Tatiana Belim is a Business Systems, Process, and Automation expert. While working as a consultant in the corporate world she spotted an opportunity that led her to start her business. 

In this interview, she shares how she now helps her clients to grow and scale their businesses, all while getting more freedom. 

She also shares her top tools and tips for getting started with creating business systems and processes and using automation to improve customer experience.

Read the interview with Tatiana below ( edited highlights) or listen to the full-length interview here or on your favorite podcast platform to hear more amazing aha moments, insights, and life and business lessons from a woman who’s done it. 

Topics discussed:

  • Where to get started with business processes and automation
  • Best tools for solo entrepreneurs getting started
  • The best time to think about systems, process, and automation
  • Why saving time is a myth 

Tools mentioned:

  • Trello – for organization and project management
  • Asana for organization and project management 
  • Dubsado for new client onboarding
  • Calendly for scheduling 
  • Zapier for automation 

Read the interview with Tatiana Belim below. 

What inspired you to start your business?

I started out in software development.  I was working for a bigger corporation as a consultant and I could see how much time and money was being dedicated to creating all the systems and processes so that the companies could have high-quality results for their clients. 

 As I was chatting to my friends who were working in small businesses, either owning small businesses or working in small businesses, I saw there was a gap. I was really inspired to help small businesses by bringing some of the systems and processes that were available to the large companies, to the smaller business owners. 

Who are your clients and what stage of business are they typically at?

Usually, it would be someone who is starting to outgrow the solopreneur business model, where they’re the main player in the business and they’re starting to hire out some of the tasks and starting to build a team. That’s the first type of client I’m able to help. The other is someone at the next stage of growth, so they have a small team and they’re looking to systematize some of their services so that they can scale. 

What are the biggest challenges that entrepreneurs face when it comes to systems and processes? And what are some of the mistakes you see people make?

The biggest struggle I see most often is that people feel it’s much easier to do it by themselves. It takes investment to train someone to do the task that you can do, oftentimes that you can do faster. But maybe today it’s more efficient for you to do it by yourself, but in the long run, it’s not really serving you to do everything on your own because then you will never be able to grow beyond the time you have available. 

Even if today it takes someone else twice as long to do a task, in the long run, it’s still better to delegate than not to delegate. 

What are the most important systems that people need to start thinking about early on in their business?

I work with a lot of business owners who are online service providers, so the most important thing is to have systems that are linked to the client process. That’s discovery calls, proposals, follow up and onboarding, these are really important. 

Are there any systems that you think are really valuable for solopreneurs? 

Absolutely. One of my favorite tools that I like to use is  Calendly for scheduling appointments. And I do use Dubsado for working with my clients. I highly recommend that platform. You get the first 3 clients free and you can set it up anytime and only pay once you go beyond this point.  

As entrepreneurs, when do we need to start putting systems into place?

As soon as you have to do something the second time. As soon as you do something the second time around this is when you need to create a system. Even if it’s just as simple as putting on a screen recorder and recording how you do it. This way whenever you’re ready, you have the information you need to create your SOPs and start having systems in place.  

How long should you stick with a tool before you change it if you don’t feel it’s working for you? 

Usually, it’s not the tool, it’s the process. So if you feel like somethings not working you need to step back, get a whiteboard, and layout your process. See how you’re using the tool and maybe even check with others how they’re using the tool. If after you do all this you’re absolutely hating the tool, when you’ve seen the gap between how you’re using the tool and your process, you need to make the decision to change.

What habits have you developed for success?

One of the most important things that I put in place was automation so things are happening even if I’m not doing them, this is the biggest one. . And also having a support network. Maybe not necessarily even contractors or employees but other people in the services that you’re using. Having all that in place is the foundation to success I would say. 

What parts of your business have you automated? 

The client-facing process, all the steps of the onboarding process, and all updates. If you’re in the service industry or if you have a larger audience then social media and email are big ones as well. 

What productivity tools or business hacks do you use?

For me, it’s having my calendar blocked out in blocks, with some flexible blocks. And also, staying out of my inbox and not managing my to-do list inside my inbox. This is a big one. Everything gets out of my inbox and into Trello where I manage my tasks. 

What one thing can entrepreneurs do to improve their business systems and processes?

make sure you have a dedicated day and time that you allocate to creating systems and processes to support the growth of your business. Even if it’s just one hour a week to start with. 

Ready to implement better systems and processes to grow and scale your business?

Connect with Tatiana

Website: https://tatianabelim.com

Instagram: @tatianabelimscaling