I know I did, and I cannot wait to see you next time. Take care.
Contact Samantha Whisnant
Sam Whisnant set out on her entrepreneurial journey feeling totally unprepared. However, after tackling everything from copywriting to managing and coaching 20+ member masterminds, she realized you don’t need an MBA, a full-time team, or the most expensive tools on the market to build a thriving business. All you really need are the right systems in place that support your growth. Now, she thrives in helping growing entrepreneurs set up systems so they can organize and automate their businesses, hire and onboard the first team member with ease, and stay focused in their zone of genius as much as possible.
Want to learn more about Samantha Whisnant’s work at Systems with Sam? Check out her website at https://systemswithsam.com and discover exactly what systems you need with her free quiz at https://systemswithsam.com/quiz
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