Archive for Manage the Business

May
19

Want to Save Time?

by Lilia Lee

Time in spaceLearning to master time can make or break your business. In the early days of your business, you will have a lot to learn. As you fill orders, work with customers, the hours can fly by very quickly. You will quickly discover that there are not enough hours in a day to complete all of your to-dos.

Managing your time efficiently will help you to create order out of chaos. If the only thing you do is to wake up and simply start moving things around, you can easily let important things fall through the cracks. You’ll forget important jobs that need doing, you’ll forget orders, you’ll neglect to call back clients and you’ll definitely lose customer confidence.

Here are some easy tips to help you move through the space of time.

Plan Ahead

Have a plan in place.

Create a schedule. A lot of people view a schedule as a strait jacket. They think that having a schedule will hamper their freedom or their creativity. Quite the contrary! Having a schedule will help you with all those things.

How? It ensures that all your to-dos are covered (by you or by delegating them). It makes sure that all your fantastically important projects are getting done and that you won’t forget something really important.

I am a big fan of planning weekly. That way, I am sure that all my deadlines are met without me dying in the eyes of my customers.

If you do the same, when looking at the schedule, you can take stock of your time. You can figure out what needs to be done and how long it will take you. You can make trade-offs, i.e., if you do this on Monday then that will have to way until Tuesday to be done.  It will also help in determining what is really important from what is merely urgent. Does that e-mail need to be answered right-this-minute?

And, don’t forget to plan for chaos! It is going to happen, no matter what your expectations are…so you might as well schedule time in your schedule for it. And when it does happen, make sure to revisit the schedule. Chances are that all your best laid plans have to be revised.

Are you in the habit of taking on too much in too little time? When new requests come in, or you get the next brilliant idea, you can look at your planner/calendar to see if you have the time to do it. Maybe it will help you realize that sometimes something needs to be turned down or deferred. It can be hard to do. But if you take a hard look at the priorities and commitments you already have, it may be the best thing that you can do for yourself.

Work on a Schedule

Some people own a business so they can sleep late and work whenever they want to.

That isn’t likely to happen. Nor is it a good practice.

If you are not there (at least at the beginning) no one is running your business. If no one is running it, how do you expect to make money which is, after all, why you have a business? 

Sound too much like a J*O*B?

Maybe, but it doesn’t mean you can’t take a break to go for a walk or go to a networking event. It just means you are disciplined about running your business and you’ve built all of these activities into your schedule

Separate Family and Business Life

Did you open a business to spend more time with your family? You cannot run a business and take care of a sick child or parent. You will have to keep family time separate from business time in order to be effective at both.

If you have young children, make rules about when they can enter your office. Having boundaries as to when you can play with them will help them recognize that when you are on the phone is not the time to play hide-n-seek. Yes, there will be times when separation will be impossible: a child is sick, your babysitter does not show up, etc. But the child must respect that your office is not a playground.  

Separating business and family is also a good way to help you get away from work. When you are done for the day, you can simply close the door and go spend time with your family. To emphasize the separation, it is important that your work area is a separate space if you live with anyone else. If your desk/computer are in an area that is accessible to the entire household, you will not be able to separate work and family easily. You do want a separate space where you can shut out the world when working and shut away work from your time when you are done with work.

Set Priorities

If you have not set your priorities, you can end up spinning your wheels and not accomplish much of importance. You’ll be doing a lot of work but have nothing to show for it at the end of the day.

But what if in doing all that work you have forgotten to complete an important and time sensitive job? Had you made your implementation plan and scheduled your time, you certainly wouldn’t find yourself in that awful position.

So, for heaven’s sake, take a look at where you want to go, decide what projects will bring you closer and schedule the tasks you need to get done in your schedule, won’t you?

0 Categories : Create Systems, Get Things Done, Goal Setting, Manage the Business, Plan for the Business
Apr
25

Want to Get the Most Out of Your Week?

by Lilia Lee

Sticky notes on wall.

Our way of life today seems to demand that you do more stuff than you could possibly accomplish in an entire lifetime.

Perhaps you’re holding out for one day finally getting caught up, hoping against hope that you’ll completely empty your backlog, that there’ll be nothing more to do.

Sorry to burst your bubble.  That day will never come. There’s always more stuff for you to do.

Just think about all the books on your reading list. You could spend your entire life reading one book after another and never get done reading them all.

