Taylor Monroe + Co

Are you the type of person who enjoys cleaning on the regular? 👀

No? Keep reading because this post was made for you–trust me here.

So many busy entrepreneurs find themselves with a cluttered inbox, and if that’s you…you’re in the right place.
(I get it! It’s not at the top of your to-do list, but once it’s done, oh boy. It’s a game-changer!). So, let’s make digital cleaning a common task. Sound good?

Here’s exactly how you can hop off the struggle bus and organize your inbox. 💌

1️⃣ Start by ensuring you've created folders or, to my fellow Gmail users, labels (aka a little folder on the side of your screen). This will make it easy to find emails in the future (and will also help keep your inbox clear)!
2️⃣ Next, move, archive or delete emails that don’t need to be sitting in your inbox. If it doesn’t require any action from you, give it the boot by filing it away or getting rid of it.
3️⃣ Another trick? Filters can be set up for certain emails to be automatically labelled (so you can see what's there at a glance) or archived straight away without them ever needing to enter your inbox.
4️⃣ If you're not using the "Priority" inbox in Gmail, you're really missing out. The priority inbox separates your inbox into Starred, Important, Unread, and everything else so you can easily see what needs your attention (and what doesn't).
5️⃣ Take this time to unsubscribe from any email list that’s no longer useful to you. If you find you’re automatically deleting emails without even opening them, hit that unsubscribe button and clear the way for emails that are important to you.

✨ Bonus Tip: Above all else, make it fun! No one enjoys cleaning (unless you’re obsessed like me). So, if you’re finding the task a little dull, why not crank some of your favourite music and enjoy a cup of coffee while you’re at it? It makes all the difference.

Now, let me know, what’s making your inbox a hot mess right now? I’d love to hear all about it. 🔥

Stop your scrolling and level-up your organization game. 😉

You know us. We’re the organization gals. We’ve built a reputation for helping service providers to streamline and systemize their businesses. Especially when it comes to Google Drive.

One of the best aspects of Google Drive is that you can use it for both your client work and your own business admin (talk about an effective tool). But that also means if you aren’t careful, files can end up disorganized faster than you can keep up with (we see you with your files all located on your main drive - and it terrifies us 👀).

So! Here are a few quick tips you can use to easily start decluttering and organizing your Google Drive for both your client work and your own business work ⬇️

Our Hot Tips for Organizing Client Work:
👉 Create one master client folder for all client work.
👉 Build out subfolders for each client, further separated by the service you’re providing.
👉 Organize each subfolder by month to easily access important documents.

What You Need to Know About Organizing Your Work:
We suggest that outside of client work, you have a couple of other main folders to assist you. This can include:
💻 Business
💻 Services
💻 Brand
💻 Marketing
(then add any related subfolders as needed)

Keep in mind all of these folders are what works best for us. Make sure you’re doing what works best for YOU!

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to decluttering your Google Drive. To learn how to do this in more detail, check out our blog post, all about decluttering and organizing Google Drive!

Link in bio. 👆

Tips on making digital spring cleaning a breeze, part 2. 🧹

Grab a notebook and pencil—we’ve got some helpful content for you today! The second part of our digital spring cleaning series is here and it’s a game changer.

Here are 5️⃣ tips you absolutely need if you’re organizing your Digital Files & Project Management tool.

〰️ Switch from hard drive to cloud-based storage. With cloud-based storage, you can say goodbye to the days of endless back and forth about an important file. This will also make it easier for everyone on your team to have access to client work and brand guidelines!

〰️ Next, create a “current” and “past” client folder so that you can separate clients accordingly. This will help you clean up your mess while still enabling you to keep track of old assets (such as client deliverables and SOPs).

〰️ Then, we suggest you label folders for easy access. This tip is especially important if you’ve been in business for a while. Your team members (and even yourself) will benefit from accessing folders according to project and date.

〰️ Up next, it’s time to assess your Project Management tool and look at your current projects and tasks. Are there any tasks that have gone haywire? Maybe there are some tasks that are no longer relevant?

〰️ Finally, add in any tasks that occur regularly but you haven't been tracking. This will help you stay up to date on current best business practices.

