You know those days where you “did” a lot but you didn’t actually do anything… nothing to show for it. The list didn’t get checked, but you worked all day.
You feel exhausted but still stressed that you didn’t get everything done.
Those are the worst.
You probably feel busy but still eager to get new clients and be booked out.
These are some reasons why you might be feeling that way.
1. You are checking your email before anything else.
You start the day in Reactive Mode. You’re answering questions, responding to updates, and getting lost in your inbox. If your inbox looks like ours, you could easily spend all day in there!
We are guilty of this too…. And here are a few ways we want to fix it.
- Meeting days vs. non-meeting days
- Blocking your calendar
- Getting a Brick
- Not checking email in bed
- Having CEO days and communicating that with our team
We want to have dedicated time to just work. Not respond to emails. Do not look at our finances. Don’t scroll through Instagram. Just work on Duo or our client work.
2. You’re working in the business, not on it.
There are times to do client work, and there are times when you need to work on your own business. We often get lost in helping clients that we forget to help ourselves! Because yes, even if you are booked out, it’s important to still market your business.
In one of our annual planning meetings, we defined our C-level roles. The tasks that only we can do as CEOs. We realized how much time we were wasting on things we didn’t need to be doing—scheduling social media posts, communicating timelines with clients, editing the podcast…
Everything that wasn’t outlined in our C-level roles, we are working to outsource.
3. You forget to sell to your audience.
You are on social media, and you send emails… yet you forget to tell people to buy or sign up for things, and why they need your things.
If someone follows you for months, they should know exactly what you do and offer.
Remember, not everyone sees your content every time you talk! Even if you feel it’s annoying, that one extra post or story about your offer could be the one your next client sees.
4. Your website isn’t built to convert.
This is often one of the biggest problems we see with small business websites.
- It’s not getting traffic.
- The UX strategy doesn’t make sense.
- You aren’t luring your audience to the end of the road, where they buy your product or inquire about your service.
You need to give your audience enough information to make an informed decision, and then make it easy for them to do it!
5. Your offers aren’t actually profitable.
Have you actually looked at how long it takes you to do something and then what you charge for that? Are you actually making money?
Spend a week logging everything you do in your business in Toggl or another time-tracking system. You might be surprised how long things actually take you and how little money you make from it.
We do this every year at minimum— again at our annual planning… This year, we did this while watching trash TV in the hotel bed.
You might need to update your pricing or reduce your deliverables.
6. You don’t have any funnels working in the background.
Especially email funnels— freebies should have welcome sequences that sell without you having to do anything! Every time someone joins your email list, they’re welcomed with an email funnel that provides more information about who you are and what you do. Episode #181 gives you some email ideas to get started.
Same with your inquiry process. It needs to provide a seamless experience for your potential new client. Listen to episode #206 about optimizing your inquiry process.
7. Your offers aren’t clear.
Your website messaging might be confusing for your audience. It should clearly communicate:
- Who is this for?
- What specific problem does it solve?
- What transformation happens?
If your offer sounds like a list of deliverables instead of a solved problem, people hesitate.
8. Your website copy is lacking.
It might be missing keywords, personality, specificity, or call to actions that help readers along the buyer’s journey.
Listen to episode #12 to learn how to write copy that converts.
BONUS: You don’t take a break.
If you don’t step out of the business, you aren’t thinking clearly. You need space.
Let’s stop the hustle of being busy every day, and let’s start focusing on how we can run the business… not the other way around.
Go From Busy to Booked Out
Any of these 8 things is a step toward becoming booked out with clients. Are there any you need to address? Schedule a CEO day and work on one of these strategies for your business.
We bet you’ll feel more accomplished at the end of the day because you’re doing something that will grow your business!
FAQs About Being Booked Out
Being booked out means your schedule is fully filled with client work, leaving little to no availability for new projects within a certain timeframe. It’s often a sign of strong demand for your services and consistent lead generation. Just don’t forget about your own business!
Avoid burnout by setting clear boundaries, limiting your workload, building buffer time into your schedule, and streamlining your processes. Delegating or outsourcing can also help lighten your load.
Absolutely, and you should! Staying visible keeps your pipeline full and prevents gaps later. Focus on nurturing your audience, growing your email list, and promoting future availability.
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Abbey Oslin and Courtney Petersen are Minnesota-based marketing experts with over 20+ years of combined experience working with big brands. They are educators and co-founders of Duo Collective; a boutique organic marketing agency specializing in SEO, branding, and custom websites for women-led small businesses and creative entrepreneurs.
Ready to grow your visibility and become unforgettable?
Learn more or work with our team here.
To inquire about being a guest on Duo On Air, please fill out this application form.
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