Poor ORGANIZATION is Costing YOU MONEY (Amber McCue- The Modern CEO)

One in five independent business owners have lost money due to the lack of organization in their business. Creating systems that are strategic and efficient can be exactly what you need to propel your business forward. Today on the show, we sat down with Amber McHugh, the creator of the modern CEO and how to clone yourself. With the systems Amber implemented into her own business, she was able to turn her side hustle into a multimillion dollar company. She shares with us how we can create systems that truly aligns with our values, the mindset, shifts that we need to make, and how to honor our boundaries. Now, let's get into the episode. If you enjoyed today's conversation, make sure to like and subscribe so you never miss an episode. Hello. Hello, Amber. How are we doing?

Oh my gosh. So good. So happy to be here with you.

Oh my gosh, I'm so happy. And like the outfit, girl. Outfit to the glasses. It's giving. I'm loving it. Yes.

You know, it is the outfit.

It's.

I put on the red lips when I'm like, you know what, I need a little something extra today. And today was, it was so looking forward to this call, but I had a lot of calls today and I was like, you know what, red lips, I. That's it.

That's going to be the pick me up red lips. Oh, love it. Oh, my gosh. Yay. Well, I'm super excited to know more about you and your story and I know our audience will be too and just really about just systems. You know, systems aren't necessarily the most sexiest thing when it comes to entrepreneurship, but it's truly key into running a successful business. And I feel like you have done it very, very well. And so I'm really excited just to learn, like, you've had a credit an incredible journey from, you know, just being a single mom at 18 to owning three companies. Like, as a systems person, how were you able to just really manage it all and find the only way it.

Is possible is because I have that systems mindset. We talk about this idea that if we didn't clone ourselves, and that's not necessarily cloning me, but right. Replicating and getting that cloned feeling and just multiplying our results without the crunch on profitability and the crunch on our time absolutely would not have been possible. So they are the essential ingredient.

Yes. I love, I never even thought of that like a systems mindset because naturally I'm not like that. I truly. But I just realized too, like, I really had to train myself as a business Owner to really get adjusted with that, because with my own personal journey, I left my job. I had no backup plan. And I was like, I got like a month to make this happen, otherwise I'm moving back in with mom. And so I was like, I got to figure this out. And. But systems was not at the top of the my priority, right? It was like, I need to get clients, I need to get, you know, I need to be able to pay my bills. But once things started going, I was drowning. I was exhausted drowning. And I just realized I didn't really have a systems mindset. And even still to this day, I'm training myself to have a systems mindset because I feel like naturally, if you are more so an organized person, it's easier to fall into systems. But systems is something I've just never really enjoyed. And I, like, begrudgingly implemented them. But then I'm like, why didn't I do that earlier? So now I'm actually really, like, four years into my business now. I'm loving systems where I'm like, how can I really, like, automate this in a way to where I just don't have to worry about it and I can focus on the things that I need to focus on. And so I love that that's such, like a good, good key, Such a good thing.

So spot on. And I think that I. There are things in my life, like, things get messy and that causes stress for me. So systems are my way of alleviating the stress. Like, simple example, my husband take. We have one car right now, and my husband drives it. Most often, it's really his car. And he takes the keys and he puts them in his bag. And where are they? Where is the bag? Where are the keys? I don't know. But when I drive the car, where are the keys? Oh, I hung them up on that hook by the door. He's like, oh, good idea. And eventually he caught on and was like, babe, where are the keys? He's like, I hung them up by your hook on the door and it'll leave so. So alleviate so much of the stress that can pop up. Like, where are things? What do we need to do? I don't know. What did we do last time?

Right.

Oh, let's systematize this. So things. Smooth sailing.

Yes. And so you used to work too. I'm really interested because you used to work in, like, organizational development. How exactly did you start working with independent business owners?

Oh, my gosh. So fun. So organization development is essentially a doctor for your business Things Aren't working quite the way we want. There's something that's off, we're not getting the result. You know, all sorts of things we can assess in an organization at a large scale, but also at a small scale. And my heart and my passion really, I love working with small business owners. So that was the shift I started to make. We started our business. I'm like, oh, but I still like business and I want to be in business with people. And so that was the pull through like big business first, which was fun really. Like I enjoyed my corporate roles in my corporate career, but my heart is really with people. And small businesses, like people are the heart and soul of all businesses. But man, in a small business, we are like we're doing it. So that's, that's where the heart came for from an organizational development perspective. Pulling through to our small businesses.

Oh, I love that so much. So already naturally you're like, I've always been a very organized person, just naturally. Which I love and, but also too but it's true like we truly being able to have that connection that just be able to building those relationships with your business owners, there's nothing like it. And I think even for me, that's where I've also really shifted my mindset about systems because I'm like that gives me the freedom to connect more with my clients, to be able to build more of those relationships, giving the best client experience as possible. And so I think that's just such a good thing of when you are creating those systems, like really thinking about how the time that you have will be freed up to connect and pour into the people that you absolutely do clients. And even outside of that like even in life as well. And so I think that's such a, such a good reminder of it's the people that you're serving. That's why you're doing this for. And so because you know, it's not really fun. Like 1 in 1 in 5 independent business owners have lost money due to the lack of organization, which is not a fun. Yeah, I'm one of them. And it is, it is not a fun thing. I will openly admit that yes, I have absolutely been one of them. And so I think again, it's just one of those reminders of think of the people that you're serving when you are truly creating those systems. And so another thing I'm really curious about is that there's so many systems that we need to have as independent business owners that we could set up in our business. So what would you define as a system and how does it play a role in your business?