Okay, what are you most excited to try? Let us know below if you’re ready to channel your inner Monica Geller and are ready to clean, clean, clean! 🧼

Do you use ClickUp in your business? 🤔

Here at TM+Co, we have a high-key obsession with ClickUp and all of its various uses and versatility. Let’s fill you in on a little secret we honestly LIVE by…

Use the “Everything” view to see ALL of the tasks in your Workspace. It will change your life! No joke. 🤯

The “Everything” view is literally everything you have set up in ClickUp in one easy-to-view place. It shows all of your Spaces, Lists, Tasks, and Statuses in one single view.

[Note: only members can see this view! Guests will only see the locations you share with them–sad, but true.]

A great feature of the “Everything” view is you can customize it so you’re only seeing relevant information. (It’s like its own “Space,” except it shows everything!) You can customize it to show only the fields that you need, such as start date, due date, status, and assigned comments. 🙌

Our favourite thing to do is to group things by the due date. It’s a fast way to get an overview of what’s due in your business for any period of time. You can set it to only show what’s due today, this week, this month, etc. 📅

What’s even better is you can use different views within the “Everything” view. We always suggest creating one view for your internal tasks and one view for client tasks, then saving each of these to your Favourites for easy access. 🤍

New to ClickUp and all of its magic? Comment below! We’d love to chat more about what this platform can do for you.

Digital spring cleaning doesn’t have to be a chore. Here’s how. 🧹 ✨

Tidying up your digital space may be on your to-do list, but it’s tough to know where to start. Here’s what we suggest…

🤳 Your Mobile Apps

Mobile apps are the unsung hero of any business (and life!). Sure, you use them on a daily basis, but have you paid attention to what’s really downloaded on your phone lately?

While Instagram might not be going anywhere just yet, here are a few tips and tricks to help you with your mobile digital spring cleaning:

📱Start by deleting any old apps! Perhaps you no longer use them, or maybe they turned out to be a letdown. Either way, they’ve got to go! Not only will this benefit your peace of mind, but your battery life will thank you, too.

📱Next up, it’s time to re-sort your pages! Odds are that the way you use your phone has changed since you last did so. Try organizing your pages to give you easy access to business essentials and personal apps. Also, use your iPhone’s “focus modes” to have certain home pages show up on schedule (but that’s a post for another time!).

📱Speaking of which, sometimes lines can get blurred when it comes to Instagram usage. If you’ve found yourself getting lost down the Instagram rabbit hole every now and then, may we suggest you put the app far out of reach?

Now, what’s a fun Instagram caption without a little reflection? Take a close look at your phone and let us know below one app you plan on deleting and why. 💭

Stay tuned for part 2!

When you set out to grow your business, you’re going to want a team that will grow with you. 🌱

To start with, it’s important to think about what qualities you value most when you’re building a team. You’ll want to look for characteristics of a person who vibes well with you and your biz values. The people you hire should be self-starters and be able to knock things out of the park from the beginning. 🏌️‍♀️

Also, doubt has no room in business decisions. If you end a call with someone who doesn’t feel right, it’s time to move on. Don’t waste time hiring someone who you are unsure of, and just hope for the best. It will never be worth the time or energy (and it will cost you in the long run). 💯

But how should you choose your team members?

It’s best to look for people with unique skill sets and experience. You want people who can tackle different categories of tasks within your business rather than two people who are skilled in the same thing. 🤷🏻‍♀️

The best team members will ALWAYS be the ones who possess strengths that differ from yours. As awesome as it would be, there’s no point in hiring someone who is a carbon copy of you. You’ll want people who complement your own abilities. 👍

With a diverse team, you can hand off a better quality product to your clients by having experts in various fields, which will help you make better, more substantial business decisions to lead to a higher ROI. (Who wouldn’t want that?!)

