​Hey Reader,​

As a part-time entrepreneur, I don't have much time to work with as many clients as I'd ideally want.

On top of that, I also have to market my business, hit the gym, spend time with my friends & family, and take care of my mental well-being.

That's a lot of things to squeeze into a day!

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You might feel this to be an uncomfortable constraint, but I'd like to welcome it with open arms.

Real constraints like these forced me to think hard about the design of my business processes before implementing them.

After all, I never ever want to be put in a position where I'm forced to make trade-offs that I'm not willing to make.

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So, this sets the theme for today's newsletter:

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There are many aspects of your side business that you can adjust to protect your time.

After reflecting on the effectiveness & feedback received from v1.0 of my coaching program launched back in January 2024, I arrived at 1 key insight:

Protecting your time (and well-being) as a part-time entrepreneur begins with the way you allow your leads to become full-fledged clients in the first place.

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Specifically, I'm referring to your client screening & onboarding process.

Today, I'll share the 3 most important rules I have in my process to help me maintain work/life balance as much as possible.

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Rule 1: Qualify Ruthlessly

I've found it helpful to have a list of 5-10 traits to look out for during my discovery calls with prospective clients.

From those traits, I've crafted specific questions designed to tease out information about these traits during the client interview.

This makes it easier to assess if these clients are a great fit for what I have to offer, and adds structure to the discovery call.

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Rule 2: Clarify Expectations Clearly

After qualifying the client, it’s good practice to openly share what we can expect from each other if we decide to work with each other formally.

This can be done at the end of the discovery call, or on a separate follow-up call or email.

Bonus points if this can be documented in black & white and signed off on before any work begins.

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Rule 3: Check-in Regularly

After the engagement is formalised with payment & signed off, set up a recurring check-in call with the client to make sure the rules of engagements are adhered to.

This is also a great time to share feedback & adjust expectations accordingly.

Every client is unique, so these check-ins will make it easier for you to tailor to their specific requirements and deliver a truly first-class experience for them.

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I've used these 3 rules to create a bulletproof client onboarding process for my coaching business.

How could you apply these principles to your own side business?

I will probably look different, and that's normal.

Be bold and apply your own spin to it, and bonus points for you if you also make it fun!

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Let me know how that looks like, and I'll be happy to share my comments with you too!

Just hit reply, and I'll respond in a day or two.

And that's all I have for you today!

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Until next week - Take care!

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Cheers,

Terry Toh 😄