How to Get Your Professional Sh*t Together
Starting off the year with a clear and organized foundation is key to setting yourself up for success. Whether you’re running a nonprofit or a small business, you shouldn’t have to hire help and spend valuable resources on support when there’s a bunch you can tackle on your own. The earlier you get your essentials in order, the smoother everything will run when you do eventually bring someone on.
In this post, we’ll walk you through the most important elements to document or figure out now before you result to hiring new team members or contractors; so you’re not scrambling later to get your sh*t together!
Passwords: Who Has Access and Who Should?
One of the first things to get in order is your digital security. You’ll want to know what passwords are floating around, who has access to them, and who should have access moving forward. For instance, if you use a password manager, make sure it’s up-to-date with current access credentials and permissions. If there are sensitive accounts or tools that need extra security, document those protocols too.
It's good to have unique passwords, reusing the same easy-to-guess password leaves you open to a bunch of security issues like getting hacked. Most sites recommend unique passwords for you, but if you want to generate your own as well as have a safe place to manage them try this website 1Password.
Browsers like Chrome and Safari have built-in password managers, your mobile device can also remember passwords for you, if you want the safest route, make sure you’re only saving your passwords to one place rather than having them scattered across multiple mediums.
To Do:
Review and update your passwords.
Make sure the right people have access, like staff and your social team.
Set up secure, shared systems if needed.
(By the time you hire support, this should be a non-issue. Everyone should know what tools they have access to and how to protect them.)
Messaging: Clarifying Your Voice, Tone, and Style Guide
Have your messaging locked down, internally and externally. Whether you’re outsourcing social media, content creation, or client communications, having a detailed style guide document for your brand outlining your key messaging, tone, and voice is essential. This ensures consistency and saves time when onboarding new team members or contractors.
To Do:
Write out your brand’s voice (is it casual, formal, quirky, etc.?).
Outline key messaging points you want to hit in your communications.
Create a style guide that includes grammar preferences, preferred terminology, and visual elements.
(This not only keeps things consistent across your content but also ensures anyone you hire understands your brand as well as you do.)
Assets: Organizing Your Images, Graphics, and Logos
Your brand assets—logos, graphics, images, templates—should be organized and easily accessible. This will be a lifesaver when you start working with others. Having a centralized location for everything from your logo to marketing materials ensures no one wastes time searching for assets. A great two-in-one solution for this is Canva. It lets you create media while also storing all your images, templates, brand colors, fonts, and any other styles your team uses.
To Do:
Organize your digital assets in a cloud-based system (like Google Drive or Dropbox) or use Canva to keep everything in one place.
Make sure all files are clearly named and easy to access.
Share the access link with your team and support so they can quickly grab what they need. (You can do this via Slack!)
(With everything in one place, you’ll be able to move faster and more efficiently as your team grows.)
Strategy: Your Roadmap for the Year Ahead
The last thing you need before hiring support is a clear strategy for the year ahead. This strategy should include planned content, business goals, audience details, and the tactics you plan to use. A solid strategy not only sets the direction for you and your support team but also ensures everyone is aligned on priorities.
To Do:
Define your business and content goals for the year (What are your top priorities?).
Outline your content (the main themes or topics you’ll focus on).
Identify your audience, their needs, and the best ways to reach them.
(Having a clear strategy in place will guide both you and your team, ensuring that everyone is on the same page when you bring in extra hands.)
Communications Dashboard: Tracking Your Goals and KPIs
When you hire help, it’s crucial to know what’s working and what isn’t. A well-constructed communications dashboard can be a game-changer. It serves as a centralized hub for your team, bringing together essential elements like branding guidelines, messaging strategies, top-level goals, and key resources. This keeps everyone aligned and informed. While tools like Slack and project management platforms are excellent for ongoing communication and task management, a dashboard helps your team see the bigger picture, providing a one-stop reference point for strategic direction.
To Do:
Identify your key business goals, short-term and for the year.
Choose a platform or tool to track engagement and any other important metrics on a dashboard with your team or support.
(With a clear dashboard in place, your team (and any support you hire) will be able to see what’s happening at a glance and focus efforts on what matters most.)
Hiring help won’t automatically improve the way your team operates. If things aren’t organized from the start, adding more people could make it all fall apart. Support for your team should be an addition — not something you rely on entirely. It all starts with you and your core team. If you don’t have things together from the beginning, even the best support won’t be able to assist you in the way you need.
By clearly defining and documenting your vision and the essentials to achieve that vision , you’ll be able to hit the ground running and avoid unnecessary confusion. These steps will not only keep you organized but also ensure your future hires can contribute effectively to your growth.