Our attention spans as business owners is often being pulled in multiple directions. Between clients, marketing, administrative tasks and the financials, we can feel overwhelmed by running a business. We can also find ourselves confused about which tasks to focus on and when.
I’m telling you right now that running a business well comes with experience. However, there are things you can do to set yourself up for success early on. Here are some of the ways you can manage the multiple parts of running a business.
Start outsourcing.
One of the best ways to manage the multiple parts of running a business is to get help. For example, instead of spending so much time on administrative tasks you can hire a virtual assistant.
The key is to outsource things that don’t make you money so you have time to focus on the things that do. Here are some of the things you can begin to outsource:
- Administrative tasks like customer service and email management.
- Accounting, bookkeeping and invoicing.
- Social media management.
- Public relations and pitching media
- Web and graphic design
Do you need to outsource all of these things at the same time? No. Start with the most important things and then work the others in over time. This also isn’t an exhaustive list. Depending on what kind of business you have, you may think of other tasks that can be outsourced.
Use systems to automate business processes.
Another way to manage running a business is to free up your time by setting up automated systems. Here’s an example of what I mean by that. I sell a six-week group coaching program that is on-demand. As soon as a student makes a payment, they automatically get an email with their next steps. I literally don’t have to do anything, which gives me time to go focus on my other clients.
You can also automate your marketing by using social media management tools. Additionally, if webinars are a part of your sales funnel you can automate those too. The point is there are a lot of tools on the market you can use to automate parts of your business.
Create processes.
The next step in running a business is to create processes. For example, I have a process with my team for follow-ups with prospective clients. I only have to look at a spreadsheet once a week and then my team knows what to do. We also have a separate spreadsheet for invoice information for my writing clients.
The best part is this is very simple and basic. No fancy software required and it still saves a lot of time. Just note that it does take a while to build the systems that work best for you.
Learn how to prioritize what matters.
The final step is to learn how to prioritize what matters when running a business. Usually, this refers to prioritizing the tasks and projects that directly lead to money in the bank account. Once you identify what those are, it becomes easier to figure out what can wait.
Final Thoughts
Running a business does require you to take care of multiple moving parts. Go easy on yourself as you learn a process that works best for you.
Amanda Abella
Amanda is a best-selling author of "Make Money Your Honey", a book that helps freelancers and business owners understand their relationship with money and how to make it more productive. She's driven by helping others live the most productive and fruitful way possible.