The only way you’re going to make 2025 a better year for your business is if you take an honest look at 2024, assess where you excelled and where you struggled, and identify specific, actionable ways to improve in 2025. This week’s episode will help you do all three of these areas! Tune in to hear practical, tangible steps you can take to declutter your business and reset for 2025.

In this episode of the Make Space for More podcast, Melissa Swink discusses the importance of delegation and outsourcing for a business. She also shares her favorite December tradition, the “12 Days of Christmas,” which is a social media series that highlights popular tasks that are delegated to a virtual team. 

In this episode of the Make Space for More podcast, Melissa Swink discusses the transformative power of automation, AI, and smart systems. She shares practical strategies to save time and enhance efficiency in all areas of a business’ operations, including sales processes, client onboarding, team training, and accounting. By leveraging technology, business owners can streamline their operations, improve client experiences, and ultimately grow their businesses without the burden of manual tasks.

In this episode of the Make Space for More podcast, host Melissa Swink speaks with Mika Sagindyk, co-founder of Tackle, about the importance of time management and conducting calendar audits. They discuss how Tackle evolved from a simple calendar exporting tool to a comprehensive platform that helps users visualize their time usage. 

In this episode of the Make Space for More podcast, you’ll learn the #1 way to save precious time as a business owner. Just remove it from your to-do list in the first place! Tune in to listen as Melissa Swink discusses removing unnecessary tasks from your to-do list and provides four specific areas to evaluate. Simplifying your business operations will allow for greater efficiency and alignment in the year ahead. 

In this episode of the Make Space for More podcast, host Melissa Swink interviewed Heather Herdman, PhD, RN, co-owner of Sweet Willow, an herbal shop and café. Heather shared her journey from nursing to herbalism and entrepreneurship, describing how she and her friends saved a beloved local shop from closing. Learn about the evolution of Sweet Willow, Heather’s thoughtful decision to bring on a business partner, and the importance of community engagement. When it comes to bringing on a business partner, Heather talked about knowing what you want in a partnership and the benefits of having a supportive team. 

Host Melissa Swink interviewed Alina Stansu, founder of The Orange Notebook, about authentic strategies for growing and scaling a business. They discussed Alina’s journey of starting a business during the pandemic, effective lead generation techniques, the importance of building genuine connections, and the lessons she has learned about outsourcing. Alina also spoke about the significance of understanding one's identity in relation to business and shared insights on navigating challenges while maintaining authenticity.

In this episode of the Make Space for More podcast, Melissa Swink shares key takeaways from a recent calendar audit workshop. This led to some surprising insights regarding her role as CEO, and how she SHOULD be spending her time. She also reflects on the benefits of delegating more tasks to her executive assistant, as she strives for better time management and business growth, such as having her EA attend workshops like this one.

Join Melissa as she discusses the importance of getting support for your business operations, especially if you want to grow. She highlights three key areas a virtual team can help with, ultimately allowing business owners to focus on their visionary roles. Tune in for practical examples and insights into effectively integrating virtual assistants into your business operations for improved efficiency and scalability.

In this episode of the Make Space for More podcast, host Melissa discusses three practical strategies for preparing your business for the holiday season. She emphasizes the importance of setting clear intentions, planning for time off, ensuring operational coverage, and determining your top priorities to finish the year strong. Tune in to learn how to navigate the busy holiday season with balance and joy!

In this episode of the Make Space for More podcast, host Melissa Swink discusses the integration of AI tools in her business operations, focusing on how they can enhance efficiency. She shares the most common tools her team is using, including the ways she is creating this podcast with AI support.

In this episode of the Make Space for More podcast, host Melissa Swink discusses effective strategies for growing and scaling your business through three specific conversation types. Tune in to hear her personal experiences with these conversations and how they have positively impacted her business.

In this very special episode of the Make Space for More podcast, Melissa Swink interviews Jamie G. Smith, a renowned business & lifestyle elevation strategist, speaker, and content creator! The pair discuss strategies for overcoming burnout and achieving authentic business growth. Tune in to learn about the importance of energy management, the impact of past experiences on present success, and the necessity of letting go of control to rise higher.

Tune into this week’s episode of the Make Space for More podcast as Melissa Swink discusses the essential factors influencing the cost of hiring virtual assistants (VAs). Learn how to frame your new hire as an investment in the long-term growth of your business rather than just an expense.

In this episode, Melissa Swink discusses how a virtual assistant (VA) can help manage your inbox. She shares strategies for setting up access to your email, segmenting messages, unsubscribing from newsletters, filing non-response emails, creating templated responses, and having your VA respond on your behalf. She also provides tips for quality checks, such as daily summaries and documented procedures. Delegating inbox management can save time and allow you to focus on more important tasks in your business.

Melissa interviews Kristie about the steps business owners should take when hiring employees. They discussed the importance of job descriptions, screening candidates, and the onboarding process. Kristie emphasizes the need for transparency in the hiring process and recommends involving trusted colleagues during interviews. She also highlights the importance of having standard operating procedures, plus her recommendations around performance reviews, and much MUCH more. 

In today’s podcast episode, Melissa Swink discusses whether or not to outsource social media. She explores the different opinions on this topic and provides insights for business owners considering this big step. Melissa underscores the importance of authenticity and the need for a collaborative relationship with your chosen service provider. She also discusses setting realistic goals and expectations for outsourcing social media, such as what you can expect for ROI. Tune in to hear both sides of this discussion!

In this episode, Melissa Swink discusses the concept of “inbox zero” and how her perspective has evolved over the years. She shares tactics for achieving “inbox zero” on a daily basis, while cautioning that this might not be the best goal for every business owner. Tune in for a nuanced perspective on inbox management, as well as some tips for having an assistant help manage your emails.  

What happens when your clients love one of your services… but you no longer do? 

In today’s podcast episode, Melissa Swink discusses what to do when you fall out of love with your business, or perhaps just one of your products/services. She explores the topic of burnout and identifies several areas of your business that could be dragging you down and preventing you from loving your work. This could include clientele, partnerships and collaborations, products and services, roles and responsibilities, and team members or vendors. Listen to learn what steps you can take to cut out what’s not working, with the ultimate goal of realigning your business to work for you and bring you joy and fulfillment!

On today’s special episode of Make Space for More, Melissa chats with Alex Brzozowski, founder of Be Organizing. Alex shares her journey of building a digital organizing business, how she provides her services remotely, and how she scaled her services by building a team. Alex also provides insight into how she developed internal systems and processes, including a central hub for information and a sales process script, to streamline operations and maintain consistency. Stay to the end to learn about a free offer from Be Organizing, to help you better organize your business!