How to Seamlessly Run Your Business Solo

It is no secret that Trello is amazing for business. I even broke down how I use it for my editorial calendar earlier this year (swipe a copy of my board!), but did you also know that you can take your business one step further by creating workflows with Trello? You may be wondering why you would even want to do this. I mean it takes time to set up. Blah, blah… excuses. But let me fill you in. Taking the steps now to map out your workflows will save you loads of time later down the road and make outsourcing tasks a breeze. So, are you ready to crack this wide open?

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The Old School Approach: Pen and Paper

I originally created workflows on paper, but guess what happened? I never looked at them again. I slowed down, took the time to write down every step of what I do, and closed the notebook to never open it again. This was a big, fat waste of my time.

I tried oversized pads of paper from IKEA. I tried gorgeous notebooks and planners. I tried using bright colored pens. I tried and tried, but it just never clicked for me.

I even tried creating checklists that I would print out, but then I got lazy and stopped printing them.

The Almost New School Approach: Unorganized Digital

I accepted that I am not a pen and paper type of person. That is fine; we live in the digital age. It would make sense that I would like to have everything at my fingertips, so I set out to find a solution that would keep things digital. I knew that I wanted to have access to everything from a few different platforms; therefore, my system needed to be computer and mobile ready.

I tried a few different ways to create a digital system that worked for me. I scanned pictures of my notes into Evernote when it was all the rage. I also typed them up in Google Docs, but again, I never once went back and accessed them.

After a while, I noticed something. My to-do list was housed in Trello, and it was nearly always open. Talk about a light bulb moment. I realized that for my systems to be effective, I needed them in a place I regularly used. I started creating lists and cards and checklists galore. For a long time, it was still a mess, but at least I could see everything in one place.

The Saving Grace: Trello for Business Course

Fast forward a few months when something incredible happened. I signed up for an e-course. A course focused on Trello. Sure, I have been using the program for quite some time and am pretty familiar with it, but something seemed a bit off. Abagail and Emlyee blew Trello wide open for me. I was able to steal some of their boards and see behind the scenes of their successful business and then it clicked.

Although I had been using Trello for my editorial calendar long before this course was even a thing, there were many areas of my business that were neglected.

The Nitty Gritty: Setting up Workflows

Let’s start creating workflows for your business. Open up Trello, create a new board, and let’s get typing. I started by literally dumping all of my processes into one board. I wasn’t sure where I needed to store these, but I knew that having blank checklists that I could copy where I needed them would be a huge lifesaver.

This works much better by allowing me to quickly reuse the same list, and keeping me on track without getting overwhelmed with all of the to-dos that come with running a creative business.

As an example, I’m going to walk you through how to create a blog post creation workflow. The same process can be used with any part of your business that you find routine from designing a website for clients to editing photos.

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The Blog Post Creation Workflow

First, start a new card and add a checklist. We are going to list out every step of a process that you do in your business. As an example, let’s work through creating a blog post.

For my workflow, I start with a draft. I am not an outline type of person; I am a free writer. I like to get it all out, and then sort through it to make it into a cohesive article. However, if you are an outline type of person, that should be your first step.

After I write my first draft of a blog post, I like to work on the content upgrades for it. I find it easier to get all of the written content out at one time. This can be used as an outline by making it a printable download.

After drafting out all the content, then I can make more sense of it by fine tuning it. This is my rough edit. I hash out the blog post, delete any redundancies, and break it into sections with sub-headers.

I take a breather from the writing process after the rough edit and work on the graphics. The planning and outlining and editing can bog you down, and taking a break to work on the graphics can help jump-start your creative side. I have tons of templates for the graphics I use, and the process is pretty streamlined.

Next, I wrap up the content upgrade. If it is a worksheet, I will create it while also creating the graphics I use for social media.

Now that I have the rough edit, graphics, and content upgrade ready to go, I start to move away from my offline workflow and upload to WordPress. (I currently use LeadPages Easy Content Upgrades and MailMunch for opt-in boxes and ConvertKit for my email marketing provider.)

After everything is uploaded to WordPress, I create the opt-in box for the content upgrade. LeadPages offers a fantastic LeadBox that has consistently proven to convert well with many users. (Edit: We currently create opt-in boxes with Easy Content Upgrades and MailMunch.)

I’ll then go back to the blog post to edit the formatting, add the graphics, and decide where to place the opt-in box.

Everything is now in place for the final edit of the blog post, and I make sure it looks alright across all platforms. It can be useful to use a different setting than a word processor to spot any typos or issues you may have missed.

The blog post should now be ready to go; therefore, I’ll schedule it and get the social media updates scheduled as well.

Although it can be tedious to write down every step of your workflow and create a checklist, I promise you will find that it saves you time and headaches later down the road when you are rushing at the last minute to get a post live and realize that you skipped a crucial step.

Want to test this workflow for you? Swipe my Editorial Calendar Board with this checklist.

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More Ways to Utilize Trello for Your Creative Business

Creating seamless workflows isn’t limited to website related tasks. You can create boards with checklists and attach documents to help streamline client workflow, e-course creation, and almost anything else, so that you don’t find yourself repeating tasks or fumbling through how to keep things neat and organized in a central location.

Want to learn even more about how to use Trello for your business? I recommend the Trello for Business course by the ladies at Think Creative Collective.