by Jo | Jan 11, 2023 | BLOG, Freelancer, Online Business Manager, Outsourcing, Tips, VA |
For many business owners, stepping away from their business can feel like a daunting prospect. After all, your business is your baby! As your business grows, it can be increasingly difficult to keep up with all the responsibilities that come with it. But there are some very real benefits to stepping away, and leaving your business in the hands of a capable team. You could also consider increasing your team members by outsourcing. Here are some reasons why you should consider letting go of the reins once in a while.
1. Delegating tasks allows you to focus on growth opportunities
When you’re bogged down in the day-to-day running of your business, it can be easy to be too busy to take on bigger projects that could help to take your company to the next level. By letting your team handle the essential day-to-day tasks, such as accounting or customer service, you free up time and energy that can be put towards achieving more ambitious goals.
2. Helps to stay competitive
By delegating certain tasks to professionals who understand the market, you can make sure that you’re up to date with the latest trends and best practices in your industry. This will ensure that you remain competitive in an ever-evolving landscape.
3. Outsourcing increases efficiency
When work is outsourced to a third party, they often have access to better resources and technology than what is available to you in-house. This means that tasks can be completed more efficiently and with greater accuracy than they were before.
4. Reduces costs in the long run
Of course, outsourcing does come with an upfront cost. However, it’s often worth it in the long run when compared with trying to do everything yourself or relying on expensive full-time employees who may not be as productive as external specialists would be.
5. It gives you time for other areas of life
Sometimes, running a business means you put other important areas of life on the back burner. This may be spending time with family, looking after your health and well-being, or neglecting personal projects that you want to do. With a good team around you, you can take some time to focus on other things.
Is Stepping Away Right for You?
If you’re not sure whether leaving the responsibility of your business to others is right for you, here are some things to consider:
- Are you struggling to keep up with the demands of running your business?
- Are you finding it difficult to find time for the things you love outside of work?
- Are you feeling burnt out and in need of a break?
- Are your profits stagnant or declining?
- Are you having trouble scaling your business?
If any of these things resonate with you, then delegating might be something worth considering for your business. It can take some of the pressure off, free up your time, and allow you to focus on the things that matter most to you.
Stepping away from your business isn’t always easy, but it can have numerous benefits if done correctly. By outsourcing or delegating certain tasks, you’ll be able to focus on high value activities while staying competitive and saving money in the long run – all while giving yourself some much-needed breathing room!
Hiring an OBM
One of the best ways to step away from your business and leave it in capable hands is by hiring an Online Business Manager (OBM). OBMs specialise in taking on the day-to-day tasks of running a business, so that you can focus on the big picture, or take some much-needed time for yourself. But that’s not all! They can manage your team and help them be more productive, help you develop and implement strategies that will drive growth, and provide valuable insights and feedback based on their experience in the industry.
Whether you are in the coaching industry, or a small business owner, I can help you achieve your business goals while you take a break. Feel free to book a call for a friendly chat, and gain back some time for yourself!
by Jo | May 24, 2022 | BLOG, Business Tools, Online Business Manager, Productivity |
For any business that requires clients to make appointments, an online scheduling system brings many benefits. They’re a straightforward, efficient solution that can improve business productivity by streamlining processes.
Some of the top benefits of online appointment scheduling include:
- Less time spent answering calls for booking enquiries. This means you can be more productive in other areas of your business.
- Your diary is managed on one system, rather than going back and forth between different ones. Again, this saves time and improves efficiency.
- An online booking system is always operational. This allows potential clients to book an appointment whenever they want, 24/7. It also increases your sales because you are not restricted to working hours.
- Clients can easily make bookings thanks to the convenience of online appointment scheduling. It is also easy cancel or reschedule. This increases client satisfaction with your services and your business.
- Less ‘no-shows’ – clients who use online booking systems tend to keep their appointments. This may be due to interactions with their own online calendar or email, as they are reminded ahead of time that they have a commitment. You can also set up text alerts for your clients. With less ‘no-shows’, you don’t miss out on revenue due to clients not turning up.
- Many scheduling apps or software come with additional features that bring a deeper insight into your business. For example, it may gather details about your clients that you can use to understand them better, and ultimately create services to better meet their needs.
What is the best appointment scheduling software?
There are many different booking applications out there, and what works for some might not be the best for others. Also, you will need to factor in considerations such as price, usability and decide what features you need. Here is a quick overview of some of the most popular appointment scheduling systems.
- Calendly – one of the most popular apps, Calendly has a minimalist interface that makes it appealing and easy to use. There are also mobile apps and plug-ins that make sharing your schedule simple.