PLUS, let’s not forget that, even as team leader, you deserve a vacation! A diverse team will help run your business even when you’re not there. 🏖️

What are the most important qualities you look for when you’re building your team? What skills or characteristics do you value most for your business? 🤔

Anyone else somewhat “switched off” this winter? 🙋🏻‍♀️

The end of 2023 had me feeling some type of way, let me tell you. I was beyond stressed–overwhelmed to the point of burnout. I quickly realized that something needed to change in my work/life rhythm. Sure, I was getting things done, but I was starting and ending every day in the same state of utter exhaustion.

I had to ask myself, is this what I really want? Is it right for my team? The answer, of course, was no.

I was so caught up in the weeds of everyday work that I couldn’t plan for anything long-term, which was frustrating, to say the least. So. Starting in the new year, I decided to turn a corner and start trying out some new routines. It was time.

I'd focused on my clients' needs (and still do!), but needed to focus more on ME for a bit. Establishing boundaries that rejuvenate me and my team (instead of draining me).

I don’t have an end-all list of things to do that lead to a happier, more productive 2024, but moreso just a prompt for you to consider “switching off” and hitting that restart button. After the holiday break, I felt like I got the shift in perspective I needed to make some changes, and that’s what I want for you, too.

Do something for YOU for a change. I promise, your business will be all the better for it. 💟

In need of a break like us? Let’s swap stories in the comments. 👇

ClickUp + Slack = match made in heaven. 😍

A little tip from us to you: we love sending ClickUp updates to dedicated Slack channels! That way, we can see everything happening in the business/departments in one place.

This nifty little integration is a super quick, super efficient way to level-up your comms and project management within your team. Once set up, all CU updates (status changes, comments, assignee changes, etc.) are then delivered to dedicated Slack channels. Easy-peasy.

For example, CU website folder updates get sent to the channel. Operations space updates get sent to the channel, and so on. And then, people only see the updates they need to since they'll only be in channels that are relevant to their work.

We also tend to customize what updates get sent based on the types of tasks within that list (if tasks are constantly getting created, we might not choose “task created” as an option and only choose comments or assignee changes).

So, as everyone’s prepping for Valentine’s Day, you can focus on perhaps a more relevant love story that’ll always be there for you–CU and Slack coming together in perfect harmony so you can get stuff done. You’re welcome.❤️‍🔥

We get a LOT of questions about assembling the right team because who you work with makes alllll the difference. ⚡

Having a like-minded, fully aligned team working alongside you is key to scaling your business for multiple reasons–you want to work with someone to help get client work done, but also, you want to enjoy your workday! Arguably, who you hire is one of the most important aspects of your biz.

But. Once you have a shiny new teammate working with you, it’s time to onboard them…but where do you start?? 🎉

Onboarding new team members can be overwhelming. Trust us, we get it. To ensure they have the smoothest transition into your business as possible, you just need to ✨prepare.✨

Here at TM+Co, we’re obsessed with ClickUp, and it’s a great project management tool to help with onboarding team members. You’ll be able to set up tasks within a specific timeline for the entire onboarding process.

Here’s the checklist that was created for each of our team members to go through when they were onboarded (feel free to steal this list!):

1️⃣Sign Contract – Nothing is official until a contract is signed!
2️⃣ Team Welcome Guide – A team member welcome doc should have everything a new member will need to know about working with you and your business.
3️⃣ 'About Your Role' Document – This document should be personalized for every new member of your team and should give them the exact scope of the job you expect them to do.
4️⃣ Complete the Onboarding Questionnaire – This is your chance to collect any necessary info, including contact and banking information, as well as any questions you might want to ask about their work styles and preferences.
5️⃣ Set Up Any Necessary Apps + Tools – Make sure you give your team access to anything necessary to function within your business and view/complete tasks.
6️⃣ First Tasks + Accompanying SOPs – Time to delegate tasks! Create your new team member’s first list of tasks with detailed SOPs to go along with them.

Do you have a similar process for onboarding new team members? What’s the first task you’re more than ready to delegate? Let us know in the comments! 👇

The burnout is real, but so is my commitment to boundaries. 💁🏻‍♀️

Is it just me, or was the end of 2023 truly chaotic? And not in a fun way…a hamster wheel may have been involved. As in, I was constantly working on things, getting them done, only to have my plate filled with more and more to-do’s. The cycle was relentless. (Also, I may be late to the party with these New Year reflections, but better late than never!)

