Why Every Christian Life Coach Needs Systems to Scale Without Burnout (w/ Lashonda Brown)

And we are live, so welcome, welcome to Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram to this live. I make sure it's live on Instagram, so I'm hitting the go live button here, but it's not allowing me to go live. Okay, okie dokie. So welcome everyone, my name is Shakeeta Torres. I am an owner to coach, business coach, and mentor. Okay, and I have a very special guest today. Her name is Miss LaShonda Brown. Welcome, Miss LaShonda. Thank Thank you so much again for your yes and for joining me live on today.

No problem, thanks so much for having me.

Yes. And so before we get started, I want to let you all know who she is and share a little bit more about how I met her, and then we'll go ahead and get into today's topic, which is called Why Every Christian Life Coach Needs Systems to Scale Without Burnout, um, with tech and systems educator LaShonda Brown. So today we have Ms. Brown, an award-winning tech educator, a Canva Verified Expert, and founder of Bootstrap Biz Advice. She teaches service providers worldwide how to leverage technology and systems to simplify their business and to build sustainable success. She is also our tech and systems expert or educator inside our program for Entrepreneur to Coach. So welcome, Ms. Brown. Thank you again so much for being here. And so personally, I came across your YouTube channel many years ago, um, when I first, um, came online as an entrepreneur back in 2020, like around the pandemic. Um, I was trying to figure out tech, understand tech, you know, how to use it. And your brand really stood out to me. It was just so beautiful. It was so well laid out. And I was able to definitely learn, um, a lot from your content just on your YouTube channel. So thank you for that. I really appreciate that. Oh, you're so welcome. Yes. And so since then, I have been learning, you know, about tech and trying my best to keep up with everything that's going on in the world. Um, and so when I developed the program for Learn to Coach for life coaches who are already certified, who were looking to relaunch, to launch, and to scale their business, I knew I wanted to bring in people who were great at their craft., and you were the very first person, um, that came to my mind because when I sent the questionnaire out, they said, hey, we want, you know, want to understand tech and systems better. And so I reached out to Ms. Brown and she said it was a yes, you all. So I was just so excited. I'm so honored to have her here on today. Um, it is a privilege and thank you for taking out time to come and join us today.

Of course, no problem.

Yes. The first question I have for you is, as a tech and systems educator, What's the biggest mistake you see solopreneurs make when it comes to running their businesses without any systems?

Yeah, I mean, I think when it comes to running your business, not having a system means that every single time you go to do work for someone, you're recreating the process. And so as a business owner, what people are really paying you for is that repeatable process they've seen what you've done for someone else, whether it's a testimonial or a finished website or a finished graphic design. And so they're saying, wow, you did an amazing job for them. I would love for you to do that for me. And so what they're really saying is you must have a system to be able to get those results again. And so if you are a small business owner, sometimes we say, oh, well, I don't have enough time to develop, to building a system. But in a lot of ways, you don't have the time to not have the time. You know, it has to be one of your top priorities to free up your schedule in the months to come. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

It also— a part of your brand is being able to do things where you're not burnt out so you can really enjoy the work that you do. And so a lot of Christian life coaches that I've come across, um, who I've mentored or spoken to or received surveys from, they're like, I want to move forward, I want to launch out, but I just don't understand tech. It's very overwhelming. And so from a tech perspective, uh, for someone who is just getting started into tech and understanding it, what is the number one thing that you recommend they do?

The number one thing I would recommend is look for all-in-one systems because there are lots of them on the market now. Before, we used to kind of have to piece things together and say, oh, I want my website over here, my invoicing over here, my questionnaires over here. And now things are consolidated under one roof, which makes it easier for you to pay that one subscription and for you to have all of the things that you need in one location. So the, the danger with all-in-one is it's probably not amazing at everything. Yeah, but it means that you don't have to log into multiple different websites to do multiple tasks in your business.

Got you. Is there a particular system that you recommend that you have experience with, uh, when it comes to having an all-in-one system?

Yeah, so a CRM is usually what people call it, a client relationship management tool. And there are a few different ones. There's a, a new one on the market called Zoe that's specifically for coaches.

Mm-hmm.

But then there's others like a Dubsado or HoneyBook. Those are really popular. And so essentially you pay that one subscription and then you're able to log in and manage your entire relationship with your customer in one spot.

I love that. I love it. Okay. I know that sometimes, as you were saying before, about piecing this here and piecing that there, because oftentimes people are looking at the financial component of tech and they're like, I don't have the budget to be able to pay for one system, but I'll just use like Google Sheets or Google Docs or things like that. So from your perspective as a tech educator, what would you say to that, to someone who's coming to you saying, hey, LaShonda, I don't have the money for that?

