We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kellee Tarum a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kellee, appreciate you joining us today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?
I’m sure this will come as a huge surprise, but I’d get my systems in good shape right away! I’d create standard operating procedures for my repeatable tasks and automate the ever-living heck out of things. I can’t tell you how much time I spent early in my business on things like bookkeeping just because I had to do it infrequently enough that I forgot everything in the interim. It was like starting from scratch every time because I hadn’t taken the 5 minutes to write out each step the first time I figured it out.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For over a decade before I started Spruce, I worked for a serial entrepreneur as his only employee. For a while, we were running three completely different businesses with only the two of us. At some point it began to dawn on me that, though I enjoyed the work I was doing in supporting small businesses, I wanted more control over my schedule and the people I worked with. It’s extremely important to me to partner with people whose ideas and goals align with mine.
Now my main goal is to help women and non-binary people to take their businesses to the next level without burning out. And for me, the way to do that is through setting up solid, streamlined systems to take a lot of the guesswork and repetition out of their tasks. I’ve found that so many people start a business without really knowing how many hats they’re going to have to wear and systems-building isn’t in their zone of genius. Others grew more quickly than they anticipated (side note: best problem ever) and their systems haven’t kept up with the new demands on their time. Helping with systems is where I can truly make a difference in how they’re spending their time on a day-to-day basis and also make it easier for them to bring on help by making tasks crystal clear. I do this in one of two ways, the first of which is a consultation where clients bring me their most challenging system and we make a plan for them to streamline and automate it. The second is a done-for-you package where I create the strategy with you and then implement the systems across the business.
Right now, I’m most proud of the work I’m doing for The Failure Ball. It’s a non-profit that celebrates failure as a necessary side effect of effort, all to support suicide prevention. Entrepreneurs are more likely than the general population to suffer from mental illnesses and, as someone with depression, it’s an organization that’s really close to my heart.
What I most want people to know is that systems don’t have to be scary! You don’t have to be an expert in the latest and greatest software in order to have systems that function and make your business work more efficiently. The best systems aren’t necessarily the most advanced, they’re the ones you’ll actually use.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
The biggest lesson I’ve had to unlearn is that being a solo entrepreneur means you’re doing it all alone. I initially thought that, since I was the only one running my business, that meant I couldn’t ask for help. That sort of thinking led me into a major depression and I had to put my entire business on the back burner for the better part of a year. The thing that brought me out of that was (surprise!) the exact opposite of what had gotten me into it – asking for help. I talked to my business besties, hired experts, and got a great therapist, which all made me realize that trying to go it completely alone was impossible.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
My entire business up to this point has been run on referrals. I’ve been very lucky to have an amazing, supportive business network and great clients who are happy to pass my name along. I’m slowly beginning to dip my toe into the world of social media marketing, so I’m still learning there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.spruceva.com
- Instagram: @sprucelaneco
- Facebook: @sprucelaneco
