Who your first hire should be as a solopreneur
Calendly
Calendly is a game-changer. It's like I hired a scheduling assistant for $150/year.
All I had to do was create the types of appointments I want people to be able to make, as well as scheduling rules to ensure that no one can self-schedule anything that I wouldn't have scheduled. Calendly does the rest.
How I Use Calendly
My Calendly link is in my email signature and I also send it directly to people once we've agreed to have a phone call or a meeting. Then they self-schedule. No more of the "what about this day at this time?" back and forth.
I love getting an email out of nowhere about a new appointment that's been scheduled...sometimes weeks or even months after I interacted with someone. That means I've successfully offloaded a business task so that it happens without my direct involvement.
Calendly also automatically sends the other party a reminder of the scheduled call or meeting.
Pay to Schedule
Calendly also allows you to require payment in order to schedule. If you want to require payment in order to schedule certain consultation appointments, for example, Calendly will collect the payment and deposit it into your bank account.
Create VIP Scheduling Links
Another thing you can do with Calendly is create hidden events with more relaxed rules. You can create an event type that allows Sunday scheduling, for example, and the only way someone can use that event type is if you send them the link directly.
It Really Is Like Hiring An Assistant
Calendly has all the options in it you need to make it a tool of maximum convenience for both you and the other party. I can't recommend Calendly highly enough. For about $150 per year, Calendly is the best assistant you'll ever hire. Visit Calendly.com for more info.
