I know you and your competitors have read the same articles and watched the same videos. But I’ve found that doing what’s expected doesn’t necessarily lead to success. Here are some examples.
Key takeaways
- Distractions are time-wasters and can hinder productivity too easily.
- Spending less time on tasks I thought I had to do can get in the way of profit.
- Being available for the customer almost always paid off for me.
In order to grow, any business must deliver for its customers. That seems easy, except the hard part is that there are other people out there doing almost exactly the same thing that you do. Whether it’s landscaping, architecture, or web design, customers have a wide choice of people who are competent enough to deliver a product that will satisfy a customer.
Some businesses work to do better than others by working their finances. They trim expenses, they put off purchases, they don’t buy the fancy coffee. Time management — avoiding non-work distractions during working hours — can also help. However, there are only so many costs a business can cut before it runs out of options. Eventually, cuts can lead to diminishing returns as employees, freelance contractors, and suppliers rethink their relationship with your business. The other approach to business profitability is spending time doing what you get paid for and less time on the rest.
Six Zigs, Ma
Here are six things I discovered that help me run my businesses. I’m sharing these in the hope that you can emulate them. If you can’t, perhaps you can use them as thought-starters for creating your own approach to the challenges your business faces from people.
1. I Don’t Do Bookkeeping.
Okay, that’s a half-truth. But I’m not in the bookkeeping business, so I want what bookkeeping I can’t avoid to take as little time as possible. Even before it’s tax time. But because I’ve scanned data in and its kept securely on the cloud, I can rely on the Neat DMS for generating reports that are specifically designed for tax preparation. Summaries of deductible expenses and other data can be directly shared with an accountant through secure links or by providing access to my Neat account. If you use QuickBooks, Quicken, or TurboTax, you can integrate directly with them. You can even feed your tax data directly to H&R Block.
2. I Don’t Do Things Twice.
Extracting data from receipts and invoices automatically means not retyping them into a spreadsheet or accounting software. I can use a scanner like ScanSnap, email receipts to Neat, or photograph them for entry. Then optical character recognition (OCR) translates them into data, and the software categorizes the data. So I spend less time on manual data entry, there’s almost no chance of error. You can use the OCR to scan other things, too, like business cards. Then you can use that data to stay in touch with customers through Outlook and Google Contacts, or email marketing platforms like MailChimp, Constant Contact, and Campaign Monitor. This means I can focus on more important tasks like caring for customers and employees. The result is real productivity.
3. I Don’t Waste Time Looking For Things.
Time is valuable. We’ve all been there, sifting through piles of paper to find that one document. With a platform like our own Neat, documents are digitized and organized so that they’re easily findable when you need them. Share access with anyone on your team who needs it and you’ll never be at their beck and call.
4. I Don’t Guess.
With data entered more easily and accurately, I get more up-to-the-minute insights into my company’s financial health. That leads to better-informed decisions about budgeting, spending, and overall financial management. That can’t help but lead to better business outcomes.
5. I Don’t Waste Time At The Bank.
My data management system integrates with my bank accounts. Transactions are automatically imported. That means I don’t have to go back and forth between documents or web pages to reconcile my income and spending.
6. I Find The Right Path.
The key to productivity is finding the right path and blazing your own trail. Sometimes I’ve tried doing the same thing someone else did and it worked… sometimes. But there are times I found a whole new way to do things or used an existing tool a new way and it made a difference. You can’t do new things if you’re bogged down with old or unproductive ways. A tool like Neat can free you to focus on finding the right path.
Do What Works For You
It’s often quicker and more clever to use the tools at hand to get ahead. When other people are learning new software, you can be getting things done. You can lose a lot of time chasing how other people tackle a job (and you wouldn’t be the first person to get sidetracked by YouTube videos that have nothing to do with what you’re trying to learn). Keep your eyes open and your mind alert — then keep track of your new ideas where you can access them and work with them.
Above all, I’ve learned to be persistent. You can, too. As always, work hard. Always be true to yourself. And remember how I zig when everyone is zagging.
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