Are you a vegan digital marketing creative running successfully on your own but now want to break through the revenue glass ceiling?
You’re not alone.
The challenge of scaling a successful vegan digital marketing business from solo to agency, while staying true to your values can seem daunting. But it doesn’t have to be!
From systems and processes to building your brand and network, these 7 insights will help you think more strategically about ways and means to scale your vegan digital marketing creative business.
# 1 Why scaling is crucial for vegan digital marketing creatives
As a vegan digital marketing creative, you’ve proven yourself to be a successful solo entrepreneur.
You’ve built a thriving business based on your skills, hard work, and passion for helping vegan brands succeed. But now you’re feeling like you’ve hit a wall. Your revenue growth has plateaued, and you’re struggling to break through to the next level. That’s where ‘scaling’ comes in.
Scaling your business means finding ways to grow and expand beyond your current capacity. It means leveraging your expertise, systems, and team to reach more clients, offer more services, and increase your revenue. Scaling is crucial for vegan digital marketing creatives who want to do more than just work 10+ hours a day.
So what does scaling mean to you? The way I see it, it requires a shift in mindset and strategy.
It means identifying the bottleneck in your revenue growth (which could even be you standing in the way of things) and finding ways to remove it.
It means investing in systems that can streamline your processes and free up your time.
It means building a team that aligns with your values and can support your vision.
And it means maximizing your network to expand your reach and build your brand.
Now you may think that these are ‘all-the-things’ you need to get done, and start feeling the overwhelm creep in. That’s natural, and the best way is to start putting a plan of action together, so that you know the right sequence of activities based on priority, with some reasonable timelines.
I offer a Strategy Breakthrough Session where we get in an intensive 1 to 1 session, discussing all the things you want to achieve in the next three months, and I create a step by step plan to help you start moving in the right direction. Click here to read more.
2) Identifying the bottleneck in revenue growth
This may sound like I’m repeating myself, but once you’ve identified all the ways you can scale your business, it’s time to dig deep. Take a moment to analyze the strategies you’ve been implementing, and whether they are worth your time and energy.
- If you have implemented some of the strategies to scale, what has been working? How long did it take for you to achieve an ROI?
- What is not working in your strategy and why has it not provided the results you expected?
- Have you implemented the strategies, yet find yourself still spending long hours ON your business than IN your business?
- Do the systems feel complex and it takes time to figure out?
- Is the customer service experience seamless and standardized, or are you reinventing the wheel with each new customer?
- Do you spend a lot of time firefighting with clients and being chased by team members?
- What are some of the challenges that keep coming up, and what more can be done to spend less time troubleshooting and more time in revenue-generating activities?
As a creative, you may have a tendency to look at the bigger picture and have solutions for the big problems. But when it comes to getting into the details, that may feel like the ‘boring’ part of your business, and try to avoid it as much as you can. Truth: You can step away from it and have someone else take control in this area, freeing up your time to do what comes innately to you.
To learn more about the role of an Online Business Manager, read this article.
3) The power of systems in scaling
As a vegan digital marketing creative, do you find yourself lost in a labyrinth of tabs on your desktop, and frequently ‘keyword searching’ for documents in your Google Drive? (If only Google Drive had more filters, right?)
Are you constantly emailing your team members asking them the same old questions “Sorry, but where did you save the document ABC again?”
Or do you find yourself getting lost in one task, and then realize that the sun has set, and you didn’t accomplish much on your to-do list?
One key solution to this is implementing efficient systems that can help you streamline your processes and make your work more productive.
Investing in tools like project management software, automation, and workflow optimization can be game-changers in your efforts to scale your creative business.
By creating a system that is organized, efficient and sustainable, and efficient, you can eliminate redundancies, streamline your operations, and make your work more profitable.
A successful system involves a clear structure of responsibilities and communication protocols.
You need to establish roles for team members, communicate your objectives, and create processes to help everyone work together smoothly.
This way, you can create a culture of accountability and excellence, ensuring that your team delivers top-notch results every time.
Scaling a business is an exciting, yet challenging task, especially for a solo entrepreneur. However, with the right systems in place, you can turn your agency into a powerhouse that can deliver high-quality work, retain clients, and ultimately reach your targeted profit levels.
Here are some tools that I recommend for web designers to create better customer experiences. These tools are applicable for all creatives. Read here.
4) Building a team that aligns with your values and brand
When it comes to building a team for your digital marketing agency, it’s essential to ensure that the individuals you hire align with your values and brand. After all, these are the people who will be representing your agency and interacting with clients on a regular basis.
