The Creative Entrepreneur’s Guide to

SYSTEMS,
AUTOMATIONS
& WORKFLOWS

Photo by Alexandria Hinders

Efficiency is key in business. As your business grows and
when you’re ready to scale, there is something that must
be in place: systems, automations, and workflows. Without
them, you’ll be scrambling to manage more clients, more
work, and all with less mental clarity. Setting up your
workflows before the time comes that you NEED them is
the ultimate step toward getting your business set up for
success.

This month’s guide shares:

• How workflows can save you hundreds of
hours a year
• The key to staying personal even when
automating your business
• Top tools for streamlining your content
creation process
• How to build a HoneyBook workflow that
seamlessly onboards new clients
• And more

Photo by Alexandria Hinders

 Table of Contents

1 2 6
KEY TIPS HOW WORKFLOWS SAVE THE DIFFERENCE
YOU TIME & PREPARE YOUR BETWEEN MANAGEMENT &
BUSINESS FOR GROWTH: PLUS 5 MAINTENANCE SYSTEMS AND
STEPS TO GET YOU THERE HOW TO IMPLEMENT THEM
By Jenn Pochobradsky By Sarah Fite

10 14 17
HOW TO SAVE HUNDREDS HOW TO AUTOMATE YOUR 3 TOOLS I USE TO STREAMLINE
OF HOURS A YEAR WITH BUSINESS WITHOUT LOSING THE CONTENT CREATION AND
WORKFLOWS PERSONAL TOUCH SOCIAL MEDIA POSTING
By Laura Neff By Sasha Ruffin By Erica Johnson

20 22 26
USING CANNED EMAILS TO SET CREATING A HONEYBOOK DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND
CLIENT EXPECTATIONS AND WORKFLOW TO SEAMLESSLY RECOMMENDED RISING TIDE
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ONBOARD NEW CLIENTS BLOG ARTICLES
LIABILITY By Joelle Bradfield
By Allie Moore

27 28
OTHER ULTIMATE GUIDES WHO WE ARE

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1 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

KEY TIPS

1
KNOW THE DIFFERENCE, AND USE EACH WELL. What even is the
difference between systems, automations, and workflows? Jenn shares in her
article on page 2 all about the lingo you need to know. The key thing to remember
is that workflows mean steps and systems mean making those steps happen.
Finally, automations mean making sure those steps are happening efficiently by
setting them up and letting them run. These three, when used effectively, can help
your business get more (great) inquiries, sell easier, onboard quicker, and provide a
seamless, consistent experience for all.

2
SYSTEMATIZE IT ALL. You can build workflows and systems for just about
anything. Start with this: make a list of literally everything you do in your business
for each of your services or products. Categorize them like this: daily, monthly,
and finally, yearly. From there, prioritize writing out the step-by-step process for
the items you could outsource first. Here’s an example: every time you onboard
a new client, they must go through an inquiry and onboarding process. Instead
of having to do each of those steps by hand… write out every step you take and
then consider outsourcing it to a Customer Relationship Management system like
HoneyBook. Once you have one system set up to run with ease, you’ll be finding
things left and right to systematize! Check out Laura’s article on page 10 and
Joelle’s article on page 22 for more tips on getting your CRM setup.

3
GET PERSONAL. You can have automations set up while still remaining personal.
Some CRMs allow for approval of an automated email before sending, which means
you can add in personal touches regarding that specific client before hitting “send.”
Building out a system for email templates to plug in personal details means that
you’re letting YOU shine, while still making the process simple and painless. Plus…
it means that every client gets the same communication (and consistency!) with a
little something extra that stands out and shows you really care. Sasha’s article on
page 14 shares all about how to automate your business without losing the personal
touch. And guess what, those personalized email templates can even set client
expectations and protect you from liability. Find out how from Allie on page 20.

AUTOMATE AND STREAMLINE WITH HONEYBOOK

Save time and scale your business without losing the human touch. Create automation where you
need it and keep control where you want it. Quickly create contracts, invoices, and emails with
customizable templates that reflect your creativity and send semi-automated reminders to keep your
business on track.

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It’s the age-old story of the cart before the
horse; the chicken or the egg. As entrepreneurs,
we are juggling a lot of things and our time is
precious. We crave time to create, but there are
also things that need to be done and in place to
run a successful business, right? I’d wager that
for many of us, workflows and a system could be
the missing pieces!
Imagine that you have a foundation in place
for your business that allows it to effectively
serve you - almost like your personal secretary!
It keeps your tasks organized, deadlines
prioritized, and clients happy and on task. Plus,
your templates are all consolidated and your
workflows are automated! While all of that is
happening, you’re blissfully sitting in your
favorite chair by the window enjoying a hot
afternoon cup of coffee before getting back to
creating!
That’s what well defined and organized
workflows and systems can do for you, friend.
It’s not a myth - it can be your reality!
Before we dive in, let’s address a conversation
that comes up often. I frequently hear that
people don’t feel that they have the time to set
up workflows and systems, so it’s on the back
burner. Sound familiar?
I totally get it, but I have to ask -- If you don’t
have things documented and set up, how will
HOW WORKFLOWS
SAVE YOU TIME &
PREPARE YOUR
BUSINESS FOR
GROWTH: PLUS 5
STEPS TO GET YOU
THERE
Jenn Pochobradsky
Photo by Alexandria Hinders
you train someone and be able to trust them to
deliver the same level of service to your clients?
How will they know what’s expected of them
and what they should be doing? Won’t they be
spending most of their time asking you what to
do? If you don’t want or need a team, think of
how much more mental space you’d have if you
weren’t storing everything in your head!
Friend, here’s some tough love. If you don’t
know WHAT you’re doing and WHY, you
won’t be able to grow your business and team
successfully. Whether it’s been in my business
or corporate experience, training and teaching
others doesn’t work well if you wing it. It leaves
everyone involved frustrated.
I’m so excited to share with you how you can be
on your way to that slower, more creative, hot
coffee lifestyle! It all starts with workflows and
how, at their core, they help you save time and
prepare your business for growth.
As with any part of life or business, we’re all on
our own journey and everyone is unique. For
that same reason, there is not a one size fits all
way to put together a system. It can be as simple
or complex as you need it to be and should
ultimately serve you and your clients well. But
where to begin? Here’s how:
3 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

