Answering My Associate’s Question

She’s launching a new service (quite a good one actually). She wanted to know if she should set a cap on how many she would take on. Each client pays $25 per month for a specific service. This was my answer to her:

No, do not set a cap, but do some planning instead:

It is good to figure out how many you can handle, BUT… beyond that, your task is not to LIMIT it, but to figure out what would be needed at the next level.

• At what point would you need help?
• What things could you systemize to speed up and thereby increase the workload? This is the first resort usually because it is free, just takes smarts.
• What things could you automate? This is the second option if it costs to do it, first if it can be done without additional cost.
• What would you outsource? This entails a breakdown of the tasks involved in the whole service, and figuring out which ones you WANT to do, which ones you COULD outsource easily, etc. Remember, outsourcing is the THIRD choice!
• Whom would you outsource to?
• How much could you afford to pay them per task, and still profit?

It is good to do some calculations on that now, so that you know what your direction is when you get there, and so that you can start laying groundwork for this as you get 10, then 20, then 30 clients.

If you want to grow your business, as my associate does, then planning when you outline a new service, can help you know where it can go, and help you avoid overwhelming yourself at a later point. You’ll know when you need to adjust, and HOW you need to adjust, so that growth happens more smoothly and service delivery continues consistently.