With your startup finally up and running, you feel more accomplished than ever. Many would-be business owners don’t make it this far due to all the rigorous planning and preparations, so give yourself a pat on the back. However, your work is far from over. In fact, one could say that opening your startup was only the beginning, and they’d be right. Running a business of any kind and size isn’t easy, especially for first-time owners. There’s a lot you have to do and stay on top of. In this article, we’ll be giving you a few productivity tips to help you effectively run your startup.
1. Create a Financial Strategy
Perhaps the most important tip that every startup owner should know is the importance of creating a solid financial strategy. Business may be composed of many factors, but money is always going to be the number one priority. This is because money plays a large role in just about every aspect of a business. That said, it’s important to map out your financial strategy before you validate your idea. In addition to funding your startup, you might want to look to an Accion small business loan. These types of loans for used specifically for business, not personal need. Once approved, you can use the money to secure a brick-and-mortar location, invest in marketing, or even buy merchandise for your business.
2. Have Power Hours
Another way to be a successful entrepreneur and boost productivity is to create power hours. If you’re not sure how to go about it, it’s pretty to start. Set aside specific times during the day where you focus on one important task and nothing else. Work on the task until you reach your mini milestones. It’s important to note that this will look different for everyone, so don’t think you need to accomplish everything at one time. Power hours can also help you streamline other processes to get your business off the ground.
3. Use Online Organization Tools
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, especially when it comes to getting and staying organized. With so much going on, it’s easy to get sidetracked. Thankfully, there are plenty of online organizational tools you can use to keep everything going in the right direction. In addition to online calendars, you can also use tools like Trello. Trello allows you to set up milestones with specific due dates. As you complete each task, you can move the color-coded card to a different section, so everyone on your team sees its progress. Once all steps are completed, you can then remove that task from the grid. There are also a lot of other options out there, including ones from Google. It’s more or less just a matter of preference and whether you want to use free or paid
4. Automate Everything
In a world where technology changes in a blink of an eye. As such, you need to embrace automation to its fullest extent. You can automate a wide array of business processes to help make your day just a little easier. You can use a chatbot to answer customer inquiries, take orders, or start the refund process. You can also use automatic posting tools to schedule your social media content and ad campaigns.
5. Work When You’re Most Productive
Some are most productive in the morning, whereas others feel more energized in the evening. You need to determine when feel most ready to work and then follow suit. Trying to tackle difficult tasks in the early morning when you’re more of a night owl usually doesn’t produce the desired result. Listen to your body and work when you’re feeling your best.
6. Plan Ahead
Although it sounds simple enough, some people forget to plan ahead. However, when you own a business, you need to be able to review upcoming important data and tasks the week before. Before you close up shop for the weekend, use Friday as the day to plan your agenda for the following week. Once you have everything in your calendar, you’ll be able seamlessly move from one thing to another without feeling overwhelmed.
7. Take Time Off
As exciting as running your own business is, you still need to take time for yourself. Schedule at least one to two days where you focus on yourself. You’ll be well-rested and ready to conquer any obstacles that come your way.