I have heard it said that a cluttered room reflects a cluttered mind and while there are many factors at play when it comes to clutter, I truly believe that having an organised home/business/desk frees our mind so that our creativity can flow and we can focus on the things we want to focus on, like growing our business, connecting with our clients, or less time hunting for things, you don't want to be wasting time, missing appointments or even worse missing revenue opportunities - after all you are in this business to make money!
But how do you know where to begin, what to do to make your business run smoothly. Big businesses will often hire a Operations Manager who will come in and set the foundations right, working with the team and your business needs to get you organised.
Smaller businesses are more reliant on junior staff. Or no staff at all. You are the 'Jack of all trades', but when you are the wearing so many hats, it's sometimes hard to do any of them right. Especially if your skillset and experience leave you feeling overwhelmed.
Here are some ways you can take to get control and move your business to the next level:
Train to do it yourself the hard way - This is the route that many small business owners do out of necessity but the learning curve is steep and the Return on Investment of your time can be very low. Additionally this takes you away from the vital role of doing your actual business. Unless you intend on doing it all yourself long term and remaining small, this option may not be worth the time invested to do it for free. Investing in good quality training is the best approach if choosing this method.
Invest in training and coaching - Signing up for specific coaching can save you hundreds of hours of your time. Provide you with expertise to get you up and running faster and give you an outside voice to help you shape your business systems the right way.
Hire a Virtual Assistant - There are many companies out there that offer this service, including our own. They can help you with tasks that you would rather delegate and usually work in the field because they are gifted and love organising. Be aware though that some Virtual Assistant's don't come with much experience and so it's important to assess if they have what you need before you begin.
Hire Contract Operations Manager or co-ordinator - This is the easiest course of action is to hire a person with Operations experience, this means you can focus on your business while they jump in, learn all about your business, how it ticks and then devise and implement a plan together with you.
Buy a ready made system - Buy a coaching package or download that has everything you need. This is an interesting one as it requires businesses to all fit into one mold, but if you are happy to bend and don't need a more flexible option, this is often a great way to get yourself set-up in the fastest way. However, you will need to adjust and gain more flexibility as you grow.
It's important to remember that not one solution is the answer, that's why we offer a free call for our customers, so we can work out what option or combination of options best serves their business. We hope the above has been helpful, please feel free to reach out. Wishing you all the best on your organising journey!
Once you have decided on the method, you can now start to work through all the areas in your business that need organising.
Here's an outline of the what you want to look at to organise your business.
Business foundations:
You will want to look at:
- Electronic storage,
- Policies & documentation
- Compliance
- Website simplification, automation and set-up
- Bookkeeping
- Procedures
- Strategic planning - what to do and when to do it
Business improvement:
You want to:
- Do a review, looking at what's working for you, the team and customers and what isn't.
- Look at tools and methods to improve these.
- Implement them,
- Then review again.
Nice-to have's
Once you have got the basics down and improved functions to give you free time, you can start looking at adding in the extras and frosting to go the extra mile.
Creating order in business can lead to better profits, happier staff, increased productivity and in the end greater success! May your journey be successful!
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