You are listening to the very first episode of Checking Off Your List with me, Rachel Luther. I’m grateful you decided to listen, because it’s a little bit of a risk tuning into a new podcast. Let’s just pretend that by a touch of fate we both logged on a virtual meeting early and we started to chat instead of sitting there in awkward silence pretending to be absorbed in email other things. I promise that after hearing my story, you’ll want to tune into the next episode, and maybe we can even make it a regular thing.
Well, I guess you want to know what my podcast is all about. We will explore how I utilized outsourcing and a growing team of support to build a 6-figure business.
I am a Christian, a wife, a home school mom of 4 kids, an entrepreneur, as well as a theatre and film actor. I am the owner of Check Off Your List, a full-service back office support team of virtual assistants, who are the best in their field of bookkeeping, digital marketing, graphic design, human resources, as well as executive assistance. Sounds impressive, right? Well, it is, but it hasn’t always been this way. All the way back in 2010, I found myself pregnant and unemployed, and of course this was in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crash.
Just like everyone else, it wasn’t looking too good, so what did I do?
I started Check Off Your List.
Along with making the best of a tough situation, for me it was about wanting to control my schedule. As a new mother, I wanted my time back while still bringing in an income. When I graduated college, I worked an office job as a bookkeeper, but I resented the time I wasted sitting at that desk. I especially didn’t see how I could juggle raising a family, performing as an actor and working a typical 9 – 5 job while maintaining my sanity, so I found a solution.
And that solution is exactly what I plan to share with you in this podcast. I plan to share with you what I learned from my experiences going from a new mom and new business owner in a less than ideal economic climate to the owner of a company that continues to grow ten years in. I learned a lot from my experiences, and a lesson that has truly transformed how I go about my everyday, how I strategize in my business, and how I live my life through the value of a team. When I first started utilizing the skills and expertise of other professionals…people who were better at things than me…., I more than doubled what I could accomplish in a day. I soon discovered that surrounding myself with people who are excited to do the tasks that I dread actually allows me to focus my talents on the areas that most impact my business, and this allows me to maximize my results even though less of my time is devoted to quote unquote ‘working’.
You know. I bet you would love to know who I’m making this podcast for. Nothing is for everyone. Right? Do yourself (and me) a favor. Consider whether any of the following is true about you, your business, or just your life in general.
If effectively utilizing a team is something you want to learn, or if you think, “yeah… I tried that outsourcing thing and it didn’t work for me.” keep listening. I will share exactly how I used outsourcing the last 10 years to get where I am today.
If you are an entrepreneur looking to take your business to the “next level” and have absolutely no idea how you would fit one more thing, no matter how small, into your busy schedule to accomplish that growth, then this podcast is for you. I get it: You’re already working more hours in a day than you should. Am I right? Those next goals are so close you can taste them, but you’re frustrated knowing there’s no more time in your day to work towards them. Right? For years, I stayed up later and set my
alarm earlier, but I’m here to tell you… You don‘t have to ‘burn the midnight oil’ as they say. There’s a better way.
If you are someone who is trying to figure out how to have better “work-life balance” this podcast is for you too. We’ve all heard about ‘work-life balance’, but what does that mean in a practical sense when you’re passionate about your entrepreneurial journey, yet some of your passions lie outside your business? In a single day, I manage to jump from homeschool mom to business owner to actor, and the important thing is that none of these overlap with each other. And the thing is, I wouldn’t let any of them go. I’m passionate about all of them, and I plan to keep doing them all. If you are unwilling to give up the things that are truly important to you—whether personal or professional—rest assured, you just found the podcast you can relate to.
The past 10 years of my life have been a whirlwind of ups and downs, and I want to share with you what I’ve learned from that journey. Now, don’t be fooled. It hasn’t all been wins and success stories. No. There have been mistakes and opportunities to learn… and there’s been lot of them! Let me tell you. Each of those failures… well, hmm, let’s not call them failures…because what they really are are steps toward success. I guess the way I like to look at it is that we eliminated a path we didn’t necessarily want to go down; what’s great is that now we’re one step closer to the right path.
This is certainly a glass half full attitude, but it didn’t always come so naturally, and what I will do for you is share those lessons I learned through trial and error with you in hopes of sparing you some of the struggles I experienced. Oh, for sure, early on I wandered my way through hiring the right people, stumbled through managing a team to ensure they actually do their jobs correctly, and learned the hard way how to work with a sales team to ensure the customer experience met my expectations, because no matter what I’m [emphasize this, too] the one responsible for taking care of the clients of Check Off Your List. Did I mention that I did all of this while juggling a growing family and acting in theatre and film. Yeah, I know I use the word juggling a lot, but that’s because it really was and continues to be a challenge keeping these invaluable aspects of my life all sailing smoothly through the air at once. And I know I might make it sound easy, but it’s an ever-evolving process with a new hurdle around every corner.
This is especially the case for someone like me who does not like to take the easy path, but what I did learn through all of this is that the right team of people can make or break your success—can help maintain that balancing act. Yes. It starts with you and your willingness to do what it takes to make things happen. I bet it’s safe to say you’re already that kind of person. You’re investing in yourself with a podcast, because you are someone who will do what you need to get where you want to go. But let me tell you, things can grow exponentially when you’re surrounded by the right people. Once I realized I couldn’t do everything myself, I assembled a team of people a lot smarter and a thousand times more talented than me. Like any savvy delegator, I know I have my strengths and weaknesses, so what I did was find the people that were strong where I’m weakest. I learned from them, while they helped me by shining where they are most talented. As you can see, smart outsourcing is a win-win for everyone.
Quite frankly, and this is one of the secrets to my success, so don’t tell anyone, that philosophy is how Check Off Your List became one of the industry leaders that it is today. Yes, I’ve been relatively successful, and just like you, I will continue to learn and grow, as a person and as an entrepreneur, as my company grows, and I hope you will join me on this journey. We have some major goals for 2021, and while 2020was been anything but kind to most of us, I’m determined to make the best of 2021, as I’m sure you are, too. There will be more successes and definitely more opportunities for growth over the coming months and years, and hopefully you’ll be able to learn something by listening to me share my experiences. I’d love to learn more about you and your journey as a business owner, so feel free to find me on Instagram as Rachel Luther or Facebook as Checking Off Your List with Rachel Luther.
If any of my story connected with you or if you are desperate to optimize your impact in your business without investing more of your valuable time, I’d love to meet in this virtual meeting again for the next episode. We’ll be diving into the nitty gritty of my early mistakes in business and what led me to consider outsourcing, so hit play on the next episode of Checking Off Your List with me, Rachel Luther.