Oh man. So systems are there whether you explicitly define them or identify them or not. So systems I look at as the who, what, where, when, why the W's. Who, what, where, when, why is what's happening here. Right? So that's how I start to think about and break down a system. And an example of this is you walk into your favorite coffee shop, they are prepared for you to place an order and once that order comes in for your tall iced caramel macchiato. Actually I'd go for a cold foam right now. Cold brew with some cold foam, sweetened, please. That would be ideal. And if we could pull out the pumpkin, I would be okay with that, even though it might be out of season. But you go in and you place that order and what do you get at the end? Ideally there is a system and a flow and steps in place that this isn't going to take 30 minutes and it's going to be fairly quick. And at the end you get what you asked for. And that is the goal of systems. There is an input, there's a need for a process to be executed, a set of steps. Who, who needs this done, where are we doing it, why are we doing it? And et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. So walking through those W's to the end. So we deliver a great drink, a great deliverable, a great website, great phone, like whatever that is. And it's one part experience, but it's also delivering the great product. And then ideally you do that with efficiency so that you're not taking 30 minutes of coffee because that would not be a great experience.

Just the thought of that doesn't sit right with my spirit. Honestly. Just wait 30 minutes for my dream. But it's so true though, like systems really are everywhere. And if you really just think about like your day to day life. I didn't even think of that. Like oh yeah, like even going to the grocery store, right? And you can go into self checkout or like you just go check out or don't go through the self checkout. That's all a system in place to make sure that you can get what you want. And I'm like oh my goodness, that is actually such a good point. But when you said the who, what, where, when, why and how, I think to even really, just to add to that, really honing in on the why, I think that is so, so key, like why you're doing it. Think of the bigger Picture because then I think it really adds more importance as to why you need to have the systems in place. And I think a lot of us as businesses, we know that and either we don't do it or we do do it, but we're not also taking that time to really refine and really identify those gaps that we need to figure out and how to make it as efficient as possible. So that is just, I think that's just those that exercise I think is just such a key way into just really expanding our mind and having a better understanding of how truly systems can really impact your life. So I love that so much. Like oh yeah, my mind is already like I love it.

And you hit on something like that why there I personally why am I doing this? And you're going to connect to that, right? Okay, is this serving the why? Like is this process serve that wire? Do we have extra steps in there? Can we be a little bit more efficient? Because this is our why. And also if you're working with other people, contractors, team members, et cetera, communicating the why for anyone else who's executing that process is such a next level activity. That is so simple. Because if I understand if I'm executing a system that you've designed or you're asking me to do something and you say oh by the way, this is why. I'm like oh okay. If things come up then I will be able to identify this doesn't match to our why. It's just going to take everything to the next level. I'll be able to delay deliver on that with a whole new perspective. So it's good for you, it's good when you're working with other people all around. Next level.

Yes, I love that again like delivering with like a different perspective and I think that's where it keep where I'll just bring it back to what you said earlier of just like that systems mindset. A question I'm really curious about because you know, as a former corporate girly, you know you essentially what corporations are, it's full of systems. So what are some systems that you have seen implemented in that space that could be really beneficial for independent business owners?

Oh my gosh. My go to on this. The place to start is this is a simple one and sometimes you can get stuck in this or I find two things. People can get stuck in it or they completely avoid it. But you gotta do it and get a system in place. You can do it well, your strategic planning and your system for implementing. In fact, one of my clients Becky Launder worded this so well. She said, I knew I need a system in my life for reaching my goals. Like. Oh yes, like how well worded. So that would be a key system, strategic planning and your implementation cycles. There is a rhythm to that. And if you can get a system in place around that, that is just going to accelerate everything you do. And of course things trickle down from there. So I would start there.

But what's so interesting, I've never heard that, like your systems for implementation. I would love for us to like break that down because especially as we are strategic planning and goal setting and you in our business, especially now in Q2, I know a lot of us are going back and, and rethinking things and resetting in our business and strategizing. What does that like look like with, you know, implementation systems? Yeah.

So I start at the top with if this is where we're going, our roadmap, our strategic plan, our goals, our objectives. That is typically done annually, but we want to look back to that regularly, every quarter. We want to look at, okay, what are we going to implement? What do we need to do to stay on track with those goals? Because if we wait until the end of the year, like, okay, wait, are we on track to our goals? Wait, oh no. We should know well in advance if we're on track or not. So from a systems perspective, we go through a workflow where we're going to look back. What did we accomplish in the last quarter, in the last 90 days, in the last six weeks? Whatever your decided system or cycle is. Okay, what did we accomplish? What worked well, what didn't? And then we're going to look ahead. Okay, that's where we are, but this is where we want to be or where we want to be going. What do we need to do to accomplish that? And I use a simple 90 day or a 6 week planning cycle based on where you are and we're going to map it out. What are you doing throughout the next six weeks or 90 days? And what are the milestones I need to accomplish again to stay on track with my goals? Then we pull that right through to every month. I want to check in. All right, this is what I said I needed to get done. Here we go. And this is calendarized so there is a system and a flow around it. It's not, you know, it's not willy nilly. It's like, no, this is on the calendar. I'm doing this. And then every Monday and Friday we systematize and bookend that with our Monday prep CEO time and our Friday CEO time and every day now, and this sounds like a lot, but if you are regularly checking in with your goals and you've got a system and a framework for this, this is happening fast and it's integrated into your workflow. So if it sounded to anyone like, man, this sounds like a little bit of work and this is like minutes that is going to accelerate your progress. In fact, the research shows slow down to speed up. When you pause to build a plan, you are going to implement faster. And I would argue it's probably going to be a whole lot better because you're not flying by the seat of your pants.

