#30 | Saving Time In Your Business With Kate Rosenow

Hooray! We made it to the final Coffee with Kim of the year and I’m pretty sure I saved the best guest for last. Kate Rosenow, aka the Marie Kondo of business, blew us away with all of her tried and true methods of organization. *sigh* I wish we could’ve used some of them on 2020!

For the past five years she’s helped clients work less and do more through her business, Work Well with Kate. In our convo, Kate broke down the importance of having effective systems, CEO days, and outsourcing, explaining why it’s easier than ever to streamline and reach more success. It’s only a matter of time before she gets her own Netflix series so I’m so glad we got to speak with her first!

“Dumping Your Purse” System (11:00) 

Like most great ideas, Work Well with Kate was birthed out of a need. Kate says outwardly her business was thriving, but inwardly it was a “hot mess express”. That’s when she developed a 3-step system to get rid of the junk, aka everything that’s not essential, priority, or revenue generating, then organizing to understand where time is best spent.

This is the “Dumping Your Purse” system:

Step 1. Dump – Get rid of every task that’s nonessential or revenue generating.

Step 2. Outsource – Ask ‘can a robot do this?’ If so, employ software to do the work for you.

The third step is batching, which Kate saves for CEO Days – we discuss both in detail later in the convo!

Hierarchy of Needs In Business (13:08) 

In business – and life – there is a hierarchy of needs we should adhere to; it’s measured by what’s ‘urgent’ vs what’s ‘important’. You can organize the two by asking, ‘what happens if it doesn’t get done?’ If the outcome won’t be detrimental to business, you can skip it!

Kate says another way to bucket tasks is by focusing on what is generating revenue. Don’t feel pressured to keep up with the Joneses if it doesn’t make sense for your business or if you’re sacrificing the things that are necessary.

CEO Days (18:08) 

The final step in Kate’s ‘Dumping the Purse’ system is batching – doing dreaded tasks in big “batches” to get them out of the way. She saves batching for her “CEO Days”. A day set aside to complete tasks that only she can do as the CEO. Scheduling these tasks helps establish the business hierarchy and keeps the worry of having to get them done from lingering in your mind!

25/5 System (22:27) 

Batching is a great way to conquer annoying to-dos but bribing also works. Admittedly, I have bribed myself with cupcakes in order to get things done, which I’m not so sure is acceptable for a 35-year old, but hey, it works!

If bribing and batching doesn’t help, Kate highly recommends the Pomodoro method. It entails working for 25 minutes and resting for 5. You’ll get lots done in those little work spurts and have a break to look forward to. “Will power doesn’t work! You have to plan your way out of distractions,” she shares.

90 Day Rule (36:30) 

One thing I’m always curious to ask successful business owners is ‘what’s behind the curtain?’ I want to know how they get it all done. Often left out of the conversation is how much help they have behind the scenes, leaving others with the false notion that they’re doing it all themselves.

Kate agreed! “I have a Pinterest ads manager, a Facebook ads manager, a virtual assistant, and a business manager. It’s a myth to think one person can do it all!” She outsources based on how the enjoyable the task is, if she has the skillset for it, and if it’s worth her time.

Another easy way to determine what needs to be handed off is with Kate’s 90 Day Rule. “If something is sitting on my to-do list for 90+ days it must be outsourced”, she says.

Plus, she explains you don’t need to have a full salary ready for a new employee to outsource, utilize freelance sites like Outsourcing with Love, Fiverr, or Upwork to find help instead!

3 Types of Goals (38:07) 

There is only two weeks left in the year, so the focus has shifted to planning our 2021 to-do lists. Kate shared her goals with us and her genius way of organizing them.

“I break my goals down into three parts. Client goals, revenue goals, and marketing goals. My goals are overarching which allows me to focus on multiple areas of business at once, break down goals quarterly, and easily pivot during major changes – like a pandemic!”

Speed Round (46:00)  

• What have you started using/doing lately that you’re obsessed with? Tik Tok – it’s embarrassing how obsessed I am! Also, HubDoc – it organizes receipts by amount and date, integrates with your credit cards and you can give access to your accountant – it’s amazing!

• If you could go back in time what would you avoid when first starting your business? I’d stop thinking I had to do it all myself. There are seasons of hustle and seasons of rest you can’t have rest if you’re always hustling!

• If you could go back in time to the beginning of 2020 what would you do differently? I would say no to more clients. I believe less stuff, better stuff.

• The Best Gift you’ve given yourself in the last year? An online business manager.

• Next thing you’re hoping to learn? Learn about and provide more digital products.

Homework for the Week: Try the Dumping Your Purse exercise & watch The Undoing.

Be sure to check out the amazing guests showing up in 2021 and RSVP here.