Kelly FooteMortgage Broker · Entrepreneur
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    Free how-to for small business owners

    Start with one thing.

    Six jobs worth doing. Fifteen minutes each. All of them use software you are already paying for every month.

    I run a mortgage practice, a networking community and a flea market, and I have two kids. Everything on this page is something I actually use. Nothing here needs a developer, and nothing here needs a new subscription. Start at the top, or pick the one that annoys you most.

    One question first. Is your email in Google or in Microsoft? That decides which column to follow on every lesson below.

    15 minutes

    One link that ends the back and forth

    Stop trading messages about what time works. You send one link, they pick a time, it lands in your calendar. You already have this.

    If you are on Google

    1. 1Open Google Calendar on a computer.
    2. 2Click Create, then Appointment schedule.
    3. 3Set the hours you actually want to be interrupted, not your ideal hours.
    4. 4Copy the booking page link and put it in your email signature.

    If you are on Microsoft

    1. 1Go to outlook.office.com and open Bookings from the app grid.
    2. 2Create a booking page and add one service.
    3. 3Set your real availability.
    4. 4Publish it and put the link in your email signature.

    Tip. Check your POS first. Square, Shopify and Jane all include booking, and most people never switch it on.

    15 minutes

    Write down the seven lines

    This is the one that makes everything else work. Most people try an AI tool once, get something generic and useless, and decide it is not for them. It is not the tool. It has never met your business. Seven lines fixes that.

    1. 1Who I am and what I do.
    2. 2What I sell and what it costs.
    3. 3My hours and where to find me.
    4. 4How people book or buy.
    5. 5The policies people always ask about.
    6. 6My tone, in three words.
    7. 7What it should never say or promise on my behalf.

    Save those seven lines in a note. Paste them in before you ask an AI tool anything, every time. Mine says never quote a rate without seeing the file, and that single line is what makes it safe for me to use at all.

    Tip. If you have Microsoft 365 you already have Copilot. If you have Google Workspace you already have Gemini. ChatGPT and Claude both have free versions. You do not need to buy anything to do this.

    15 minutes

    Three replies you never type again

    Pick the three messages you send most often. Save them once. Insert them in two clicks forever.

    If you are on Google

    1. 1In Gmail, click the gear, then See all settings.
    2. 2Go to Advanced and turn on Templates.
    3. 3Write your most repeated reply, then click the three dots at the bottom of the compose window, Templates, Save draft as template.
    4. 4Do it twice more.

    If you are on Microsoft

    1. 1In Outlook, open a new message.
    2. 2Click the three dots in the toolbar, then My Templates.
    3. 3Add your most repeated reply.
    4. 4Do it twice more.

    Tip. The three to start with are almost always your prices, your availability, and what you need from someone before you can begin.

    10 minutes

    Answer the calls you cannot take

    In one study, roofing companies answered 37 of 100 customer inquiries. The other 63 went to whoever picked up. An automatic text buys you the hour.

    If you are on Google, or anyone with an Android phone

    1. 1Open the Phone app.
    2. 2Go to Settings, then Quick responses.
    3. 3Write it like a person, not a robot.

    If you are on Microsoft, or anyone with an iPhone

    1. 1Open Settings, then Focus, then Driving.
    2. 2Turn on Auto-Reply and set it to All Contacts.
    3. 3Write your own wording.

    Tip. Something like this works. Thanks for calling, I am on a job until four. Text me what you need and I will come back to you today.

    15 minutes

    Let the invoices chase themselves

    You are not bad at collecting. You are too busy to remember who is twenty days late. Your accounting software will do this for free and it is switched off by default.

    1. 1Open your invoicing software and find reminders in the settings. QuickBooks, Wave and Xero all have this.
    2. 2Turn on three. Three days before due, on the due date, and seven days after.
    3. 3Set up a recurring invoice for anyone who pays you the same amount every month.
    4. 4Put your payment link on the invoice itself so paying takes one tap.

    Tip. Square and Shopify send payment reminders too. Check there before you add anything new.

    15 minutes

    Make your DMs answer at midnight

    Your hours and your prices are the two questions. They can answer themselves while you sleep.

    1. 1Open Instagram or Facebook and go to your professional dashboard, then Inbox settings.
    2. 2Set up Saved Replies for your three most asked questions.
    3. 3Turn on Frequently Asked Questions so people see the answers before they type.
    4. 4Set an away message with your hours and your booking link.
    If you only do one thing

    Write your seven lines.

    It takes about ten minutes and it is the thing standing between you and all of the rest. Then paste them into whatever AI tool you already have, ask it the question your customers ask you most, and watch what comes back. It will sound like you.

    One thing a week

    I send a short weekly read for local business owners. Three things worth knowing, every Tuesday. No pitch, and you can leave whenever you like.

    I am Kelly Foote. I am a licensed mortgage broker in St. Catharines, I co-founded Collab Culture, and I manage the St. Catharines Factory Outlet Flea Market. If any of this is useful and you want a hand with your own, book a call.

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