When you work for someone else, your employer often provides you with a computer, a phone, an email address and/or business cards. The company has a logo, a website and procedures established for how to get the work done. When you work for yourself, you start with none of that. It’s up to you to provide these things for yourself. And even though many professionals have come from a corporate past, they don’t bring many of these things into their own businesses. Let’s think about that for a minute Many small business owners assume that because they are small, they’re under the radar and they can get by without pulling together all the essential components of their business. But, whether you’re just starting out or already established and sitting pretty, here are five things that let the world know that you’re a professional and that you mean business! Get a professional business card Don’t get a free card from Vista Print. And don’t have them printed by yourself on your home printer! Have one designed by a professional, with up-to-date information and nice card stock. Your card makes an impression every time you hand it to someone – a small investment in a professional-looking card will make a good one. Get a real email address If you have a registered domain (www.YourCompany.com), it’s just a few more steps to use it for email (harry@yourcompany.com). It’s worth the little bit of extra effort to demonstrate that you’re serious. Please leave yourcompany@gmail.com behind! Get a professional headshot This should be renewed every couple of years and used on your website, your LinkedIn profile, your bio, etc. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should be done by a pro in a professional setting. Create a consistent look Presentations, brochures, online materials, etc., anything you show to clients and others should feel consistent. Don’t try to reflect a new expression in creativity in each piece. Use consistent fonts and colours, as well as consistent wording in the way you describe who you are and what you do. Don’t skimp on your tools Make sure you have what you need to run your business well. This includes a good computer, a reliable printer, and a dedicated place to work from. Invest in the software you need to do your work and maintain your business on the back end. All of these things are easy to set up or implement, and relatively inexpensive. By doing them, not only will you give the world a better impression, you’ll feel like a million bucks!
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One thing I love about all my clients is that you are all small business owners. You're excited about your work and you’re passionate about your ideas. You love your businesses (sometimes) as if it were one of your children. And you spend a lot of time working. That’s the good news. The bad news is that many of you don’t always feel like you’re getting anything done … despite the long hours and hard work. You are pretty sure you're being inefficient and feel like there’s never enough time. And that’s exhausting, so here are some tips for you! Get clear about what you’re trying to accomplish I see clients every day who are heading in 15 directions all at once. They jump from one thing to the next and back without any clear destination, always chasing the next shiny object. The best way to become clear is to take the time to set measurable goals that are easy to articulate. For example: “In 2022 I want to increase revenue by $50,000”, “I want 10 more monthly clients”, or “I want to delegate 10 hours of work per week to an assistant." Make a plan that supports your goal If your goal is to increase revenue by $50,000, identify five or six activities to support that objective. This might include raising prices, additional public engagements, attending more networking events, writing a newsletter or blog, publishing on LinkedIn, etc. Be deliberate about this. This is how you are going to spend a lot of your time. Set up support systems In order to know whether you’re carrying out your plan, it’s important to track what you’re doing. Part of my plan to increase revenue this year is to be consistent with my social media presence. There’s no way I could track my progress in my head, so I have an excel spreadsheet to track my success each day/week. Am I flawless in my execution? No. Does it help to see what I’m actually doing so I can make mid-course corrections? Absolutely! Don’t be afraid to say no If you get a request that’s not aligned with your goal, it’s important to say no. If you have a bright idea that’s also not aligned with your goal (no matter how bright) it’s equally important to say no. For example, I loathe one particular social media channel, and even though I know there are millions of people that would be able to see me, I say no to this. It doesn’t align with my values. Do your goal setting and planning in quiet.
