Do you want more time…anyone?
We are all short of time with a million and one things to do.
Not only do you have to work and make money in your business, you also need to spend time on growing your business. If you’re putting all of your energy into the first one, then the growing part doesn’t happen.
A recent survey by Constant Contact (an email marketing provider) found the average small business owner spends 20 hours a week on marketing their business. If you fall into this category then you are one busy person. Where’s the time to fit in all of your administration, and of course have a life!
Any one person can only work so much. You need to spend time with your family and connecting with friends. In this edition of our beauty series, we will give you some tips on how you can make the best use of your time.
1. Spend some time finding the right tools for your business
No matter what size your business, good business software can save you hours every week. Not only that, but they can be really simple to use and inexpensive. Cloud software is going to be the most helpful to you, as you can use it on multiple devices so you’re never far away from all of your business information. A lot of cloud software also integrates, so you can connect your accounting software such as Xero to a booking solution like Timely, and you’ve got some mass time saving going on! If you want some more business tools, we have put together a list of 10 digital tools which can help you take care of your business.
2. Delegate the simpler tasks to your employees
As your business grows, you don’t think twice about bringing good staff on board, but do you use those staff members to their full potential?
Often clinic owners don’t want to give away too much responsibility, at the risk of losing control. But in reality in order to grow you need to do this. It can also save you a load of time while giving your employee a sense of ownership. Perhaps this is just the incentive they need to put in extra effort and make them more loyal to you and your business as they see the opportunities coming their way.
Examples could include giving your website and social media upkeep to your receptionist, or your junior therapist. Perhaps they are more creative and understand your followers better (you never know)! Another could be as simple as employing a part-time therapist for one day a week, so that you can get stuck into the accounts or putting together your own marketing strategy for the year ahead.
3. Outsource when you’re not up to the challenge
If you have a one-off project coming up such as a website, you could try and learn how to build a simple one yourself. You can spend a heap of time learning what to do before you actually do it, and then is the final result going to do your business justice? If you hire someone that specialises in this area, you can keep doing what makes you money and know that you are in good hands and the outcome is going to be positive.
When you need some business advice, it may be a good idea to get a consultant to help with your business growth and marketing. In the long run this can be well worth the investment, as they will quickly point out where you are wasting money on marketing, and where you money is best spent to see results. Sometimes this can also make you realise some harsh truths, like the need to cut your expenditure. They will also have the time to concentrate on it, whereas you know that you don’t!
4. Take some time out for yourself
This may seem a bit counter-productive, but a stressed out overworked business owner is no good to anyone! When you are in the trenches day in and day out, you lose sight of where you really want to be with your business. Take some well-deserved time out for yourself will give you some much needed clarity. It’s a great time to evaluate your achievements or failures, and put together some ideas for the future. Holiday, anyone?
You may or may not already be doing some things on this list. Perhaps you feel like you can’t justify some of the above, but sometimes it just makes sense. Time freed up from the tasks you’re not so good at it means that you concentrate on areas that you excel. Time for that business to grow!