Getting Down to Business
Business Growth Strategies and Ideas from a Professional Organizer

Many of the business people I’ve talked to recently are optimistic about 2012. While the last few years have been quite challenging, to say the least, many of my clients are expecting 2012 to be their best year ever!

What are your biggest challenges?

Here is what business owners and managers are telling me:

“Our last bill from Staples was for almost $500.00. I had no idea we were spending so much money on office supplies.”

“Staffing. I’m not sure how to bring on more staff and manage that added expense.”

“Expenses are going up but customers want even more aggressive pricing. It’s stressful.”

“We’re trying to figure out how to increase sales without breaking the bank. It feels a bit risky because of the expense.”

Managing expenses seems to be a common theme. So with that in mind, I thought I’d share some ideas to help you manage your business expenses.

Organize & Manage Supplies

Have a well organized supply area with an inventory control system to avoid purchasing supplies that you do not need. Designate one person to be in charge of it.

Submit Reimbursable Expenses by Deadlines

When I was meeting with a client, he told me that he needed to submit his travel expenses or he would miss the deadline to be reimbursed for them. It clearly was the top priority for us to focus on that day. I helped him organize the piles of receipts, by category, for each trip. He was amazed when he realized that they totaled over $15,000. If we hadn’t done this in time, he would have missed the deadline to be reimbursed and been out $15K!

Do You Have a Home Office?

Many of the people I work with have a home office and/or work one or two days a week from home. It is critically important that it is properly organized and you have all the systems in place to optimize your effectiveness – including minimizing distractions!

Here’s a note one of my client’s recently sent me after a Three Hour Transformation of their home office:

“Your advice on organizing my home office has helped me dramatically! You provided excellent product recommendations and offered logical solutions that work great! Within a week of meeting with you, my office was better organized and work flowed much better!”

The Right Stuff

Business owners waste a lot of money buying organizing systems and furniture that do not suit their needs. I help people select organizing systems and tools that will save them hundreds, if not thousands of dollars!

Eliminate Unnecessary Storage

Unless you are required to use physical storage by law, all of your old records should be scanned and stored digitally. This eliminates the high cost of storage space, externally or internally, resulting in decreased operating costs. You will also save the expense of purchasing additional file cabinets, and will need less square footage for your office space. I helped a bank manager create a schedule for having documents picked up by the facility that they store them at.

Consider Temporary Help

An alternative to hiring someone full-time is using temporary help. Temporary help agencies can be a great resource to find talented, part-time help while holding down costs (i.e. long-term commitments). You can hire people on a daily basis, weekly basis, or monthly basis. This will keep your employee benefit costs down.

Dues and Publications

One of the things I’ve been recommending to clients for years is to carefully review each organization where you pay dues. Do you REALLY participate? Is there really VALUE to being a member of that organization? Maybe you belong because you “always have.” Also, review the magazines and publications you subscribe to. If a publication does not really help you in your business, or you find you haven’t even read any of the last few issues, consider canceling your subscription.

Taxes

To avoid having to pay extra taxes, you need a well organized filing system with easily accessible folders for each category of deductions, and documents pertaining to tax related issues. Discuss with your accountant what documents they needed for your particular business.

Donate For a Tax Break

Donate equipment or furniture that you no longer need to a charity. You can get a tax break and eliminate the costs associated with dispensing it or storing it, while helping a worthwhile cause.

PROCRASTINATION.

We all do it, and to some extent it is simply normal. But procrastination can hurt you and your business in many ways. It’s best to be aware of it and manage it; versus deny it and become overwhelmed by it. That’s when it can become a very serious issue.

Defined at Wikipedia: “… procrastination refers to the act of replacing high-priority actions with tasks of low-priority, and thus putting off important tasks to a later time.”

Studies have shown that procrastination, or “putting things off,” costs businesses over $50 BILLION dollars per year. That’s a staggering number!

Many believe it’s getting worse, in part because of technology and our “plugged-in” lifestyles. For example, Facebook has more than 700 million members. 135 million of those are in the US and ½ of the people who have Facebook accounts login DAILY!

Procrastination often leads to:

• Problems in the workplace
• Loss of productivity
• Frustration
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Health problems
• Problems with personal relationships

Here are some of the ideas I share with my clients to help them with procrastination:

Planning

Take a few minutes each day, at the start of your day, to plan out your day. One of my clients calls it a “Day Map.” I also recommend that people take a few moments on Sunday night to plan out their week. Don’t try to do everything all at once and remember to delegate things to others if you can.

