Ep 35: Why ClickUp, Asana, and Airtable Aren’t Fixing Your Business
“Every system becomes a band-aid when the offer isn’t defined.”
Emylee
If you are a service provider who has spent way too much time fiddling with systems, automations, workflows, templates, and tools, and it still feels like nothing is clicking, this episode is for you.
I see this constantly. People assume they need a better system, a different platform, or another setup expert. They move from ClickUp to Asana. From Airtable to something else. They buy templates. They hire implementers. Months go by, sometimes years, and they still are not using the systems they paid for.
This is not because you are messy. It is not because you are bad at execution.
It is because your offer ecosystem is not productized.
In this solo episode, I explain exactly why systems fail without productization, what productization actually means for one-on-one service providers, and how defining your container is the foundation for scalability, consistency, and capacity.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode
In this episode, I break down:
Why systems never stick when the offer itself is unclear
The difference between a signature service and a productized container
What I audit before I ever build a system for a consulting client
How scope creep destroys scalability
Why switching tools does not solve structural problems
How authority anchors connect to productization
What needs to be defined beyond onboarding
Why Your Systems Are Not the Real Problem
Most service providers already have systems. Sometimes too many.
Project management tools, CRMs, invoicing software, schedulers, notes, documents. On paper, everything looks fine.
But if you are not consistently using them, checking them, or improving them, the problem is not the tool. It is the lack of clarity around what the system is supporting.
If the result is unclear, the scope is undefined, and the delivery promise is bloated, no system will ever feel useful. It will always feel like extra work layered on top of an already heavy workload.
Productization Is Not Just Designing a Signature Service
This is where most people misunderstand what I mean by productization.
I am not talking about reinventing your business or creating a brand new offer. Most of the people I work with already know what they do. They have expertise. They have experience. They often already have one to three core services.
What is missing is simplicity for scalability.
Productization is about clearly defining:
The result you are delivering
The timeline for that result
The scope required to deliver it
The boundaries of the container
How a client moves through the experience
Without that clarity, delegation is impossible, systems feel unnecessary, and growth stalls.
Why Switching Tools Never Fixes the Issue
I could walk into a business and tell them to switch from ClickUp to Asana. I could make it look cleaner. I could add automations.
That might work temporarily.
But if the container itself is not productized, the system will never be relied on consistently. Because it has no defined job.
If you are still saying yes to everything, burying core deliverables under fluff, or letting clients pull you away from the promised result, no system will save you.
That is when businesses end up with layers of band-aids instead of structure.
Productization Always Starts With Your Authority Anchor
Before I define scope, delivery phases, or systems, I always start in the same place.
Your authority anchor.
What is the one result you want to be known for delivering inside a specific container?
That answer drives everything.
Your content.
Your messaging.
Your positioning.
Your sales conversations.
Your delivery process.
Clear authority leads to better-fit clients and better outcomes.
Delivery Does Not End at Onboarding
Many service providers stop thinking about structure once onboarding is complete.
Intake form. Kickoff call. Done.
That is hour one.
Productization means defining what happens next so you can actually deliver the result you sold. Assets, approvals, milestones, feedback loops, offboarding, retention. All of it needs structure.
This is not about removing yourself from the work. The magic includes you.
It is about designing support around your expertise so you are not carrying everything manually.
Why This Work Shows Up Everywhere I Operate
The done-with-you work inside Sold Out Services is the foundation for my done-for-you consulting work.
Same frameworks. Same audits. Same worksheets.
The difference is customization and speed.
Every decision is filtered through one question.
Does this support the result?
If not, it does not belong.
Chapters
00:02 Why your systems are not working
02:24 What productization actually means
04:48 Why tools don’t fix broken containers
07:14 Scope creep and capacity issues
11:55 Authority anchors and delivery clarity
14:21 What happens after the client says yes
18:57 Final PSA and next steps
Resources & Mentions
Interested in Being on the Show or Working with Emylee?
Are you a service provider with a bold perspective to share? Apply to be a guest.
Ready to transform your service into a productized, scalable offer? Apply for Sold Out Services.
If you’d like to see a library of all published episodes in a gallery with easy-to-find links to all listening platforms be sure to check out the Sell The Damn Service Episode Library.
