November 14

5 Ways to Save Time and Grow Your Business

One of the biggest stumbling blocks business owners have is time. Between client demands, marketing the business, family (and maybe your day-job), most businesses are *more* than full-time jobs.

Lack of time makes it hard to invest resources into growing and scaling. Yet, growth is what helps you get to the point where you are making enough money in your business to hire more people, buy more services, etc.

Would you like to have more time in your business?

If you are the ONLY person working in your business or if you have a really small team… YOU are your most valuable asset. Taking care of business means taking care of yourself…

Here are 5 quick tips to help you save time in your business so you have more YOU time.

Fire your worst client
In the past 10 years of working with clients, I’ve learned that 10% of your clients bring you 90% of your business-related stress. If things constantly feel tense with your client, if they don’t pay you, or don’t respect your boundaries, fire them. The few times I’ve had to do this, new work quickly replaced the lost income. And, what’s more, I’ve ended up becoming friends with the former clients. (I had one even thank me for her letting her go because it was a wake-up call that allowed her to get clarity on her business direction).

Upsell an existing client to more services
People buy from people they know like and trust. Your current clients fall into that category. And, you can look like a hero by thinking about their business and how you can help make it grow. Making suggestions for additional ways for you to help elevates you from vendor to partner. It is also one of the fastest ways to add new revenue to your business.

Create an SOP for one business process so you can outsource it
SOPs or standard operating procedures are a great timesaver (even if you never end up outsourcing the process). Taking the time to outline the process into a checklist and getting all the links and materials in one place will cut completion time again and again. Outsourcing is also a big time saver and you can start small. Think of the task you like least in your business and a find a pro to help you with it. Likely, they’ll be able to do it faster (and better) than you can. And, you’ll have extra time to work with clients or just to relax.

Commit to fixing the one thing you like least about your business
We all have that one tiny thing… You know, the process that you know could work smoother, the Facebook page that you don’t ever update, your LinkedIn profile that doesn’t have your current company on it. How much time are you spending thinking about that thing… How much time would it take to complete it? Make a commitment to get it done this month.

Let someone clear the path for you
A few years ago, we interviewed over 100 entrepreneurs as part of the Paycheck to Passion podcast. The successful guests on our show had two things in common – patience (growing a business is not instant) and having a mentor to show them the ropes. Not having to guess at “how” exactly to get things done can be a huge timesaver. You can follow your mentors path and learn from their missteps. This is why people pay big money for coaching. (You don’t have to – there are plenty of great affordable options out there – including our new coaching program).