Posts tagged efficiency
Your email inbox is not a project management system
Your email inbox is not a project management system

One of the most common mistakes I see my clients make as they scale is becoming too reliant upon back and forth communication to get stuff done.

You know what I mean if you've ever had to send 6 back and forth emails just to get a status update, if you've had to answer the same question a million times, or if you've had to dig through your inbox or chat history for that critical piece of information you're looking for.

Yes, communication is incredibly important. But too much of it becomes detrimental if you want your business to be scalable.

Why?

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Brad Eisenbergsystems, efficiency, Scalability
Is it too early to systematize your business?
Is it too early to systematize your business?

When I talk to people about what it is that I do, I often talk about that time in the growth trajectory of a business when everything that used to feel fun and simple becomes messy and complex.

But what if things get to a point where everything feels that way? When everything feels equally important and equally chaotic?

It's definitely time to systematize, right?

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Brad Eisenbergsystems, small business, Entrepreneurship, efficiency
Don't Be Like Lucy
Don't Be Like Lucy

How to scale your business by fixing the weakest link first

Recently, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, I was browsing Hulu when a flash of red hair and bright lips caught my eye. It was a timeless masterpiece and one of the most well-known shows of classic TV - an episode of I Love Lucy titled The Chocolate Factory.

Have you seen it?

In the episode, Lucy and Ethel are hired to work on the assembly line of a chocolate factory. Their task is simple - pick up each piece of chocolate that comes down the conveyor belt, wrap it, and place it back on the belt.

Sounds easy, right?

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Brad Eisenbergefficiency, small business, Startups, process
How to Automatically Track Your LinkedIn Activities
How to Automatically Track Your LinkedIn Activities

It’s Tuesday morning at 8:30am and I’ve just posted on LinkedIn.

In what’s become a weekly routine, I go to the menu at the top right of my screen and pull up my history of posts and activities. It’s the posts I’m after.

As I scroll through the list, I jot down the most up to date number of views, likes, and comments for each post in a spreadsheet I use to keep track. I calculate my engagement rate too, a tip I picked up from a client of mine that runs an influencer marketing agency. I repeat this process each and every week, often having to update my numbers for the same posts over and over again as they continue to garner engagement.

Is there anything more mind numbing and tedious?!

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Brad Eisenbergsystems, automation, efficiency, small business, Systems Thinking
When that "oh sh*t moment" turns into the highlight of your week
When that "oh sh*t moment" turns into the highlight of your week

“Hi Brad,

This is Andrew from the Workato Customer Success Team. We wanted to inform you that your currently active automations may be hugely impacted due to an update on the Google Sheets API which will occur in January. To avoid huge disruptions, you will need to implement workarounds in your automations. Can we schedule a call to discuss?”

This was how my morning started last Thursday…

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Brad Eisenbergtechnology, automation, efficiency, lean
Creating Genuine Connections in a Virtual World
Creating Genuine Connections in a Virtual World

It’s been so easy over these past nine months to fall into the monotony of everyday life. I once took for granted how the ability to meet someone for coffee or go to an event breaks up the work week and puts you in a different state of mind.

So when I had the opportunity earlier this week to be on a podcast, the experience refreshed me and gave me an energy that’s lasted all week. It’s what got me out of bed this morning excited to share it with you!

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Brad EisenbergEntrepreneurship, small business, efficiency, podcast, lean
Beating Imposter Syndrome
Beating Imposter Syndrome

By revisiting the worst week of my career

It was 8pm on December 12, 2016. After three hours of tense back and forth discussion, we had just decided to fold our company. Just five days later, December 16th, was greeNEWit’s last day in business.

I’ve thought a lot about this moment in the time that’s passed since. The failure of greeNEWit after nine years in business is what motivated me to start my own company, BE Lean. I’ve been driven by the desire to prevent other businesses from ending with the same fate. To help others achieve what greeNEWit never could: a sustainable business model.

And while greeNEWit’s failure inspired me to start my company, it’s also held me back. If I’m brutally honest, since the moment I started BE Lean, I haven’t been able to shake the imposter syndrome whispering in my ear, “If you couldn’t make greeNEWit succeed, what makes you think you can help others succeed?”

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Brad EisenbergEntrepreneurship, energy, efficiency, Startups, Failure, Limiting Beliefs
How We Should Have Done It
How We Should Have Done It

Two energy startups. One succeeded. One Failed. This is what I learned.

I recently got to know Zack Moore and Shannon Sentman of Sol Vista in their office around the block from me in the Silver Spring Innovation Center (SSIC). As they told me their story, I was struck by how uncannily similar it was to my last company, greeNEWit.

Both companies started with the same vision of unlocking the potential trapped inside of buildings in the form of energy costs. Both raised capital to develop software products. Both faced similar setbacks and market challenges.

Yet ten years later, Sol Vista is a market leader with a bright future while greeNEWit closed its doors days shy of its ninth year in business.

I couldn’t help but walk away from my time spent with the Sol Vista guys wondering, what could we have done differently…?

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Brad Eisenbergefficiency, energy, lean, Entrepreneurship