Also, do it separately from your day to day activities. Be clear in your language and remove any ambiguity. Stick with it, even when you’re feeling short on time or energy. Be sure to add time to keep updating your systems. In the end, you’ll feel more focused, get more done and enjoy your business a lot more than you thought you could. If you don't know where to start, contact me, I can help you. Next level Often I hear clients ask me: “How can I take my business to the next level?” Some even ask if there is some kind of checklist or template they can use in making this happen. Let's see... Problems first A good place to start is to consider the problems first (and be honest about what it will take to fix them). This may seem a bit backwards. After all, the business blogs and magazines tend to focus on tools and tactics that are intended to grow and improve operations or profitability. In my experience, though, until you fix the “messes,” you’re spending time and money in the wrong place. Problems slow you down. As your business grows, your messes will grow right along with it if you don’t fix them. When that happens, you’ll be drowning in new work but are unable to do a good job since you’ll be beyond the point where ad hoc fixes and systems can support you. Examples Here are some examples of messes that escalate as your business grows: 1. Your email inbox If you’re having trouble keeping up with your inbox now, think about what could happen when you reach your dream and your business doubles or triples in size. The volume of emails will double or triple, too. So take the time now and figure out a system to manage your inbox. 2. Your contact list You have business cards piled all over your desk, a private email account, a business email address, and a ton of LinkedIn and Facebook contacts. Right now, you can ‘kind of’, ‘sort of’, remember where to go to find a given contact. But as you grow, particularly if you add new information to contacts, it will be too much to keep in your head. When you want to promote a new product or service, announce a new website, or even just send a holiday card, it will be a huge chore for you. The solution is to keep all your contacts in one place. Choose a CRM and add everyone, once and for all. Create a system to keep it up to date. 3. Your finances Whether you offer a service or a product, it’s important to know whether or not you’re making money. When you are just starting out, you might have more time than money and not be too worried about profitability. But again, as you get busier, you’ll want to make sure that you’re not losing money on some (or all?) of your efforts. You can either take the time to figure this out or find yourself a capable financial resource who can come in and sort things out for you. Conclusion
Messes are as individual as the person who makes them – but they’re all fixable. Make a list of all your messes and prioritize them according to how much they’re holding you back and how much money and time they are wasting. Then either hire someone to help you handle them or make a list of actionable steps to get them under control. Get rid of them one by one so you and your business can be bigger, more efficient, work less and make more money! How important is a staff manual? A staff manual, or at least written down procedures, can provide much-needed clarity. Step by step your staff can learn what to do when and how. New staff member When you employ new staff, they have the same instructions as everyone else, therefore quality standards and expectations are the same. The Why When your employees are unsure about the next step; the why of a step; the overall picture of a task or process, they can look up the staff manual and find the answers there - most of the time without the need to bother you! Bus syndrome Even if you only have five staff members, it pays to have certain processes written down. Think of it as the 'bus syndrome' - If you or your staff member gets run over by a bus, someone else needs to do the job, and if they don't know what to do, then what? The process When I create a staff manual I am in the person’s shoes. I do the task, then write it down, next step, write down, and so on. It makes me question some of the steps, it makes me think about the step, does it make sense, can it be made simpler, streamlined? Once the process is written down completely I let it sit and then look at it with fresh eyes. When I am satisfied I read and do the task according to the manual. That provides the chance to find little inconsistencies or hick-ups. Once I’m satisfied the manual is clear, I ask someone else to follow the steps and do the tasks, to see if it is understandable and makes sense.
If you don't know where to start, contact me as I can help you. THE STORY I recently heard a story about a person’s “filing system” that was a little shocking. She was talking with her VA and while on the phone, she began struggling to find a document sent to her a few months ago. She looked in her email, she searched her hard drive, she even looked through a pile of papers she had stacked on her desk. After roughly 3 minutes she was asked, “How do you organize your digital files?” She said she just keeps them in the “My Documents” folder of her computer. And it turns out that’s exactly what she meant. She had everything, thousands of files spanning years and years, sitting there, completely unorganized, in one big bin. It’s the digital equivalent of “filing” your documents by opening the basement door and throwing them down the stairs. No wonder she was frustrated! THE SOLUTIONS 1. Think in terms of categories When setting up a new file structure, think about the different buckets you’ll need to store your information. Then make a separate folder for each. In my case, for example, my main categories are: Clients – all files related to my clients My Business – this is where I store the information used to run my business Personal – everything else – photos, family documents, etc. Categorizing is more efficient than organizing filing by date (as you might with paper files). This way, you’ll never have to remember “when,” just the more obvious “what.” 2. Make use of sub-folders Within each primary folder, I create sub-folders – again grouped by category. So, for example, within my “Clients” folder, I have additional sub-folders by client name. Inside each of those, I have more sub-folders (e.g., project documentation, reports, edits). 3. Choose meaningful file names To make finding documents as easy as possible, make sure to give a meaningful name to each one. Not only does this allow you to find what you need quickly (without having to keep opening documents and looking to see what’s in there), it makes searching your folders quicker, too! Just follow these simple digital filing concepts, and you can definitely save yourself some time! I think it's time to talk about business processes. They are always there, but most of the time we are not aware that we follow a process. Preparing your breakfast is a process, you do it automatically, but still - it's a process, you had learnt it at some stage, and - you wouldn't pour your coffee on your toast - or would you? DO WE NEED PROCESSES IN OUR BUSINESS? Yes, we do, to prevent costly mistakes, to save some time, and to standardize tasks. When we do things, most of the time we just do them, without thinking much of it. It's routine, and it's in our heads. And then comes the time when you can't do the jobs in your business and you need to have someone else do them - and then - what? How can you explain to someone else what you are doing and why you are doing it the way you do it? That's when business processes come in handy. At the basics, they cover the main steps and tasks for a specific process, written down, accessible to the staff members you chose. Once written down, they usually become clearer and quite often you discover that a step or task is really obsolete or could be done differently. THE WHY Without business processes, you would run your business like in a hamster wheel. Doing, doing, no matter what, just to be exhausted at the end of the day. Business processes give you the certainty that you do the different tasks in a defined and streamlined way, no more time wasted, no more - why? what? when? You work on certain tasks and they come easily to you because you've done them a thousand times. From time to time you struggle a bit, it seems there is something not quite as streamlined as it could be but - you've done it always that way, so why change? Sometimes talking to someone and clarifying why you do things a certain way, gives you a fresh view of your workflow, and you then understand that refining helps improve the overall picture. Talk to me – I can help you with that!
