Vita's Tip In 10: It’s Only Easy If You Know It

Hello, hello friend, and welcome to a new episode of Vita’s Tip in 10!

Today, I've got a fascinating topic to discuss—one that can save you time, frustration, and ultimately, money. In our last two episodes, we talked about identifying gaps in our processes and creating automated workflows. Today, we're going to dive deeper into the value of expertise, especially when it comes to technology and systems.

Before we get into that, let me recap the recent experience that led me to this aha moment.

You see, I stumbled upon a feature in Airtable that could revolutionize our workflow. And with that, I quickly realized I needed help to set it up properly. That's when I reached out to an Airtable consultant, and this decision has already saved us a ton of time and made us incredibly happy around here.

That’s the heart of today’s tip in 10—why it's essential to seek out experts when dealing with something unfamiliar.

You know, as a business owner, I've always believed that if you find yourself doing something more than twice, it's time to automate it. It just makes sense! Repeated tasks can be a real time drain, and that's the time we could spend growing our business, serving our customers, or even just enjoying a little downtime.

Now, I could have taken the DIY route. After all, I've been using Airtable for five years, and I know my way around the basics. Maybe, just maybe, I could have figured it out myself. Here's the thing though—certainty matters. I was about 70% sure I could do it, which means there was a 30% chance of running into a frustrating roadblock.

Many of us hesitate to reach out to experts because of cost concerns. We think, "I can't afford a consultant right now" or "I want to save money by doing it myself." When this is your initial reaction, I’d like you to consider a crucial aspect —the hidden cost of your time.

There's a saying we've been tossing around the office lately: "It's easy if you know it." And that's the crux of today's message. Anything becomes easy when you've done it repeatedly, when it's become part of your routine or muscle memory. Until you've put in those hours though, it's far from easy.

There's a hilarious plumber's parable that perfectly illustrates this point. You know the one where a plumber charges $100 for a five-minute job? The breakdown is simple: $5 for tightening the screw and $95 for knowing which screw to tighten and where it's located. The expertise is where the real value lies.

Now let’s circle back to the Airtable automation I mentioned earlier. It took the Airtable consultant all of 20 minutes to set up a game-changing automation that would have taken me hours of frustration and trial and error to accomplish.

So, what's the big takeaway from all of this? It's simple—if you don't know it, it won't be easy. And if it's not easy, it's probably not worth your time. The key is to recognize when you need an expert's help, whether it's in setting up technology, managing your business processes, or even handling a task as routine as mowing your lawn.

Remember that outsourcing to an expert is an investment in efficiency and sanity. It's about recognizing the value of your time and making the best use of it. Seek out those who know what they're doing, and you'll find that what seems complex can become remarkably simple when you have the right guidance.

That’s it for today, my friend! And if you are looking for more tips just like this, if you’re looking to take control of your process workflows; if you’re looking for ways to enhance your productivity, if you’re looking for ways to start using a digital project management tool, if you are looking for ALL the systems to run your business like a well-oiled machine – you have two ways of working with me personally.

One is through LuAnn University, my Systems Driven Operations class. And the second is a two-day in-person intensive where I hand over all my systems for you to use and put to work immediately in your business. There are only a couple of openings left this year and the price will be going up in 2024. So if you’ve been on the fence, if you know deep inside that you need this and haven’t taken action, this is the time to do it.

Reach out and we’ll schedule a conversation.