Oh my gosh. Yes. I love that so, so much. I think again, it's. You really broke it down into really digestible steps. And again like where you have Monday where you're prepping for CEO day and then you have that Friday where you're actually implementing. I think a lot of the times too I have learned even myself I need to prep quite a bit for certain things. Even like with the systems that I've created with social media, like I have to prep before I can even record, before I can even, you know, create my captions. Like there's so much prepping and stuff involved. And even too when you do have your CEO days, like if am really trying to lean more into time blocking, that's naturally what I do, which has been really helpful for me. But I that I have to prep before I can even implement in that time. I have realized that. But then when you are finally implementing it, it goes so much smoother when you prep. So I feel like the real work is in the prep, not the actual like when you're implementing it. Because that, because when then it's like when you finally have the plan. Now I'm pushing out content, you know, I'm doing these things XYZ a lot more faster. And so for I'm really curious now even to add to that question is life happens, right? Like, and somebody who people are was like, I'm so like how are you finding the time? Even with if things don't go to a plan or again, something happens in life, how do you adjust? Like what. What are some of your thoughts of the things that you do?

Yeah, absolutely. You're spot on. Nothing goes to plan. Life doesn't go to plan. The market conditions, the client schedules, nothing goes to plan. So we've got to build in margin. If we have our schedule packed, you know, let's say we've got a plan to work 40 hours a week, and every single moment is booked.

Oh, okay.

We don't have a lot of margin in there, so a lot of the research supports only booking 60 to 80% of your calendar. I lean toward the 60% because I like a little bit extra margin. I don't want to live my. My life right up to the edge there. So I plan for about 60% of my week. But the other 40%, I have space so that when things come up, like, okay, I'm good. I can move things around. We can easily adjust. And I do think you've got to be ready for that, and you've got to leave margin for it and have the mindset that, okay, this didn't go to plan, but you got a plan, so you can easily go through this. And the other thing that I recommend is spending a very short amount of time just doing a little bit of scenario planning. If you've got a big launch, a new product launch, a big project, like, do a bit of scenario planning. Okay, if. What could happen here? Maybe my ads don't go as I planned them to. Maybe that client doesn't sign the contract. Maybe so and so cancels whatever those worries that come up in your mind. Don't dwell on that, because that's counterproductive for a lot of reasons. But spend just a few minutes thinking, okay, if that happens, I'll do this, because then if it does happen, you're good. Like, okay, yeah, I got. I got an idea. This is a little bit of a pain, but I can shimmy some things because I have margin, and I've already thought through this a little, so it's not as big of a deal as it could have been.

Yes. Oh, my gosh. That's such. So, so key margin. Like, I love how you. Like, you found a percentage. Like, you know what? I'm gonna leave. Just do up to 60%, and so then I have that space just to breathe. But also, too, I love how you said, like, thinking of scenarios but not spiraling, because I think when you start to think of certain scenarios, it forces you to be more innovative and more strategic. Especially, like, if you're not hitting specific goals that you want to hit, you can still change and pivot within that plan. Right? Like, if you have, like, not dwelling on it, but you're like, all right, I potentially anticipated this, and now this isn't going. But I've already thought this through, so maybe now I'll try this and experiment. Because everything that we do in our Business is experimentation, everything. And so, you know, not getting attached to that outcome, but you know, as you're planning really again, like from that mindset shift of like, you know, having that systems mindset, but also realizing that you, this whole thing is an experiment everything. And so it's all just data output that you're you that you're going use to make the next best decision for your business. And so I absolutely love that where I'm like. Because I'm always like, I'm a six on the Enneagram. So we will think of like the worst possible outcome. So that's why I'm like, to me.

I'm like, oh yeah.

Like, because that's always me in my mind consistently, I'm always trying to strategize like, well, what if this happens? Okay, well like this is what I'm going to do. Or what if that happens? Well, this is what I'm going to do. And I'm not saying it's great, y', all, it can sometimes be exhausting. But I think in your point of how you're sharing it, I'm just like in a very healthy way, like maybe even putting in like a time limit, you know what I mean? Like just maybe 10 to 20 minutes of thinking of some, of some possible scenarios and then implementing it instead of spiraling and like freaking out. So I just think of myself just from personal experience.

And time limit and maybe a space limit. Like maybe you give yourself one page to write out three scenarios. If this happens, especially if you're not inclined to do that, it could be an exercise that is more innovative. I love your flip on that. That was good.