I am not trying to depress you. My goal is to help you think about your tasks in a more productive way. Just because you can do something doesn’t necessarily mean that you should do it.

Effective people know that they can’t possibly do everything, just because it is there for them to do. Heck, they don’t even try. Instead, they do the things that are worthwhile doing, the important stuff.

You can be an effective person too!

Find the things that can really make a difference in your life, in your career/business. Then, you focus your limited resources on doing them quickly and well.

You’ve got to be willing to make difficult choices. You’ve got to stop doing some things so you can focus on doing things with a bigger payoff instead.

You have to be able to find the things that can really make a difference. You’ve also got to figure out the difference between them and the busywork. This will be a key factor in determining how well you manage your time.

Here are a couple of suggestions to help you get started with the process:

  • Make a written list of your main work responsibilities right now.
  • What is your job right now?
  • What are the different areas where you can make a difference?
  • What do you need to work on to produce excellent results? 

The list will help you to think about all the ways that you could be spending your time. It’s very difficult to do this analysis in your head. Put it in down on paper and make it as detailed as you need to.
 
For example, you, as a small business owner, may come up with a list like this:

  1. Provide excellent service to my existing customers
  2. Develop new products & services that my customers want
  3. Generate new leads for my business
  4. Convert more prospects into customers
  5. Develop and train employees
  6. Develop business systems and processes
  7. Strategic planning
  8. Answer e-mail
  9. Get on social media sites
  10. Pay the bills
  11. Maintain finances
  12. Ad infinitum 

Then, you could break up each one into more detailed tasks for each area. The point of this exercise is to help you see all the different ways that you could be spending your time so you can recognize the most valuable ones.

You can use the list as a means to think of specific projects that you can work on right now, projects that will make the most difference and will help you produce excellent results.

Know that you can’t do everything

When you first do this exercise, you may feel totally overwhelmed. You’ll probably feel that you can’t possibly do it all… and you are right, you can’t.

The point is not to make you feel bad or that you have even more things to do. Rather, it is to help you find the best uses of your time. Since you can’t do everything, you have to decide what is most important to do, right now and in the future.

  • Which of these areas makes the most difference?
  • Which ones do YOU need to spend your time on right now?
  • Which ones do you need to delegate to your team?
  • Do you need to get a team?

 Then, you have to come up with specific, actionable projects that you can work on beginning now. Select projects that make a difference, projects in just a few key areas. The most vital projects are the ones to focus on, the critical ones. 

Instead of spreading yourself too thin over too many different things, select a few specific things with clearly defined outcomes. Focus most of your time on these for the next couple of weeks (or even months). As you make progress on the chosen projects, you can slowly bring in some of others that make sense. Just keep asking yourself:

 ”What is the most valuable use of my time right now?” and

 ”What can I do right now that will make the most difference in my long-term results?”
 
Make time for these high-value projects

You must make time for the few, vital, high-value projects that you’ve identified. Since you know that you can’t do everything, you’ll have to make room for these important projects by not doing some other things that you might have done otherwise.

  • What are you going to stop doing?
  • What are you going to give up?
  • What are you going to postpone making room for the important projects?

One way to make time for your most important projects is to remember the story of the big rocks in the jar. You make time for them by putting them in your schedule first. Then you allow all the other busywork to fill the gaps.

How much time do you need to spend on the high-value projects each week?  Figure it out for you!

You’ve got to make a committed decision to spend at least those hours each day (preferably in the first hours) working on them. Otherwise, nothing will ever change, will it?

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Lilia Lee is the owner and founder of Simplify and Manage. She is an expert on business process development and process improvement with 20 years experience in the field, working at major corporations. Prior to this experience, she was the Controller & CIO of a marine insurance company. She has a B.Sc. in Accounting from Hunter College of CUNY and a J.D. from NY Law School. She is a certified coach from Coach Training Alliance.

 Simplify and Manage is a company dedicated to helping business owners simplify, to get things done. We use our system to plan, implement, take appropriate action, evaluate any process, project or money-making idea. And then, we manage the ongoing operations of the business.

0 Categories : Create Systems, Get Things Done, Goal Setting, Manage the Business
Mar
20

Are You Paying Attention to These Myths?

by Lilia Lee

Personal Organizer with Clipping PathSome people were born organized. Unfortunately for me, I was not!  So, I am part of that large bunch of us who struggle with organization. How about you?

