How To Streamline Your Coaching Workflow: Strategies for Maximum Efficiency with Trent True

Kathi: Hi everyone. As promised, I am with Trent True, and we're going to talk about how to optimize, how to systematize, how to get more done in less time, because Trent is a guy about systems. So thanks for coming on the show. It's good to see you again.

Trent: Good to see you again, Kathi. Certainly a pleasure to be here today.

Kathi: Absolutely. I'm having a tongue-twisting kind of day, so you have to bear with me, everybody. So let's talk. I like this: in the bio, it said you used to work in the library. That was one of my favorite things in life, actually, when I was young, going to the library with my father. That was our Saturday afternoon thing. So what did you do in the library system?

Trent: It's interesting, because I'm one of those rare species that, when I worked in the field, actually worked in both public libraries and academic libraries. So I did a wide range of things. I worked at the front circulation desk. I worked at a reference desk for a couple of years in a public library system. And when I worked at branches, that was like a one-person agency, where it was everything from answering the phone to handling fines that were being disputed to troubleshooting computers to walking people around through the stacks. So it was really a wide range of things.

Kathi: Interesting. I always thought being a library researcher would be really fun. It's like sleuthing. And were you already a techie when you were doing this, or did you create your technical skills as you were going through the one-man show at the smaller library?

Trent: I would say that I've always had very particular interests in tech and things that are tech connected. I've always considered myself to be a geek and, frankly, I own the label. Curiosity is what I would call one of my main traits: learning about the how and the why, the hidden nuts and bolts of things that most people never really take the time to learn about, because that's where the real magic happens.

Kathi: Yeah, it's interesting. So talk to me about your journey. What are you doing now, and how did you get there?

Trent: Right. So I like to say that I'm one of those cliche stories: I decided to become an entrepreneur full force when COVID paid us a visit, about this time five years ago, when things were really escalating. I've had some different experiences in my life where I did volunteer-related and advocacy work for nonprofit organizations and things like that. And I realized, when we had the situation unfolding five years ago, that there are a lot of people and a lot of organizations that fill in those small liminal spaces, that do very valuable work, where sometimes, unfortunately, institutions, whether it's government or larger things and bureaucracies, don't always, quote unquote, get things right.

Kathi: Yeah.

Trent: And I know that that's a trending thing nowadays, that bureaucracies and things like that are not always necessarily for the best. But as I say, there are individual activists, individual coaches and nonprofit organizations that I think really do a lot of the heavy lifting out there.

Kathi: Yeah. A lot of the nonprofits do a lot of the heavy lifting that we don't even know about. We might be experiencing what they're not doing here. In the future we'll find out. So when you decided to launch, where were you working prior to COVID, and what did you launch during COVID? We all launched different things. It's interesting.

Trent: Yeah. Prior to COVID, when I was outside of the library field, I worked for several years in the call center industry. I did sales. I did customer and tech support. I mentored new reps that would come inside the team. Sometimes I would take escalated calls, the calls when the customer is extra unhappy about something and they want to talk to someone above the first voice they hear. That's not always the greatest experience, I will be honest with you.

Kathi: I know.

Trent: But I did that for a while, and I also worked as an emergency dispatcher just prior to the COVID era.

Kathi: Yeah. And so when you decided to launch, what did you do? What's your business?

Trent: When I decided to launch, the angle that I initially wanted to emphasize more was my identity as a writer, and the fact that I know that coaches and nonprofit organizations, freelancers, etc., need copy, that they rely on copywriting. I also consider myself a visually creative person, because I've always been interested in photography and in graphic design. So the idea of doing that, combined with doing flyers and offering logos and flyer design, seemed like a pertinent thing to do five years ago, when the dust was really kicking up on us.

Kathi: Yeah. Absolutely. So the people that are listening here are either solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, one-girl shows, or maybe they have a team. What type of systems do you suggest for people who are at the point where they need to implement some more systems on a basic level, so they can get more done, or perhaps automate something, so they have more time to actually run their business as opposed to being stuck in their business?

Trent: Right. Well, the answer that I give, which surprises a lot of people, is that while obviously I'm a very strong advocate of CRM systems, and there's certainly more than one out there, I term myself platform agnostic as far as that goes, because some of them, I think, are more suitable depending on what stage a person is at, whether they're just starting out, as you say. But to answer your question more precisely, I would say that someone that needs organization and needs things to be streamlined would really want to look at a system like Notion or Trello as a jumping-off point for solidifying that success.

Someone that needs organization and needs things to be streamlined would really want to look at a system like Notion or Trello as a jumping-off point.