Yeah, absolutely. And so another question I want to ask you is what systems do you think that independent business owners need to be creating in their business to be successful?

Oh man. Okay, Number one, we need those revenue generators.

So many.

There's so many. There's so many. But I'm starting with revenue generating because we've. If we can get that in place, sales are absolutely necessary to us building, growing, running our businesses. And to your point, it's not always going to work, right. Things are going to come up, things aren't going to go as planned. So we want something that works that we can get some peace of mind in and all right, we're going to have to wrap things around that and be strategic at other times. But I want revenue generating systems I put right at the top, the next one, client facing systems. You get those clients that we want to take care of them. Of course and there are a lot of ways to do that. Time saving systems, if this is taking you forever, if it, oh man. Like we're redoing steps here a lot. We're making a lot of mistakes. We're redoing it. Okay, let's. Let's save some time, let's save some stress, let's save some energy. So watch for those time saving opportunities. And then my fourth is life giving. Because we know happy team members, happy business owners perform better. So if there is something that you are doing and when you do it, it's like an immediate drain, we want to start to shift that. I don't want you to spend as much time on it. At some point we may want to look to engage a team member, someone else to do that, where it's their joy and it's in their zone of genius. But if it is not giving you life, we got like, let's remix that. And systems are one way to like, okay, that's a little bit easier. I don't love it, but a system can explain accelerate it. And one thing that immediate comes to mind. I love getting great client feedback and reviews. But it is a space. I'm like, you know, I think about it a lot. I get worried, I wonder. It's like I overthink it and it's so important. I love the feat like it's necessary and good in so many ways. But that is an area, for example, that is not the process is not life giving. For me the outcome is life giving. I wish that was motivation enough. But the process just. So that is an area where like that you could dial in a system as one example.

First of all, I just know, I just want to know what your calendar looks like because I just know it is probably so beautifully organized. Because the fact that you haven't even organized of like the how you even have it categorized all the different types of systems that you need to have in place. Like that is so organized and so revenue generating systems, right? Like I love that so much. Can you give an example or maybe a case study that at the top of your head where you know, you have seen that just be really successful even in your own business. Like what can you break down some of those details in regards to the revenue Revenue generating systems?

Absolutely. Revenue generating system. You have an ad that goes up to invite people to a photo shoot with you. Photo shoot becomes. And then it kicks off from there, right? You go from the ad and the photo shoot to the purchase page. Okay, yes, I want this purchase page or we don't purchase. And what is the follow up with that client then? And then they purchase. Okay, now we've got to get their photo shoot booked, we've got to follow up with them. We've got to follow up after the photo shoot. So that is one very simple example, but it's a great example because if you have that running well on the front end, that could be $100,000 in sales for you. That could be 200, that could be 306. A million, three million. So that's a case study of like man, get that dialed in and you are good to go. And that's already very automated, something that's simple to automate. But maybe it's you take a phone call. Okay, what do I say when I'm on that phone call? Okay, when's your like and what am I going to ask? When's your wedding? Right when. What kind of photos do you want? Right. So you go down, you can have a system for that. So every time you have a prospect call you're like, what should I say? Document that, go through it. You're going to show up so pro to that client and your prep is going to take not very long because you've built a system for that and you're going to be doing that on repeat. Then you can also identify opportunities like oh gosh, that call didn't go very well. I want to change those questions. Oh, I should have asked this. Dang it. Next time you'll ask that and the next time and the next time. So they can be. And you can also identify opportunities like oh gosh, that call didn't go very well. I want to change those questions. Oh, I should have asked this. Dang it, next time you'll ask that and the next time and the next time. So they can be very automated and tech oriented or less so. But they're both systems and they're both going to help you. And this is why my calendar isn't so organized and my wife gets a little messy because I got systems to back me up.

I feel like I had to confess safe space. So I'm glad.

Thank you.

I'm glad you, I'm glad you made sure to share that. No, I, but I love that though because to your point, I just think of myself of even within my systems of really think about the parts that you really hate doing. Like you said, like doesn't give you life. I'm horrible at emails. I am a voice, no girly through and through. So for me personally, I truly was at the time. That's why I'm like, I have absolutely lost money. Because one is truly down to even. Like my emails, I hated responding to them. I would forget, I check it, I wouldn't respond right away, but oh yeah, get back to it. And then I would lose it in my inbox, right? And so for me personally, in my honeybook, I love just automating my emails. But then when that email composer came out, I was like, yes, I mean, saved me even more time than before. And so I think again to your point of like systems are very simple. But then also too, I feel like there's easily areas that we just don't think of that we can easily automate. So to your point of just bringing it back down to that, those five like that, who, what, where, when, why? So then you can really identify those pieces. Because I'm like, I didn't think, I'm like, oh yeah, you can absolutely prep your call. You should be prepping your call. But also how can you have a system in place that where it's just like, you know, it's just going boom, boom, boom, boom and you're showing up as your best self. Like you feel really good and really confident within that. So there, I feel like there's always gaps in our systems that we can always, always improve. So I love that. And another thing I also wanted to touch on is that even life giving systems, let's talk about that. Because I said like you are a mom, you know, you are a wife, like you have a life outside of your business. So how are you? What kind of systems do you have in place so that you can just enjoy life and enjoy your business?

