The Truth about Small Business Organization
Do you remember that one time, when your business magically organized itself? Neither do we. Believe us when we say that small business organization is not easy.
Here’s the truth about small business organization that nobody tells you: If you own a business, particularly a new business, you will basically be slaying dragons every day. Or at least, your efforts to stay organized and in control will feel that way. These dragons can manifest themselves in many different ways. Is your workspace a mess? Is it scattered with sticky notes and to dos? Does your to-do list feel like a constant battle, instead of the helpful mind map you were hoping for?
This is no cause for panic. As the owner of your business, you are basically a knight in shining armor. Your brain is a great idea-filled parchment scroll, although sometimes it’s not the neat freak you wish it was.
Here at Entrepreneur Simplified, we are on a mission to help business owners conquer their dragons. It’s time to get those plans on paper and straightened out into tip top shape. Because nothing is better than a new, shiny, and clear plan of attack. Here are our 7 tips on small business organization, and how to get everything in order. They’re so easy you can do them in a few power hours.
Write down your steps towards small business organization
When it comes to slaying your to-do list, remember that the pen is mightier than the sword. This step is critical to the whole process of small business organization. Why, you ask? Well, because your brain is like a mental storage shed. Some are organized, some are less so. But everything you know, including everything that works or makes your business tick, is up there. So it’s important that you get it all down onto paper where you can move it around and put it into a more organized group.
Let’s use an example. Maybe the dragon I need to slay today is how to create and post my social media content. During this step I am going to dump everything I already know I need to do for this. My list might look something like this: Decide a theme Create content Shoot images Write captions Design imagery for Instagram Upload into Meet Edgar Schedule posts for the month Check that it posted Reply to comments Reply to messages
So that is my month’s worth of social media content in a mind dump. Granted it isn’t everything, but you get the idea. Once you have a list you can move on to the next step.
Batch them into groups
Now it’s time to organize them into steps. What needs to happen, and in what order, for things to get done correctly without a hitch? What things are similar that I can do at the same time that will cut down on time and save me effort in the long run? In short, you want to slay your metaphorical dragon without getting metaphorically burned.
So using social media, I would most likely batch mine like this: Decide a theme & create content Shoot images, write captions & design imagery for Instagram Upload into Meet Edgar, and Schedule Check to unsure post Reply to comments & messages
See how you can have one power session and knock out all my content and theme? And then another to create all the imagery and captions while it is fresh in my mind? Perfect. You are so smart, we knew you were. You’re well on your way to becoming a master of small business organization. Next, we are going deeper.
Figure out the tiny steps
During this step, it’s time to get SUPER detailed. Stop and think about what it really takes to slay your dragon today. So I am just going to do one of the steps so you can see. Let’s pick the shooting images, creating captions and designing imagery. My tiny steps would look like this: Find props that fit the theme Purchase props Gather existing props, if I have them Find shooting space Sketch out ideas of photographs Set up lighting, or use a light box Photograph Upload to computer Edit images to specifications Create witty captions based on theme and image Find relevant hashtags to image, and caption to gain traction Upload image to photoshop and create digital overlay for instagram Save images, named for social media site Upload images to drive folder Notify team member that they are prepped and ready to be loaded
See all those steps? Wow. There are a bunch, but if you think about it, you already do all of those to make the images a success on your account. So get your paper close, write out those steps. What does it take to really organize that project and make it work?
Set timelines and deadlines
This step is almost as critical to small business organization as the brain-dump stage. The longer your dragon is permitted to live, the more damsels in distress you will need to rescue later. Therefore, we need to know exactly how long things take to get the ball rolling. Does it take a week to do all my images and edits? Can I have a power day and knock them out in one sitting? Our golden rule is to plan for whatever your standard is, plus a day for error. It happens, we know it. So if it usually takes me 4 days to gather stuff, work on them and have them ready, I would set my timeline at 5 days.
Once you have the timelines set, making a deadline is cake. Now you know how long it takes to do a project, you just have to plug it in and figure out what it takes. If you need it done by a date, simply work backwards. So if I need something by the 15th, I know it takes 5 days, I have to start no later than the 10th to be done on time.
Set accountability markers
No goal is ever accomplished unless there is an accountability marker in there. Think of all the peasants, the damsels in distress, and the less-organized knights who are counting on you!
Accountability can take many forms. This can either be a person you report it to, or maybe it is just the check box in your to-do list. But there needs to be something that holds you to a standard. You are going to do it, no ifs ands or buts. We are working on being productive and accomplishing work, so we need to hold ourselves to it. So take a minute and figure out what the marker is for each task. Is it reporting to a person? Is it turning in something on time? Maybe it is just a gold star on the board.
Put it into action
It’s the moment of truth. Time to face your dragon. You have a plan of attack, you’ve got it all written out. You did it. Now it is time to make it work.
We suggest you build it out so there is a visual plan for you and others to see. This way not only you, but others around you, can see what you are working on how to hold you to that standard. We at Entrepreneur Simplified use a program called Backbone. We love it, and use it to organize our systems. So whether you use that or another program for your small business organization needs, or just a spreadsheet, build it and make sure you see it.
Get the team on board
Surely, you didn’t plan on slaying that dragon all by yourself? Now that you have your plan of attack, and it is there for others to see, it’s time to get the team on board. You have the ability to turn your team members and your employees in trusty soldiers. So introduce them to what you are working on and how things are going to work from here on out. We know you will be great at it. Besides, when people have a game plan they are more willing to put in the work that it takes to make it great.
It’s time to organize your business! We would love to see your small business organization in action. Send us a picture of what it looks like! After all, you just slayed a dragon. You’ve earned a few bragging rights.