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Kathi: Yeah, I love Trello. I use it. I have so many boards. For me, being visual, I see things visually, it really helps, because the boards you can move around. I have my podcast board, I have my basic board, I have my team board, I have my creative board. It goes on and on and on, and it's really good for keeping things visually organized. For me, that's very important. I know my husband loves workflow, and for me, it's just broken lines of things, but he thrives on it. So I'm with you, Trent: there's no one solution that's good for everyone. But if you are a visual type of learner and you have a lot of projects in the brew right now, a lot of irons in the fire, definitely I think you need something like Trello. Now let's describe the other platform that you're talking about.

Trent: The other system that I mentioned just a moment ago, Notion, is something which is similar, and somewhat of a, I guess you might say, friendly rival or friendly competitor to Trello inside the digital asset space. But what's interesting with Notion is that there's a certain level of versatility to it that I think, frankly, a lot of coaches and a lot of entrepreneurs are not that familiar with, but could leverage in ways that they really haven't thought about. Now here's a good for instance with Notion. If you're like me, you're probably on a number of email lists. I'm sure everybody here listening is. But what I find is a really cool, versatile way that can really fit with your brand and your identity is to use Notion for landing pages. You can make landing pages where you use that as a lead magnet. Say, for example, I know that you're interested also in systems. You and I recently had a conversation about Google Workspace. You have this really great idea that came out of an event that you and I were both in. But let's say, for example, that you wanted to give people five things that you're overlooking in your Google Workspace workflow. Notion could be a really easy way to build a landing page that gives them those tips, that offers an infographic and then has a call-to-action button.

Kathi: Yeah. You know what I think is very interesting for the past few years is that you don't really have to have a website anymore. You want a URL, but having landing pages to capture leads is really more important than having a big daddy website. So for those of you who are starting out, you just want to connect with people, give them something so that you can get their email, so that you can stay in touch. Because really, it's all about customer relations now, being in touch with the people, not just having a website that looks beautiful out there. It's actually getting them to interact with you and download certain things. So I'll have to check out Notion. I've never really even looked at it. I didn't know you could build landing pages. Now, for those of you who don't know, a CRM is a customer relationship manager, and we all need those. At least we need a way that we can collect our data. Do you have any CRM that you would recommend for newbies? I know I use Less Annoying CRM. It's easy, it's quick, it's inexpensive, and it's robust. Do you have any that you feel are good?

Trent: I would say that I know that a lot of coaches like Systeme.io, if they're not wanting to look at something which is what I call Photoshop-level CRM, like GoHighLevel, which, I will be honest, is a platform that I do work in a lot with clients. But again, as I say, it's not necessarily always the best entry point when someone's starting out. Now, you can make it as robust and you can make it as pared down as you like. But Systeme.io is one which I know is fairly well liked. And again, to be honest, a lot of people actually manage quite well using productivity systems just like Notion and Trello, to where they feel like they're ready to level up to something like HighLevel.

Kathi: Right. And I think the thing about GoHighLevel that I like is it can be very basic, but then you have the platform. You don't have to switch to something whenever you're ready to upscale and go more robust. So that's one thing that I think is great with GoHighLevel: it can start very, very small. You don't have to get overwhelmed to just get the entry point, but then it will grow with you. And I think that's something that I learned. Gosh, I've been doing this 20 years in this particular field, and I didn't have programs that would grow with me, so I kept having to change. So if any of you are looking for things out there to upscale, make sure that it can grow with you before you invest a lot of time and effort into getting yourself into something and having to pay yourself to get yourself out.

Trent: For sure. Right.

Kathi: So what kind of tips would you give people who are ready to expand and increase their business? Do you have any solid tips or educational points that you could give people?

Trent: Yeah, I would say that for me, it would be starting with doing an audit of your systems. What are the core things in your everyday workflow, in your everyday ecosystem, that you know you depend on, but that are maybe not quite as tight and not quite as systematic as what they could be? For me, it's always having that initial conversation with yourself. And if you have a team, by all means, have the team-wide conversation. If you have a VA, if you have an OBM. If you don't, that's okay, too. Not everybody does. But if you also have a peer, maybe another coach that is more accustomed to those systems, start with those conversations.

For me, it would be starting with doing an audit of your systems.

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Kathi: Yeah, that's great advice. Even if you don't have a VA, definitely you have a peer that's doing something, that might be just a little bit further along on the track and has done a few of the platforms. They know the good, bad and the ugly, and what to recommend.

Trent: For sure. What works, what doesn't.

Kathi: Exactly. So talk to me a little bit about your experience since you've been launching. Do you have a story about a client that you have helped? Where were they at, and what happened with the transformation?

