You are a small business owner, and realistically, you just don’t have much time. Whether you’re running from job to job, or trying to make sure your books are in order just in time for tax season, there’s not much time for you to sit back and relax. FreshLime works with hundreds of small business owners, just like you, every single day. One common phrase we hear from each one of them is, “I wish I had more time.” Well, you’re not alone! Luckily, we have compiled a list of some of the top time-saving ideas we have accumulated over the years of working with small businesses:
Make a To-Do List Each Morning
That’s right! Each morning before you get to working for the day, have your to-do list created. This doesn’t mean you need to put a time stamp on everything and go into great detail, you just need to have a list of what needs to be done today. Your list could be as simple as: scheduled jobs, clean off desk, start on payroll. This doesn’t need to be anything fancy, but just something that you can look at to make yourself feel a little more organized, and save yourself from the wasted question, “What am I forgetting?” Chances are, unless you have it written down, you won’t remember. Don’t spend your time worrying about what you forgot, or being unorganized. Let your to-do list guide you through the work day, and you can create a new one tomorrow!
Use an Online CRM, No More Paper Invoices
Using paper invoices in 2016– sounds crazy, right? It’s actually really common! If you’re one of the business owners who is still storing your data on paper invoices, it’s time to move to something more technological. You will save so much time on filling, searching and scanning when you have all of that information stored in a safe and secure place online. Let your computer or smartphone do the filing, searching and scanning for you. That way, you have more of your valuable time to spend on making money and scheduling more jobs to grow your business! Not only will this be a huge timesaver, but it is much more effective and safe for storing and organizing your important data.
Hire Trustworthy Employees
In the business world, so much time is wasted on training and cleaning up after employees. Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of babysitting rather than being an employer. Allow yourself time to really assess the employees you hire, before you hire them. Consider doing trainings every month or quarter with your employees to ensure you are all on the same page. If you feel that an employee is doing shoddy work, being dishonest, or not portraying excellent customer service, approach them! Your hard-earned dollars are paying your employees to help you build up your business, so make sure that’s just what they’re doing. Hire only honest and hardworking people, and you will save countless hours on going back to fix mistakes, and stressing over how to get things done correctly.
Be Willing to Accept Help
Along the same lines of hiring trustworthy employees, allow those employees to help you and take some of the tasks off your plate. All too often, we hear business owners hiring someone to help them, but then still doing the work themselves because of fear of it not being done right. Sure, there might be a small learning curve, but in the long run if you have an employee who can help with some of the extra load, it will go a long way. Allow yourself to have your employees learn as much as possible, so on their down time they are able to take over some of your responsibilities. Consider creating a company to-do list besides just your own, and giving your employees access so they know what they should be working on when they aren’t busy with their own tasks.
Remember, you’re a business owner and you work hard and stress hard. It’s time to save every extra minute you can, and start giving yourself a break here and there. If you need more clarification or help with any of these processes, contact the small business experts at FreshLime!
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!