As someone who enjoys feeling at capacity most of the time, I wasn’t sure what to do with myself when things slowed down towards the end of last year. I began by cleaning out every closet in the house, a task which actually turned out to be quite rewarding! It did occur to me that this newly found time is rare and only temporary and so I thought I might share my thoughts about what you can do at any time when things slow down in your business. EXAMINE YOUR BUSINESS FROM THE OUTSIDE IN Listen to your outgoing voicemail message – is it friendly and clear? Look at your email signature – is your phone number included? When was the last time you read your website homepage? Or subscribed to your own newsletter to see what happens? CLEAN UP “TOLERATIONS” You know, those annoying little things that you are still putting up with. Do you keep needed supplies in the basement instead of near your desk? Is there a pile of papers in the corner that you’ve ignored for months or even years? Are you always struggling to find client phone numbers? Take the time now to handle these little annoyances. ORGANIZE YOUR DESK Take everything off and clean it thoroughly, and only add back what you need. REVIEW YOUR FINANCES Why wait until tax time to organize your expenses? Bring them up to date now. PLAN YOUR NEXT BIG PROJECT What are you waiting for? Jump in! For people who are used to being at capacity, a little down time can be disorienting.
And yes, it’s important to relax. But when you’re ready to jump back in, take advantage of the opportunity to take your business to the next level. It is amazing, when you think about it, how many small things you can change that will make a big impact on the environment in the long run! Yes, some tips are not suitable for everyone, but just think about it ... It can be fun to help the environment - AND your pocket! LET YOUR CREATIVITY SOAR!
Being sustainable in your business is becoming the standard these days, and that is good! It is not something “nice to do”, but it is necessary; it can boost your brand, attract customers and staff, even investors, while at the same time reducing your overall costs and therefore increasing profitability. It demonstrates leadership, ethical leadership, and that is what we need! As a small business owner, you’ve got many processes and procedures in place, not to mention lots of outward-facing marketing efforts, like your LinkedIn profile or your website. Over time, it’s easy to look at them, without really seeing them. That can be a problem, particularly as your business evolves. Read on to check out three ways to keep a fresh eye on those things. QUESTION PAST DECISIONS Decisions we made about how to do something three or five years ago may no longer apply today. Software solutions are invented all the time. Maybe your business focus has shifted. Or, maybe there is an easier, less expensive solution available now. LOOK CLOSELY AT THE PARTS OF YOUR BUSINESS THAT ARE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU The other day, a friend noticed a typo in her email newsletter that had literally been there for years – how could that happen? To avoid this, I suggest you do a scan of the parts of your business you may be taking for granted. If you’re about to give a presentation you’ve given many times already, review it closely one more time. Look at your website – every page – and make sure all the buttons and links your potential clients might be clicking are working as they should. KNOW THAT THE BUCK STOPS WITH YOU I’ve heard many times from business owners: “I don’t know how that works, so and so set it up for me.” That’s fine, nobody expects you to know how the technology was set up, let alone how to make modifications to it. But it is critical to check the work you outsource and make sure you understand what is supposed to happen when. Then document it, so you can look back later on and check again! It’s easy to fall into a comfortable groove when running your own business. That can be a good thing; just make sure your eyes remain wide open! When you have a website things change, nothing stays the same for long; possibly on your site it does, yes, but on others you link to, maybe not. CHECK YOUR LINKS It is sometimes a little shocking to see the number of broken links I find. But I guess sometimes it makes sense – some of them were put there years ago when the website was first launched. Make sure that when a link takes somebody off your site (i.e. to a book you mention) that it “opens a new tab” in the browser. This way your website visitor can easily click back to your site and keep looking around. Making this happen is just a simple setting when creating the link. READ EVERY PAGE Yes, read every single page on your site. Does it represent you? Is your message clear? Could someone reading your site understand why they would want to work with you? Is your phone number on your contact page (really, I have seen this missing in the past)? If you have relaunched your website then read every blog post too. Some might have spacing issues, font discrepancies, links that were different colours than your website’s colour scheme now. Some probably just need to be taken down because they no longer make sense. It might take some time, but it is worth it to be confident that every page looks consistent. GET GREAT GRAPHICS Take a close look, I mean, a really close look, at the graphics on your website. Is your logo fuzzy (pixelated)? Do you have images with a white background instead of transparent on pages that have a coloured background? How old is your headshot? Are you using bland stock photos? Time to upgrade if any of this is you. CHECK YOUR PHONE More than half of the visitors to your site will do so on a phone – make sure your site looks good and is easily readable. REVIEW YOUR DASHBOARD Take a look at the back-end of your website (or get a qualified professional to do it with you). Are there plugins that you aren’t using that might be slowing things down? Keep your website running smoothly by paying attention to these important details. Remember that for most people your website is the first place where they will form an impression of you and your business. Take steps now to make sure the impression is a good one! |
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AuthorHi, I am Marion of Marion Metz Solutions Archives
May 2024
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