Trent: Yeah. So I would say that, for me, one of the things that I particularly like to think of as a success in disguise, as I call it, is when a person has one of those realization moments where they decide that their brand, or the idea that they have for a launch, is not necessarily on track. But there's a way to salvage that, and there's a way to flip the script, to where it's like, okay, you know what? If this niche or this target audience is not where you really want to go from this point on, then that's totally fine. That's not going to destroy your business. That's not going to destroy the work that we've already done together. Now, it was a very extended conversation. We've got to unpack several things, like, here's some alternate ideas. But for me, as I say, it's those quiet transformations, where a person is like, well, I think that this really might be a better direction instead. And when they really lean into that and really commit to that, it truly has changed the trajectory of what she's been doing. She's now much more confident in the direction that she's taken. She's like, hey, you know what? I'm not going to spend any more time chasing down these things. I'm going to really lean into something that I know I can make a difference in.

If this niche or this target audience is not where you really want to go from this point on, then that's totally fine. That's not going to destroy your business.

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Kathi: That's the thing about entrepreneurship: being fluid. And I know you and I were talking about vertical markets for the same product, and just being fluid to figure out how we can best help this particular segment of people. And you know what? We can't be all things to all people, which is something that I think, as new people starting out, I know in my profession, as a professional organizer, we try to be a generalist. We try to do everything, and then we whittle down. We all start as generalists, and then we say, oh, I'm not necessarily jamming on this kind of client. I really love this kind of client. Some of my colleagues won't touch a garage now. I will still get into a garage, because it's a workout for me, so I kind of like that. But at the same time, I can sit in my office and consult with someone on Zoom in France. So you learn who you like to work with, basically, and from that you can create the product that will appeal to those people. I think that's a really important thing to think of: who's your ideal client? Who do you like to hang out with? Because don't you think, Trent, that who you like to hang out with are the people that like to hang out with you?

Trent: Absolutely. And to illustrate the point a little bit further about the journey that my client took: it's not only about brand identity and self-identity. There's what I would call a third type of identity, which is what I like to call impact identity. For a life coach, for example, it may not necessarily be working with single moms or single parents. It might be doing peer-to-peer education, or it might be working with small and medium-sized businesses as a facilitator. There are a lot of workforce issues. There are lots of ways that she can do things like team building and skills development training. And that's something that, as I say, she decided was the greater impact identity that made sense for her.

Kathi: I like that. Talk about the three different types of identity again. That's very interesting.

Trent: Let me try to refresh that real quick. I think I said self-identity, brand identity and impact identity.

Kathi: Right. So self-identity: who am I? Why am I doing this? Why is it important to me? That's the self-identity. And I actually think that's the first stepping point of creating any kind of new company: who am I, why do I want to do this, and what can I offer? Okay. So then we go with self, then we go to brand. It's like, okay, I'm out. I'm going to launch now. What am I going to look like? How am I going to present myself?

Trent: Right. Another way that a person can frame that, if they don't necessarily want to stay confined to brand, although I would say that brand can be a lot more expansive in a lot of ways, but just for the sake of argument, let's say that somebody's like, okay, can I make that audience identity? My answer would be, well, yeah, absolutely. I think that either works. Audience identity meaning, who do I want to serve? Can I relate to them? Are they going to legitimately relate to me? Do I have that origin story which is going to resonate with that audience?

Kathi: Yeah, that's something too, if you're listening: part of your self-identity is your origin story. And what I found over the years is that the origin story, it's so interesting to me, because mine has morphed over and over and over, even though I'm the same person. But you really need to dig deep into your origins to figure out why you are who you are. And actually, that's your USP, right? That's your unique selling proposition, or unique selling point: why are you here, and why are you different from everybody else? And it comes back to that origin story. Why are you who you are? Where did you come from? What did you come through? Like for you, Trent, how did you get into the library system? Were you an avid reader? I mean, I was a book absorber. But what happened with you? What's your origin story of what brought you here?

Trent: Yeah, for me it was, as I referred to with curiosity, the fact that when I was younger, I was a little bit of an outlier versus people my age, where I actually liked to spend time at the library. I didn't see it as a chore or something to be avoided, like going to the dentist. I actually liked going there, and I actually liked burrowing into things. So for me, it became that natural extension of, okay, it's knowing about, like I said, those hidden layers of things and helping people find those hidden layers.

Kathi: And that's why you're so good at tech, because you can burrow down into it and figure out why it is working, how it is working, what's broken. I do not have that aptitude. I'm not particularly a big techie as such, or a nerd, but the curiosity is there. And we have an affinity for that. I was telling Trent before we filmed that my favorite father-and-daughter thing was we would go to the library on Saturdays, and my father would research, and I would just get immersed in the aisles and aisles and aisles of books and just be happy as a clam. So isn't that interesting? We have that commonality. So, let's see here. If you had to tell your 17-year-old self any advice, what would you give him at this point, for little Trent?