Yeah. I think, I think if you don't have the money to be able to outsource to some of those all-in-one tools, then there are some free tools that really help you to stay organized. So a free tool that a lot of people have been using lately is just simply Notion. And so if you were to map out your processes, and you could actually do it in a Google Doc as well, but ultimately you want to have some type of structure that you can go back to to say, okay, here is, you know, people call them SOPs. Here is, you know, my stamp standard operating procedures for these different tasks in my business. So every time I go to do a launch, every time I go to do a coaching call, I can at least go back to one spot and say, these are the items that I need to get done. These are the things I need to check off along the way to make sure that that client gets a wonderful client experience. So if you don't have the money for Asterium, you can kind of bootstrap it, which is really what my channel is all about, until you're able to afford it. But you still want to have some type of system in place.

Mm-hmm. Absolutely. And I like what you said, um, document, document your process because it's easier to go back to see, okay, what worked, okay, what didn't work. And so you can always refine it to make it easier and easier. So that's what I hear when, um, you say that as well about, you know, documenting and using Notion. I'm familiar with Notion. Um, I tried using it, but I think I was so familiar with Trello board that I just went back to Trello board. Um, but it also helps a lot.

Asana is another one. So yeah, having some type of project management tool can help.

Yes, yes. Um, I did a tutorial on that on my YouTube channel as well about Trello board. Um, but I love— I mean, we have so many free tools out to help us. Um, but I think the biggest thing for most life coaches is like, okay, what should I use for my particular brand? So those are some good ones, you all. So be sure if you're on now live to definitely check those out. If you have any questions, um, feel free to put them in the comment section. Um, if you want to ask, um, Miss LaShonda or myself a question about tech on today, let me check the chat. I think someone asked a question. Okay. Good morning. Okay, Andy said good morning. Good morning, Andy. Good morning. Okay, so some coaches think that systems are only for big businesses, for those who are doing, uh, 101 things. As a tech and systems educator, um, why do you believe they need it in the beginning of their business?

Well, I think it's important that you have those systems in place in the beginning so that you can really focus on the things that you're the best at. You know, ultimately, you know, if you've— if you're constantly, you know, going back and forth trying to hobble it together along the way, then you're not really able to get in flow with the thing that only you can do. So I think taking the time to set up those systems allows you to really deliver the best experience to your customers in the long run.

Absolutely, absolutely. And so one of the things that I learned, you know, as a life coach, when I first launched as, you know, doing life coaching, like back in 2020, um, I said earlier, and I was overwhelmed, and this is what I did. I was subscribing to so many different people. I subscribed to you and this person and that person, and it could be overwhelming. Okay? And so what advice would you give to that person who is just all over the place, who trying to pull this and pull that so they can be anchored and really have a smoother process?

Yeah, so it's really easy to get oversubscribed to subscriptions, even if they're free ones on platforms like YouTube. And so I think it's really important that when you learn new things that you also put time on your calendar to implement them. I see this happen a lot with conferences where you go to a conference and, you know, they're teaching so many different things, and at the end of the day it's like, I learned so much, but I actually don't have time to actually implement because I'm so focused on consuming. So you want to create just as much as you consume. And so ultimately, when you start to, to look for teachers to learn from or from tools to use, say to yourself, okay, I gotta give myself time to actually put these plans into place. I can't just learn it, I actually have to do it, right?

I love that. That's right, because we can also get, um, I say, I call it FOMO, fear of missing out. That's a real thing. We feel like we're missing something to help us to be successful. And what I've learned is all about that system, all about that structure and what works for you. And I also noticed too that everyone learns differently and some systems are a little bit more complex than others. And so even I had to learn how, okay, Shakeeta, you're not that great in this area, simplify it as much as possible so that way you're not overwhelmed. I know my CRM that I use for the most kind of CRM and it's email marketing and everything. I use Kartra. And in the beginning I was so overwhelmed with it. And over time, as you had said, taking out time to attend those courses that come with it, taking out time to really learn it and being patient with yourself. I do believe that as coaches who are trying to build their businesses, you know, they want to get to A to Z, like really, really fast, right? Um, and so I know that you also, you know, coach and mentor, you know, other, um, service providers from different sectors, not just coaches, um, to be able to implement systems and structure. So when you are mentoring them, are there any other things that you see that pop up that you have to address with them to keep them anchored and keep them on a good baseline?

