1. Documenting

Everything you do from day 1, start documenting it. Why?

You will likely hire people as your company grows, and you won't have time to train every person who comes onboard manually. Instead, you provide them with that documentation and set them up for success.

Write it once, and use it repeatedly as you hire new team members.

2. Setting strict payment terms

Don't customize your pricing every time you get a new client. Instead:

• Have a minimum price it required to work with your agency.
• Have a recurring billing date.
• Don't do work if it's not paid for.

Respect your own time for the client to respect you. Be firm; you're running a business, not a non-profit.

3. Build Systems

Whenever you are working on client-related work, use a split screen:

Screen 1: Client work.

Screen 2: Doc or Notion.

As you go through the client work, start recognizing what steps will be repetitive for you in the future.

Example:

1. Client signs proposal.
2. Send Invoice.
3. Create a project (in some PM tool).
4. Send onboarding documents.
5. Send calendar link to book kick-off call.

Those 5 steps will take you at least 45 mins to do manually.

Those same 5 steps can be done in 5 mins using automation through Zapier.