Entrepreneurs: You know those lovable, daring, intrepid, fearless adventurers who take exciting risks and bring home big rewards? Everyone loves them for their dashing exploits fueled by thrill addiction. But many small business starters also share another trait, and it could derail their epic quest before it makes it out of the Shire.
Take a look at your circumstances and see whether or not disorganization is stalling or even slowly killing your business. You may be able to turn things around if that is the case by taking a few simple steps and putting some technology tools to work for you to help pull the load.
Disorganization Causes Stress and Leads to Burn-Out
The one factor in business that can cause unbearable stress is disorganization. When you spend time on every order searching for files or parts, or anything, your business will suffer. Not being on top of where things are and how things are working will cost you time, creating frustration. You will not feel in control, which can lead to depression or hopelessness.
Conversely, organized businesses seem to flow naturally. Keeping things neat, orderly and adhering to well-established and strictly enforced operations systems will make work a dream. Furthermore, having a firm handle of the operation’s technical side, such as data integration, will give you confidence that you can rise to any occasion. The easy tasks will seem effortless, and the complex jobs will be less arduous. All in all, you will be happier, less stressed out and likely, more successful.
Think about the last time you tried to accomplish something with your work area in disarray. Didn’t everything seem more difficult? Weren’t you tired and ready to quit after a few minutes of unpleasant activity that didn’t seem to get you anywhere? In all likelihood, your disorganization was sucking your effectiveness right out of your being. And being the cruel taskmaster it is, the experience with disorganization left you sore and slightly bruised.
Your Customer Can Sense How Organized You Are
One group of people who can determine how organized you are better than anyone else is your customers. Your disorganization will leave them wanting if you consistently get orders wrong or misplace them. If you are distracted and harried by your lack of control over your environment, you won’t have the time to plan for your customers’ future success with them. Instead, you will be too busy sabotaging your own.
When you are “on top of things,” your customers know it. They can tell by your fast, friendly and thorough service that you have your act together. In addition, you are in control of your time, so you can spend the extra minutes explaining your products and services and how they will meet your customers’ needs. They will likely appreciate this attention and reward you with more of their business.
You Have To Keep Track To Stay Alive
If you don’t maintain precise and accurate financial records, your business probably won’t last too long. You have to know where you stand moneywise from minute to minute when you are in business for yourself. No one will hold your hand and cut you a check with all your taxes calculated and deducted. You have to do that for yourself now, or you have to pay someone else to do it for you. No more freebies; you are a business owner now. It is all your responsibility. So you have to take the initiative to keep records and routinely analyze your financials for opportunities for cost savings and ways of achieving greater levels of efficiency.
Use Available Tools To Get and Stay More Organized
Getting organized isn’t always easy. It takes a certain mindset that says, “I will take small steps to achieve this big goal, but I won’t get discouraged by setbacks.” Additionally, use some of the many available computer programs to help you get and stay organized. Software producers have created various products that give you the upper hand with organizational challenges. You have everything from project management programs to advanced accounting packages available to you. So jump in and start using the tools to get on top of your pile.
