Leanne Nelson+ by | Feb 11, 2016 | Business, Tools, Tips & Resources
Are you feeling in control of your days? Or are the tasks and demands mounting up, pushing the great intentions of your new year’s resolutions and goals for your small business further and further away? Each day is a never ending exercise in attending to the urgent. Chaos begets chaos You’re not alone. According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology 36% of people who made new year’s resolutions will have abandoned them by the end of January and 54% by mid year. Of course, the reasons for ditching resolutions are many and varied. Mostly though, it’s because changing habits is tough. When we become busy and stressed the hard stuff tends to get pushed aside and we revert to old habits. So what to do? Trying harder isn’t the answer. We only have so much will power. Making it easier to do the things that will lead us to our goals though, that’s a good idea. Document all the processes Documenting processes is a great place to start as the benefits will be seen throughout your small business. Here we have six ways that documenting processes increases control in your small business, so that you can focus on the important. 1. Delegate what’s not the best use of your time Chances are if you’re feeling a bit cray cray in your business it’s because you’re doing too much yourself. Documenting processes means you are able to delegate tasks with a set of instructions, freeing you up to focus on areas that would be a better use of your time. 2. Review your processes The documentation process itself can highlight duplications, redundant steps and...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Feb 3, 2016 | Business, Tools, Tips & Resources
Small business ownership can be incredibly rewarding. But anyone who’s owned a small business for any length of time would agree, it can also be incredibly difficult. Small business is tough, but rewarding The day in, day out juggling of a million priorities means you have little time to think, never mind enjoy the rewards your business was supposed to deliver. You’re just plain busy. Really, really busy. That feeling of overwhelm is not uncommon. In fact, it’s common as all get out amongst small business owners. The good news is a lack of control needn’t creep up on you. If you take action when these signs appear, you can avoid heading down a slippery slope, get control and get your life back. So what are the signs you’re losing control of your small business? These are some of the most common I’ve seen. 1. You spend your day putting out fires As you’re driving to the office, in between phone calls, you’re mentally preparing for the onslaught. Despite the important tasks you know you should be working on that day, you know there’ll be urgent issues that gobble up your time. You know because they were there yesterday, and last week, and last month. Maybe there’s been a staff issue that you haven’t had time to address. It’s been bubbling away and has finally exploded leaving you short staffed and low on morale. There might be a pesky customer problem that keeps popping up. It’s not a huge thing, but it’s enough to make them annoyed and now you need to get involved. Overdue invoices, broken down equipment,...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Oct 9, 2014 | Business
Early this morning I was driving to pick my son up from swimming training. Today, instead of going where I had intended, I was on autopilot and ended up half way into Geelong. I can’t even remember driving past the turn off to the pool. Road safety issues aside, I think (hope!) this is something most of us have done at some point. Business on autopilot How often do you do things in your business on autopilot, or simply because that’s what you’ve always done? How often do you stop to consider if that action is getting you where you really want to go? Before you start off on any routine task, set a process in motion or use a system, stop and ask yourself these questions. 1. Is this getting me closer to my goals? I was able to get to the pool this morning after a detour, but it would have been much more effective and efficient to go the right way from the start. Without a quick review, it’s quite possible that autopilot might lead us to the wrong destination all together. 2. Is this necessary for the running of my business? Some things seem largely unnecessary in the scheme of things, but they might, for example, be legislative requirements or necessary maintenance. Systematise these tasks and create procedures for them. It’s then quite possible they could be delegated (see number 4). 3. Is this the best way of doing things? Especially for those items in number 2, regularly check the most efficient and effective way of carrying out tasks or processes. Technology and methodologies change all the...
Leanne Nelson+ by | May 1, 2014 | Business, Tools, Tips & Resources
The internet gives us tools to manage our business that just weren’t feasible for micro & small businesses not all that long ago. Gone are the days of small businesses relying solely on the local paper, radio & perhaps TV to reach their market or source services. Today we are a globally connected network with the most amazing resources at our fingertips. Even word of mouth has an exponentially greater reach than it used to thanks to the powers of social media. So how can you harness the power of the internet & get these tools working for you? 1. Email marketing Email marketing is the online version of direct mail. It’s a fantastic opportunity for businesses because people invite you to send them information. Having that direct access to someone’s inbox is a great privilege & a great opportunity. And while you might be a regular social media participant with a great following or post great information to your blog, email is still the most powerful acquisition channel on the internet. Email marketing also has the benefit of very detailed analytics. It’s measurable. You can track who clicks on what, who deletes & some of who buys (depending on their purchase method). This allows you to hone your offers on the run, segment your audience & generally get more bang for your marketing buck. Low cost (or free) email services like Mailchimp make it easy to start building your email list & creating a regular newsletter or other offer for your market. 2. Website A website or online store is always open for business. No matter when someone is...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Mar 14, 2014 | Business
Recent happenings across my Twitter, Facebook & Feedly streams that caught my eye. Getty makes photo collection available to bloggers free of charge via The Next Web Finding the right images with the right copyright can be super time-consuming. Good one from Getty Images, although I’m not a big fan of the sharing footer that is embedded with the image (see above). New era in privacy as laws take effect via Dynamic Business If you collect personal data you need to be aware of these new privacy laws that came into effect on March 12. Customer Loyalty Is Mostly About Choosing the Right Customers via Duct Tape Marketing Do you choose your customers or have an accept all comers “policy” You Are What You Read: 14 Thought Leaders Share Their Bookshelves via The Blog of Tim Ferris I mostly listen to books these days. Regardless of how you consume books there’s plenty to keep you busy & learning here. How to Get Customers to Post Instagram Pictures via Social Media Examiner I’m finding it a bit hard to get my head around using Instagram for marketing. Not so Social Media Examiner. How to Have a Eureka Moment via HBR Maybe checking email isn’t the dreadful time waster we’re led to believe. Research suggests “an effective way to incubate a problem in need of a eureka moment is to switch to an unrelated, but still work-related,...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Mar 12, 2014 | Business
Quite often when I tell people I’m a virtual assistant I’m met with a blank look. Making use of virtual resources and outsourcing administrative work is still relatively new in some industries, but it’s an approach that can benefit most small businesses. So exactly what is a virtual assistant? What is a virtual assistant? In its broadest sense a virtual assistant is an administrative assistant that works virtually (from their office, not yours) and usually on a contract basis. That is where the generalities end though. Virtual assistants cover a whole plethora of skill sets from reception to a personal assistant to web design to event management and everything in between. The beauty of working with virtual assistants is the flexibility. As they are engaged on a contract basis, you only pay for assistance when you need it. This is a fantastic option for small businesses. If you need to have notes from a brainstorming session made into a slideshow a they can help. If you anticipate your permanent admin staff will be overloaded due a special promotion a virtual assistant can ease the load. If you’re a micro-business and don’t have enough time to manage all your social media a virtual assistant may be your answer. If you work from home and don’t have room for admin employees think about a virtual assistant. The list is endless really, and depending on the nature of your business there will be many unique ways a virtual assistant could help. A major bonus of working with virtual assistants over temporary employees (aside from the cost savings, of course) is the professional relationship...
