Creating Backups in Business: 3 Ways to Be Successful as a Mompreneur

Sarah Brumley

Sarah Brumley

If your computer crashed today and you had no way to recover the contents, would it be a catastrophe or just a little blip on the pathway to success? Today we’re chatting about the importance of creating backups in business and I’m sharing the exact system I use so that you can replicate it as well. Sound like something you need? Then let’s get started.

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Creating Backups in Business: 3 Ways to Be Successful as a Mompreneur

Hey there mama and welcome back to another episode of the Mama Business podcast. We’re closing up the school year around here and with that comes excitement about the summer months ahead but also a little bit of chaos as the end of year events take place. My husband has two concerts this week – he’s a music teacher so that’s not too uncommon, but it does mean that things are a little more chaotic. And one of the things I love about the way that I’ve designed my business as it currently sits is that I can structure my days around that chaos. And…when I am away from my desk, I don’t have to worry that things are going to continue on without me. In fact, even last weekend when I was off, I managed to sign two new big-ticket clients. So not only was I able to spend time with my family without feeling guilty but I was also able to make money while doing it. All because I’ve set my systems up in such a way that I don’t have to be present at every moment. And I just love that freedom. And I want it for you, too.

So if you are wondering how you are going to manage the summer months when the kids are home or just life in general when it comes to raising your kids and growing a business at the same time, it’s time to really focus on those systems. And…I offer a few ways to work with me, so whether you want to do it yourself or have someone do it for you OR, just want to talk through what your next steps are, I invite you to head over to sarahbrumley.com and check out what I have to offer to get you to this same level of peace and freedom that I’m currently feeling.

And today I do want to jump into a quick tip for you regarding one system that I haven’t really spent much time talking about on the podcast, and that’s the system you use to back up your business content and more.

I’m going to date myself a bit, but I attended college from 2003 to 2007 and I had this stupid computer that, without fail, crashed on me right before finals each and every semester. Honestly, I couldn’t make that up even if I tried. And, two times in a row, I had to recreate all of my final papers and everything. It was the worst.

And I really should’ve gotten smarter each time, but did take twice before I realized that I needed to back things up. And I needed to do it regularly so that I didn’t have to deal with that level of frustration every semester. And I did keep that computer because, at the time, I had no money and I was not going to be able to replace it.

The reason this came to mind is because my friend’s computer crashed this week and she lost everything. Her recordings for her podcast, all her notes, all of her jingles and music that she uses, graphics, pictures…everything.

And that’s not an unusual thing. Computers crash. Databases fail. And the only way to protect yourself is to make sure you have a backup. Personally, I have two, well – two and a half – and I’ll explain what those are and how you can set yourself up for success.

Backup Strategy #1: Flash Drive or External Hard Drive

Okay – so the first backup strategy I use and recommend for online business owners is as simple as having a flash drive or an external hard drive that you use. And if you aren’t familiar with what things are, they are just little devices that allow you to store files on them and they aren’t super expensive for what they offer. I’m going to actually link to the ones I love in the show notes so you can check them out if you want.

For me, I’ve set up one folder on my computer for business and one folder for personal and family things. So, as I create new content, I add it to the respective folders and then, when I go to back things up, I just copy that folder onto my flash drive. The flash drive will ask me whether I want to duplicate all of the items or just add the new ones, and I simply add the new ones. By doing so, the contents of the flash drive match the contents of the folders that I have on my computer. So, an exact backup. Now, I do this with a flash drive, but you can also use an external hard drive the same way. It’s all about what you prefer.

The thing I like about this method is that this is actually something I can hold onto physically – not internet or cloud based. I also don’t have to pay for a subscription to continue to store my files. So, that’s a big perk of this method.

Backup Strategy #2: Dropbox or Google Drive

The second strategy I use, in combination with the flash drives, is Dropbox. Now, you can use Google Drive as well, but I really don’t like the layout of Google Drive so I prefer to use Dropbox. The nice thing about both of these platforms, though, is that you can connect it directly to your computer and do automatic backups of all of your files if you prefer. I don’t choose this option and actually just use Dropbox the same way I use my flash drive. The nice thing is that it allows me to access my content from anywhere and, if I ever needed to, I could share things directly with my team. The same things is true for Google Drive, so it really comes down to personal preference. Either way, this is an effective option for managing backups of both personal and business files. So definitely something to consider.

Backup Strategy #3: Task Management System

And I mentioned that I use about two and a half backup systems and the half that I was mentioning is actually my task management system which I lovingly refer to as the Mama Business Hub. At the time of this recording I am using my hub to store copies of my written content, graphics and the data associated with those things. I also store standard operating procedures and many of my templates for checklists and such. I say that I’m only using this as a half backup because I’m really not using it as a backup for audio or financial documents or anything along those lines, but that doesn’t mean that I couldn’t in the future. It’s just not been my priority to do so at this time.

So, you can use your task management hub as a backup as well. And…if you are in the market for a task management hub designed for growing a mama business, you can grab the exact. system I use by heading to sarahbrumley.com/hub. That’s sarahbrumley.com slash h u b.

What Should You Backup?

Quickly, I just want to highlight some of the things that you should be consistently backing up.

  • All documents, images, templates, audio files, content, etc.
  • Website – this could be done through your hosting platform, but if you have a WordPress website, you can also download a backup so that you have it if needed

What Backup System are You Using?

And that brings us to the action part of this episode. And we all know that action is where the dreams turn into the reality. And today’s action step is actually more of a question: what backup system are you using? If you don’t have a strategy in place – NOW is the time. Don’t wait until the computer crashes and you lose all of your documents before you prioritize this. Purchase that flash drive, get signed up with Dropbox or grab the Mama Business Task Hub so that you can protect those resources that you’ve worked so hard to create.

And with that mama, I just want you to know that I’m cheering you on. You’ve got this! Have an amazing day and I’ll chat with you again next time.

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