EP 131: Optimizing What Works For Your Small Business With Oki Doki Co-Founder Marie Poulin
The Nitty Gritty:\n\n* Marie shares the role customer interviews have played in the evolution of her online learning software product, Doki\n* How automation plays an important role in how Marie and her partner manage their workload without assistants or contractors\n* What enables Marie to balance managing her business with outside pursuits like rock climbing and permaculture\n\nOn this episode, I\u2019m caught up with Marie Poulin, the co-founder of digital agency Oki Doki\xa0during another live recording of the podcast.\nMarie is a designer and digital strategist who helps small business owners translate their 1:1 services into profitable digital products and programs. She co-founded Oki Doki with her partner Ben, and together they run Doki, their platform for delivering online learning experiences. When she\u2019s not working with clients, you can find her climbing rocks or playing in the garden.\nOn a personal note\u2026\nOne of the personal goals that I set for myself this year was:\n\u201cSpend at least as much time mastering technique and perfecting form as learning new things\u201d\nYou have no idea how difficult this is for me. I love to try new things\u2026 and I hate repeating things for precision.\nYou can ask my mom about how well I handled that in grade school.\nBut I\u2019m in the process of massively leveling up\u2014as I know you are too\u2014and technique counts. It counts big time.\nI\u2019m applying this goal to everything from physical fitness to new digital tools to tried-and-true marketing techniques. It always takes a mental cue for me to pause and perfect my technique before I move on but, each time I do, I get better and better.\nWithout spending time on optimizing what works and mastering technique, you end up piling more and more on your plate because you\xa0assume\xa0the only way to move forward is to do more. You never give what you\u2019ve introduced into your business (a new social media channel, a sales funnel, a team member, etc\u2026) the time to show you what it can really accomplish on its own.\nIt might feel slow at first\u2013but it\u2019s the fastest, most sustainable way to make progress in the long-term.\nMarie cares deeply about mastering technique and optimizing what works\nOne thing I always take away from conversations with Marie is her commitment to getting things right, focusing on the details, and optimizing what works. She recognizes that the best way to get big things done is to care about the little things.\nYou\u2019ll find this theme throughout the whole interview and you\u2019ll see how she\u2019s applied technique and optimization to everything from her product development to her service delivery to the way she sets up her weekly schedule. Listen to the full episode to hear it all.