- ScheduleOnce – this integrates with many other apps and is good for teams. You can easily add booking pages to your website as well as send calendar invites. There is a free plan available.
- Acuity Scheduling – this is a versatile and adaptable app that can handle a wide range of appointment scheduling situations. There is a seven-day free trial period, however there is no free plan. They offer email and chat support to customers.
- Simplybookme – what makes this app different is that it has usage-based pricing. In each pricing plan, you can select a set number of features. They provide customer service via email, chat, and mobile applications.
- YouCanBookMe – allows you to connect your calendar and only share the times you want with your clients. They book directly into your schedule. Clients receive their own notifications, reminders, calendar invites, and other services.
- TidyCal – a simple way to book and schedule meetings. It also integrates with many other office apps and can be customised. You can add TidyCal to your website using a simple widget.
An appointment scheduling system will let you and your clients know where you stand. When your calendars are synchronised, clients are reminded to arrive on time for their appointments and you can plan your day accordingly. This gives you more time to focus on other tasks that are essential to your business.
As an online business manager, I’m here to help you implement methods that will improve how you run your business. If you would like advice on scheduling systems, or any other business operations and processes, feel free to book a call!
by Jo | Mar 22, 2022 | BLOG, Online Business Manager, Productivity, Time Management, Tips |
Have you heard of time blocking? This is a simple method of structuring your time so that you use it more effectively and become more productive. Many of us wish there were more hours in the day to get things done, especially when there are so many things competing for our attention on a daily basis. For example, you might be working on one thing, when suddenly you become pulled in a different direction. In this manner, you are reacting to the challenges of the day, rather than being in control of them. So, how can time blocking help?
What is Time Blocking?
Put simply, time blocking is scheduling out blocks of time throughout the day to work on specific things. Marking these blocks in colour on a calendar is an excellent way to get a visual overview of how you need to spend your time, not only to complete tasks, but to avoid spending too much time on the things that don’t need it. For example, you could block 30 minutes in the morning and afternoon to read and respond to emails. That way, you can stop checking it throughout the day, saving you time and mental energy.
Each time block can be used to work on a single task, or a small group of similar tasks, helping to eliminate distractions and make you more productive. But there is also another benefit. Because you can time block in advance, you can create a plan that gets everything done, without having to constantly make choices about what to concentrate on. All you must do is follow your calendar!
Here’s an example of my own time blocking:
You may need to play around with the lengths of time blocks before you find what works for your situation. For me, once I know how many hours per day I need to dedicate to each client, it makes it easy to know how much time to block out to do the work.
I also think it is important to block out time for oneself, either as breaks or to do something you enjoy. By doing so, you can refresh and reset your mind before your next work time block.
Why Time Blocking works
Time blocking allows you to find your flow! We often need to stay focused on a task for some time before we unlock our creativity or get into that zone we need to be in to make real progress. The ‘deep focus’ gives us the opportunity to access that golden state of concentration, something that is hard to achieve when your attention is being directed to many other tasks.
Also, when something is scheduled, and you can see it in bold colour on your calendar, you are more likely to commit to it. There is a famous quote known as Parkinson’s law, “work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” Open ended timelines are a breeding ground for procrastination, so time blocking can be a way to find the focus you need to see jobs through to completion, reduce stress, and achieve more.
Time blocking can help you stay focused and remove those distractions that compete for our attention throughout the day. It helps lessen feelings of overwhelm, and gain clarity over your priorities. Many people who use time blocking feel more relaxed and in control of their workload, making them more effective at what they do.
If you are feeling the strain of running your own business, I can help. I offer a range of OBM and VA services that can help free up your time, enabling you to take your business to the next level. For more information, drop me a line!
by Jo | Feb 21, 2022 | BLOG, Business Tools, Online Business Manager, Time Management |
The Pros and Cons Explained
Every business relies upon systems and processes, and this requires tools. Yet, finding and implementing the right tools that work exactly how you need them to can be a time-consuming process. Not only that, but once you have those systems up and running, you may need to change things around if your business changes.
There are many tools out there that help keep those everyday tasks simple. Some are ‘all-round’ tools that perform several functions as part of a single platform. Or, you may prefer to use separate tools for different processes, and link them together. There is no right or wrong answer to this, it simply depends on the nature of your business and how you prefer to work. If you are having trouble deciding, here’s some pros and cons of both options explained.