Oh my gosh. Thank you for this question. I have a big accomplishment on this front. Recently in January, my husband and I were like, he's like, this meal plan, this meal dinner situation is not working. I don't like to cook, I don't like to plan, I don't like to think about meals. My favorite meals are the ones that appear and I get to eat it. Like I will enjoy it, but I'd rather it just appear. But my husband has been very busy at work, so it has also not been his priority. And so it was in early February. I said, all right, we gotta change this. We need a whole new system. And years ago, maybe a decade ago, I had a system where we had week A meals and we had week B meals and we didn't get sick of them because there was enough space in between. They were all our favorites. When we did get sick of something we could rotate. So I adapted a little bit on that this round and I made like 30 post it notes of meals to plan out a whole month at a time. And so when you plan out the month now fast forward, we're in. We're ending month too. And we realized like get sick of them because there was enough space in between and they were all our favorites. When we did get sick of something we could rotate. So I adapted a little bit on that this round and I made like 30 post it notes of meals to plan out a whole month at a time. And so when you plan out the month now fast forward, we're in. We're ending month two. And we realized like, okay, that didn't quite work. We're changing out some meals and but we can plan weeks in ahead so I don't have to think every week, what do we want to eat? What are the groceries we need? What's for school? It's done. And that took me two, maybe two hours. That might even be pushing it. Two hours on a Saturday in early February. Fast forward now. Like, I am good. We are so good. And we realized there are things we don't like. So we're going to look up some new recipes. But man, we are all so much happier. The time save. We're eating better, right? I mean, just off the charts impact. And it's simple. It's a simple thing. But it matters so much.

It matters 1,000%. Absolutely. And I love how you broke that down because decision fatigue is real.

Real.

And I don't think we, we. I don't think we realize the amount of decisions that we make in a day. Like I experience it so much all the time where I'm like, I don't have the capacity right now to make. I know, but when you have systems in place, it removes the decisions you have to make throughout the day. Like, even I sound so lame.

But okay, that didn't quite work. We're changing out some meals, but we can plan weeks and ahead so I don't have to think every week, what do we want to eat? What are the groceries we need? What it was for school. It's done. And that took me two, maybe two hours. That might even be pushing it. Two hours on a Saturday in early February. Fast forward now. Like, I am good. We are so good. And we realize there are things we don't like. So we're going to look up some new recipes. But man, we are all so much happier. The time save. We're eating better, right? I mean, just off the charts impact. And it's simple. It's a simple thing.

If I'm getting ready for an interview, I will. I literally purposely do the same makeup look because it's less decision I have to make.

Love.

Is I don't have. So I do the exact same look every time because I'm like, it's great. It works perfectly for me. I have everything organized when I'm getting ready so that I know I can get ready in 30 minutes. Like, you know what I mean? Those systems do matter. And then I'm not rushing. I feel really great. You know what I mean?

But it matters.

So it matters 1,000%. Absolutely. And I love how. And I feel confident showing up for my showing up for these interviews. So I think again, like, how can you apply systems to your life meal prep, Right? Like, you already know what you're gonna get, what type of ingredients you're gonna get from the store. You already know how you're gonna cook it. I mean, and so it makes. Again, just driving it back to that. It makes the implementation. So you broke that down. Because decision fatigue is real.

Real.

And I don't think we. We. I don't think we realize the amount of decisions that we make in a day. Like, I experience it so much all the time where I'm like, I don't have the capacity right now to make this decision. I know somebody. But when you have systems in place, it removes the decisions you have to make throughout the day. Like, even I sound so lame, but I'm much more easier and also enjoyable. Right? Like, you feel good, you're eating better. And I said this in one of our previous episodes too, where, you know, we link that we if success to happiness, but it's actually, you need to be happy in order to gain success. And I just want to drive that again because it's like, so you have to think too outside of your business of what are the things that are truly going to fill me up. What systems can I also have in place to be able to. I'm getting ready for an interview. You. I will. I literally purposely do the same makeup look because it's the last decision I have to make.

I love.

Is I don't have. So I do the exact same look every time because I'm like, it's great. It works perfectly for me. I have everything organized when I'm getting ready so that I know I can get ready in 30 minutes to be able to have healthy, nutritious meals to where I can work out or, you know, whatever it is that you want to do or, like, for me, I love pottery. Like, where am I making those spaces in my life? And so what systems am I implementing to make sure that I can. Can actually do those things? So I love that so much.

Big fan. I like that makeup routine. Got it. This is it. It's podcast day. By the way, your podcast system and workflow and process, like, you know what I mean?

Those systems do matter. And then I'm not rushing. I feel really great, you know what I mean? And I feel confident showing up for my showing up for these interviews. So I think again, like, how can you apply systems to your life and meal prep? Right? Like, you already know what you're going to get, what type of ingredients you're going to get from the store.

You are dialed in.

Yes, that too.

We are.

Yes, we are. So absolutely. We're so intentional, right? Because we are. We're small, but we're a mighty team. And so we were like, all right, what systems can we have in place? We always check in with each other, like, and I'm like, hey, I don't, like, know how you're going to cook it. I mean, and so it makes. Again, just driving it back to that. It makes the implementation. So this isn't working out. Let's change this up here. And everybody is playing a role. Much more easier and also enjoyable.

