When you’re a solopreneur, chances are you’re both the boss and the employee.
Since you’re running your business alone, you’ll be a one-man team handling finance, sales, marketing, customer service, purchasing… You get the gist. Sometimes, solopreneurs don’t realize that they can make things easier.
You’ll be pulled in different directions.
It can get stressful, so it’s important to find ways on how to simplify your day-to-day business operations.
1. Prioritize
Things become complicated when we try to do a little bit of everything all at the same time. Learn how to prioritize things that need your attention. Do the ones that need urgent attention first. The others can follow.
2. Focus
Aside from prioritizing, focusing on a task helps get the job done. Stir away from distractions until you’re done. If you’re working on your computer, you might want to close social media sites that you don’t need. You’ll be tempted to go through your newsfeed and reply to every post or chat and end up not finishing your tasks. Focus helps you become more efficient.
3. Time Management
Truth be told, even when you have a lot on your plate, these can get done when you manage your time wisely. Create a schedule. Say, you do emails first, check your business’ social media and website, perform customer service tasks… The list goes on. Follow it strictly.
4. Outsource tasks
I know. I know. You’re a solopreneur. But that doesn’t mean you can’t outsource some tasks. There are a lot of people out there who can do the admin work for you remotely, so you can focus on the more important things or on business aspects you’re best at. Get a virtual assistant (VA) to help you out!
5. Technology
This is so broad, but still, a great way to streamline processes for you. Use technology to your advantage. Here are a few that you can use:
Cloud
Do you know what’s heartbreaking?
It’s when you lose your business files. If you lose your phone, you’ll lose your contacts. If you have things on paper, it can get wet, burned or thrown away accidentally.
These days, more and more businesses, big or small, are using the cloud to store files. You can start with a Google Suite for the basics. It’s the easiest way to store files, so you won’t have to lose them. You can also use it to collaborate, too, in case you decide on outsourcing some tasks or expanding in the future.
Social Media Scheduling
If you have social media accounts, and you want to be consistent in your posts across all accounts without having to do it one by one every single day, get a social media management app. Hootsuite and Buffer are a few examples. You can do a week’s worth of social media content (or longer), schedule it and just let it do its magic.
Collaboration
Trello is one of the apps you can use to organize your tasks. For starters, you can create cards and mark them as To-do, For review and Done. You can add more depending on your needs.
Banking
You’ll have a lot of bank transactions both for your business and personal life. A lot of banks, if not all, have mobile banking applications. You can use online payment options for expenses (like your business’ utility bills) to save you trips to banks and offices.
6. Declutter
Keep your desk clutter-free. When you have a lot of paper on your table, you’ll get easily distracted. Pick one and keep the others for later. This goes the same for your computer files. Don’t keep many tabs open, just the ones that are relevant to the task that you’re doing.
While all these may seem like a chore, believe me, applying and making a routine out of this list, will eventually pay off. You wouldn’t want to pour your entire self into your business. You’ll burnout. Use these tips to simplify your business and get more room to do other things in your personal life!