Yeah, I mean, I think you've got a really good structure coming up for them by being a part of a program, because a lot of change is going to happen in community. And so when you have a community, then you're able to get that accountability. We even do some calls now, we just call them work with me sessions. So I'll go live for 2 hours on a Friday. And so we'll sit down and say, okay, what are we trying to accomplish? And so over the course of 2 hours, we work for 25 minutes. Take a 5-minute break. And so people are able to actually check off things on their list that maybe when they're isolated and working alone, they weren't able to actually accomplish. And so it's really cool to see how much progress people are able to make when they're actually a part of a thriving community. So definitely think they should be a part of your program, because if they don't already have that system in place, being a part of your program is going to help accelerate the progress for sure.

Absolutely. I love that. You're so right. You're so right. I have definitely found that when I'm in, you know, community as well, and I had the accountability, it— because, you know, we have all have good days, bad days, up days, tired days, and life happens. I hear that a lot. I have so much going on in my life. But when you have that community holding you accountable, it anchors you to get back to your goals. And that's what I love about programs that are structured and are able to cater to what their needs are. So yeah, so you guys, if you don't know, um, Miss LaShonda is a part of my program, Anointed to Coach, where I'm on Tier 2. You can look at the link in my description box as well. Um, she's going to be a part of that to teach life coaches how to set up certain systems, but it'll be tailored to what you are looking for for the student. So I'm going to question her out before we meet with her weeks in advance, and I'll send that to her, and then she'll be able to, you know, gather some information for you all and to do kind of like a tutorial that show you all how to do that so you'll have a great foundation. And then from there, you can continue to grow, continue to tweak it, continue to, you know, make it work for your particular business. So yes, I love that, and I'm excited.

It's gonna be really great.

Yes, I'm ready to learn too. I was sharing with my business assistant, I was like, hey, I was like, LaShonda got some good stuff. And she said, "Oh, that sound good." She was like, "I can't wait to attend that as well," because she's more so into finances and making sure you bring in the right income. And she's speaking in the program as well and teaching as well. And I was sharing with her about how you just know all this stuff and all this wealth of knowledge and how you've connected with so many different tech brands where you're able to pull so much from. And so, yes, I agree. It's going to be Great. Okay, so do you have anything else that you want to share with us today, Miss LaShawna, before we, before we end?

No, I would just say for people who are currently overwhelmed by tech, just know that there are so many different educators who are creating tutorials on platforms like YouTube. And so when you find tech tools that you want to use all you need to do is type in the name of that tool and just type in tutorial right after it. So for certain tools, you know, my face may pop up, but there are other pros and experts and ambassadors for different programs and different tools out on the market. And so I think it's really helpful for people that, you know, aren't the ones who like read the instruction manual, that they need somebody to kind of hold them by the hand and walk them through the process. YouTube is a fantastic place for you to go for that information. And so I highly recommend if you're feeling that sense of overwhelm, you don't have to stay there. You can go on platforms like YouTube to go ahead and get help. And then if you want something catered specifically to Christian life coaching, then I would encourage you to be a part of Shakeeta Torres's program.

Yes, where you get accountability, you get support, you get that listening ear. Because, um, I do the same thing. I go on YouTube and clicking tutorials, um, but then sometimes I'm like, okay, I need a little extra support in here. Now I've definitely come a long way, but in the very beginning when I first launched my business, I was definitely overwhelmed and needed that I needed more support. So again, if you guys have any other questions, let me check this and make sure. Just let us know if you have any after we go live today. Um, definitely you can put that in the comment section. Um, again, the program enrollment, um, it does close Thursday night. Um, well, I would say Friday morning it closes. And so be sure to visit the link for the Wanted to Coach. It's for those who have already became Christian life coaches. Who have not launched their business yet or who are seeking to relaunch, meaning that, you know, that you need help with systems and support, refining your niche, you know, building that confidence up, really understanding your own unique coaching style. All these things are important. It's your foundation. Once you can get that, you know, foundation laid securely as far as your niche and who you're called to, and it could change, it can change. Then we'll go into tier 2 to help you to build out those systems to set you up for long-term success. As she was saying earlier, it's going to expedite your process. You'll be able to cut so many corners and save so much time and not having to figure it out all on your own whenever you join my program. Okay? And again, if you have any questions, please let us know. Be sure to go to Ms. Brown's YouTube channel. It's called— is it called Bootstrap Biz Advice?

Bootstrap Biz Advice.

Yes, there you go. Bootstrap Biz Advice on her YouTube channel. So much content, you all. So, so much content. Um, and you'll be able to see what all she has to offer too. Okay, so yes, anything else, Miss LaShondra, that you want to—

I think that's it. Thank you again for having me, and I hope you guys are encouraged to get a part of this program, and hope to meet you guys in a few months.

Okay, dokey. All right, see you all later.