Running a business from home is tricky. Often, it is a bit of a juggling act. The fact that you are at home means that it is easy to get interrupted. No matter how often you ask the kids not to pop into your home office space while you are working, they still will. It is just one of those things. If they don’t disturb you, the chances are you will find yourself getting up to answer the phone or doorbell.
The one thing most mums who also run businesses from home wish they had was more time. Sadly, you can’t create more of it. But what you can do is to make better use of what you have. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to do that. Here are just a few, to get you started.
Systemise as much as you can
The more you systemise things the easier it becomes to keep everything up to date. For example, you can use this invoice template to create a customised template for each client you have. If you provide a specific customer with more or less the same services every week, include those on their template. That way you have only have to change the number, date and maybe a couple of lines of the actual invoice before sending it out.
There are lots of other business processes that you can streamline in a similar way. Just think about the things you do every day, week or month and draw up a list. Then read this and use the principles shared there to systemise and automate as many of those processes as possible. : You can also check out: https://www.getbailey.com/guide/2022-ultimate-guide-8-steps-to-automate-your-entire-business
Don’t forget to invest in your business
We are all guilty of not investing enough of what we earn back into our businesses. There is a tendency to set things up on a shoestring at the start and carry on doing them the same way. For example, doing your invoicing and accounts using Excel and Word, because you don’t want to spend money on software. It takes ages doing it that way especially compared to the new business-friendly invoicing apps, yet you carry on doing it. Partly out of habit, partly because you are not keen on spending your profits. This approach is a false economy, especially when there are great value or even free options available online. So, if it has been a while since you invested in yourself and your business, it is worth taking a look at what is available and considering new tools and software to help you to work more efficiently.
Don’t be afraid to hire someone to help
Lastly, don’t baulk at the idea of hiring someone to help you with the more mundane tasks. Letting someone handle your finances, respond to simple emails, and go out and find new customers for you will free up a huge amount of your time. That enables you to focus on using your expertise to provide an exceptional service to your customers, get some training to improve your skills or develop new products and services. You will be surprised by how easy it is to grow once you find the right person. Use this checklist to help you with the hiring process.
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