Looking To Streamline? Here’s How!

here is how to streamline

Running a business is tough. Especially if you work from home, around other commitments. It can be stressful, time-consuming, hard work and sometimes, hugely demoralizing. However, it’s also exciting and rewarding when you get it right. If you want to make your business successful without wearing yourself out, it’s important that you both find ways to manage your time and streamline your business. This way you won’t need that extra hour in the day you are always praying for.

Hire A Virtual Assistant

If you run your own business from home, then a virtual assistant could be a godsend. They work remotely, so you keep in touch via email, Skype and chat, but they can organize your time and take a lot of smaller jobs off your hands. A virtual assistant can reply to and send emails, manage your social media accounts, post content to your blog or website, set up meetings and anything else you want them to do, as long as they can do it online. As soon as your business can afford a virtual assistant it’s a worthwhile investment, just for the time they will save you.

Outsource

Any work that you can afford to outsource, do it. Kurnol eCommerce business could take over the running of your eCommerce store, allowing you time to focus on the more fun and creative tasks, the things that only you can do. Don’t feel like you have to do everything, outsource as much as you can. It’ll reduce your stress levels and give you time to run the business the way you want to without feeling trapped by time constraints.

Get In The Cloud

Try to get rid of as much paper as you can. Instead, save everything online. This allows you to cut down on paperwork, have easy access to any files you need without having to trawl through folders, lets you work remotely, with access to all of your files on any device, wherever you are and means you can share files with other people without having to transport them physically.

Keep On Top Of Your Accounts

Accounting is one thing that can quickly get out of control if you leave it. It then takes hours to sort out when it comes to tax return time. So, develop a system. File all of your receipts and keep spreadsheets for your earnings, outgoings and expenses. Set aside a little time at the end of every week to look after your accounts and do any admin work you need to.

Combine Software

Do you use one program for this, and another for that, and have to switch between them to get anything done, wasting valuable time and money on updates and maintenance when it’s needed? There’s probably no need. With so much technology on the market, it’s usually possible to find one program that can help you with many areas of your business. Explore your options and speak to a retailer for help.

Use A Scheduler

If you run a small business, you probably rely on social media for growth. Social media advertising is beneficial when it comes to growing any business as it lets you reach a massive, engaged audience very quickly. But, developing your social media profiles itself can be incredibly time-consuming. To sustain growth, you need to be a constant and active user. Instead of spending all day sending tweets and sharing content, use a scheduler. Spend an hour or two at the start of every week scheduling posts to all of your social media feeds; you can still live post if you need to later. Just make sure you keep replying and engaging with your customers, so you seem accessible.

Work At The Right Time

If you are a morning person, work early in the day when you are at your most alert. Then, finish when fatigue sets in, have a rest and enjoy your day. If you hate mornings, don’t try to force yourself to work when you know you won’t get as much done. Have your morning coffee, wake up and then work until later in the day. One of the best things about running your own business is that you have these options.

Email Automation

Email marketing is still wonderfully effective. But, just like posting to social media, sending out emails all the time is time-consuming. Once you’ve got an email list, it’s easy to set up automation. Build a template, then just make small changes to your content when you need to.

Boost Staff Productivity

If you employ staff, increasing their productivity is an excellent way to make your business more efficient. You can do this by praising them, making them feel valued, rewarding their loyalty and having a flexible management style.

Streamlining and improving the efficiency of your business will help it to grow and allow you to enjoy your work, so get to it!

With over 9 years of search marketing experience, Sandra is cross skilled between PPC and SEO. Her experience in search spans across different verticals including Technology, Retail, Travel & Automotive.