5 STEPS TO SET UP WORKFLOWS THAT SAVE TIME AND PROPEL BUSINESS GROWTH

Step 1: Define what YOUR success looks like

Before you can move forward, you have to know where you are going. The first key thing to do,
then, is to define your success, not someone else’s. Think through what you envision for your day-
to-day life in an ideal world. What is it that you are working toward?

By determining that first, you’re doing a few things:

• Clearly defining what will bring you contentment and help you stay in your lane. (Goodbye
comparison monster)

• Help you set realistic and necessary financial and time goals. (How long will it take you to
accomplish xyz goal… and how does that fit in your daily office hours?)

• Allow you the clarity to build your business and systems around your life (not the other way
around). Amen!?

Step 2: Understand the Lingo: What is the difference between a process, workflow, and system?

Now you know what the end goal is and how much time you have to dedicate to the plan to get
there, you’re ready to dive in. Yay! Let’s talk about the benefits of workflows and systems to get you
there. I know that it can be confusing what the differences between workflows and systems are. I’ve
got you - check out this post!
The Cliff Notes:

• A process is the high level experience you share

with your clients on your website or in conversation.

• A workflow is the detailed list of all the tasks/steps

required to execute your process.

• A system is an orchestration of various tools

(most commonly apps) to help you automate and
streamline your workflows in harmony!

Step 3: Put it all on the table

Starting with your workflows, or detailed task lists for

your overarching process, is going to help you edit
down what you are doing to the essentials. No fluff =
more time, right!?

There is so much floating around in our heads at

any given moment - ideas, tasks, appointments,
remembering to eat! It is so mentally exhausting to
try to recall #allthethings. This is where documenting
workflows begins to lift a huge weight!

Photo by Alexandria Hinders

4 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

Start with a brain dump of what you do for each service or process in your business. Then, you’ll be
able to see areas for improvement and automation. For more detailed tips and resources, make sure
you download your FREE ebook, How to Define Workflows & 3 Simple Steps to Get Started, to guide
you through the process!

Writing your workflows down and putting them into a system that saves you time will be an
investment up front. This is an exercise you may need to repeat a few times to drill down. It’s a
process. It is also one that requires attention over time to keep it running smoothly. However, I
promise that when it’s in place, you’ll have so much time back to focus on other things (business or
life!).

Step 4: Organize your system!

Let’s get that system set up! You’ve done the work to make all the lists, draft copies of your content,
and chart the workflow map. Now, it’s time to put all those pieces together and get that ‘personal
secretary’ ready to work for you!

A system is made up of a few tools, including, but not limited to:

• Your CRM (like HoneyBook)

• Social media scheduler(s) (CoSchedule, Later, Planoly, Tailwind)

• Email (Flodesk)

• Finance tools (Quickbooks or the like)

• Calendar and/or scheduling tool (Acuity, Zoom, G-Cal, i-Cal, HoneyBook)

• Task manager (Asana, Trello, etc.)

Some CRMs include task lists and template lists as part of their workflow templates. However, not
all of your business tasks and workflows will fit perfectly into a repetitive automated workflow. In my
experience, you will still need an intuitive and easy to update task manager for one off items, team
assignments, and a few other things.

Photo by Alexandria Hinders

5 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

The key when mapping and building a business system is to streamline. Nothing should duplicate
in functionality if possible. Once you have everything set up and tested, I highly recommend
scheduling quarterly/bi-annual reviews of your workflows and system to keep everything current and
running smoothly.

Step 5: Create more and grow into YOUR success!

Once you have time freed up, order established, and your definition of success, you’re ready to start
working toward that reality! You’ve laid the groundwork and put a structure in place that allows you
to almost seamlessly bring on help and grow your business and/or team.

You don’t have to wonder if you’re on track with a client because your system will tell you at a
glance. What freedom, right?!? Freedom to focus on your clients, creating what you do best and
even the freedom of more time to spend living off the screen! Fuel your real life, not your screen life,
friend!

By investing your time and energy to document, streamline and define your workflows you are
setting yourself up for success and growth in the long run. And let’s face it, we’re in it for the long
game, right?

Of course, I’m always here to help in any way I can. I’d love to hear how your business organization
and systems are helping you focus more on what matters in your life - don’t be a stranger! I’m
cheering you on as you navigate this beautiful journey and continue to create from the heart while
serving your people well!

