Small business owners are the backbone of America. They – we – help move the economy forward, create self-directed income and lifestyles for ourselves, and create jobs for others. The dream, however, of small business ownership is vastly different from its reality. The dream looks like creating an outstanding, in-demand product or service, introducing it to the marketplace, and watching the sales pour in. The reality often looks like endless days, sleepless nights, workaholic tendencies, and moving in a million different directions at one time. Starting a small business and running a small business are two very, very different things. These three small business productivity hacks can help you manage your business and maximize your time.
- Create A 30/60/90 Day Action Plan
As each quarter approaches, stay ahead of the game by creating a quarterly action plan that encompasses marketing, social media, strategic partnerships – everything your business needs. A 30/60/90 day plan lets you identify and addresses ongoing needs and allows you to track progress.
Think Of It This Way: Haphazard marketing and uncharted goals and plans make running a small business much more difficult and time-consuming that it needs to be. By creating a daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly plan, you inadvertently set goals and a timeline for reaching them. - Outsource. Outsource. Outsource.
Far too many small business owners waste their most valuable resource (time) on tasks they aren’t fully equipped to do. If graphic design isn’t your bailiwick, outsource the graphics and concentrate your energy and effort on the things you do best. By outsourcing time-consuming tasks that someone else could complete more quickly, easily, and professionally, you save time and money – that’s why this is probably one of my all-time favorite small business productivity hacks.
Think Of It This Way: If it takes you 10 hours to create a graphic and it takes a graphic designer 2 hours, you’ll save 8 hours, a lot of frustration, and quite a few dollars by outsourcing that component. Plus, you can focus on other money making areas of your business. - Automate Mundane Tasks
Many tasks are vital to your small business but can be tedious when done individually. When you group all these activities together, you save much needed time and energy. Automation includes creating templates that save time answering emails, replying to customers online, and guiding consumers through your sales and ordering processes.
Think Of It This Way: Instead of taking time to post on social media, your company blog, and YouTube channel each day, try setting one day aside each quarter to write and schedule these posts. You’ll have a robust online presence and still have time for other (more profitable) business activities.
Give these small business productivity hacks a try, then come back and let me – and your fellow small business owners – know how they’ve helped. If you have other productivity tips and tricks that help keep you rolling along, drop them in the comments. You might have just the inspiration one of us needs.