I realized I needed to hit that pause button and shift my routine because this way of living was simply not sustainable.

I’ll admit it–I’m really good at getting things done (not to toot my own horn). But when it comes to balancing work with wellness, that’s another issue entirely. I found myself obsessively multitasking when I really didn’t need to. For example, watching a TV show at night WHILE simultaneously getting some work things done (that didn’t necessarily need to be done, but those internal self-inflicted deadlines was piling on the pressure!).

I knew I needed to take action to get out of that cycle. For the new year, I’ve been focusing on being present and in tune with the moment. 😌

Yes, this is something you likely have to consciously make an effort to do since we’re bombarded with constant notifications and distractions. It sounds easy until Monday rolls around and you’re up late compulsively checking your emails…because why not, right? 🙃

So. Say it with me, “I will prioritize myself in 2024!” 📢

It all starts with setting up those clear, definable personal boundaries–and sticking to them.

Have you felt similarly burnt out? Got any other resolutions you’ve been mulling over? I would LOVE to hear about your most recent aha moments. Send me a DM!

What’s better than an empty to-do list? Nothing. 💃🏻

Clearing your ClickUp notifications is no different. It’s so satisfying to check off every task as you go.

If you use a project management tool like CU, you should live and breathe by your notifications. This is how you know what tasks need completing and what comments need answering.

📣Clearing your CU notifications is a best practice to stay on top of your work! By clearing your notifications, you won’t fall behind on a task or miss out on pertinent information.

So, just how do you clear all those ClickUp notifications? Here’s how we tackle it, and yes, it is doable!

✔️For in-app notifications, you can clear them manually by accessing them on the upper left-hand side of the screen.
✔️The easiest way to clear a notification is by clicking on the “check” or “clear” on the right-hand side of the notification.
✔️Don’t forget: If you need to find a cleared notification, it’ll be under the “Cleared” heading. And, if you need to unclear a notification, you can always do so by clicking the circular reverse arrow or “unclear” button beside the notification.

Be real now: Have you been regularly clearing your ClickUp notifications? 🧐

Ahem. We’ve got need-to-know Zapier knowledge hidden below. 😍

📢 Have we gotten your attention yet?!

Zapier is our beloved automation tool that helps our clients create a white-glove experience and save countless hours in their business. Yet, time and time again we’re always asked this question:

💬 Where do I even start with Zapier?!

We get the frustration. Not knowing where to start is a common problem (especially with so many Zaps to choose from!). So here are 3 popular Zaps we use that create a big impact, with a small setup:

→ INBOX MANAGEMENT
It’s critical to stay on top of your inbox. You’ll find this type of Zap especially helpful when working with a team; specifically, we see incredible benefits when coordinating with a VA. Zapier allows you to automate your inbox management workflow from Gmail to CU easily.

It’s simple. After adding a specific label to your email, a task will then be created in ClickUp and assigned to whoever is in charge of drafting a reply (expand on this process as needed from there!).

→ COURSE/MEMBERSHIP ENROLLMENTS
Once new students purchase their course (or membership!), you can set up a Zap to add them to your database, which will then enroll them in their course.

This Zap is great because it not only adds people to the right place, but it will tag them in your email marketing platform (like ActiveCampaign or Flodesk). You can filter appropriately so that everyone is in the right place and receiving the right information.

→ SLACK
Potential and new clients deserve attention as soon as possible to solidify their trust in your business. So, we suggest setting up a Zap to send a message to Slack when you get a new lead in your CRM.

This process could also work when a contract is signed. Now, with this integration, you’ll be able to respond to new inquiries quickly and kick off the client onboarding process.

So. Now that you have this whole new wealth of knowledge, why not start exploring Zapier? Head on over to our blog for even more Zap insights. 🤓

https://taylormonroe.co/how-save-countless-hours-your-business-automating-zapier/

✨Teamwork makes the dream work. ✨

But let’s step back. How exactly are you supposed to create your dream team, anyway? 🤔

If you want to expand your business, you know you need a solid team behind you to help you along the way. However, building a strong, successful team is more than just finding the right people with the right skills.