JENN POCHOBRADSKY
Owner, Workflow & Systems Strategist at
Harper Hadley Creative, LLC
Iowa
@harperhadleycreative
harperhadleycreative.com
All photos are taken by Alexandria Hinders
 THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN MANAGEMENT &
MAINTENANCE SYSTEMS AND
HOW TO IMPLEMENT THEM
Sarah Fite

Photo by Diana Gordon Photography

Spend five minutes with creative entrepreneurs and you’ll likely hear someone talk about the
importance of systems in your business and how they’ll change your life.

While I’m inclined to agree with those claims, there’s an important part of the conversation that often
gets missed — the kinds of systems your business needs.

Some business systems are obvious, loud, and make themselves known fast when you don’t have
them in place. Other systems are more subtle and quiet, and the value of them can sneak up on you
so unexpectedly you barely even realize that’s what they are.

Both types of systems are necessary for a thriving, sustainable business. But the quiet ones often get
neglected because the loud ones make more noise.

What are these quiet and loud systems? None other than management systems and maintenance
systems.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS & MAINTENANCE SYSTEMS

Even if you’ve heard people talk about systems for hours and hours, chances are you haven’t heard
them talk about management vs. maintenance systems.

Management systems are systems that usually get more focus and attention in the conversation
because they make things happen in your business and usually produce client-facing work. They’re
systems for client projects, creating content and new offerings, and generally getting things done.

Maintenance systems are the quiet ones. They’re discussed sometimes, but often after-the-fact or
ignored altogether. They’re the systems that are easy to forget when management systems are
screaming for attention… until the maintenance systems start speaking up because everything’s going
haywire.

Confused? Think of your business like a car. Management systems are the things you see from the
outside — headlights, a full gas tank, and air in your tires.
 7 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

Maintenance systems are the internal things you forget about… until the check engine light comes on
or you’re pulling over because smoke is showing up in places smoke should never be.

Management systems make people who only see your business from the outside look like a well-oiled
machine. Maintenance systems actually keep your business running like a well-oiled machine.

You need both of them to create a functioning, sustainable business.

EXAMPLES OF MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

To reiterate, management systems make things happen for your business that other people see.

Client/customer management systems get your clients or customers from inquiry to project end,
hopefully while delivering them an amazing experience.

Content management systems help you create incredible content — whether it’s for social media, your
blog, email list, or something else — on a consistent basis.

Project management systems make internal and client projects a reality, taking things from Point A to
Point B.

Task management systems help you get ish done. These are tied in with all your other management
systems, but also exist to ensure random tasks that aren’t part of a larger system actually get done.

EXAMPLES OF MAINTENANCE SYSTEMS

Maintenance systems are something you’re probably familiar with in your business, but have
never heard called that. They’re also the things that tend to get pushed aside when things get
overwhelming, but they’re more important than ever in those seasons!

Maintenance systems are the internal processes that keep your business running like a well-oiled
machine. They look different for every business, but their purpose is always to keep the backend of
your business updated on a regular basis so you don’t run into a crisis somewhere down the road.

Photo by Diana Gordon Photography

8 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

Monthly Duty Day is a system a lot of entrepreneurs,

myself included, adopt to keep up-to-date with
those random tasks that often fall off the radar
— like updating your finances or recording your
mileage — and become a pain in the neck to deal
with if you forget about them for six months.

Money Dates are a system similar to Monthly Duty

Day, but specifically designated for the financial
aspects of your business. They can include updating
your accounting software, handling invoices, paying
bills, updating your spending plan, or making
purchasing decisions for your business.

Quarterly CEO Day encompasses tasks similar to

Monthly Duty Day to ensure the administrative side
of things is running smoothly, while also allowing
you to step out of the day-to-day management of
your business on a regular basis to look at it from
a CEO perspective, cast the vision, and make sure
you’re following that moving forward. Photo by Diana Gordon Photography

Annual Refresh is basically the equivalent of a deep clean for your business. In mine, I go through
every area of it at the end of each year and examine it all, from top to bottom, updating and making
changes as necessary, planning for the future, and ensuring everything is in tip-top shape before I step
into the new year.

HOW TO IMPLEMENT MAINTENANCE SYSTEMS

So you know the difference between management and maintenance systems, but how do you
implement them in your business? Especially those maintenance systems that so easily get pushed to
the wayside?

1. Start Small
There are lots of things you could do every week, month, or quarter to maintain your business. My
personal Monthly Duty Day checklist has 70 items and my Annual Refresh has a whopping 105!

That’s why the best way to implement maintenance systems in your business is to start small. Pick five
tasks that would make your life easier if you completed them every week. These could be hitting inbox
zero, planning the following week, or meal prepping so you have healthy food at lunchtime!

2. Think a Little Bigger

After you’re in a rhythm of completing five weekly tasks, think a little bigger. What 10 or 15 tasks would
make your life easier if you completed them every month or quarter?

These could be big things like paying estimated taxes on time, tracking mileage, or simpler things like
reviewing your content calendar or cleaning out the downloads folder on your computer.

It might not seem like 10 or 15 things will make much of a difference, but it really does! Plus, the more
9 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

you do those things, the more you’ll notice other tasks you can add to your checklist to ensure things
are running smoothly!

3. Dream Those Lofty Dreams

Now it’s time to really dream big.

What would your business feel like if the backend was regularly maintained? What kind of freedom
would that give you in your workday and in your life as a whole?

Brainstorm all the ways you could implement maintenance systems into your business and the long-
term impact they would have! Then make an action plan for how to get there.

Like setting up any kind of system, it takes work at the forefront. If you haven’t tracked your mileage in
six months… you’ll have to spend time getting caught up. But after that? Piece of cake… so long as you
maintain it.

