How Your Software Impacts Your Business' Ecosystem with Melanie Richards
08/18/20 • 43 min
Software is the lifeblood of any modern business.
Software keeps projects on track and helps clients pay you.
Software is how we communicate with each other.
Software allows you to operate leaner and smaller than ever before.
And every piece of software involved in your business has a role to play—an integral part of your business’ ecosystem. It has a job description and it's a core member of your team, just like any human. That’s why it’s even more important that you have the right tool, doing the right job, at the right price.
Choosing the right software tool, particularly when it comes to your choice of project or task management, can impact how well your team communicates, how well-informed your clients are, and how they feel about your service as a whole. Your financial software choices can also affect how quickly you can send an invoice, how quickly clients pay you, and ultimately, how healthy your cash flow is.
And that's what we're talking about today with Melanie Richards, owner of Modern Traction, a boutique web design agency. Mel is an award-winning web designer and brand strategist with over two decades of experience. Her turnkey approach is designed to save you time, ensures your brand and messaging is on point, and that your website is built to drive growth. Mel’s on a mission to create efficient marketing solutions that support busy entrepreneurs to gain faster traction and multiply their impact.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
- How the right choice of software has helped Mel scale her company, increase profits, and deliver better results for her clients
- How the right software tools make your team more effective and how ClickUp helps Mel’s team know what to do next
- All the tools that have been essential for Mel’s business
- Lower costs, less complication, more opportunities for automation
Learn more about Melanie Richards:
Learn more about Susan:
- Scalespark Dollars + Decisions Roundtable
- Twitter @ScaleSpark
- LinkedIn @thesusanboles
Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here
Software is the lifeblood of any modern business.
Software keeps projects on track and helps clients pay you.
Software is how we communicate with each other.
Software allows you to operate leaner and smaller than ever before.
And every piece of software involved in your business has a role to play—an integral part of your business’ ecosystem. It has a job description and it's a core member of your team, just like any human. That’s why it’s even more important that you have the right tool, doing the right job, at the right price.
Choosing the right software tool, particularly when it comes to your choice of project or task management, can impact how well your team communicates, how well-informed your clients are, and how they feel about your service as a whole. Your financial software choices can also affect how quickly you can send an invoice, how quickly clients pay you, and ultimately, how healthy your cash flow is.
And that's what we're talking about today with Melanie Richards, owner of Modern Traction, a boutique web design agency. Mel is an award-winning web designer and brand strategist with over two decades of experience. Her turnkey approach is designed to save you time, ensures your brand and messaging is on point, and that your website is built to drive growth. Mel’s on a mission to create efficient marketing solutions that support busy entrepreneurs to gain faster traction and multiply their impact.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
- How the right choice of software has helped Mel scale her company, increase profits, and deliver better results for her clients
- How the right software tools make your team more effective and how ClickUp helps Mel’s team know what to do next
- All the tools that have been essential for Mel’s business
- Lower costs, less complication, more opportunities for automation
Learn more about Melanie Richards:
Learn more about Susan:
- Scalespark Dollars + Decisions Roundtable
- Twitter @ScaleSpark
- LinkedIn @thesusanboles
Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here
Previous Episode
How Your Process Impacts Your Business' Ecosystem with Tamara Kemper
Do you know the secret to scaling profitably and effectively?
In reality, it’s not much of a secret. It’s just something that not a lot of companies prioritize: building a solid process and making sure it's documented.
It’s unfortunate, really, because creating well-documented processes is the one thing that I consistently see that makes a huge difference in growing lean, resilient companies.
It's not necessarily sexy but documented processes affect every area of your business ecosystem and make a big impact.
A rock-solid process allows you to deliver better service to your clients, onboard team members with ease, deliver projects and services more profitably, free up time for you and your team, and use software to automate tasks.
My guest today is one of my favorite fellow process geeks. Meet Tamara Kemper, the founder of The Process Mavens where she helps CEOs get back time and peace of mind through systematizing and documenting their business. As a former classroom teacher, she puts humans first when it comes to improving business processes and patiently guides her clients through a clear plan to make things work better.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
- How having solid processes make your business more profitable and effective
- Why your processes inform your software and team choices
- Why it’s so important to document your process
- And the giant return you get out of investing in your process
Learn more about Tamara Kemper:
Learn more about Susan:
- Scalespark Dollars + Decisions Roundtable
- Twitter @ScaleSpark
- LinkedIn @thesusanboles
Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here
Next Episode
How Your Team Impacts Your Business' Ecosystem with Emily Thompson
Hiring the RIGHT people in the RIGHT positions with the RIGHT mix of skills makes your business more efficient, more effective, and more profitable. And having just one wrong team member can tank the whole thing.
Getting this right is all about your strategic—and every day—decisions.
Your decisions on who you hire touches everything in your business. Decisions about what your process looks like affect your software choices. Decisions about your business model affect your marketing strategy. Decisions about your software affect your cash flow.
And this all ties back into how your business is an ecosystem. Each and every decision you make matters and can affect all the other areas of your business.
Your decisions around who you choose to fill those roles and how you onboard those new team members all impact how effectively and profitably your business can operate.
No stranger to making hard decisions and priming herself for growth is Emily Thompson. Emily is the co-founder and host of Being Boss, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs and coauthor of Being Boss: Take Control of Your Work and Live Life on Your Own Terms. Emily is also the founder of Almanac Supply Co, a retail concept that makes and curates products that help people connect with the seasons and live closely with nature.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
- How Emily uses key members of her team to run both Being Boss and Almanac Supply Co.
- What her hiring (and firing) process looks like—and how she preps herself for those hard conversations
- How she hired the right person in the perfect role for their skillset and it resulted in tripling their revenue
Learn more about Emily Thompson:
Learn more about Susan:
- Scalespark Dollars + Decisions Roundtable
- Twitter @ScaleSpark
- LinkedIn @thesusanboles
Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here
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