Right?

Like, you feel good, you're eating better, and I suppose and truly, like, the show wouldn't be what it is today without every single person that knows what they're doing and is help contributing to the system that makes it very, very successful. So thank you for that. Okay, so when people are creating their systems, what are things that. That business owners need to consider when they're creating their systems? What are some key things that they need to be thinking about?

Yeah, this is really important. I'm going to go big picture here. Your values.

Yes.

What is important?

This is one of our previous episodes too, where, you know, we link that we if success to happiness, but it's actually, you need to be happy in order to gain success. And I just want to drive that again because it's like, so you have to think too.

And because you want that to pull through in your system, you also hit.

On the efficiency outside of your business of what are the things that are truly going to fill me up. What systems can I also have in place to be able to be doing.

Things in this process? But that can be iterative. You can, you'll Identify things in a system that you just created. Like, why do we do that? That didn't work. Back it up, back it up. But also when you design a system, walk through it and like, are we being as efficient as possible? Does this align with the why that we talked about? So we're looking for values alignment. We're looking for to be able to.

Have healthy, nutritious meals to where I can work out or, you know, whatever it is that you want to do or like, for me, I love pottery. Like, where am I making those spaces in my life? And so what systems am I implementing to make sure that I can.

I can act a system that makes sense and aligns with our why and think about who it impacts in the end and what will the. The result be for them? So this is a client system that's ultimately for them, impacts them. You want to match that up to your client experience. For example, if this is a team system, this impacts other people on the team. Well, let's check with them. Does this make sense for you?

Are we actually do those things? So I love that so much.

Big fan. I like that makeup routine. Got it.

Yes.

This is it. It's podcast day, by the way. Your podcast system and workflow and process bringing you into this process at the right time. Or do you want to be involved in this later? So you're thinking of dialed in?

Yeah, that too.

We are.

Yes, we are. So absolutely. We're so intentional. Right? Because we are. We're small, but we're a mighty.

The other stakeholders that are involved in the process in addition to efficiencies and your values.

Oh, love that so much. Because values is so, so key. And I think a lot of the times we, as business owners, we say that we, you know, we have our values. But one thing that I'm noticing is that we team. And so we were like, all right, what systems can we have in place? We always check in with each other, like. And I'm like, hey, I don't like this. This isn't working out out. Let's change this up here. And everybody is playing a role. Don't have a fully understanding of how to implement them fully. Right. I think a lot of times we associate it, associate it with like, oh, yeah, like in our messaging. Right. That's an easy way to showcase your values, but it's needs to be intertwined completely in your business, even down to how are we implementing it into your system. What are your values? What are the things that are really important to you? And we had an episode too with Lalia Matty, who talked about business leadership. And she said to like, like, oh, and truly like the show wouldn't be what it is today without every single person that knows what they're doing and is help contributing to the system that makes it very, very successful. So thank you for that. Okay, so when people are creating their system, she also has her values and creates these systems in place to prepare her in case something doesn't even align. So how can she confront things and confront people in a very healthy way? Prep. Right. That preparation. What are things that business owners need to consider when they're creating their systems? What are some key things that they need to be thinking about?

Yeah, this is really important. I'm going to go big picture here. Your values.

Yes.

What is important?

So then if there's something that doesn't necessarily align with her, your values, how are you advocating for yourself, prepping yourself for that, creating those systems that is like, okay, if yes and, or if this is a no, here's the next step of what I'm going to do to you.

And because you want that to pull through in your system, you also hit on the efficiency. Are we doing things in this process? But that can be iterative. You can, you'll identify things in a system.

And I think again, it just makes you so much more confident as a business owner where you feel like you can advocate for yourself, where you feel like, you know, you're so grounded in your values and who you are that nothing's going to shake that you just.

Created, like, why do we do that? That didn't work. Back it up, back it up. But also when you design a system, walk through it and like, are we cute?

And you know, how are you weaving that into your system? So that is so, so key. Love this conversation so much.

You're spot.

Yes.

And you are with the, the values. And then how do we bring them to life? Yeah. Being as efficient as possible, does this align with the why that we talked about? So we're looking for values alignment. We're looking for a system that makes sense and aligns with our why and think about who it impacts in the end and what will the the result be for them? So this is a client system that's ultimately for them, impacts them. You want to match that up to your client experience. For example, if this is a team system, this impacts other people on the team. Let's check with them. Does this make sense for you? Are we like, yes, in our content, but every action, every decision we make, we are going to notice and we're going to be off. If it's not in alignment with our values, your team is going to notice, especially if you're hiring and for people who are values aligned, like, wait, you said value. You said. Excuse me, you said family was a core value, but my kids are sick and you're not being very nice about it. Bringing you into this process at the right time or do you want to be involved in this later? So you're thinking about the other stakeholders that are involved in the process in addition to efficiencies and your values.

Oh, love that so much. Because values is so, so key. And I think a lot of the times we, as business owners, we say that we, you know, we have our values, but one thing that I'm noticing is that we don't have a fully understanding of how to implement them fully. Right. I think a lot of times we associate it. Associate it with like, oh, yeah, like in our messaging. Right. That's an easy way to showcase your values, but it's needs to be intertwined completely in your business, even down to how are we implementing it into your system? What are your values? What are the things?

