When you became a small business owner you had big dreams. It was those big dreams and big passion that drove you to hang out your own shingle, whether it was on a brick and mortar store or the internet. You want to spend time working on those dreams and aspirations, but it turns out that there is a whole lot more to running a business day-to-day then just working on your big dreams!
You want to be a great small business owner or executive, but you are becoming discouraged. If you spend your time on day-to-day business needs do you have to give up on the BIG passions that got you started? And how do you avoid your business falling apart if you do choose to spend time working on the big picture things?
You CAN do both. Being a great small business owner means knowing these seven common organizing and productivity mistakes and avoiding them!
1. You Keep Using Systems That Don’t Work:
Who would do that? Many if not most small business owners. Your day is full of systems, or repeated actions. You may have systems for following up with clients, organizing paperwork, or scheduling appointments. Whatever the case for your business these systems have to work FOR YOU.
If you buy into a system that is touted to be the best, and you can’t get yourself to commit to it or aren’t having the same results as others than it isn’t the best system FOR YOU. Bad ineffective systems leave customers upset and take up lots of your time. Effective systems lead to happy clients and easily delegated responsibilities.
2. Thinking You Will Remember:
The other great thing about effective systems- it means you don’t have to keep everything in your head, and you shouldn’t. When you had a couple clients and were getting started maybe you kept appointments and reminders in your head. As your business increases the chances of something slipping through the cracks increases.
Don’t miss appointments, follow-ups, or emails because you didn’t record it somewhere. Also when you have everything in your head others have a much harder time picking up the ball and helping you.
3. Not Having Staff to Help You Soon Enough:
It can be hard to delegate. You want to make sure that EVERYTHING is just how you want it to be, it is your business. Your big dream. The problem is that if you want to see your big dream become a reality you are going to have to delegate. Having an assistant to help you accomplish the day to day things means you have more time and energy for the big picture goals.
Don’t wait until you are drowning to hire that person. While you may get lucky and find someone ready to hit the ground running who can pick up your systems with little effort, chances are more likely you will need to train your new assistant and build confidence in them before you let them loose.
4. Not Using Your Employees Effectively:
You’ve gotten the help you need. Now you have to use them well. As a small business owner you may pass out responsibility willy-nilly. This leaves you and your employees unsure what you will be doing, what they will be doing, and often how it should be done.
Have a plan, a detailed plan for how you will delegate work and how you expect work to be done. It will save you time and money.
5. Becoming a Micromanager, or Not Being Involved at All:
You’ve found your employees, you’ve delegated work to them effectively. Now what? You need to step back and let them handle the day-to-day responsibilities, it is why you hired them! Keeping yourself involved in every detail, even after you found and trained someone, keeps you out of the big picture dreams that NEED you.
On the flip side check in once and awhile. This is your business you need to remain connected to the everyday work to make sure it is running effectively.
6. You Don’t Have an “In Case of Disaster” Plan:
Who will handle your assistant’s work if they get sick, hurt, go on vacation, or have a baby? You need a plan for when your primary employee is unavailable, because at some point it will happen. Who will cover for them? Layout a system that allows for others to pick up where they left off.
7. Believing That Disorder and Confusion are Inevitable:
They aren’t. Sure there will be times of transition, but that should not be your everyday reality. Believing that they are inevitable gives you and your staff permission to function in chaos. Just because you are a small business owner that does not mean you can’t have a calm organized day as your norm.
Being an Effective Small Business Owner:
Put systems in place for organizing paperwork, put great people in place to help with the everyday work, and allow yourself time to work on the BIG dreams while still remaining engaged in your day to day business. Getting past these seven errors will allow you to be an effective small business owner with a profitable, well organized business.