While they might seem like a lot, maintenance systems give far more back to your business than they
take away from it. They allow you to continue working in your business with confidence, knowing you
have designated time to work on your business with regularity that keeps things running well.

Systems don’t have to be scary. Grab the guide How to Get Started With Systems: 5 Steps to
Streamline Your Business & Life to get started today

SARAH FITE
Systems Strategist + Educator at
Love & Spreadsheets
Triangle, Virginia
@loveandspreadsheets
loveandspreadsheets.com
All photos by Diana Gordon Photography
10 | Systems, Automations & Workflows
HOW TO SAVE HUNDREDS
OF HOURS A YEAR WITH
WORKFLOWS
Laura Neff
Hey there Rising Tide and HoneyBook fam! I am
so excited to share with you today a bit more
about creating workflows for your service based
business. I’ve been teaching workflows and
systems to creative entrepreneurs for YEARS
now - and this is my absolute JAM.
But first, I want to walk you through an analogy
of how (and why) you need to create workflows.
I want you to imagine you’re going on vacation.
(YAY!)
And you have all these different phases of
making that happen. There’s the planning phase,
the packing phase, the travel day, the vacation
itself, the travel home, and the unpacking phase
(laundry - BLEH!).
In each phase of your vacation planning (and
doing) - you have things that need to get done.
Travel that needs to be booked, itineraries and
plans to be made, decisions to be made, and
more.
Every phase has its own set of things that need
to get done (tasks). You need to decide travel
dates and when you’re going to book by (due
dates). You need to decide who’s going with
you and who’s responsible to book things
(assignees). You need to figure out how you’re
getting there (and what the most efficient
method of travel is) and you need to figure out
what fun things you’re going to do to make
your trip memorable (adding value to your client
experience).
Then - let’s assume you come home from the
BEST VACATION EVER and your best friend asks
you EXACTLY what you did. Where did you eat?
Where did you stay? What airline did you take?
How many days did you go? What season?
She has so many questions and you don’t want
her to miss anything important so you write her
an itinerary and plan to essentially, replicate
your vacation: you give her the packing list, the
itinerary, restaurants, travel tips, and more and
then SHE goes and has the best vacation ever
cause she followed your advice and plan to a T.
This is JUST like creating a workflow for your
business. For most businesses, we can create
a repeatable system and workflow that we
follow for literally every single client. (You’ll have
11 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

different workflows for each service you offer!) more so you never ever have to think about
but I want you to think of this as your A-Z step- what to do for a client project ever again
by-step plan for completing a project or service
What every workflow needs to include:
for a client.

You’ll have phases of your workflow (the inquiry • Tasks

phase, booking phase, onboarding phase, • Subtasks
planning phase, etc.) and you’ll have tasks, due
dates, assignees, client experience, and more • Due Dates
in each phase. Just like you would if you were
• Assignees (if delegating to others)
planning a vacation!
• Client Education Emails
Make sense?? Good!
• General (Proactive!) Email Communication
So if you’re new to the concept of workflows,
buckle up because they WILL 10000% change • Client Documents (questionnaires, pricing
your life when done right. So, now that that guides, etc.)
analogy is out of the way… let’s discuss what you
need. • Client Gift Reminders

• Client Meetings
THE TOP THINGS EVERY BUSINESS
WORKFLOW NEEDS

Let’s dive into what makes a GREAT workflow:

• It’s repeatable across all clients

• It’s easy to follow for you or someone on

your team

• It’s automated in a CRM like HoneyBook

• Which means… based on the due dates you

set, it can do almost all the “thinking” for you
of what needs to get done for every single
project

• It allows you to stay consistent with your

client experience across every project

• It’s set up so detailed that it’s easy to train

someone on + no steps are missed or
forgotten

• It makes you more efficient (like 10x more

efficient)

• It’s valuable for both you AND your client

• It has due dates (that are automated) for

every task, email, subtask, questionnaire, and

Photo by Alexandria Hinders

 12 | Systems, Automations & Workflows
WHAT KIND OF WORKFLOWS SHOULD
EVERY BUSINESS HAVE?
Once we know those two basic things, we can
talk about the questions I get so often:
“How do I organize my client workflow?”
“Where do I even begin?”
So today, I want to tell you exactly how I
organize my client workflows!
First, it’s important to note that all my client
workflows are inside HoneyBook. I have a
workflow setup for each different service I offer,
and each service has an inquiry workflow, and a
booked workflow.
My photography business has the following:
Wedding & Engagement Workflows
• Wedding Inquiry
• Wedding Workflow (Booked)
• Wedding Album Workflow
• Engagement Session (No Wedding)
• Engagement Session (With Wedding)
Photo by Sincerely Media
Other Photography Workflows
• Brand Inquiry
• Brand Photography Workflow (Booked)
• Portrait Session General (Family, Maternity,
Newborn)
Once you know what workflows you need to
create, start writing down everything you do
from beginning to end of your client journey
for EACH ONE. EVERY client touchpoint - from
emails to client education to questionnaires
to phone calls to meetings to internal tasks to
complete your service from A-Z.
I always recommend that you start this off
on a Google Doc, and then move into your
CRM because you have to first figure out the
automation due date on every single email, task,
questionnaire, etc. And then you need to create
every email, questionnaire, and document. (And
thennnnn) you can put it into your CRM.
HOW TO INPUT YOUR WORKFLOW INTO
A CRM
Once our Google Doc workflow is created,
we can dive into a bit of the workflow creation
inside your CRM:
1. Within a workflow there are four MAIN
action items you can do (In the HoneyBook
workflow tool at least - every CRM is
different!):
• Create Tasks
• Send Emails
• Send Questionnaire
• Send Brochures
2. Each action item has a “trigger.” This is
an approval setting and a date of when
something should be activated. These
triggers are:
• After activating the workflow
13 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

• Before Project Date My workflow students have claimed to get more

done in ONE DAY than they previously did in
• After Project Date THREE WEEKS once they got their workflows set
• After the previous step is complete up and automated! HUZZAH!

