There’s a lot to juggle as a small business owner and you have to make the most of every minute to move your business forward.
Unfortunately, many fail to optimize their productivity. Some ignore self-care to the detriment of their mental clarity and ability to focus while others spend their time on low-value busywork that doesn’t yield high-impact results.
Here are 12 tips to help you stay productive throughout the day: [Read more…]
Business purchases are expensive, especially for startups and small business owners without deep pockets. Rather than trying to have it all, look for ways to reduce what you have to buy without actually losing any functionality. It is all about getting more bang for your buck when you are dealing with running a business on a shoestring budget.
Via Flickr by BlockSim
This is not kindergarten again, but one effective way of reducing IT and technology costs are simply to not buy as many. Communal computers are often just as effective, especially on split shifts. Sharing computers, especially as freelancers, is easy enough to do and can save a business thousands of dollars especially at startup. Sharing resources like this cuts costs but does not usually impact productivity or customer service. If it works for your organization, it’s one of the most effective ways to trim the budget.
Via Flickr by all.promising
On the other hand, find an easy to use Android phone or tablet for each employee. Use cloud software to connect databases and resources to the tablets. Tablets often cost a fraction of the cost of a PC, but may have every program necessary. In addition, they keep your staff or clients by your side so you never miss a beat. Tablets are the “in” thing, but be wise about this purchase. Buying a bigger name brand does not always mean a better product. Buy business-smart tablets with total functionality for what your needs are.
Via Flickr by Roberrific
With a tablet in hand, it makes sense to link your staff together with smartphones. Instead of paying for individualized service, though, maximize profits by using a shared plan. You’ll cut the costs and make sure everyone is always connected to serve the client’s needs within moments. Seek out an affordable phone plan right for your group. You will want to investigate options for shared plans such as shared data plans, too. Depending on how much your staff is using their phones, this may be a significant money saver. Some providers want your business so much that they will offer a significant discount.
Via Flickr by Salil1365
Not really, but why not share space with other freelancers or small businesses. It is a simple idea that can work very well for some small businesses. If you and the business owner down the hall already work in the same building, have non-competing businesses and like each other enough, sharing a space will save you money. This is especially efficient when you do not need to have a customer storefront. Sharing space means cutting costs on property taxes, rent, equipment, furnishings, and even customer service staff in some cases.
Every penny counts for today’s small business. With a sharing mentality and a frugal business plan, the goal is to focus on each purchase. How can you effectively trim that purchase price down just a bit more? The more creative you are (and by moving in together with fellow freelancers, you are being creative!) the more likely you are to make your goals and skyrocket to profitability.
Whether you freelance full-time or you take on projects as a day job allows, you probably think of yourself as a freelancer. That’s true, but that’s not the only title you qualify for. You’re also a small business owner. Thinking in terms of that job title can open up some interesting avenues.
How often have you taken a look at a tool or a resource meant specifically for small business owners and thought, ‘Oh, I don’t qualify for that’? When I started out as a freelancer, I skipped out on a free class for small business owners on how to handle taxes, because I figured it wouldn’t apply to me. After a while, I figured out that the IRS certainly considers me a business owner and that class probably would have saved me a lot of worry. I’ve been kicking myself ever since.
I use a lot of software and other tools that were created with small businesses in mind. I may not use it in exactly the way it was intended — I use a client relationship management tool built for business owners to keep track of my sources and contacts who I rely on to help with articles. I do use it to keep track of my clients as well, but it lets me search for individuals based on name, job title, business or even tags I’ve added myself. That seems like a great way to manage sources to me.
The same goes for the software I use to keep my books, send invoices and handle every other part of my freelance business. It’s worthwhile to seek out tools created for small businesses, rather than just for freelancers. There are tools out there for freelancers, of course, but there aren’t as many of them and some just don’t have that many features. I even know of one invoicing tool that offers separate versions for freelancers and small business owners: the freelance version doesn’t let you add more than a handful of clients and simply doesn’t streamline the invoicing process the way the small business version does.
There seems to be a certain assumption on the part of software developers that freelancers don’t need tools that make our lives easier, that we never have more than five clients at a time and we have no interest in reducing the time spent on administrative tasks so we can get back to writing. I’ve never found those assumptions to be true, but I have found small business tools to be very useful to my freelance business.