Trent: That's a really intriguing question. And my answer is dialing into the geek identity for just a second here. I remember back in the day, when I was younger, there was a poster that was popular that I would see here and there. I even saw it in a doctor's office once, of all places. It's a poster that has "Everything I need to know about life I learned from Star Trek."

Kathi: Yeah.

Trent: So my answer to your question, in a long-winded way, is taking my lifelong love and passion for science fiction and world building and things that come from the depth of characters and the depth of creativity and imagination: those things will serve you later on in life in ways that you can't perceive.

Kathi: Yeah. I remember that poster. That's funny. You saw it in a doctor's office.

Trent: Yeah, I think it might have been because somebody on their staff was a Trekkie.

Kathi: Of course. Yeah, somebody. It was probably the doctor.

Trent: Possibly. Possibly. You never know.

Kathi: Okay. Is there anything that I should have asked you that we haven't talked about?

Trent: That's a colorful question. I think, for me, an intriguing question would be: how has my identity as a writer and as a creative helped shape and helped reinforce my instincts as a business person? The analogy that I always like to make is that a lot of aspiring writers have this very arm's-length or unfriendly view of traditional things like the publishing industry, because they see those things as built-in barriers, or gatekeeping. It's like, okay, I'm going to submit this manuscript. I'm going to submit the story, and it's going to get rejected, and I'm going to be wasting my time and wasting my energy. But the metaphor for me, as the writer, is that it's always thinking about things in a very granular way, and having that resolve, having that determination, not being afraid of the red editor's pen in your own head and your own voice, and publishing your own success on your terms.

Not being afraid of the red editor's pen in your own head and your own voice, and publishing your own success on your terms.

Kathi: Yeah, I'm with you on that. When I released my first book in 2009, it was right when self-publishing was the thing. So I started my own publishing house and published my own book, and it was fantastic. And I still do to this day. Now it's more common. But what flashed through my brain when you said, don't be afraid of the red lines of your editors: I actually had two editors editing my book at the same time. I think I was bonkers at that point. I don't know why I did that. But what came out of that was there's not a typo. There's not a single typo in my book that we've ever been able to find since 2009. What is that, 15, 16 years? It's crazy. And so there is something to be said about that.

Trent: Right. As I say, there are definitely a lot of parallels that can come out of that, and that'd really be a whole separate conversation: metaphors of the writer's identity, or writer's mode, and how it impacts or how it overlays other things in business. But that would be my answer.

Kathi: Yeah, I think it's really truly true. And as entrepreneurs, all of us, we're not afraid to take the leap anyhow. We took the leap. So are we afraid to get edited? Nah. I love criticism, actually. I welcome it, because it's an outside perspective that I had perhaps not even thought of. Yeah, I think not being afraid of any type of editing is a good trait for us as entrepreneurs, and back to being fluid and being in the flow of things and shifting our perspective. So these are all really great tips, Trent. I know that you have a website and you have something to offer, so let's talk about that a little bit.

Trent: Yeah. So my brand-new website, apexcompasssolutions.mvsite.app, is where people can go to learn more about me and what I do and who I support. When you scroll down on the homepage, there's a button that says click on the about me page to read a little bit more. When they go there, they can get a little bit more context about me, and halfway down that page, they can sign up for my free newsletter. They just confirm their email when they do that, and they will get a free resource guide on how to think about where they are in their workflow and some things that they could maybe streamline or start using a little bit more successfully to level up and scale up, and think like a writer. Just be determined, as I say, and do some world building for themselves in the right way.

Kathi: Yeah, I love that. Any kind of checklist that can give us a perspective from an outside person is always good. So go ahead and download it. I actually put the link directly to the about page down in the show notes, so that you guys can download it real quickly. Go for it. Check it out. See what you can do. See where you are. What I think about this is that it actually shows you where you are and where you can grow, too. So thanks for that, Trent. That's a very generous offer. And I know your newsletter has a lot of good motivational and creative sparks for us as we move forward in the land of entrepreneurship.

Trent: Yeah. It covers a lot of themes, not exclusively tech, but also, as I say, brand voice, ideas about brand development and business development, and trends that are going on. You and I both, of course, also know a lot of talented people, and there are a lot of things out there in circulation that I want to make sure that people know about.

Kathi: Yeah, absolutely. So jump on there. And Trent, I really appreciate your time. It's good to hang out with you again. Until next time, gang, we will see you at the next podcast. Make sure to download, make sure to like it. If you have a minute, just give me a comment. That really helps the algorithms of this podcast. So give me some love and give Trent some love. I appreciate you for being here, and I appreciate y'all for listening. Thanks, Trent.

Trent: Thank you, Kathi. I appreciate it.

Kathi: Yeah. Have a good one. Thanks.