Too busy to take stock

taking the time to rethink

Last month I wrote all about the power of a team, creating a team around the clients I work with, creating a team or tribe around families and more importantly (for me right now) creating a team at Clever Tortoise.

I am incredibly fortunate provider,I have the problem that so many would love to have, I have too many clients and too many enquiries i.e too much work. The pipelines are full, a optimal problem right? Well in a way yes.. something I could only have dream of a few years ago. But while it is amazing, it is also a problem. I am only one person and to do a good job for my clients I need to manage my case load, I need to only do what i can do, and what i can do well!

Since September of last year (2024) I believe i have not being doing a great job, well perhaps that is not far. I have been doing an excellent job for some and a mediocre job for others. I have not been managing the amount of work involved in supporting children that access my service. I have also not being managing the expectations of the clients and not protecting my own welfare.

My go to is always - I have a skill, I have time, I can help!

There are fundamental problems with this, (as well as to be far to myself - positives - a willingness to work, an ability to help and the intention to do the best that I can)

Problem Number 1 - just because I have time does not mean it should be filled with work!

Problem Number 2 - It is almost impossible to predict how much work is involved in a a new client’s case as the administration, parental support, correspondence, school/nursery, supporting a child through difficult times to not set in stone and always takes up more time than you predict.

Problem Number 3 - the child/family deserves your best which you can only give when you are in a good place. When you can go the extra mile, when you can give that extra magic which is impossible when you are trying to give it to too many.

Miscellaneous Problem! - transport/travel/transfers seem to always delay you, oh if only they could invent a machine to ping me from place to place.

When the reality of this problem presented itself in January I knew I had a choice- you can put your head in the sand and ignore it and essentially just work harder or stop re group and find the team to help and support you through this.

So we created a round table - to sit in a room with people you hired and also your closest most trusted advisors and your harshest critics, give them coffee and snacks, present the problem and allow them to brainstorm for two hours and pick a part (in a very constructive manner!) how you can proceed.

This has been the best decision I have made in a while! I put myself and my business first! My business doesn’t exist without my clients but it also doesn’t exist without me ( a very scary thing for me to say) . It is time to step off the hamster wheel and regroup, take stock of what is working and what is not and create actionable steps forward.

It was honestly the most incredible but also draining event, it is hard for me to ask for help, to hear and take advice, to not defend every decision. It is humbling and you definitely need to put yourself in the right space to take on others ideas and contributions. While I found this difficult I was also grateful to have a team that were there for all the right reasons and willing to take the jump with me to create a new service to allow me to support children and their families, teachers and educational providers while still keeping myself and my own cup full.

Stepping off the hamster wheel feels like the whole thing could fall apart, but it will fall apart if I don’t step off.

So what will we do…

First - close our books and not take on anyone knew until we have the capacity to do this giving the quality of services that is expected in my profession.

Second - give clients short term and long term contracts that will clearly state what they will have as part of their packages and a clear end of service.

Third - always include training days/up skilling opportunities as a mandatory aspect of the package.

Fourth - create time in the schedule for administration and un foreseen work load.

Fifth - create increased boundaries between my personal life and my private life

This was just the start and I recommend any service provider to do this….it is the best kind of scary.