To start, clearly define your agency’s core values and mission statement. This will provide a framework for identifying potential team members who share your beliefs and priorities.
Additionally, consider the types of clients and industries you serve and look for individuals with experience and interest in those areas.
During the hiring process, be transparent about your agency’s values and expectations. Ask candidates about their own values and how they see themselves fitting into your team. Don’t be afraid to conduct personality assessments or involve other team members in the interview process to ensure a good cultural fit.
Once you’ve built your team, make sure to cultivate a culture of accountability and excellence. Encourage open communication and regularly review performance to ensure everyone is meeting the agency’s standards.
And remember, your team members are a reflection of your agency’s brand, so investing in their growth and development will ultimately benefit your business.
If you need help, right from articulating your mission, values to the onboarding process, let’s get on a call and streamline your hiring process to hire your A-team.
5) Creating a culture of accountability and excellence
This is a theme you see repeating across the blog because it is that crucial. When you’re ready to take your creative business to the next level, creating a culture of accountability and excellence should be one of your top priorities.
This means ensuring that every member of your team understands what is expected of them and that they are committed to delivering the best possible work every day.
To start, define your agency’s core values and ensure that every member of your team is on board with them. These values should guide every decision made by the team and provide a framework for how everyone should behave.
Now, will all your team members be vegan? Could there be some roles where skills are more critical?
Hiring a non-vegan shouldn’t be a dealbreaker, as long as they understand the values and stay true to its message. However this is a personal call, and as a business owner, you can decide the appropriate path. You never know how you could be inspiring them to go vegan some day. In the end, all that matters is that you want to see results and revenue growth.
Once the team is aligned with your company’s values, establish clear goals for each member of the team. These goals should be challenging but achievable and should be aligned with the overall goals of the agency.
Set regular check-ins to assess progress towards these goals and offer support and resources to help your team succeed.
Finally, reward excellence and hold team members accountable when expectations are not met. This doesn’t have to mean punishment, but it does mean addressing issues when they arise and offering feedback for improvement.
Creating a culture of accountability and excellence takes time and effort, but it is essential for scaling your agency and achieving long-term success.
6) Maximizing your network to expand your reach
Networking is an essential part of building any successful business. As a vegan digital marketing creative, expanding your network can be a game-changer in terms of breaking the revenue glass ceiling. When done correctly, networking can lead to new clients, partnerships, and even referrals.
The first step in maximizing your network is to attend industry events. Look for events that align with your values and mission as a vegan digital marketer. Attend seminars, workshops, and conferences and make connections with other attendees. Engage in meaningful conversations and be sure to follow up with them afterward.
Another way to expand your reach is to build a regular presence on social media platforms – not just following trends, but making a lasting impact. As you keep connecting with other professionals like you, engage with potential clients, and showcase your work, you’ll be able to sign on new collaboration partnerships, and open more doors to increasing your revenue opportunities.
LinkedIn groups, too, can be a valuable resource for connecting with other professionals in your industry. You can also join online communities and forums where you can share knowledge and learn from others.
You may know all of this stuff, and in order to get more intentional in your outreach, you need to spend more time thinking about your values and how they align with your messaging and target audience.
Want to make more time doing the things you love? Let’s get on a call and build a plan of action to get you from doing all the things, to focusing on tasks that help you scale your creative business.
7) Investing in personal growth and development to lead the way forward
As a digital marketing creative, it’s important to prioritize personal growth and development in order to lead your business to agency mode. You may have built a successful business on your own, but if you want to break the revenue glass ceiling, you need to focus on expanding your skill set and knowledge base.
One way to invest in personal growth is to attend industry conferences and workshops. Not only will you learn from industry experts, but you’ll also have the opportunity to network with other professionals and potentially find new clients or collaborators.
Investing in personal growth and development can be a significant time and financial commitment, but it’s an important step in order to scale your business, and therefore, it’s a good idea to start considering a second person in command to take over in your absence. Read this article to learn more about hiring an OBM.
As a vegan digital marketing creative, you are uniquely positioned to leverage your values and message to reach a wider audience and grow your revenue stream.
By implementing these seven insights, you can begin to build a scalable system that brings in a team that aligns with your vision and values, creates a culture of accountability and excellence, and maximizes your network and personal growth.
Remember that scaling your agency is not a sprint, but a marathon. It takes time to build a sustainable system and a reliable team, but the investment is well worth it in the end.
Stay focused on your goals, stay true to your values, and don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice along the way.
If you need a comprehensive, ready-to-follow plan, grab my 20+ page Transition Planner for Creative Business Owners that has been put together to help you navigate the transition from a single-person operation to a fully functioning agency.
