How the Impact Lab Helped This New Biz Owner Build Better Systems
How this business owner leaned on the Impact Lab to help address issues that were actually rooted in overwhelm
Business owners are often told that their systems will determine their success.
But most entrepreneurs, especially when first starting out, think to themselves: what does that even mean? What does a “good system” look like, and how do I set one up?
Taylor Bland, owner and founder of B-Empowered Executive Function Coaching & Consulting, started her business in August of 2023, and already has several clients. When she joined us in the Impact Lab this year, she was struggling with just that: her systems.
the challenge
Taylor, who lives in Detroit as a former special education teacher who transitioned to executive function coaching, specializes in helping children and adults with autism, ADHD and general challenges in executive functioning. She offers virtual coaching services to her clients in Washington, D.C. because she used to live there, and many of her referral partners also live there.
When she started working with us, Taylor would conduct a coaching session, send an invoice (usually to the parent of the client), and the parent would then pay late. She also had difficulty matching payments with service dates due to the tardiness of the payments. In addition to this, her clients had a high cancellation rate (around 50%), which led to missed revenue.
the stakes
Without an effective payment receipt process, Taylor would be unable to scale. We needed to help her establish a platform that allowed her to track how much money she was owed, control when she would get paid, and build in more consistency so she could be protected from canceled appointments.
Where mission edge came in
One of our finance experts, Patrick Phelan, helped Taylor analyze her revenue and income history to streamline her payment collection process. To better manage this process, Patrick helped Taylor get set up on a new app called Healthie, where she migrated all her client notes, practice management, and client payments.
Patrick and Taylor also worked together to develop a revenue forecast model, discuss pricing strategies, and work on time blocking and business development activities.
the results
When Taylor graduated from the Impact Lab, she walked away with a new system that positioned her business to scale, allowing her to feel more organized, confident, and professional. (Doesn’t it always sound so much more professional when business owners have their own “client portal”)?
With her new-and-improved systems in place, Taylor is now able to:
Better track her finances and invoices.
Gain increased interest from prospects, and secure new clients!
Complete a draft of a financial model and expand her revenue by planning to bring in additional coaches in the future.
What’s next?
Sometimes all it takes to feel “legitimate” as a business owner is investing in a few streamlined systems. With her heightened level of professionalism as it relates to her client experience, Taylor is now looking into initiating partnerships with school districts to expand her client base and offer specialized services.
Right now, Taylor is focusing on scaling – something that didn’t feel possible several months ago due to the lack of systems to allow her to do so.
Build Better Systems with us!
If, like Taylor, you could use help “building better systems” (whatever that means…), we’d love to help you:
Set up a more efficient client portal.
Navigate a financial model that will help you scale and earn more predictably.
Build time-blocking into your calendar so you feel more organized.
Want to keep the inspiration going? Read more success stories.
See how Impact Lab could help you gain financial clarity for your business in 2024
Join the next cohort!