Like, oh, okay, like, that's gonna. People are gonna notice this, as are your clients.

How do you show up things that are really important to you? And we had an episode too, with Layla Motty, who talked about business leadership, and she said too, like, for them.

When they're struggling with something or they're behind, like, oh, okay, compassion maybe is a core value. So I'm going to show up in a way that's aligned with that. That doesn't mean that we are sacrificing boundaries or that we are, you know, shifting our beliefs for deliverable.

She also has her values and creates these systems in place to prepare her in case something doesn't even align. So how can she confront things and confront in a very healthy way, prep right that preparation. So then if there's something that doesn't necessarily align with her, your values, how are you advocating for yourself, prepping yourself for that, creating those systems that is like, okay, if yes and. Or if this is a no, here's the next step of what I'm going to do. And I think, I think again, it just makes you so much more confident as a business owner where you feel like you can advocate for yourself, where you feel like, you know, you're so grounded in your values and who you are that nothing's going to shape.

Right. So you still hold to your beliefs, but you operate In a way that is very aligned and consistent and that also has ripple effects. I mean in the systems, in the team and the client work and all these things are so you.

And you know, how are you weaving that into your system? So that is so, so key. Love this conversation so much.

You're spot.

Yeah.

And you are with the values and then how do we bring them to life so intertwined.

Oh, absolutely. And so a follow up question, you said like, to honoring your boundaries I think is so important and I didn't even think of that. But yeah, how are you, especially in these types of situations?

Yes. In our content, but every action, every decision we make, we are going to notice and we're going to be off. If it's not in alignment with our values, your team is going to notice. Especially if you're hiring and for people who are values aligned and they're like, wait, you said value. Excuse me? You said family was a core value, but my kids are sick and you're not being very nice about it.

You know what I mean? How are you honoring your boundaries and not sacrificing those pieces of yourself that are just so important to you?

Yeah. You know, this is something I think that you also have to practice and plan and prepare for. We are good. Like, oh, okay. Like that's gonna, people are gonna notice this, as are your clients. How do you show up for them when they're struggling with something or they're behind? Like, oh, okay. Compassion maybe is a core value at that. The. And thinking through this strategy because you're going to be asked things that oh, no in your body. It's an immediate no. Right. But, oh, sure. So I'm going to show up in a way that's aligned with that. That doesn't mean that we're, we are sacrificing boundaries or that we are, you know, shifting our beliefs for deliverables. Right. So you still hold to your beliefs, but you operate in a way that is very aligned and consistent. It. And that also has ripple effects. I mean in the systems, in the team, in the client work and all these things are so intertwined.

Oh, absolutely. And so a follow up question, he said like to honoring your boundaries I think is so important and I didn't even think of that. But yeah, how are you especially in these types of situations?

Okay, I can figure that out. You're an entrepreneur. You can figure things out. So if you think through in advance, like, yes, these are my yeses, these are no's because of my values, because of my pricing strategy, because of. Because I can deliver a better product if I do this. So when you know, again, the why, that's going to help you, like, oh, but you got to practice. No. And one of my favorites is, oh.

You know what I mean? How are you honoring your boundaries and not sacrificing those pieces of yourself that are just so important to you?

Yeah. You know, this is something I think that you also have to practice and plan and prepare for. We are good at that. And thinking through this strategy because you're going to be asked things that, oh, no. If your body. It's an immediate no. Right. But. Oh, sure, okay, I can figure that out. You're an entrepreneur. You can figure things out. So if you think through in advance, like, yes, these are my yeses. These are a nose. Because of my values, because of my pricing strategy, because I can deliver a better product if I do this. So when you know, again, the why that's going to help you, like, oh, no, thank you. And Right. Really practicing. Oh, no, thank you. It's funny, I actually was asked in a meeting, a volunteer meeting I was in to do something that was not in my role. And I'm happy to, like, chip in and step outside of my role, but, man, I did not have time. I knew I would, but you got to practice. No. And one of my favorites is, oh, not have been able to do that well, even if I wanted to. I'm like, oh, man, I got some other projects right now. No, thank you. And Right. Really practicing. Oh, no, thank you. It's funny, I actually was asked in a meeting, a volunteer meeting I was in to do something that was not in my role. And I'm happy to, like, chip in and step outside of my role, but, man, I did not have time. I knew I would not have been able to do that well even if I wanted to. I'm like, oh, man, I got some other projects right now. I'm really not going to be able to take that on. On. And I simply said, oh, no, thank you. And everybody looked in the room, they're like, is that it? And I was like, oh, oh, yes, I'm sorry, no, thank you. And just being able now, if it were a client, if there were other things going on and it made sense for me to explain or add more, I would. And there's something called the Disney. No. Are you familiar with it? I'm really not going to be able to take that on. And I simply said, oh, oh, no, thank you. And everybody looked in the room, they're like, Is that it? And I was like, oh, oh, yes, I'm sorry. No, thank you. And just being able now, if it were a client, if there were other things going on and it made sense for me to explain or add more, I would. And there's something called the Disney no. Are you familiar with this?

