Top 10 Organization Tips for Your Small Business
Are you trying to stay on top of everything with your small business, but feeling disorganized? Read on to learn these top organization tips for your business.
Running a business – big or small – is no easy feat. Whether it’s vendors to pay, customers to please, orders to fill, or employees to manage, the task list may seem endless.
But this doesn’t need to be the case. A simple set of organization tips can keep any business running like a well-oiled machine, and the time and efficiency gains will boost your bottom line.
Read on to learn about the top 10 tips to keep your small business organized.
Tip #1: Keep Workspaces Clean
Just like your home, car, or closet, the clutter needs to go. Take inventory of your workspace: what’s dusty? What hasn’t been used in a year or more?
Donate or trash anything that crowds or clutters your workspace. Purging unneeded items will leave you feeling fresh and rejuvenated. This also allows you the opportunity to brighten and energize your workspace with fresh flowers, motivational posters, or colorful art prints.
Tip #2: The Power of Three
Each morning, write down three tasks to accomplish that day. Some examples include calling a customer, paying a bill, reading a relevant news or journal article, or setting up a coffee date with a potential vendor.
Setting three daily tasks may be more effective than attempting to work through a longer to-do list. Start with the most challenging task first, and it’s all downhill from there.
Set your three tasks each morning over a cup of coffee, then get to work. And don’t forget to reward yourself as you go!
Tip #3: An Agenda is Your Best Friend
This may be the most important of all organization tips: keep an agenda! Most have yearly, monthly, weekly, daily, and even hourly pages. Update schedules daily, penciling in key to-dos and appointments that can’t be missed.
Planners can be small and portable (perfect for a purse) or they can remain stationary, like an oversize planner for use on a desk or fridge. It’s important to remember that agendas aren’t “one size fits all” and it may take a few attempts to find the right planner for your small business.
Tip #4: Use Technology to Your Advantage
These days, tech providers like Microsoft and Google offer a number of . This includes the ability to link email and calendars; download contacts from a PC to a phone; or send reminders to your watch.
Whether you use a Mac or PC, you’re likely to find a number of tech solutions for your small business. And if you’re confused by the endless tech options available, consider educational resources at your fingertips like YouTube, Facebook videos, or local library classes.
Tip #5: Go Paperless
Paper invoices, receipts, and notebooks are so last year. Consider using digital receipt storage, mileage trackers, or note-taking systems like Evernote. A huge bonus to going paperless is that data is stored safely in the event of a fire or water damage. Some electronic data can even download automatically into tax or budgeting software.
Using the Cloud or electronic storage is good for the environment and will reduce your business’ carbon footprint, too!
Tip #6: Be Smart About Email
There are countless organization tips when it comes to email management. For emails you know you’ll review later, consider applying a “rule” that sends them straight to a designated folder.
Or, if a certain email should always go to a particular employee, client, or stakeholder, apply an auto-forward so the email gets there straight away, without needing you to click a few extra buttons.
Don’t forget the out of office messages, too, which will let your clients know you’re temporarily MIA.
Tip #7: Record Tax Data Throughout the Year
Save yourself the year-end headache by compiling and storing tax data as you go. If your business makes a charitable donation, set that aside in a special email folder for tax deductions.
Or if you’re tracking mileage, record that digitally each day or week, instead of waiting until month- or year-end.
And while we’re on the subject, consider tax software like Quicken or Turbotax, which can save you hours when pulling together your small business tax returns.
Tip #8: Delegate Responsibilities
If your small business has a handful of employees, ensure . Keep this list updated often, and well-placed for easy viewing.
Experiment with responsibilities, too, and see what fulfills your employees the most (spoiler alert: happy employees work quicker!) If Sally loves math but hates writing emails, and Joe loves communications but despises invoices, it’s pretty clear who should be doing what.
Tip #9: Be Efficient About Meetings
Ever heard the term “standing” meetings? It means, literally, that everyone stands. This keeps meetings short and high-energy, and it’s nearly impossible to doze off when everyone’s on two feet.
Whether meeting with employees, clients, or vendors, meetings should never last more than a half-hour. Many successful entrepreneurs swear by this as one of their organization tips, and commit to keeping meetings as short as possible.
Tip #10: Revisit Your Vision
At the end of the day, a list of organization tips is not effective unless you know why you’re doing what you’re doing. Revisit your vision and goals often, and ask yourself whether your environment and routine is organized enough to support these goals.
Are you in the right workspace? Is your team the right size? Do you have the required technology and tools to remain best-in-class?
If the answer is no, it’s time to re-think resources and scheduling so that you can organize your business in a way that supports your end game.
Organization Tips Can Boost Your Bottom Line
Ultimately, the goal of any organizational overhaul is to add cash to your bottom line. This may take the form of lower expenses, higher sales, or time saved.
Whatever the size or industry of your small business, you can incorporate small changes for big gains. Organization is necessary to support a thriving business, so it needs to be a focus area.
Check out the rest of our site for more tips on running a successful business. Soon, your competition will be envious!