Well, I’ve researched extensively on the subject, reading books, and helpful hints about getting organized (in fact, I’ve toying with writing something myself). I’ve got to tell you there are some serious misconceptions being bandied about by organizational gurus.  It will be my pleasure to give you the “skinny” on that in today’s message.

Here are the 8 misconceptions that I find most outrageous. I want you to consider throwing them right out:

1. Handle paper once. 

Sigh…

Do you really think you can handle a piece of paper just once? It is actually impossible, and in most cases, it’s unrealistic. 

Instead of striving to handle paper just once, get in the habit of doing something with each piece of paper to move it forward.  If you get some information about an upcoming seminar, for example, decide if you’ll attend or not. 

If you’re going to attend, note the date on your calendar and sign up.  No ifs, ands or buts!

If you are not, then throw out the information immediately. 

2. Always keep papers stored out of sight.

Are you one of those people who works best with a clean desk?

I am not. I’ve tried the clean desk approach and find myself lost. You may feel the same way. Do you feel lost if you’re not surrounded by your beloved paper. 

If you’re an “out of sight – out of mind” type, keep papers you use often nearby in files or stacking bins.  When working on a project, spread out the papers related to it, and when you’re done put them away together in one place.

3. Everyone should be organized to the same degree.  

Oh this one is so not true!!!

Different people work differently.  Don’t let anyone tell you that you have to work the same as someone else.  Find a comfortable level of being organized for you! Then, make the necessary changes to maintain what works for you. 

I usually draw that line when I’m looking for something and can’t find it; that’s when I know things need to get reorganized.

4. Soon we’ll be a “paperless”society.

Yeah, right!

Experts have been saying that for years, and we won’t be paperless for a long, long, long time.  Technology isn’t the problem. Human nature is the culprit. 

We’re creatures of habit. We’re used to seeing things in print.  It won’t be until future generations come into the work force that the paperless society will have a chance of becoming a reality.

5. One planning system should fit everyone. 

When used correctly, daily planners are an ideal way to stay organized.  They are, however, designed by one or a few people for umpteenth users. 

So, if you are in the market for buying a planner, determine what you want it to do first. Then, choose a system accordingly.  If you can’t find one to suit your system, design your own based on your individual needs. That’s what I did.

6. You have to be born organized to be organized.

We learn both good and bad habits at an early age.  It’s possible to change any bad habit, including disorganization.  Youngsters raised in an organized environment sometimes rebel as adults by being disorganized.  The opposite is also true, but neither is carved in stone and behavior can be modified.

7. You MUST use a “to-do” list.

Actually, planning daily is not realistic for everyone.  I personally find it to be a real pain.

I do like planning for the week (except in the last couple of months, as my VA will attest). It allows me to look at the things that need to get done to complete important projects or must-dos. How about you: what’s your ideal planning period?

Maybe you like planning for the week, maybe every two weeks. Sean D’Souza has this neat little system called Chaos Planning which is quite an enjoyable, innovative way to look at planning.  The bottom line is to consider your particular needs, then plan by the day or the week or whatever suits your fancy.

8. Being organized means being a perfectionist.

This is not true!

A perfectionist will spend endless time on getting the most insignificant detail perfect while missing the big picture altogether.  A perfectionist becomes more effective only when she lowers her standards slightly thereby concentrating on ways to increase results.

The bottom line is that believing these expert tips will actually hinder you from doing what needs to be done.  The next time you hear an “Organizational Gurus” espousing one of the above, turn your back and run. Then, develop your own style of organization, one that really works for you.

How about you? How do you manage to organize?

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Lilia Lee is the owner and founder of Simplify and Manage. She is an expert on business process development and process improvement with 20 years experience in the field, working at major corporations. Prior to this experience, she was the Controller & CIO of a marine insurance company. She has a B.Sc. in Accounting from Hunter College of CUNY and a J.D. from NY Law School. She is a certified coach from Coach Training Alliance.

 Simplify and Manage is a company dedicated to helping business owners simplify, to get things done. We use our system to plan, implement, take appropriate action, evaluate any process, project or money-making idea. And then, we manage the ongoing operations of the business.

0 Categories : Create Systems, Get Things Done, Improve Business, Manage the Business
Mar
13

Are You Communicating Effectively?

by Lilia Lee

SystemsSometimes, you see things clearly…have a clear picture in your head about something. But to the person you are communicating with, things are as clear as mud. Or, you may assume that the other party understands exactly what you see inside your head or knows facts that, in fact, only you know.