Workflows are a beast - I literally have an 11

module course teaching workflows so it’s more
This step is all about actually putting your than I could ever write in a blog post, but I hope
workflow into your CRM and applying the proper that this overview has been helpful as you
workflow to every single client. Then, you can navigate strengthening the foundation of your
use the Task Management tool which allows you business to understand a bit of the why AND the
to do daily check-ins and complete what is due how of creating and automating your workflow
for each and every project in your business.
For a free workflow workbook, click here! To
At a glance, and within minutes, you can check out my blog for a lot more workflow
send emails that are activated in your task magic, visit me here!
management, send questionnaires with their
proper email template, complete tasks outside
of HoneyBook, and send Brochures to book
your inquiring clients! It’s SO EASY to manage
dozens of clients at a time, and I absolutely love
the interface and simplicity of it all.

LAURA NEFF
Owner, Workflow Expert at
Laura Lee Creative
Wayne, NJ, USA
@lauraleecreative
lauraleecreative.com
14 | Systems, Automations & Workflows
HOW TO AUTOMATE
YOUR BUSINESS
WITHOUT LOSING THE
PERSONAL TOUCH
Sasha Ruffin
For anyone looking to scale, it’s important that
you take a serious look at how to automate
your business sooner, rather than later. When
your repetitive processes are no longer manual,
you’re more efficient and you’re able to devote
your time to the tasks that will get you and your
team the highest ROE — return on energy.
But... like many entrepreneurs who pride
themselves on being a personable brand, you’re
wondering how to automate without sounding
and feeling robotic.
I’m here to tell you that it can be done!
#PraiseHands
By getting strategic about how you set your
automations up, you’ll be able to show off your
brand personality while reaching more people
AND saving time.
The following tips will show you how to
automate your business through systems and
workflows without losing the personal touch.
4 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR BUSINESS
AUTOMATIONS PERSONAL
Get engaged with your social media audience
Have you ever noticed someone who posts
consistently but never responds to captions
and never seems to engage with anyone else’s
content? Don’t be that brand!
Not only does it not help with any social media
platform’s algorithm, it makes it seem like the
brand doesn’t care to connect with the people
who do engage with them. And connecting with
your audience is kinda the point of social media
marketing...
Now, I love using tools to automate my social
media marketing. I’m able to create my content
in batches and schedule the posts to publish at
any time I choose. However, since engagement
is key to the social media algorithms, I make
sure to choose times I know I’ll be available to
engage with my audience. You get the best of
both worlds, and your audience does too.
 15 | Systems, Automations & Workflows
Always personalize your automated emails
Most tools these days have custom or
personalization fields that automatically fill in
information like names, dates, etc. Make use
of these to personalize automated emails, so
they read as if they might have been written
especially to them.
One of my favorite automated processes is one
that creates an email in my Draft section for
every lead that sets up a consultation with me.
They automatically get an email confirmation
from my online scheduler, but I like to send one
from my inbox personally. This email draft has
a little more information about the tool I use for
video meetings and gives instructions on how to
reschedule our call if need be (also automated
with my online scheduler tool).
Why is it saved to Drafts?
This allows me the chance to add in a personal
note in case we have already spoken. If the new
lead is a connection of mine, I may have already
spoken to them about my meeting software,
so I delete that part out or mention something
Photo by Belo Rio Studio
we talked about. Others may get the draft as
is. Since all my canned emails are written in
my brand voice, no one can tell the difference.
When I open my inbox and check out the Draft,
I have the opportunity to tweak it or send it
right away, meaning I connect quicker… and
personally!
And speaking of writing my canned emails in
my brand voice...
Use your brand voice in automations
To successfully automate your business without
losing the personal touch, you’ll need to use
your brand voice. Many tools include templates,
which saves a lot of time. However, these should
only be used as a base. By taking the time to
tweak the copy, you’ll ensure brand consistency
and your communications will sound more
authentic. My brand is outgoing, fun, cheery so
all our templates have been updated to sound
that way.
Also, don’t be afraid to use gifs or emojis if that
is consistent with your branding.
16 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

Use video to show off your personality Bottom Line

Another great way to automate your business By using the tips above while automating your
and still show off your brand personality is to business, you’ll get the benefits of being a more
make use of video. If a picture says a thousand efficient business while still connecting with
words, what result do you think watching you in your leads on a human level. Have you been
action via video will have? afraid to automate your business processes
because you thought it would make you less
One of my favorite ways to use video is with personable?
new clients. I’m able to automate the sending
of the welcome guide to clients during their
onboarding process using my client relationship
management tool (CRM). In it, they’ll find a
welcome video that does just that - wishes them
a warm welcome and walks them through their
next steps. Although clients know this was pre
recorded, they enjoy watching the video just the
same because it has that personal touch.

