Engineering Calmer Agencies & Consulting Firms: Calm is the New KPI

In this episode, I talk with Brittany Berger about establishing boundaries in her business so she can ensure that she has the capacity needed to help her clients go beyond just working smarter to a better version of productivity.

Key Take-Aways:

Opting-out of the normal method of doing one-on-one business
Defining business success in ways that are not necessarily tied to profit or revenue
Checking email twice a week to focus on deep work and self-care
Managing energy and focus by doing the hardest thing first, preserving the most energy for sustainable productivity
Reinforcing boundaries with clients
Creating friction with your social media to free up space in business

Show Notes

We have the freedom to design just about any business we want. We can work with clients in a hundred different ways to deliver our service. 
 
But how that works has a lot to do with the boundaries you set in place. 
 
Boundaries are expectations, guidelines, and frameworks around how we want our work and our lives to happen. They're a really effective way to both deliver better customer service and make your business more efficient. All while building more resiliency into your processes. 
 
Today, I continue our month’s theme of opting-out by talking with Brittany Berger, founder of digital media company Work Brighter. 
 
Brittany’s boundary game is strong. 
 
When building Work Brighter, Brittany made the conscious decision to prioritize the mental health and personal life boundaries that make room for unproductive things like rest, self-care, and fun. 
 
For her, boundaries are a powerful tool for streamlining and increasing her operational capacity. By choosing how she works with clients, when she works with clients, and who she works with in the first place, Brittany is explicitly setting expectations for how they will be working together. 
 
By establishing these boundaries she is not only taking care of herself she is also ensuring that she will continue to have the capacity needed to continue helping high achievers and productive unicorns go beyond just working smarter to a better version of productivity.
  
On today’s episode:
  • Why Brittany has opted-out of the normal method of doing one-on-one business and instead leverages her strengths and interests in ways that are more profitable. 
  • Why she defines success in her business in ways that are not necessarily tied to profit or revenue
  • Why she only checks her email twice a week so she can focus on deep work and self-care
  • How she manages energy and focus by doing the hardest thing first, preserving the most energy for sustainable productivity
  • The transparent guidelines she uses to reinforce boundaries with her clients
  • And how making it difficult for herself to access social media has been a great tool for freeing up space in her business
 
Links:

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

Creators and Guests

Host
Susan Boles
Speaker, Podcaster & Consultant at Beyond Margins | 15+ years of experience as both a CFO and COO

What is Engineering Calmer Agencies & Consulting Firms: Calm is the New KPI?

Can you build a business based on… “calm?” Host Susan Boles looks beyond the usual metrics of success to help you build a business where calm is the new KPI. With over 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur, CFO, and COO, Susan shares the business strategies that lead to a business with comfortable margins—financial, emotional, energetic, and scheduling margins. Join her and her guests as they counter the prevailing “wisdom” about business growth, productivity, and success to provide a framework for making choices that align with your values and true goals. Episode by episode, you’ll get a look at the team management, operations, financials, product development, and marketing of a calmer business.