Let’s take a look at 6️⃣ tips to help you build a dream team:

🗒️ Start with a detailed job description.
The best job descriptions are clear, and informative, and set the tone for your work together. When writing a job description, you need to be crystal clear about what you’re looking for and what you’ll expect.

🎤 Find diverse candidates for your team.
Each candidate should have their own special skillset and experience. Be careful not to hire two of the same people as this can cut down the creative energy on your team.

🗃️Narrow down the qualities that you’re looking for.
Take a moment and really think about what qualities you would value most in your team members. You’re going to want to look for someone who will start off strong and just get better from there. Remember, doubt has no room in business decisions.

✅Create a new team member onboarding checklist.
You’ve hired someone! Time to onboard them into your business! This process can be overwhelming so make sure you’ve prepared in advance. Have your contracts ready to be signed and any onboarding documents prepared. And of course, don’t forget to have tasks ready to delegate!

🎉Foster a team culture.
Now that you have a team in place, you’re going to want to be sure you’re fostering the right environment (even virtually!). Knowing what your business stands for and what values matter most to you will influence how your team operates.

☎️Be open to questions from your team.
No matter how much experience your team members come with, they’re going to have questions (even if your onboarding process is amazing!). Make sure they know that your door’s open for guidance and questions.

Ready to build your dream team? Head over to the blog to read even more in-depth tips to build the best team you could possibly ask for.

https://taylormonroe.co/6-tips-assembling-dream-team-your-business/

Two words: simplify and elevate. ✨

That’s exactly what a CRM will do you for and your biz.

If you’re being really honest with yourself, how do you feel about your current client process? By that, we mean onboarding, project management, and offboarding. Does it fill you with dread? Is it taking up waaaay too much time? Feel like you’re reinventing the wheel with each project? Well, there’s a solution right at your fingertips.

Having a CRM really does make these processes EASY for you (plus your clients will be wowed at how seamless everything is!).

Here are 🖐️ways a CRM can simplify and elevate your biz:

⚪MAKE IT ON BRAND
You can do away with your Google Forms (because honestly, they look horrible and aren’t great on the backend for you, either!)! Send branded questionnaires and professional legally binding contracts with your unique branding.

⚪NO MORE COPY/PASTING
Smart fields can automatically input "known info.” Meaning, no more copy/pasting! You can even create your own CUSTOM mapped fields for information that’s specific to your business to get automatically filled in wherever needed.

⚪SCHEDULE CALLS IN ONE PLACE
Forget the back-and-forth emailing to check availability. In fact, you can have these call-scheduling emails sent automatically within your workflows (but only if you want!).

⚪AUTOMATE EVERYTHING
This allows you to stay on top of responses for leads and clients, keeping you looking professional and feeling organized

⚪CLIENT PORTALS > ANYTHING ELSE
Utilizing a Client Portal provides a professional client-facing hub for all of your important documents. Ever have clients constantly asking for the same project information over and over? Keep it all in one place that they can easily access, and you can nip those questions in the bud.

Have we convinced you yet? Head to the link below to learn more about our system services. Or, schedule a strategy session to establish your ideal client experience. It’s worth it. 👀

https://taylormonroe.co/system-services

Every productive day should begin with a ClickUp daily check-in. ✅

Here at TM+Co, we pride ourselves on the tools and tips we follow that improve productivity – both for ourselves and for our clients.

So, when it comes to effectively knocking tasks off of our neverending to-do list, the best tool we have to offer is (you guessed it!) ClickUp! 🙌

With ClickUp, we always begin our day with a daily check-in. This way, you’ll know exactly what needs to be done by going through any updates that happened while you were away.

There are three important things to look at during your daily check-in:
➡️ Inbox Notifications
➡️ Home Page
➡️ Assigned Comments

STEP 1️: Inbox Notifications
We like to begin the day by going through our ClickUp notifications and clearing those we don't need to keep or respond to. Reply to any comments you've been mentioned in that are awaiting your input or related to tasks you complete throughout the day.

