We all know that as small business owners, if there’s one thing we need more of, it’s time! There’s just never enough time to accomplish all of the goals that have been set for the day. Well we have some good news! While there’s no way to increase time itself, there are ways that you can save time by increasing productivity:
Find Out Where Your Time is Being Spent
This seems like something you’d already know, right? But actually, when you sit down and figure out how much time you’re spending on different activities at work, you might be surprised. It’s important to focus on what works and get rid of the extra waste. If you see that you’re spending the majority of your day on one thing, like training or managing the books for example, it might be time to hire some help. While you will be spending money on the additional employees, you will also be opening up some of your own time which will help with completing other important tasks.
Streamline Processes
When you work with other people, there will always be processes that seem to get lost in translation. This is a huge time waster, because it creates the need for additional training, re-doing work and fixing errors. If you can ensure that your processes are streamlined across your business, both with employees and just with yourself, you will certainly save time on having to go back and complete tasks more than once.
Improve Communication
This is another one that is most important when you are working with other people. Having your employees all on the same page is crucial to the productivity of your business. Communication goes hand-in-hand with streamlining processes, however it’s more of a way to catch the errors before they happen. Setting up monthly trainings or meetings would be a quick and easy way to ensure that people are getting all of their questions answered, and that any issues are being addressed immediately.
Set Feasible Goals
All too often people, not just business owners, set goals that are unrealistic. Setting goals that are outrageous has never been effective for anybody. Sure, we’d all like to hope that our business could make a 200% profit every year, but that’s not always going to happen. Instead, try focusing your efforts and energy on goals that are feasible and do-able. This doesn’t mean you should make things too easy on yourself, but rather spend your time focusing on things that can be achieved in a realistic amount of time.
Understand Where Your Money is Going
Too many business owners don’t realize where their money is being wasted. As a small business owner, money is something that we could all use more of. Understanding where your money is being spent and why will help you save money, time and the stress of wasting that cash. Pay attention to what is working for your business and what isn’t. When it comes to marketing, product, employees, rent, etc. you want to ensure all of that money is being utilized in the best possible way. Don’t spend your hard-earned cash on things that don’t benefit your business!
In short, we could all use more time, and certainly could all be more productive at times. Focus yourself and your energy on the things that are most important for your business and try to eliminate mistakes and errors before they happen. You’ll thank yourself later!
For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, subscribe to the FreshLime Newsletter here. Connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. And last of all, if any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!