Nobody ever said the path of entrepreneurship was easy. If it were, everyone would have their own thriving enterprise. Yet the good news is that while not every startup is successful (we all know the statistics), virtually any startup can be. While there’s no single causal factor that leads to inevitable success, many entrepreneurs cling to the old adage that time is money. In fact, if we expand on this ever so slightly it’s probably safe to say time well spent is productivity which is money.
But while many entrepreneurs are pretty vigilant when it comes to managing their employees’ productivity, they’re not so hot when it comes to managing their own. Not that entrepreneurs are inherently lazy. Quite the opposite! Indeed, therein lies the problem. Most entrepreneurs are so involved, so dedicated and so passionate that they feel the need to micromanage every aspect of their operation. Not only can this lead to entrepreneurial burnout, it can lead to a crippling inefficiency as CEOs spend so much time knee deep in the minutiae of their business that they soon find themselves buried under an avalanche of problems…
Putting out fires
The problem with micromanaging is that it inevitably inhibits strategic management. Entrepreneurs are so concerned with the daily operational tasks they should be entrusting to their staff, they can only deal with threats to the business in a reactive way. Thus, their time is spent putting out fires with saps their time efficiency even more. In order to be a truly efficient entrepreneurs, you need to get in front of your problems.
Outsource where you can
The trouble with a reactive approach to your problems is that it necessitates a “break-fix” mode of thought, especially when it comes to things like their IT and technical infrastructure, which means that your operation is always on the back foot. Not only is this not time efficient, it’s also not terribly cost effective. While it’s understandable that entrepreneurs are concerned with overheads they should still consider outsourcing to a company who specializes in IT consulting for businesses. This enables you to put an infrastructure in place to solve tomorrow’s problems today.
Always be marketing, always be retaining
Don’t wait for a dip in sales before investing in your next big marketing push. While it’s fair to say that your marketing should be upscaled as you grow more efficient in meeting increased demand you should always be doing what you can to recruit new customers while ensuring that existing customers stay loyal. Make use of essential marketing materials and implement a rewards scheme to engender customer loyalty. Thus, you’re far less likely to be reacting with panic to a dearth of business.
Spend more time in your office
Nobody wants to be the kind of boss who cloisters themselves away in their ivory tower. Nonetheless, in order for your business to grow sustainably, you need to focus on the strategic elements of entrepreneurship and you simply can’t do this on the shop floor. Dedicate time out of your week to pore over your performance metrics in order to spot upward and downward trends and plan accordingly.
Work smarter not harder
Hard work is a vital part of entrepreneurial success. However, if you work so hard that you burn out and can’t enjoy your achievements, then you are missing the point. Instead, it’s much better to remember that you only have so much time and attention to give to work within any given day, and that means you need to be smart about what you choose to spend it on.
With that in mind, spending your precious time on tasks that could be delegated and/or automated is a bad practice! The good news is that many tasks can be automated these days including complex ones like keeping on top of your business spending. Indeed, by choosing tools like this spend management solution you can ensure your costs are kept low without having to dedicate a huge amount of your own time and effort to the task. Thereby achieving a win not only on-time efficiency but by keeping costs low too!
If you leave issues alone, they become problems. And by the time they’ve become problems, it’s likely already too late.
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