Prioritization

This is a critical part of eliminating or minimizing procrastination. You must focus on prioritizing your activities and to-do items. Have you heard about GTD (Getting Things Done). Stop by David Allen’s website for information about this incredibly powerful work-life management approach.

Little Steps

If you have a HUGE project you might find procrastination tugging at your psyche. If you break big projects down into little steps they suddenly aren’t as overwhelming.

Minimize Distractions

I know it’s very difficult, but the most successful business owners and managers I’ve met have learned how to minimize distractions. Set times when your staff knows you MUST NOT be interrupted. Turn off your cell phone (and text messaging). If you have a home office, get a “Do Not Disturb” sign for it!

Stay Clear on Your Goals and Outcomes

Keep your goals and desired outcomes close by you at all times. When you are focused on these two things, it becomes less likely that you will put off high-priority items for lesser priority tasks.

Reward Yourself with “Me” Time

We all work hard and many of the business owners and managers I work with are working harder than ever before. Everyone is doing more with fewer people. As a result, you may find yourself with less personal time – time for the things YOU like to do. I tell people to reward themselves for NOT procrastinating with “Me” time. It can be an afternoon off from work, a lunch at your favorite restaurant, or simply a walk in the park. Whatever it is, make sure you reward yourself for all your hard work by making time for yourself – “ME” time!

Have you been putting off organizing your office or clearing the piles of files and clutter from your desk? Maybe it’s time for professional help. Call me today at (978) 922-6136. I can change your life in as little as 180 minutes. I call it the Three Hour Transformation – and it works!

I recently came across data that showed interruptions at work cost the US economy more than 1/2 TRILLION dollars per year ($588MM).

The average employee spends 28% of their time dealing with unnecessary interruptions. The average manager is interrupted every 8 to 9 minutes.

What do you think interruptions and distractions cost you each day, week, or year?

Many of the business owners I speak with tell me they are interrupted or distracted from what they SHOULD be doing, or PLANNED on doing any given day, for about two hours.

With two hours per day of lost productivity, it’s no surprise that many business owners tell me they are under a lot of pressure, stressed out, and even getting burned out.

But there is good news!

It doesn’t have to be this way and you can fairly easily take control and manage interruptions and distractions at work, whether you have an office, home office, or both.

There are three things you need to do for starters:

·    Allow for interruptions
·    Identify the source
·    Minimize their impact using specific strategies

When you do these three things, you become more focused and enjoy a more productive work life.
Here are some strategies to help you avoid and manage interruptions.

Identify the Culprits

Identify who, or what, causes the interruptions. Start by keeping a time log and track your interruptions for one week. At the end of a week, analyze who or what interrupts you most and then create a plan to manage and minimize this.

Stay on Track

Prioritize your daily to-do list and if you do get interrupted ALWAYS go back to where you were before the interruption. Use a Post-it flag to mark papers you were working with, or highlight a line on your computer, so you can quickly and easily get right back to what you were doing.

EMAIL Management

EMAIL can be a huge interruption. Don’t hit “Reply All” to an email unless you need a reply back from everyone. Turn off your email notifications and only check your email at specific times of the day.

Open Door Policy

An “Open Door” policy that allows employees to stop by at ANYTIME with their ideas, opinions, or suggestions can create multiple interruptions during the day. State your policy clearly in your employee manual. Managers should always have the option of telling unannounced visitors that they understand their need to see them immediately, but cannot meet with them at that exact moment. Suggest an alternative time. Stand up to talk to drop-ins.

Other Suggestions…

Arrange your office furniture so you can’t make eye contact when people pass by.

Schedule weekly staff meetings and individual meetings to discuss miscellaneous items “that can’t wait.”

Have everyone set up a folder on their desk for items to be discussed at meetings. Encourage them to request an item be added to the meeting agenda BEFORE the actual meeting.

Do not be the “Go To” person for facts, figures and files. Encourage everyone to have their own system so they can find what they need when they need it. Leverage the power of technology and put this information on a company INTRANET.

Train employees to minimize their interruptions OF EACH OTHER.

Get organized and keep a clean, clutter-free desk. People have very little confidence in your commitment when your office looks like a cyclone hit it. The clutter will actually distract you. When you sit down to work something in a pile will catch your eye, and your attention, and next thing you know you are interrupting yourself.

If you’d like the support and help of a Professional Organizer, call me today at (978) 922-6136 or drop me a line via this online inquiry form at my website. I’ll tell you more about my Three Hour Transformation and the positive impact it has had for other business owners and managers.