Author: jocelynlacoste

Whether you work from home or in an office, time management is important. With any business how you set up your days will affect the output. Let’s take a look at some tips to help you run your days efficiently. To see a full list check out (https://en-ca.ondeck.com/resources/33-productivity-tips-for-small-business-owners/)

• Set your schedule. Break your days up based on daily tasks. Setting certain amounts of time for what needs to be completely daily will make your day run more smoothly. Having a visual guide can keep you from becoming distracted. Don’t forget to include tasks that are scheduled weekly and biweekly. 
• Each day try and set up your most intensive tasks for the morning. This is generally the time where you are most focused. 
• Make time to go over your weekly schedule. This will help you feel more prepared for the days ahead. 
• Delegate work that you can’t fit into your schedule. 
• Try to focus on one job at a time. Having numerous things going on at once doesn’t increase work success. If anything it can decrease your output and jobs may not get your full attention. It is better to complete one task before moving to the next if possible. 

What tips and tricks do you use to best manage your day to day tasks?

Let’s talk about email.

Many business owners use email as a large piece of communication. Not only between employees but also to customers, outside resources, marketing, event planning and much more. Email can be a huge means to stay connected and with that comes the importance to keep up with it.

Checking your emails routinely will prevent an overabundance of information where things may get lost. It is not uncommon for emails to get missed which can be easily preventable. Missing emails not only can disrupt your business if you miss important information, but it also can disrupt others. Potential clients may go elsewhere, employees may go without answers. The list in endless. Responding to emails in a timely manner will be beneficial for all parties.

The key to making sure your consistent is to set time during the day to focus on your emails. The last thing you want is to be mid email and suddenly get distracted. Having that allotted time ensures your correspondence is being completed properly. Also make a note to check your junk folders frequently to prevent missed messages that may have been marked as spam.

Our employees play a huge role in how our businesses are run. As owners, managers, and supervisors we want to see the business flourish. In order for that to happen we need our employees to be positive, hardworking and motivated. How do we keep that motivation and momentum going during peak times and when business is slow? Of course it starts from the top. 

Hiring the right people is just one stepping stone in running your successful business. Anyone can start out with a fire in their eyes and a desire to work hard. But if employees aren’t treated with a positive attitude and respect, work performance will decrease. Using a positive attitude and having an appreciation for the work they do, creates employees who are happy to come to work and give their all. 

Have you thought about using incentives in your place of work? Maybe an employee appreciation day? These are great ideas to keep everyone motivated. Setting realistic goals that once they are met, they are met with a reward. These don’t need to be extravagant events but ones that are meaningful and recognize the hard work your employees are putting in. Remember they keep the foundation you build in its rightful place.

It’s no surprise when we talk about how our world has become digital. So much of what we do is based online whether its social media, websites, blogging etc. This has brought a change involving business and how we promote ourselves. We have moved to advertising on numerous different online platforms to gain attention and customers. In one aspect this can be great for business if you know how to utilize it but on the other side it can become troublesome. 

With social media, word can travel fast. You can have great reviews with people recommending your business. But with positive comes negative. We know we can’t always please everyone. Some people jump to negative reviews on social media without giving the business knowledge of their complaint. So what do you do with those reviews? Leaving those customers that are unhappy can fuel the fire. As a business we need to be aware of reviews in order to help rectify situations that we can fix. For example a customer writes a negative review saying your product was missing certain pieces. Striving to be a business that mediates will in turn show you care about your customers by responding and looking for a solution.