Another way to save time with automation

using video is to screen record tutorials for both
clients and team members. For clients, we have
video tutorials for our project management
tool so clients who are unfamiliar are able to
get a crash course. Team members can find
video tutorials in SOPs (Standard Operating
Procedures) so they can follow along without
someone else (usually that’s you, right?) having
to take the additional time to teach them. It’s
a win/win - everyone is prepared and feels
onboarded with efficiency and a personal touch.

SASHA RUFFIN
The Workflow Strategist
Augusta, GA
@theworkflowstrategist
theworkflowstrategist.com
3 TOOLS I USE TO
STREAMLINE CONTENT
CREATION AND SOCIAL
MEDIA POSTING
Erica Johnson

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed with the amount of social media content not only to create… but
also to actually send out into the world, we have some expert tips for you. There are three tools I
use to streamline the content creation and social media posting process. Asana, Smarterqueue, and
Tailwind allow us and our clients to increase efficiency and productivity. These systems, automations,
and workflows let us spend more time connecting with customers.

I use Asana to manage content creation workflows. We use it to manage the overall timeline
and deliverables of social media projects. Smarterqueue and Tailwind are my favorite systems to
streamline social media posting and automate it too. I use Smarterqueue to manage Facebook,
Twitter, and LinkedIn posting. I use Tailwind to streamline and automate Pinterest posting.

HOW TO MANAGE CONTENT CREATION WORKFLOWS

Asana is a great system for managing projects and content creation workflows. It allows my team
and clients to visually see the progress of projects in real-time. We use it as a central hub for client
projects. The whole project from start to finish is managed in Asana. All tasks, files, and feedback live
on different boards or lists in Asana. Tasks can be marked as “to-do,” “in progress,” or “done” and
are moved from right to left. It streamlines the process of social media content creation from idea to
creation to implementation.

Asana has been a game-changer for keeping clients in the loop. It allows us to be proactive about
getting additional information and changing direction on their strategy, if needed. Before using
Asana, we were using Google docs and Excel spreadsheets to share content calendars with clients.
That was frustrating. Now, they can visually see the progress of a project on boards. And we don’t
have to search through thousands of emails to find client feedback. Clients can comment on the
board and you can set notifications to be sent to your email box.

HOW TO CREATE A SYSTEM FOR STREAMLINING FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND

LINKEDIN POSTING

Over the years I’ve tried several social media posting and automating software programs. Before
18 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

using Smarterqueue, I was using 4 different scheduling

apps to manage social media for myself and clients. It used
to take forever to schedule a month’s worth of content.

Smarterqueue is the best system I’ve found as an all in one

solution for streamlining Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn
posting. They offer Pinterest and Instagram posting, but I
don’t use it for those 2 platforms. With this system, you can
schedule months worth of content at a time. You can also
schedule the content to be reused again and again. You
can also promote the same content between accounts.
For example, if you had a post that did really well on
Instagram, you could post it on Facebook and Twitter too.
The difference between this and just pressing Facebook
and Twitter on each post is that in Smarterqueue, you can
actually change the caption for the specific platform. That
way you can reduce the character count and hashtags for
tweets and remove hashtags all together for Facebook.

Before using Smarterqueue it would take 30-45 minutes

each day creating and posting across platforms on those
different programs. Now, with Smarterqueue, I can spend a few hours a week scheduling everything
and spend the rest of the time actually being social! I use this newly freed up time to create videos,
leave comments, and answer DMs.

Before working with us, lots of our clients may be on one platform, but not consistently. With our
strategy, workflow in Asana, and posting with Smarterqueue they become omnipresent. They are
seen across platforms multiple times a day on each platform. They never have to worry about if a post
was posted and their customers never have to wonder where they went. Their message is shared
consistently.

HOW TO CREATE A SYSTEM FOR STREAMLINING AND AUTOMATING PINTEREST

POSTING

Tailwind is a great tool for scheduling Pinterest pins. With Pinterest being the 3rd largest search
engine in the world, we use it to drive traffic to our offers and blog posts. Tailwind lets us schedule
Pinterest pins ahead of time. My favorite feature of Tailwind is actually Tailwind Tribes. It helps me find
popular pins fast and quickly fill my queue and reach more people with my content when I share it in
tribes.

My business Pinterest account had way less followers than my personal account. The beginning of
2019, I had 20 followers. As of today, I have 238 followers on my business Pinterest. Tailwind Tribes
helped me connect with more people.

HOW TO BALANCE AUTOMATION WITH REAL-TIME ENGAGEMENT

For Myself

I try my best to schedule my content at least a week ahead of time. I brainstorm, fill out my Social
19 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

Media planner sheets, create the posts, and then use Smarterqueue and Tailwind to schedule
everything. This saves me so much time! It took me a few years to perfect this system, but it works.
Creating and posting content in real-time used to take at least an hour each day. Now, it takes a few
hours on a Sunday to schedule all my Tweets and Facebook posts for the month, and a week’s worth
of Pins, LinkedIn posts, and Instagram posts. I have time to actually watch and respond to people’s
Instagram Stories, answer customer questions in DMs, interact in Facebook groups, and catch up with
connections on LinkedIn.

