7 tips to help entrepreneurs survive
Tips Productivity / / January 02, 2021
1. Divide the work into separate stages
Business processes are continuous, regular and one-time, large-scale and fairly short. But any of them can be broken down into stages or iterations.
Which one exactly depends on the specifics of your business. The most universal approach might look like this: "Preparation" - "Execution" - "Monitoring results" - "Feedback". You might include a “Postpone” step in this chain, and that's perfectly fine. The main thing is to present the complete picture and not to forget about agreements and promises.
Project management techniques help in effective planning. For small teams and small businesses, flexible methodologies are convenient (the same Agile). Some of these may work for you:
- Scrum Is one of the most popular embodiments of Agile principles. All tasks are collected in the backlog, work on the project is divided into sprints, for each of which a feasible amount of tasks is selected taking into account the complexity. The bottom line for each sprint is a workable product that improves over and over again.
- Kanban is an interactive map of employment. It can be composed for myself or for a small team. Need a board and stickers. The board is divided into three columns indicating the main stages: To do, Doing, Done. You can also add columns for non-urgent or non-urgent tasks. Each part of the board needs to be filled with stickers that migrate from column to column as you work.
- Six sigma (6 sigma) is a technique in which a project is broken down into stages. Each stage is in turn divided into five steps: definition, measurement, research, development and control. The approach works well in software development and manufacturing of all sizes, from tailoring to tailoring jewelry.
2. Set priorities and clear deadlines
Solving tasks as they come is not always effective and profitable. Moreover, new tasks appear constantly - and sometimes quite suddenly.
It is impossible to grasp the immensity, even if you work around the clock and completely devote yourself to your favorite work. On the other hand, there is always the temptation to do what you like and push the rest to a far corner.
The main resource of your business is yourself. And this resource is not endless. Knowing this will help you prioritize and honestly set tough deadlines. Keep in mind that doing business "for the soul" is a luxury. And if your goal is result and benefit, then they should be put in the first place, and not pleasure.
Added tasks are automatically sorted. As a result, you can see what needs to be done today, tomorrow and later, as well as which tasks are already overdue. Sort cases by date or by the order they were added, and search for the ones you need by words from the description.
And if you link tasks to customers and product cards, you will get not just a set of electronic stickers, but a convenient and understandable interactive system.
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3. Make a to-do list
Many actions are repeated regularly. This is, for example, ordering and receiving goods, preparing a store for opening, taking inventory, calculating salaries, calling the client to tell how the work is progressing. One day it all starts to take too much time.
Often there is simply no time for some tasks that do not seem to be of top priority. There is no time to disassemble documents or update software, count stock balances or find new suppliers. Things like this pile up and consume your time, money, and nerves.
There is a way out: just put everything in order. It sounds simpler than it actually is, but it can be done in one evening. Make a to-do list on a planner or calendar, and write next to each task how often it needs to be done and how long it takes.
And the planning process can be optimized by digitizing it. This is where the kanban board comes in handy again, and you can even do it in Google Sheets. In the To Do column, arrange tasks in descending order of importance with dates, or make a list for each day on separate sheets. This helps to evenly distribute the workload or schedule tasks for days when there is less other work.
With such a table, you will always be aware of how much routine tasks have already been completed and what your download is right now. Even when you are not at work, you can always open the to-do board from your phone.
4. Delegate
You are the only business leader, which means that your time is priceless. There are tasks that only you can complete. But there are not so many of them, the rest can and should be delegated. Even if you can technically fix the computer yourself, wash the floors or take orders, it will cost your business too much.
It will become easier if you know exactly how much you cost per hour. For example, your monthly net profit is 100,000 rubles. For convenience, let's imagine that there are 20 working days for 8 hours in a month. This means that you earn 625 rubles per hour. Now compare this amount with the cost of the work of the cleaner, courier, and other specialists who could be entrusted with some questions.
Tasks that are definitely worth delegating:
- labor-intensive and not bringing joy;
- requiring brute force;
- monotonous and routine.
What exactly can be delegated:
- maintenance of equipment;
- delivery, dispatch, packaging;
- bookkeeping;
- legal support;
- one-time tasks that are unlikely to be repeated.
Which is better not to delegate:
- making important business decisions;
- strategic planning;
- control of the implementation of important stages;
- hiring.
The final decision is of course always yours. Much depends on the specifics of the business.
5. Simplify customer communication
Your clients are your employers. But often you have to spend too much time on them.
This happens for two reasons:
- You initially provide too little information or cannot immediately answer all of the client's questions.
- You have information about customers in three different messengers, notes on a smartphone, a notebook and a stack of business cards.
To get fewer of the same questions, update your website and social networks, tell us more about your products and services, add photos and videos. Also create a feedback form to get ready for the conversation with the client.
Advanced level: order a chat bot. He will be able to automatically reply to messages in instant messengers.
Customer information can be linked to tasks and orders. Thus, you will always be fully armed: in Workzen it is easy to find data of people, and prices, and deadlines, and goods, and documents.
6. Analyze your work
The efficiency of any business is not constant. Sometimes we exceed our own expectations, sometimes we are wrong. To take a step forward, it is worth going back and analyzing what has been done and what has not.
Even if you work for yourself and no one requires KPIs from you, you should set clear goals and achieve certain results. If reality did not coincide with expectations, you need to stop and understand what went wrong.
Often times, business performance falls through no fault of yours. For example, the goods were not delivered on time, your partner got sick, and there were fewer clients during the holidays. These are not your mistakes, but next time you can minimize the risk of repetition. For example, find several suppliers, connect an outsourcing company, order advertising on social networks in advance.
The most important thing is not to burn out and not be disappointed in a business that has begun to decline. All in your hands. Draw conclusions, write down a thousand experience points and move on.
7. Plan your vacation
Rest is extremely important, especially when working for yourself. If you devote yourself to what you love 24/7, your resources will not last long.
Better do not risk. Plan your vacation in advance, take a weekend, allow yourself to be distracted by work on vacation only if there is a serious force majeure.
What if you have to work while others are resting? You're better off. Make Wednesdays and Thursdays personal freedom days and save on low season travel. Don't try to work when the revenue is unlikely to cover the cost. Better to rest and build up your strength to hit the jackpot at the peak of the season.
After all, your goal is business for profit, not for the sake of the business itself. And in order to achieve this, you need to properly plan work processes, gradually optimize and improve your business so that in the end you have good and a lot of rest.