Running a small business can be a one way ticket to success. You can tap into some serious earnings with some grind, some hustle and some spunk. If you work hard and provide a quality product or service, you can even scale up a small business into something bigger. Furthermore, you can become an employer and give people a steady job and a decent wage. As you can see, there are many benefits to running a small business.
However, a common bugbear of small business owners is that they are time-poor. You can often find you spend more time working in the business than higher level activities such as strategy, planning and other essential tasks. In this article, we’ll share five time saving solutions, including some tips that will make scheduling staff easy. Read on to discover more.
Rostering and Scheduling Software
A tremendous time saving investment for your small business is rostering and scheduling software. A computer or web-based app can look after all your staff rostering, saving you heaps of time. Instead of doing a written or word document roster, you can let the software look after it. These programs can also send automated reminder messages or notifications to the staff, so they know when they have a shift coming up. Staff can also use it to put in their availability or notify you that they are sick and can’t come in.
Sure, it might cost a monthly subscription, but the time it saves can be spent scaling up your business, so it may end up paying for itself over time.
Outsource Payroll
If you have a team, you must pay them on time and accurately. This can be a time-consuming task for an already busy small business owner. Depending on your payment schedule, figuring out everyone’s hours, hourly rates, overtime, and other earnings can be a tremendous job every fortnight or monthly. You can save a massive amount of time by outsourcing your payroll to an external provider. This way, a separate company will figure out everything and pay your team on time and accurately.
Another benefit is that if there are payroll errors, such as underpayments, the company is responsible for correcting the error, not you.
Schedule Your Time
Do you find that you can’t manage all the separate tasks that demand your attention? Small business owners can easily fall into the trap of juggling a thousand separate plates, all at once, only to have them all fall in a pile and leaving you stressed out and overworked.
An excellent method to attack all the separate jobs is to schedule time for specific tasks in your calendar. For example, you can spend the first part of the morning reading and replying to emails. After that, you can carve out an hour for reviewing marketing systems and advertisement statistics. Then, a coffee break. After your break, you can spend some time coaching and mentoring your staff. Now it’s time for lunch. After lunch, you might focus on drumming up sales or packing orders, depending on your business.
You’ll find that you will be more productive and work efficiently by scheduling chunks of time for different specific tasks. You will also save time because you’ll become focused and attentive to each task at hand.
Eliminate Distractions
You may find that you are wasting time on distractions each day. For instance, scrolling on social media can be a massive time sink – these apps are designed to ensnare you, so you are exposed to advertisements. The same applies to mobile games. You must eliminate all distractions to save time and focus on your business.
You might want to lock your phone in your desk drawer so the temptation to scroll or play a game isn’t present. Once you’ve finished your work for the day, you can get it back out. If you need to make or take calls, use a desktop phone with a headset.
Don’t Work Weekends
This may seem counterintuitive, but part of excellent time management is ensuring you have an ample break from your work. If you work hard five days a week, the weekends should be a space you can use to unwind, relax and recharge your batteries. If you spend the weekends engaging in social activities or relaxing at home, come Monday morning, you’ll be fresh-faced and raring to go.
If you run a hospitality business, hire a manager and staff to run your business on the weekends, so you can enjoy a break. It will cost money yes, but if you don’t take breaks you could burn out, and then it’s all for nought.
A Scheduled Summary
This helpful article has shared five time saving solutions for small business owners. A rostering/scheduling software solution is a definite time-saver and will free you up to focus on what matters for your business. Furthermore, blocking out chunks of time for different tasks is another great tip. Outsourcing payroll can also free up your time, as can eliminating distractions. Finally, make sure you rest on the weekends to become more efficient during the week.
