Chances are you’ve heard the phrase “time is money”. This is an invaluable piece of information for anyone running a small business nowadays. The more efficient your business is, the less time you will waste and the more time you will have available to make more profit. Unfortunately, most businesses don’t tap into their potential for efficiency. There are countless things you can do to run a more efficient business and many are simple to implement into your operating procedures. Here are a few that you could really benefit from!
Automation
Almost every small business has to repeat tasks on a daily basis. Automation can help to complete these tasks much more quickly and efficiently. Now, many small business owners shy away from automation due to the upfront costs. But it’s a long term investment that will really pay off. Automating routine tasks that don’t require personality can free up your staff members’ time to focus on more progressive and profitable projects and areas of business operation.
Delegation
When you first start up your business, you often take all of the work into your own hands. You do absolutely everything it takes to get things up and running and will only outsource to freelancers for tasks you absolutely can’t do yourself. This is smart. It keeps costs low and gives you control. But as time goes on, you’re going to have to learn to delegate tasks. This will hand responsibility to others within your business. Delegating small tasks can give you the time and opportunity to focus on the big tasks at hand. You can begin to actively push your business forward rather than being tied up with all the little things.
Placement of Repeat Orders
If you know you’re going to need stock or certain items replaced, you should put a repeat order in rather than ordering the items manually every time you need them. For example, if you know you’re going to need a new oil tank from GPI every month, set up an agreement where you receive a new tank once a month and the payment is pre-approved. This will save you time logging on and placing an order once a month. It also ensures you don’t forget and fall behind.
Training
Have you noticed that when staff first start any new job they’re extremely productive? This isn’t only because of enthusiasm and a want to prove themselves. It’s also because they’ve received the most up to date training and know how to do everything they need to do as quickly as possible. Make sure to train your staff regularly. This will keep everyone up to date with the most efficient ways to go about things.
These are just a few different areas where you can massively improve the efficiency of your small business. Each step is easy to implement, but when they start to work together, you’ll really notice the difference!