For Clients

We schedule our client’s content a month in advance. This includes static images, graphics, and video
content. Scheduling the video topics in advance allows the client to decide if they want to go Live on
Facebook or Instagram with their audience or if they’d like to pre-record a video to be shared across
platforms. Their customer base gets used to seeing them on video and interacting with them. Their
customers feel like they actually know them. This works best if they can get a useful tip or a question
answered.
We automate posting, but we never automate DMs, comments, or follows. We leave that up to our
clients. We give them guidance for ways to interact so their brand is perceived as warm and inviting,
but we don’t give them copy and paste responses. We encourage our clients to respond to each
comment and DM. You never know who is watching.

With these 3 tools and simple tips, you’ll be able to streamline the process of content creation and
posting for social media, while also building your brand and connecting with current and potential
clients.

ERICA JOHNSON
Creative Director and CEO at
E-Partners Marketing
Jacksonville, FL
@epartnersmarketing
epartnersmarketing.com
USING CANNED EMAILS TO SET
CLIENT EXPECTATIONS AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM LIABILITY
Allie Moore
Using a thorough formal contract is a best
practice for many creative industries, but we
all know that even when your contract has you
covered, you can run into problems when clients
don’t read their contracts.
So should we just throw up our hands in despair
and accept that we’re going to have clients who
will be suprised by our terms & conditions?
Nope. There’s another option -- while a signed
agreement is all you need to bind clients to
contract terms (it doesn’t matter if they didn’t
read the terms before they signed), you can
prevent a lot of customer service issues
by strategically including reminders of key
contract terms throughout your workflow and
automations.
Whether you use a CRM like HoneyBook for
client email sequences (so easy) or you work
a bit more manually and rely on tools like the
canned responses Gmail feature, a great client
workflow will include timely reminders of key
policies.
Here a some examples of reminders and email
language you can use at different points in the
client process:
1. POST-BOOKING
Summary of basics
“Thank you for paying your initial payment! I am
thrilled to have you as a coaching client. We’ll
be meeting once a month via Zoom for the
next three months. Each of our appointments
will last about an hour. To make the most out of
each of your calls, don’t forget to send me your
homework 72 hours before our first meeting.”
Important client policies
“We are honored to be a part of your elopement!
Our elopement quotes and contracts are
specifically designed for celebrations of 30 or
fewer guests, so please remember to keep me
informed if you expect any change to the size of
your celebration.”
Payment policies
“Thank you for making your initial payment!
The balance is due on June 1 and payable by
credit card at your convenience. Thanks for your
cooperation in paying outstanding invoices on
time; late payments may be subject to additional
fees.”
21 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

2. IN YOUR APPOINTMENT REMINDERS Revision policies

Late arrival policies “Looking forward to hearing what you think

“Looking forward to your appointment! We
appreciate your on time arrival. Due to limited
scheduling availability, arriving late reduces
your session time. Arriving more than 15
minutes late will constitute a no-show and your
session fee will be forfeited.”
3. POST-APPOINTMENT EMAILS
Deadline/delivery timeline reminders
-- your contract includes up to three rounds of
revisions. When you’re ready, please send your
first round of revisions over in a single email.”
You can use the same tone you use in regular
client communications -- no need to copy and
paste language directly out of your contract in a
way that makes you feel like a boring enforcer.
But always make sure your canned email policy
reminders are accurate reflections of your
contract policies.

“Great shoot today! As a reminder, your images

will be delivered in about a month.”

“I enjoyed our meeting today! Please

remember to fill out the client questionnaire by
Friday so we can stay on track for our delivery
deadline.”

WHEN YOU DELIVER PRODUCT

Terms of use for digital assets

“A quick reminder about image use -- the

images are yours to use personally, including
on social networking profiles. If you plan to
use the images commercially--for example, for
ads including social media ads, on a business
website, or otherwise for publication--please
contact me for a quote for commercial use
rights.”

“We’re so excited you purchased this course!

We’ve put a lot of time and energy into creating
useful materials for our students. Please
remember that all materials are protected by
copyright law and sharing access information
or course documents with others hurts our
small business and is a copyright violation
subject to serious penalties.” ALLIE MOORE
Attorney for Creatives at
Allie Moore Law
Denver, Colorado
@creativeslearnlaw
www.alliemoorelaw.com
 CREATING A
HONEYBOOK
WORKFLOW TO
SEAMLESSLY
ONBOARD NEW
CLIENTS
Joelle Bradfield
Photo by Joelle Elizabeth Photography

“I know I need to be sending contracts and invoices, but I just hate that stuff. It’s so confusing and
takes up so much time. Time where I need to be editing photos and sending client galleries, you
know? I just put that stuff off until I absolutely need to.”

Sound familiar?

There are countless entrepreneurs with these same thoughts and feelings when it comes to the nitty
gritty side of running a business. After all, you probably started a business because of your creative
side, not because you studied for your MBA and then had an idea you wanted to pursue and make an
income from (although if you studied for your MBA, that’s pretty awesome, too!).

The problem is, with this kind of perspective, you’re leaving money on the table.

A lot of it.

What if I told you that you could have both? That there was a system that would automatically send
invoices, contracts, and calendar reminders to your clients for you – while you sleep, or take care of
your kids, or are in the middle of a photoshoot?

Sound too good to be true? Here, I’ll show you exactly what I mean.

HoneyBook was designed for entrepreneurs who are constantly on the go, who want to focus on the
creative side of their business. It’s a software that thrives off of automation. And they already have so
much built in it for you. For example, if you don’t already have your own contracts, HoneyBook has
contract templates built into their system that you can use.