STEP 2️: Home Page
Your Home Page will tell you what tasks are on your agenda for the day, what you need to add to your top Line-Up, and any overdue tasks you need to work on or that you finished but forgot to mark complete.

STEP 3️: Assigned Comments
Finally, go through your Assigned Comments. This is just a last check-through to make sure there aren’t any important notifications that fell through the cracks when you read through your Notifications that might impact how you, your team members, or clients move forward with daily tasks.

While there may seem like a lot packed into your daily check-in, in reality, it won’t take much more than 10-15 minutes in the morning.

So, while you sip your coffee at the beginning of your workday, you can get yourself fully updated and ready to conquer the day ahead. ☕️

Will you begin implementing a ClickUp daily check-in from now on?

All aboard the Zapier hype train. 😏

We LOVE Zapier, 🤓 I mean, it can help you lighten your workflow AND improve your back-end processes (all. on. autopilot.)

With Zapier, you’ll be able to offer a personalized service to your clients without any manual effort (talk about a dream come true 😴). Utilizing its automations also helps you run things more smoothly behind the scenes. Think team management, admin tasks, etc.

Ready to learn more? Here are 4️⃣ of our favourite benefits of using Zapier. 👇

→ SEAMLESS LEAD TRACKING
Don’t miss out on signing a dream client! Instead, use Zapier to track interested parties and their stage in your new lead pipeline. You can create a Zap that adds any new projects or leads you to receive in your CRM system (like Dub) and have them automatically enrolled into a specific email list segment through a variety of filters.

→ WHITE-GLOVE ONBOARDING EXPERIENCE
Once you sign your new client, you’ll be able to reap the next benefit of Zapier: creating a hiccup-free onboarding experience. To ensure your new client is properly set up under your new systems, there’s often manual work that needs to be done. With Zapier, it’s a breeze to add your client to your CRM, to your project management tool, and to streamline information amongst your team.

→ AUTOMATE REPETITIVE TASKS
Zapier also cuts down on human error and manual tasks. As a busy business owner, you don’t have the time to focus on tedious, repetitive tasks. Since Zapier allows you to integrate many apps (how does 5,000+ sound?!), you’ll never have to worry about copying over information from system to system again.

→ FAST-TRACK RESPONSE TIMES
In today’s fast-paced, digital world, expectations are higher than ever. While you may not be able to directly respond within 10 minutes, you can still expect your automation to have your back. Automated replies can ease clients’ minds and provide reassurance that you will soon be on the case.

So, are you ready to enjoy all these incredible benefits of Zapier?! To find out more on how you can automate your business with Zapier, be sure to check out our blog post all about it. 💡

https://taylormonroe.co/your-step-step-guide-creating-zap-zapier/

What can we say? Happy clients make us happy. 😌

Today, we’re putting an “End of Year” spotlight on some of our retainer clients, and they’ve had some pretty sweet things to say!

Arguably, one of our favourite things about what we do is hearing how awesome clients feel at the end of our journey. It’s like taking a huuuuge weight off their shoulders, and there’s no better feeling than that, right?

📓ORGANISED TO A T
TM+Co organised the back end of my business, which helped to streamline my work and team support. Ever since, my work has been much more efficient, and my team is better able to manage their workloads.” – Sarah, Membership Creator

📈SOLUTIONS-FOCUSED
“As a small business owner, it’s important to have supportive, solution-focused, and creative individuals on your team. The gals at TM+Co are that and more, they are an integral part of any business growth. Their systems and software knowledge is fantastic. As people who are very technical, they were able to go above and beyond to implement strategies within the software that would make my professional and personal life less overwhelming. ” – Jerri, Photographer

💆🏻‍♀️PEACE OF MIND
“I don’t know how I ever managed without them!
After working with Taylor Monroe + Co, I feel understood, accomplished, and put together. I rarely worry that I’m forgetting something anymore. I know everything is organized and taken care of!” – Rachael, Photographer

Could your biz use some clarity? Look no further. We’re here to take it all off your plate and cheer you on all the while. Click the link below and head on over to our website. We’d love to chat. 👇
https://taylormonroe.co/services