Running a business is not easy. Let’s be frank, if it were, there would be a lot more people doing it.
The reason it’s not easy is because one must learn how to juggle the multiple parts of running a business. As we’ve mentioned before, a skill does not a business make. In fact, it’s a culmination of skills that will help you juggle the parts of running a business.
In this post, we’re going to detail some of the ways the pros are able to handle the multiple parts of running a business.
Start delegating.
One way to get better at juggling the multiple parts of running a business is to start handing stuff off to other people.
Let’s face it, as a business owner you don’t really have to time to be juggling everything yourself. You also shouldn’t be trying to do everything by yourself anyway.
Your focus should be on the activities that generate revenue. In other words, if you’re going to be juggling anything let it be sales, product development, and client work.
That means the first step toward juggling all the parts of a business is to hire a VA and start getting some stuff of your own plate. Let someone else manage some of it for you.
Get organized.
Although outsourcing and delegating helps in managing the multiple parts of a business, the truth is you can’t outsource everything. That means even if you begin to delegate you might still have a lot on your plate.
The key to managing that plate is to get organized. Here are some of the many ways you can get organized and manage the multiple parts of running a business:
- Get a project management system to keep track of client work and tasks.
- Get a client relationship manager to keep track of client notes.
- Use Google Calendar to help you keep track of meetings.
- Use productivity hacks like batching to organize your day, your week and your month.
- Use paper tools like a Moleskin to stay organized on the go.
- Use organization apps on your smartphone.
Getting organized in an effort to manage your business takes practice, so don’t get discouraged if this stuff isn’t second nature.
Use business systems.
Using business systems is extremely helpful in juggling the multiple parts of running a business. When I first started my freelance business I was clueless about how to use systems. The task of coming up with processes to help me run things more smoothly seemed absolutely daunting.
With time (and with help from my virtual assistant), I was able to create systems and processes that helped us manage the multiple parts of a business. Here are a few of the things we did:
- Create an operations manual.
- Create a process for invoicing clients.
- Automate as much as we can (for example, social media and email marketing).
- Map out a clear sales funnel.
These four things alone were a tremendous help in juggling the multiple parts of running a business. Simply put, rather than guessing what we have to do or winging it, we now have processes we can use over and over again.
