Being a business owner is rewarding, but not always easy.  Demands on time are often the first reason entrepreneurs wonder “what have I gotten myself into”.  Late nights, early mornings, work production, follow up, administrative tasks, finances, networking and marketing are only a few of the responsibilities we face and they all add up.  When you feel your grip beginning to slip and important areas aren’t getting the attention they need, that is the best time to evaluate where you are spending your time and to come up with a new time management plan.

1. Decide what activities are required to make your business run properly and smoothly.

In order to stay in business, you will need to schedule accounting tasks such as billing, receiving, balancing, budgeting, etc.  In order to stay organized and keep careful business records, there are administrative tasks like paperwork, ordering, filing, follow up, etc.  Marketing projects, networking opportunities, customer service and follow up are the backbone of any growth plan.  And then there is the actual work.  Make a list of the tasks you need to accomplish  and separate the tasks into two columns, one for monthly tasks, one for weekly.

2. Determine what tasks yield the best return on your time investment.

Do you have more success emailing your clients, or calling them?  This may be best determined by generation.  Younger generations are easy to find on social media sites or via text or email.  Older generations may not have computer knowledge or email abilities and they may be expecting a phone call.  We all know that producing quotes or estimates and invoicing are vital tasks.  Perhaps the paperwork and filing can be set aside and handled once a week on your admin day.  If you’re a small business, you may even opt to enter your receipts and balance your bank account bi-weekly or only once a month.

3. Decide which days of the week are best used on which tasks.

It is typical for phone business to have the best response when handled on Monday’s when businesses return from the weekend and are in-office, while Friday’s tend to be the opposite.  Maybe Friday is a good day for networking, catching up on weekly tasks or deadlines and getting your office organized for next week (admin).  If you attend a networking group, perhaps that day is a good day for meetings, follow up, or customer service activities.

4. Set your schedule and stick to it. Allow yourself enough time to get tasks done.  If you guess you’ll only need an hour, give yourself an hour and a half.  There is no sense in trying to kill yourself to accomplish tasks within an unreasonable time frame and most times you’ll just get behind and the schedule will be forgotten.  Batch like tasks and activities together.  Admin, follow up, accounting are all office-bound tasks, so it might make sense to schedule these on the same day.  Remember that each task has a prep time and a down time associated with it.  In order to use your time most efficiently, try not to “switch gears” too often in one day.

Your priority is your business, so once you have set up a working schedule give yourself permission to stick to your priorities.  There might be the occasional meeting that conflicts with your admin day, or you may need to place a followup call on a non-followup day, but don’t let that discourage you from sticking to the plan.  Learning how to manage the few hours you have in a day to accomplish all you have to do will keep you on top of the game and ready for more.

Jamie Teasdale - www.JJTSolutions.com

Most of us have grown up wanting to fit in. Acceptance and Diversity are common buzzwords in Human Resources departments these days. But thinking out of the box is striving to stand out and become distinctive. Marketers and Branding Consultants stress uniqueness, so what are we to do? I would recommend reading a small book that is revolutionizing how people view fear and rejection. The book is “Go For No” by Richard Fenton & Andrea Waltz.

As you read this book you will discover that it is not only acceptable to fail, but it is mandatory to reach success. Learning by our mistakes is often painful, but so is developing strength and endurance. Few people are impressed with a sprinter who is fast out of the blocks, but quits part way through the race.

I am reminded of the story of the first Jamaican bobsled team in the 1988 Winter Olympics. After suffering a frightening crash, they finished the race by carrying their sled across the finish line. They were determined to complete the race even though they had no chance of a metal. They triumphed over defeat because they refused to quit!

Enjoy the book and learn to fail your way to success.

Ken Bear Cole

A Second Look Business Consulting LLC

I often meet business people who are not sure who are their most profitable customers. I find them scurrying, chasing what they think are valuable customers, only to discover it was a discarded penny. They are working hard running in a hundred different directions, but are not making any money. They often have high-income goals, but lack a business plan to arrive at their goal. Are you just chasing pennies?

Chasing pennies is a game that I sometimes play with my Granddaughter. We will be in a safe place with a concrete surface. I will toss a penny and she will run after it and return with a big smile. She is proud of herself for finding the penny. She gets excited when I shake the pennies in my hand. She is ready to run after the jingling, almost worthless coins. Are you doing the same, if so, STOP! Don’t spend any more money in advertising, printing, website or anything else. You must first discover the actual problem. You will probably need assistance in this evaluation. Too often we cannot see our own shortcomings.

Ask yourself a few questions:

1. Are you seeing enough customers each day? Today you need to advertising in many different areas. Website, Email, Print, Associations and Networking are all necessary for most businesses to get the word out about you.

2. What makes you unique and inviting? If you are not perceived as special or better, you will need to compete on price, which could become a race to destruction.

3. Where do my profitable customers hang out? You need to get to know and understand their motivations and buying habits. Gas stations seldom make money on fuel. They make their money on the snacks sold inside.

4. What need or desire are you fulfilling?

You can become profitable once you make the appropriate changes and customers discover you.

Ken Bear Cole
A Second Look Business Consulting LLC

Graphic Designers and Marketing Specialists will tell you to establish your business identity in the marketplace. Branding has become a huge industry with an emphasis on recognizable logos and slogans. But do you need to spend thousands of dollars to stand out among your competition? Let’s look a little deeper into the subject.

Small businesses typically have very limited advertising budgets. Most cannot afford $1,000 per month for print advertising, much less TV or Radio adds. So why spend $2,000 on a logo that few will see? Yes it may look cool, but will it bring in more customers? Will your customers decide to hire you because of your green bullfrog with big red lips? The answer is probably NO, at least not at the beginning of your business development.

Take a stroll through the isles of any store and tell me why you purchased a particular item. Was it because of a logo? It probably had more to do with price unless the manufacture has spent millions of advertising dollars on print and television adds.

For a small business, YOU are your brand!!! People choose you because of your sales and customer service skills. You will only become successful once you are trusted to fulfill your customer’s needs. Your red-lipped bullfrog is not the reason someone stopped by your restaurant. Location and quality of food played a much heavier roll in the decision. So keep your Branding cash and spend it on your advertising.

Ken Bear Cole

A Second Look Business Consulting LLC