The result is confusion or things not getting done right or on time. At times, it even causes disasters, like delivering the wrong thing or missing the budget altogether. 

For example, when I worked for a large health insurance concern as a project manager, there was this itty-bitty project that needed to get done. Seemed simple enough….all that needed to get done was change a single field in the database. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

Well, what the business analyst forgot to include in the description of the project was that the desired result was to change the wording on one of the letters mandated by HIPAA. Do you HIPAA? No, well, suffice it to say that it is a Federal mandate in the United States that involves quite a bit of regulatory compliance by the medical profession.

What was the end result? Well, the deadline to meet the new mandate for a new letter was missed. Of course, the project had to have a do-over. And in typical corporate fashion, a lot of finger-pointing took place.

So what can a body do to eliminate (or at least minimize) confusion? Here’s what I want you to do…. Follow the checklist!

It is like the yellow-brick road of project management and communication.

The next time you have a task for someone else to do, use the checklist. That way, everyone is sure to be on the same page.

Step 1 – The “What” – Describe the task.  Tell them what you need them to do. Give as much detail as needed, particularly if the person is new.

Step 2 – The “Outcome” – Describe the desired outcome. What do you want to have at the end? What do you want to see when the task is complete?

Step 3 – The “When” – When do you need it to be done? What’s the deadline? Tell them how long you think it should take to complete. Ask them if they think it will take longer?

Step 4 – The “How” – Are there specific steps they need to go through? If so, describe those steps ad nauseam, if necessary. Now to make sure they “got” what you said, have THEM repeat the steps back to you and explain what the end result should be. 

This will clear up any confusion, miscommunication or frustration BEFORE they even show up.

Step 5 – The “Tools” – Are there documents, or tools or information that they need? Tell them about these things. Don’t leave them blind. Does the team member need to get them from you? If not, where can they find these things? Do they have access? Don’t set them up to fail; do set them to succeed, won’t you? 

Step 6 – The “Moolah” – What’s the budget?  How much can they spend without asking for approval? If there’s no money involved, is there a time constraint? If so, let them know how much time should be spent on this?

Step 7 – The “Result” – How do you want to be notified when the task is complete?  Should they email you? Call you? Do they need to store or file the results somewhere? Will the results be re-used in some form?

This is a simple thing to do. But making this small change in communication is an example of how small changes can make big differences in your results. The bottom line is that strategic systems make big differences in your business.

If you’re like me, you started your business in order to:

  • Set your own schedule
  • Write your own healthy paycheck
  • Make your own hours

In other words, you went into business to be free. To be free from depending on other people’s good opinion of you.  However, if you’re like the majority of micropreneurs out there, it may not have worked like that.

The answer is to have a partner to help you create an effective infrastructure for yourself. How do you do that? Give me a call…I can help.

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Lilia Lee is the owner and founder of Simplify and Manage. She is an expert on business process development and process improvement with 20 years experience in the field, working at major corporations. Prior to this experience, she was the Controller & CIO of a marine insurance company. She has a B.Sc. in Accounting from Hunter College of CUNY and a J.D. from NY Law School. She is a certified coach from Coach Training Alliance.

 Simplify and Manage is a company dedicated to helping business owners simplify, to get things done. We use our system to plan, implement, take appropriate action, evaluate any process, project or money-making idea. And then, we manage the ongoing operations of the business.

0 Categories : Create Systems, Effective Writing, Improve Business, Manage the Business, Managing People, Simplify the Business
Feb
26

How Long Since You’ve Given Yourself a Business Checkup?

by Lilia Lee

Medical concept - stethoscope over the dollar billsDo you go to the doctor regularly for preventive check-ups? Do you do spring cleaning in your house each year?

Well, just like you and your house, your business needs to have some form of a checkup each year.  It doesn’t matter whether you’re a one-person shop or you have a team of people working for you. Unless you analyze the effectiveness of what you’re doing and your bottom line, you can’t gauge the effectiveness of your business.

Alrighty, then! How do you go about giving your business a checkup? Here are 10 questions to get you started:

How do your year-to-date sales compare to the last couple of years?

Did you match last year’s level? Good! But don’t be satisfied with that. If sales stayed the same, all you’ve done is achieve zero growth.  With inflation, zero growth is a warning sign for more trouble down the road.