Using All-Round Business Tools vs. Separate Tools
- With an all-round tool, there is increased collaboration between team members. When your team are all working together using the same platform, it increases communication and collaborative working. This helps processes run more efficiently and problems can be spotted and solved more quickly.When using separate tools, data is scattered between them. This makes finding information and communicating it effectively a lengthier process. If you have more than one team, such as a marketing team and a CRM team, you may experience some disconnection that could have a negative impact on your business.
- All-round tools may save time, as you are not continually switching between tools and apps to get a job done. Having to search for information between tools might not seem like it takes much time, but add this up over a week and you might be surprised at how much time is wasted. However, it is possible to link separate tools together to create effective workflows. This means that while it may be a bit more of a challenge to set up, you still get many of the benefits from linking separate tools as an all-in-one option.
- Using separate tools, you can design systems to meet your precise requirements. It can be difficult to find an all-round tool that does everything you need, which is why many people prefer to use several different tools. That way, you can customise your systems and processes by using different tools to fulfil the demands you need, rather than trying to work around something that doesn’t quite fit when using an all-round tool.
- Less tools saves your business money. Effective tools with the features you need are often a one off-cost to purchase, or subscription based. If you add up the costs of all the tools you are using, it may make more sense financially to opt for an all-round tool.
Examples of All-Round Tools
If you choose an all-round tool, there are many competitive options such as Dubsado, Plutio and HoneyBook. For the coaching industry, Coach Accountable is a good solution that helps deliver more programs with less work. Or you could check out this list of coaching tools and software that integrate many business areas, such as accounting, scheduling, communication and content management.
How do I link separate tools together?
If you choose to use separate tools for your business, linking them together to create effective workflows can be done using platforms such as Zapier and Integromat. This can be done so some actions trigger automatic responses that work between the tools and platforms.
The bottom line…
There is no right or wrong answer to whether you need an all-round solution or separate tools to manage your business. The best way to decide is the weigh up the pros and cons, and work out what would work best for the way you currently operate and the future of your business.
If you are looking for help or advice on what tools to use, or how to implement an all-round solution, feel free to drop me a line!
by Jo | Jan 21, 2022 | Automation, BLOG, Business Tools, Productivity |
When running a business, there’s always a lot of organising to do. You are likely to be familiar with the good old spreadsheet, something that is standard when it comes to managing the many tasks, processes and projects that you do every day. Similarly, you may use database software to collect information, create files, records and reports. But what if there was an easier way to handle this information? Let’s meet Airtable!
What is Airtable?
Airtable is an online spreadsheet tool and database all rolled into one, allowing information to integrate between the two, as well as being shared from other apps, and makes it easy to store structured data. Its flexibility makes it ideal for many types of project and information collation, both in a business sense and for personal use. Here are some of the top features:
Flexible Views
Unlike Excel or Google Sheets, Airtable can display information in many ways. For example, you can use tables, columns, or even photos to display items in a way that suits your working style. Within the Airtable workspace area, you can access a calendar view, gallery view, and a Kanban view, where information is shown as cards in a stack that can be dragged and dropped to where you need them. Organising and storing information using Airtable’s colourful interface makes boring spreadsheets and databases a thing of the past!
Database Building
Most businesses use databases, for example, a contact list of suppliers, a customer database, or staff records. Airtable has all the features you need to create any kind of database, such as single bases, tables, input fields, records and different ways of viewing information. The information added to each base can be relational, making it easy to create, add to or bring up records at the touch of a button. There are also over 200 templates that you can customise if you prefer not to start from scratch. With Airtable, finding a specific piece of information is quick and efficient, as is accessing a ‘bird’s eye view’ over your databases.
Connection to other Apps
Airtable can seamlessly integrate with other apps and software such as Google Sheets, Zapier, Slack, Google Calendar, and Dropbox. This makes it easy to share information to and from Airtable, and collate it in a single place.
Automation
This is a key feature that helps you streamline your processes and save time. Using Airtable means you can set up triggers that create an action to be performed. Triggers could include the new addition of information to an area of your database, such as a new record or an amendment to an existing one. This reduces the time spent on those repetitive tasks and makes you, or your team, more productive.
Collaboration
Airtable has many collaboration features that enhance communication between team members. Different permissions can be set for people, such as editor, creator and commentor, and you can notify someone in a comment using the @ symbol with their name. This fast communication allows teamwork to move faster, as everyone has access to the same information.
Using Airtable has the advantage of saving time and increasing productivity for you and your team. Rather than installing technically complex database software and tweaking it for your business, which can often require coding skills, Airtable has simplicity, yet also the power and features you need.
If you think Airtable would be a good fit for your business, why not get in touch for a quick chat? I can help you see the benefits it would have for your specific business, and how it could make a difference. Feel free to schedule a call or send me an email!
