ActiveCollab

It's Friday - in the mood for a game? 🥰 Have you heard of 3 truths and a lie? Let's see how well you know ActiveCollab 🎉

Here we are with our September product updates! 🥳 More ways to stay organized and on top of your projects: 💜 build custom teams for even better collaboration, more structure, and transparency, 💜 never miss important notifications, no matter how hectic it gets - thanks to our new notification reminders! Watch the video for a walkthrough, and let us know how you like these improvements 🥰

How your team performs depends on how they feel. We talk a lot about this. It's not always possible to not assign extra tasks to a single person; it's not always possible to avoid working extra hours; and it's not always possible to stay calm. But burnout isn't exclusively about too much work and too little time. (A human is writing this post, btw) People experience burnout because there are underlying causes triggering this emotional response at the same time. Excessive demands, unrealistic deadlines, strict policies, toxic culture, a lack of resources, recognition, and support ... It's things like these that make one dread work. And this state of mind affects their morale, their results, as well as their relationships with others on the team. A business with known burnout issues won't go undamaged either. But we can always fix things. Last time, we shared a list of warning signs of burnout. This time, we prepared concise tips to help you manage your team and avoid burnout. Feel free to add more in the comments below💜

Ending this week with a small reminder: the key to your business success? It's you and your team. Not the tools you use, not the processes you have in place. Not even your clients. It's you guys. That's why it's absolutely crucial that you take care of your team's and your own wellbeing. This is best achieved by being proactive, not reactive. Check out the red flags we outlined in the doc, and see if any resonates. (We hope not.) Do you already have a burnout prevention strategy in place? Share below!

When introducing new tools or processes in the workplace, you need to do it carefully. You might face resistance from the team, which is why you need to explain the why behind the change. How will a new tool or process benefit them? Why have you decided to switch? How did you make the selection? ➡️ These are only some of the questions you might need to answer to ensure everyone's on the same page. Help your team transition smoothly: organize a meeting, provide training, and create other resources they can use later on. Sometimes, you might want to include your team in the decision-making process, especially if it's a tool they'll be using most of the time, and even more so if you're a small team and rely heavily on your tech stack to get the job done efficiently. (No matter if it's internal stuff or client work.) This is one of the points we discussed with John Hutson from Ink Digital during our webinar. You can watch the full recording here: https://lnkd.in/dVSbPYsq

We're looking for a Product Marketing and Growth Manager to join our Activation team, and help us create a great onboarding experience for our trial users⭐ Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/dXqV3NRH

If you're looking to boost profits as a marketing agency or a small business, here are some ideas: 1. Bundled services: offering more for less will attract more clients 2. Higher rates: if you can justify a rate increase, go for it 3. Diversified client base: this gives you more stability (and flexibility) and income security 4. Outsourcing: this helps you accept more clients and offer additional services (choose external collaborators carefully) 5. Paid consultations: you can charge more for consultancy services without investing too much time 6. Digital assets: create relevant, high-quality digital assets that solve problems / help people in any way; maximize sales via cross distribution and good marketing Let us know what you think - have your tried creating multiple streams of income? Anything you'd add to the list? 💫

The mindset lean agencies should adopt? ⤵️ Observation + curiosity + action All 3 equally matter if you want to streamline your agency operations and grow sustainably. This is only one of many useful tips and practices John Hutson from Ink Digital shared in our recent webinar. Watch the full recording here: https://lnkd.in/dVSbPYsq

Many agencies measure productivity in tracked hours. The logic seems simple: more hours = more output. But time spent isn’t always a reliable indicator of value delivered. A designer can spend 20 hours endlessly revising a layout or 3 hours creating a concept that wins the client over instantly. That’s why it helps to look beyond hours, and track outcomes, such as: ✨ client satisfaction → Did the work actually solve their problem? Did everything run smoothly from start to finish? ✨ project profitability → Did the project contribute to sustainable growth? Did it help reduce costs and increase earnings? ✨ error reduction → Did the team deliver quality the first time, without costly rework? Were the specs clear enough for them to work hassle-free? When productivity is measured through outcomes, it becomes clearer where you’re creating real value, as well as where effort is being wasted. How do you assess productivity in your agency? What would you add? 🪄

Profitability is a mindset—a combination of numbers, processes, and decisions.   Agency owners often focus on the numbers, like time, budget, and cash flow. And for good reason. But profitability is more than that. It’s also a reflection of whether how you work truly supports your team, your goals, and your business growth.   When you understand where your time, effort, and money actually go, you can: – price with confidence, – avoid overloading your team, – plan projects that serve your business as much as your clients, – explore new industries and markets with clarity.   Beyond the usual metrics, there are less visible factors to consider: contractors, tools, travel, team skills, client fit, overpromising, and too much free extra work.   Ignoring these can lead to financial loss. Likewise, it can damage your reputation, cause strategic misalignment, and wear your team down.   That's why you shouldn't focus only on the numbers, but also on processes, behaviors, and your approach to work.   Think about how your work shapes the kind of business you want to run. That matters big time in the long run.   So you need to pay attention to all of it.