Work Less and Get Paid More
Do you believe that the more hours you work the more money you will make?
If you do, you are not alone.
Back in time, as my kiddos would say, the best way to make more money was to clock more hours. Whether you were making widgets, selling cars or waiting tables...more hours worked generally meant more money coming home.
Even as we gained access to technology, systems and efficiencies in our daily lives, many of us still subscribe to the old mindset that if you work like an ox every day, then eventually, you will be able to spend more time with your family and have some money set aside for vacations or retirement.
I am going to date myself a bit here, but as Dr. Phil would say, how's that working for you?
The truth is, this old school mindset is still very common, especially in service industries like boutique fitness.
And it is understandable...many of us left a corporate job or a 9 to 5 grind so that we could live our dream of more time freedom and more money while changing our communities though the practice of yoga. But we really didn't know any other way to grow a business than by working hard.
Think about it --- our grandparents, our parents, and likely in our own first jobs we were taught that the only way to a fat wallet was a full timesheet.
That's exactly what I learned --- study for hours, make good grades, get a decent paying job, work hard, get promoted, work harder. I used to pride myself on how many overtime hours were on my timesheet during busy season, back in my accounting days.
But when my firstborn was more attached to his caregiver at daycare than he was to me when I would go visit at lunch, I knew that more hours might equal more money, but they did not equal more joy. I knew I had to make a change so that I could work less.
I quit the crazy corporate rat race, and after few years I bought a yoga studio.
And lo and behold, I still worked a crap ton of hours, and the money was now non-existent. But what I "knew" was more hours equals more money, so I kept going.
It never worked. More hours did not equal more money. It just meant more stress, and more time away from my growing family.
I remember clearly the first call I had with a business coach. I was 5 years in to the business, and I knew that the hours I was working for the (lack of) money that was coming in was not sustainable. I needed to grow and soon, or shut it down.
Best 15 minutes I ever spent...because after that, everything changed.
I realized that if working harder really meant more money, I would have a super profitable business. I didn't.
I realized that when we learn from mentors who are a few steps further down the road than us, and when we double down on our gifts and outsource the rest...the hours go WAY down and the profits go WAY up.
It is not magic. It is math.
There are only so many hours in the day, and if you spend them all on $10/hour tasks, you make $10/hour.
Do the math...it that what you signed up for when you opened your studio? I'd bet not.
When you look back in time at your studio ownership journey, I hope you don't only remember the day to day tasks that you busted your ass doing day after day.
I hope you remember who you spent your days with, the impact you made on your community, and the legacy you'll leave behind.
You can work smarter so that you can have more time and money to take the trips, go to the swim meets, and play with the grandkids.
You have the ability to do this easier than your parents or grandparents could have possible done. Just think:
✨We walk around with computers in our pockets.
✨We have Google, for goodness sake.
✨We have easy ways to automate our tasks.
✨We can outsource almost anything we need done in our business that we either can't or don't want to do.
✨We have simple ways to reach people in our communities that want to learn from us and buy from us.
There is simply no reason for you to continue to trade hours for dollars (especially if it is not even working) and thinking that someday, suddenly, the stars will align and your membership will explode along with your revenues and profits. That is not how it works...proven by the fact that it hasn't yet. (Kudos to you if it has for you, I want to know your secret!).
It starts with getting clear on what things only YOU can do in your business. What special sauce do you bring to your studio? News flash...it might not be teaching classes, and that is OK.
Every hour (and dollar) that you spend working on your business should help you gain a client, or keep a client, either directly or indirectly.
If it doesn't, let someone else do it or delete it altogether.
✨What can you automate to save you time?
✨What low value task can you delegate that someone else can easily do?
✨And what can you delete that doesn't really need to be done at all?
Sometimes it helps to have a partner know what you are up to so that you stay on track. I can help!
And if you are REALLY ready to invest in your business, and you want systems and knowledge to increase your profits and your free time, and to decrease your stress....
...then I’d love to have you join me for 1:1 work in my Barefoot Boss Studio Strategy Program.
Our work is 1:1, and my attention is all on YOU and YOUR BUSINESS.
In 12 calls together, we will cover so much more than just how to simplify your time, like pricing, payroll, and understanding key metrics so that you can make the best decisions to move your business forward.
Book a call with me today and let’s get started!