When it comes to successfully running your own business, there’s nothing wrong with putting in a little bit of “elbow grease” all while “burning the midnight oil”… Those are phrases used by people to describe how hard work pays off. But in that same token, the phrase “work smarter, not harder,” also holds its own weight in today’s market as well.
Again, there’s nothing wrong with “elbow grease” and “burning the midnight oil,” but to be fair, those anecdotes were used during a time when technology wasn’t as advanced as it is now… Today, with all the advancements in technology, the amount of “ elbow grease” it took to complete three or four tasks in the past, can now be completed with just a few clicks of a mouse.
This ease and convenience in working has taken the term work ethic to a whole new level. Just because you’re working smarter and not harder, doesn’t mean that you’re lazy or don’t want to do the work… it just means that you’re doing the work in an easier and more efficient way that cuts back on time and ultimately money spent… After all, time is money, and the faster you can get certain tasks done, the less money you have to spend; which also leaves more time to make money as well.
It’s already tough to run a business as it is, so if there are ways to make running your business a little bit easier in the slightest way, why wouldn’t you do it? Every minute of your workday counts and will play a role in the success or failure of your business… So how do you ensure that your business is run effectively and efficiently? You have to streamline your business.
Take a look at some of the top ways to streamline your business.
Best Practices to Implement to Streamline Your Business
Know When to Outsource
Yes, your business is YOUR business and no one can take that away from you… But in order to efficiently run your business, you have to know and understand that you can’t do everything by yourself. In fact, entrepreneur.com states that trying to do everything by yourself is actually one of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make.
Just think about it… Do you want to spend all day answering phone calls and emails when you could be working on more important areas of your business? Or would you like to try your luck at accounting when you know nothing about accounting, and risk making mistakes?
The point is that it’s okay to ask for help when you need it and that doesn’t mean you’re giving your business away either… Knowing when to outsource is one of the smartest business moves you can make and it will most definitely streamline your business.
Invest in the Right Business Management System
Every business needs a formal business management system no matter the size of the business. Lots of business owners tend to think that because their business is small that they can get away with using those free management systems, and most can. The only problem with those is that they’re not fully integrated, meaning, you have to go from one application to the next to input or see specific data.
This just leads to confusion and leaves way too much room for error. JD Edwards software is a fully integrated business management system that has everything in one place, allowing you and employees to see important data in real-time, leaving no room for error or miscommunication.
Invest in Team Skill Development
You may be a master of all trades but your employees aren’t; you hire them to handle specific responsibilities in your company but sometimes, the communication between what an employee’s responsibilities are can get lost or get confused at times. That reason alone is why it’s so important to invest in your employees by way of investing in the development of their skills.
Making sure employees are fully aware of their responsibilities and deadlines is actually one of the seven laws of business management. If your business has been doing “okay” as far as employee responsibilities, just imagine the improvements you’d see if everyone had a refresher on their responsibilities and how to do their jobs…
Some people don’t like to admit that they’re a little unclear as to how they’re supposed to do their jobs and won’t ask for help, so to prevent this, you can have quarterly training sessions to pour into your employees. This will let them know you care and want to develop their skills and that you want them to stay part of the team.