As a business consultant, Crista Grasso understands the importance of using time and energy wisely. She created the “Lean Out” method to help other business owners effectively manage their time and grow their business and through her One Big Tip of following the 80/20 rule for all things business.
The Lean Out Method
The best advice Crista gives her clients is to implement what she calls the “Lean Out” method, which she describes as “eliminating everything that’s not necessary and doubling down on the things that add the most value for customers, and the most profit for the business.” While other coaches might tell you to “lean in” to your projects and goals, Crista takes the opposite approach and advises others to step back and evaluate the most important aspects of their business. According to her, it’s better for a company to focus on doing a few things really well, otherwise, their business risks becoming overwhelming and confusing to customers. In this way, you can simplify and strengthen the things your company is known for. To put this method into practice, Crista’s One Big Tip is to analyze your business through the lens of the Pareto Principle, which states that 80 percent of results come from 20 percent of the causes. This 80/20 rule can look like 80 percent of sales coming from 20 percent of customers, or that 20 percent of the services you offer drive 80 percent of your business. Once you can identify these statistics, you can then make changes in order to devote more time to the aspects that are most profitable and beneficial to your business.
The Most Important Questions
To implement the 80/20 principle and help others identify the areas of strength of their business, there are specific types of questions that Crista asks. The six basic questions she starts with ask you to identify your best-performing products and services as well as the worst, the most profitable goods and services offered and the least profitable, and finally the most optimized activities and the least optimized. Once you find the 20 percent, you can either cut the other 80 percent or make changes so that it can be more profitable. However, before you make any drastic decisions, there are a few more questions she offers you to consider that help with fine-tuning the products and services offered. First, she asks if there is enough return on your financial or time investment, next if it aligns with the goals of your business, if it is something you enjoy and feel fulfilled in doing, and lastly if the investment will pay off in the future. Crista recommends going through this reflecting process once every 30 days to see if you can make improvements, and then to review and make more holistic changes to the business every 90 days.
To learn more about Crista and the Lean Out method, visit her website www.leanoutmethod.com for more information and resources. Additionally, you can check out and register for Crista’s Masterclass on business and time management at www.leanoutmethod.com/masterclass.
