Looking to grow your business like...yesterday?

Sometimes the most effective changes you can make to your business are the simplest — and can even be completed in just one day. 

Here are 10 things you can do to improve your business in 24 hours.

1. Ask for testimonials

A small yet impactful action you can take is to ask former clients for testimonials. 

Testimonials help boost your business’s social proof and let potential clients know what it’s like to work with you. Plus, it feels good to hear how you helped a client’s business!

Reach out to past clients asking for a review of your services or deliverables. The more recent the project the better — you want the experience to be fresh on your client’s mind so they can write a detailed and accurate testimonial.

2. Update your website with recent projects

It can be easy to have a “set it and forget it” mindset when it comes to your website. But your site is the central hub for your business — it’s where clients learn more about your services and check out your work, so it’s important to make sure your featured projects reflect your best work and current services. 

Set aside some time to update your website with projects that you’re proud of or that yielded impressive results.

Pro tip: When you reach out to past clients to collect testimonials, ask if they have any results from the project that they can share with you. Then you can use those results to display on your website.

3. Streamline your business systems

Love it or hate it, a lot of administrative work goes into running a freelance business. If you want to improve your business, look at ways to streamline your processes. Ask yourself:

• What can I automate? 

• What can I outsource?

• Which tools can help? 

• Which tools can I get rid of?

Purge subscriptions you no longer use, consolidate apps, and update to new tools as a way to make your administrative tasks smoother and give you more time to focus on the tasks that will help grow your business.

4. Take an online course or workshop

One of the best ways to level-up your business is to learn about a new topic or skill. 

There are plenty of learning opportunities that you can take advantage of in a day, from online courses to workshops to webinars, even ebooks and podcasts.

5. Review your financials

While you can save the nitty gritty for your accountant, spend some time reviewing the money coming in and going out of your business. 

Regularly looking at your business financials is crucial to make sure you’re meeting projections and staying within budget — and make adjustments if needed.

6. Audit your services and pricing

Speaking of finances, it’s also a good idea to regularly review your pricing and services if you want to grow and improve your business. 

Set aside some time in your day to conduct an audit of your current offerings. Start by reviewing your services. Which service is in demand? Which offering takes the most time or brings in the least amount of revenue? Determine which services you can streamline, add, or remove. 

Then, compare your pricing with the market rates by exploring our library of scope of work templates — all submitted by fellow freelancers.

7. Create social media content

Social media is a great place to find new clients or generate leads. Figure out which platform your ideal clients hang out on and spend some time creating content for it. 

8. Take a break

Burnout is real and time away from your business is essential to sustain your business. 

If you’ve been feeling like you’re on the verge of burnout, take a day off or plan a vacation.

Don’t underestimate the positive impact a day (or more) of rest can have on your business.

9. Check in with clients

If you want to make a small improvement in your business, lean into your past and current clients. 

Ask previous clients if there’s anything they could use help with — or simply reconnect with them over a call to get insight into potential new service offerings. 

You can also check in with current customers to let them know you’re taking on new projects if they know anyone who could benefit from your offering.

10. Grow your network

There’s no doubt that running a solo business can be lonely at times. But having a network of freelancers and business owners around you can make a big difference in your creativity, productivity, and business know-how. 

If you have an hour or so to spare, put some energy into growing your network. Join an online community on Slack or Facebook, attend a networking event — either virtual or in your city — or send a DM to someone you want to connect with.