No.

Okay. This is kind of fun. Disney is the land of happiness and magic. They make magic. They're a yes and a happiness company, not a no company. But clearly, we as business owners know the customer is not always right. And we can't do everything in alignment with what we want as customers or say that we need at any given time. And so Disney, the legend is that Disney doesn't say no. It's the Disney no. And so you come with a request to go to Animal Kingdom at 1am just after it closed, and they're like, oh, it's a little short notice for that. You know, if we set up that VIP package earlier, we could probably make that happen. It's a little short notice tonight. But you know what? Here's what I can do for you instead. So in that sentence, you know, I'm saying no, but I did not say the word no. Because when we put up those boundaries, right, and we hear a no, it is received negative. It's a negative word, right?

No, no, no, no.

I don't want to hear no. So I want it like, we're problem solvers. Let's make things happen. So instead, you're proposing an alternative, and this works in scheduling things. It works when your client wants that hair appointment at that exact time. Oh, but I'm closed on that day. But I can do the same time for you on Tuesday. Would that work for you? Or if a proposal comes in, you're like, that's a really good proposal. We got to tweak some things. Hey, you put so much energy and effort into this. I can tell, and I'm really grateful for it. But I've got a couple of other ideas I think we can integrate into this. Would you be open to exploring and discussing those? I didn't outright say no. I didn't say, like, no, try again. Right. But it's very collaborative, so I'm honoring boundaries. I'm saying, oh, no, thank you in and of itself. Or if it's appropriate, I might add a little bit more and move people to a different solution. I love the Disney no.

Oh, my gosh, Disney no. Now I'm going to say, why do I clap my hands on the cloud? Disney no. Sorry, but yes, no. But I love that though, right? Like you number one. Because I think obviously to you a lot of us struggle with people pleasing and sometimes you just don't owe people an explanation. No, thank you. And keeping it at that I think is so, so key. But I love that like you are still presenting another option and a lot of people are. All of us just receive that well, right? Like yes, this is great. And here's the other option that I can provide you to still get you what you want is just going to look a little bit differently than how you originally thought. And I think that is just so, so keen, such a great, great way to honor yourself because you really now of course, right. If there's clients and again to your point, if, if it makes sense, of course. But you really also just don't owe people an explanation like no thank you suffices. Like when people say no is a full sentence, intense no, thank you. And that's that. And you know, I think I'm. I'm really working on this as myself, as an individual. There's a difference between being nice and kind. And I realized too like when I am doing things, I'm. It's because I want to be nice. I want to be liked and this and that. And it's like I would much rather would prefer to be kind. Like when I. When people describe a kua, I would write them to say that I'm kind, not nice. And so it's still honoring my boundaries, putting up boundaries, but doing it in just a very kind way. And it's just doing it in a way that just you're not sacrificing yourself. You're still honoring yourself. And so, and I'm still working on that. I mean I'm still, I'm recovering people pleaser still, but. And I still sometimes will over explain myself and I'll leave a conversation like what did I do that? You know what I mean? And so I remind myself like Akua, you can be kind, not nice. Like I prefer kindness over niceness. So anyways, I love that there's so many Kiki things that you shared. So a question that we always end up in the episode with is what do you think is the biggest differentiator between the businesses that succeed and the ones that fail?

Fail? Oh, businesses that succeed and the ones that fail. I am going to come back to heart. There is, I think the businesses that have heart and compassion and soul. Certainly we see businesses that are successful that we would say don't have that. But I think that word success is uniquely defined. And man, the businesses that I see that are successful care for people and they care for themselves. And they've got an eye, yes, on profit, but not only on profit. So I'm gonna bring it back to heart.

Yes, I love that. Right. I just think of a previous episode with Caitlyn James. Like, you have to have a vision that be. Go that and purpose that goes beyond the bottom line. Of course we all want to make money. Of course, we all got to eat, but you know what I mean? But the people that we're serving, like, how are you serving them? How are you showing up for them? How are you. You leaning in with compassion? Because it's people that are buying your services. And at the end of the day, we're all human. And so, like, really think about just having heart behind your business. There's a reason why you have the business that you have. And I think that's just such a clear reminder because, you know, when you first get started your business or you have so much passion and you're, you know, you're lit up, you're just on fire. And sometimes when the reality of the business sets in, it's hard where you're like, oh, you know, when you hit those, those low points. But I think it's again, to remember your vision, remember your purpose, remember the heart that you have, because that's what's going to really get you through, especially those mundane pieces, right? The pieces that are not the most exciting. So I love that, so, so much. So, yeah, this has been great. Thank you so much, Amber, for this amazing conversation. And I think it's just a clear reminder. I mean, you just added a whole nother element to systems and why it's so important that we need to have it. And so for people that want to connect further with you, where can they find you?

The easiest place to find me is instagram @amber McHugh or at my website, Amber McHugh.com.

Thank you. Thank you so much, Amber, for this amazing conversation and for everybody listening. Until next time. That ends our episode of the independent business podcast. Everything we've discussed today can be found@podcast.honeybook.com head to our website to access for show notes, relevant links, and all the the resources that you need to level up. And if you've enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss our future content. Drop us a review and leave our guests some love on social. And thank you again for listening.