One of my favorite parts of HoneyBook is their workflows. And for me, it starts with embedding
their contact form into my website, which then funnels new leads into my HoneyBook inbox (yes, it
connects to your email!). From there, I can initiate a specific workflow to automate; giving me more
time to enjoy other areas of my life and business. First, let me walk you through building a contact
form.
23 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

HOW TO BUILD A CONTACT FORM THROUGH HONEYBOOK FOR YOUR WEBSITE

This truly is one of the most life-changing things I’ve ever experienced. To access the contact form
builder, you’ll want to hover over “Tools” and then click “Contact Form.” From there, you can add
question boxes, drop downs, multiple choice questions, and more.

You can also customize your brand colors, font, and assign a project type (to access this one, click
“Settings” on the left sidebar and then you’ll see it at the bottom). This last part is what will initiate
a workflow for you. For example, if you assign your contact form as “Portrait,” then HoneyBook will
automatically initiate your Portrait workflow for each inquiry that comes through the form. The key to
making this work is defining which contact form you want to link with which workflow (see below).

Now that you have your contact form set up, you can embed it into your website by clicking “Publish,”
copying the code that pops up, and embedding it in your website.

The next step is establishing your workflow.

HOW TO ESTABLISH YOUR WORKFLOW ON HONEYBOOK

To access your workflows, hover over “Tools” and then click “Workflows.” You’ll see a few sample sets
that HoneyBook has created for you already. You can either use them as is, tweak them, or create your
own.

There are a variety of ways you can set up a workflow. My suggestion is to keep it simple – no need
to overcomplicate things. Start by sitting down and writing down each step of your current onboarding
process:

1. Do you send pricing guides?

2. When are you sending contracts?

3. When do clients pay their invoice?

4. Do you send a welcome guide?

5. Are you sending questionnaires?

6. Follow up emails?

7. Etc.

Photo by Kinsey Holt Photography

 24 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

Photo by Joelle Elizabeth Photography

You can also include “tasks” in the mix; for example, if you send client gifts then include that step as
you’re writing things down.

Once you have your written list, you can begin creating your workflow.

To give you an idea, here’s an example of my Coaching workflow:

Notice how you can delegate each step to either “send automatically” or “approve before sending.”
This feature comes in handy if there are certain steps you want to customize per client! For instance, if
you want to have a standard “welcome email” template, but you also want to add in personal touches,
then you can choose “approve before sending.” The main points are already drafted up for you, and
you can simply add in 1-2 lines bonding over your mutual love for Starbucks.

Once you’ve saved your workflow, and you’ve already connected it to your contact form, then you’re
good to go!
25 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

If you’d like to manually approve your workflow to begin for each client, then you can do so by
heading to their Client Portal and clicking on “Workflow” at the bottom of the sidebar. This will prompt
you to select which workflow you want to begin!

Now you have all the steps needed in order to seamlessly onboard new clients, take care of your
current ones, and no longer leave money on the table.

Start setting up your own workflows by starting your free HoneyBook trial. Happy automating!

JOELLE BRADFIELD
Photographer & Business Coach at
Joelle Elizabeth Photography
Indianapolis, IN USA
@thejoelleelizabeth
www.JoelleElizabeth.com
All photos by Joelle Elizabeth Photography
26 | Systems, Automations & Workflows

DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS

1 What is one system, automation, or workflow you have implemented in your

business that has been a game changer?

2 What is one system, automation, or workflow you’d like to create for your
business?

3 What type of workflow do you use to create and post content on social media?

4 Do you use any sort of templated emails or canned responses? How can you
make them more automated, while also more personal?

5 What is one way you’d like to make your communication with clients more
automated and systematic to ensure you’re protected?

RISING TIDE | HONEYBOOK BLOG POST

GEOMYRA POLLARD DAWN ROODE

Why Systems Improve Your Work More Efficiently: Advice
Productivity, Revenue, and from a “Workflow Guru”
Quality of Life The Ultimate Guide to
Boosting Work Efficiency
through Business Systems and
Automation
Disclaimer: The advice featured in this guide and on the blog was sourced from our community members for sharing of general information and knowledge.
For specific legal, tax, mental health, and professional advice, please consult an authorized professional.
 WANT MORE CONTENT LIKE THIS?
Check out our other Ultimate Guides to help scale your business.
 WHO WE ARE

The HoneyBook | Rising Tide team believes an empowered creative economy will
change the world. By elevating the voices of creatives, sharing their stories, and
building a thriving online and offline community, we support creatives in their pursuit
of a sustainable livelihood.

Empowerment begins with saving creatives time and money. HoneyBook helps
creative entrepreneurs manage their businesses more efficiently so they can do
more of what they love. With HoneyBook, creatives can send brochures, proposals
and invoices; create the ideal customer experience; and track payments – all in one
place. Equally as important are sharing knowledge and providing support. That’s
why Rising Tide is a community and living library of educational resources, including
blog content from thought leaders, monthly guides, online summits, and over 400
monthly meet-ups across the world to help creatives succeed in business.

We’re also passionate about supporting the communities around us. To date, we’ve
given over $130,000 to nonprofits including Pencils of Promise, The School Ses-
sions, U.S. Dream Academy, The Birthday Party Project, Thirst Relief and more.
We’ve also partnered with Pencils of Promise to build a school in 2018 funded en-
tirely by community donations through our 2017 RISE Summit.

We believe that magic happens when creatives gather, support one another and are
empowered to pursue their passions. We believe in community over competition.
We believe in empowering the creative economy to rise together.

Photo by Oliva Reed