What percentage of your business is from repeat customers?

It is important to know this. Why? Because getting a new customer costs as much as 5x that of retaining an existing one.  Keeping customers is much more cost-effective than constantly seeking new ones. And that doesn’t mean you should stop looking to get new ones either.

When was the last time you offered a new product or service? 

Your loyal customers like to see you changing and progressing with the times.  If you’re stuck for an idea, ask your customers what they need.

Are you looking at marketing and advertising expenditures as expenses or investments? 

The way you look at money spent in these areas impacts whether you’re willing to spend money at all.  Do you look at prescriptions as a waste of money? 

Marketing is an investment in yourself, your vision, and your company.  The old adage is true: you’ve got to spend money to make money. And you must spend it wisely. 

You have to spend it on marketing that gets responses and orders. If they’re not maybe you need to change tactics. In any case, you’ve got to know.

Is PR part of your arsenal? Do you know how to use it to position your business in the media? 

I am not a PR expert but I’ll bet that at least one of your competitors does.  Nearly every mention of a company in the press is a direct result of publicity efforts. 

Being quoted or featured in an article speaks volumes to readers who are your potential prospects, not just your existing clients.  A good PR consultant can do that for you and show you ways to extend the shelf life of that article beyond its publication.

Do you treat your recurring customers better than your singletons? 

You should. 

If the customers that keep coming back don’t feel special, why should they remain loyal to you?  Have a customer appreciation day or a special invitation only sale for your regulars.  Create a mailing list of your regulars. 

Send occasional post cards or greeting cards for special events or just to keep in touch.  Learn to recognize them on sight and greet them by name when they visit you.

I purchased something from a business four years ago. Each year they send me a Happy Birthday card. Now that makes me feel really special.

How long has it been since you really talked to one of your customers? 

I had a doctor when I lived in NY that would take the time to really speak to me and all other patients. You knew that when you came to see him, it wasn’t in/out. But all his patients loved him so much that they would make trips from overseas to see him. Why? Because he cared enough to take the time to find out how we really were.

Just as I appreciated this man, your customers appreciate you if you take an interest in them, their needs.  If you have a service business, have a conversation periodically with some regulars – even if they only contact you once or twice a year.  That personal touch in an impersonal world will be remembered. And it will pay off in referrals.

How is your business doing compared to your competition? 

Every company, no matter what the size, has competition – even home-based businesses. 

Is the competitor’s business growing or shrinking? Is their pricing or their service better than yours?  If so, what can you tell your potential customers about the price difference?  How can you improve your service to meet or exceed your target market’s expectations?

Are your team members happy? 

Do you know? No, don’t ask them. Just observe how they behave throughout the day.  Watch, listen and learn. 

Team members (contractors or employees) who like what they’re doing don’t watch the clock for quitting time and aren’t habitually late. They don’t treat customers poorly, don’t spend a lot of time on personal stuff, and don’t look like they never smiled. 

Observe how they interact with customers.  Not everyone is a match for direct contact with the public, so make sure you don’t have someone who is rebuffing traffic.

I can remember when I was working at my very first job out of college.  It was a service business with just the owner and a handful of people at work.  There was direct contact with the clients, and there was never a problem with smiling when talking face to face with them. 

I was given the best business tip of my life by that employer, when he pointed out to me that when talking to clients on the telephone I should smile too.  For some unexplainable reason, when you smile as you talk on the phone, the exchange with the client becomes more pleasant and more productive.  It’s as if that smile went right through the phone wires to the person to whom you’re talking.

So, how did you do with your assessment? Does your business pass its checkup for the year? Share with us, won’t you?

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Lilia Lee is the owner and founder of Simplify and Manage. She is an expert on business process development and process improvement with 20 years experience in the field, working at major corporations. Prior to this experience, she was the Controller & CIO of a marine insurance company. She has a B.Sc. in Accounting from Hunter College of CUNY and a J.D. from NY Law School. She is a certified coach from Coach Training Alliance.

 Simplify and Manage is a company dedicated to helping business owners simplify, to get things done. We use our system to plan, implement, take appropriate action, evaluate any process, project or money-making idea. And then, we manage the ongoing operations of the business.

0 Categories : Improve Business, Manage the Business, Marketing, Plan for the Business, Simplify the Business
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