Improving your business flow is the key to making your small business much easier to manage.
One of the great things about being running a business (or being self-employed) is that we can change things very quickly and we can also adapt whenever we need to. Even better still is that you don’t have to ask permission either.
So, these simple ideas are here to help.
And when you do get to grips with them, you and your business flow will be so much better and you’ll have more customers too.
So, here they are:
- Just say NO! Turn down rubbish work, time vampires, non-essential stuff in your working day.
- Delegate / outsource a lot more! Farm out the jobs that have to be done but aren’t high-value for your time and skills. Book-keeping, admin jobs, email management, customer service follow-up, and research (and loads more) are just some of the jobs that can be outsourced or delegated to free up your time for building your business or serving your customers.
- Do Some Marketing Every Day! When I did this in my web-design business the sales doubled in less than 9 months.
However, just because they’re simple. it doesn’t make them easy. They will take some effort.
The first one is probably the most difficult. But when you learn to say no on a more frequent basis you’ll free up so much time to work on the stuff that you really want.
So, have a think about what you’re working on.
Are there people or projects that soak up time unnecessarily? Are you doing things in your working day that really should be left to personal time (such as checking personal emails)?
Outsourcing and delegating is a fantastic way to get some control back into your business. You’ll be able to offload the stuff you don’t enjoy, or not very good at, and it will give you more time work on the important stuff in your business.
And finally: marketing every day. I put this into effect in my last business and it enabled me to double the sales in less than 9 months. Largely because, for most small businesses, marketing often takes a back seat to other priorities.
But here’s the thing; getting and keeping customers should be the biggest deal in your business. Without customers you don’t have a business, you simply have a badly paying hobby.
So, there you go. Put just those 3 things into action and make your business flow more efficiently.
You can listen to the podcast on this here:
Want more? Check out:
Getting Started with new Work Habits (blog post)
Why a focus on value can revolutionise your marketing (Youtube video)