There is no doubt that running a business all by yourself can get extremely challenging at times. After all, everything falls on your shoulders and you are solely responsible for looking after your clients, and your livelihood as a whole. One of the main problems is flitting between one task and another, constantly having to refocus your brain on the next priority. So, in this article, we are going to be focusing on a few ways that you can make running a solo business that little bit easier on yourself. After all, every little helps!
Outsource Certain Services
You can take one or two things off your plate by outsourcing them to external sources. Perhaps you are struggling with your books, and you need a professional accountant to make the job easier on yourself. Maybe you are trying to create a website all by yourself, but you could free up more of your own time by hiring a professional developer. You need to think of your own time as valuable, so you can concentrate what you do best. Perhaps if you know a fellow solopreneur or freelancer, you could even arrange a trade-off in your skills.
Focus on One Task at a Time
Though technology has been hugely beneficial in creating new opportunities for business people, it has also played a big part in dividing your attention. While it may be tempting to check your social media pages throughout the day, you are better off setting a specific time to deal with this task, so that you can give it 100 percent of your focus. As well as ensuring that you do each job better, you should also find that you feel less stretched during your regular working day.
Utilise Technology
Technology is there to make your business life easier, and there are even some services which can be automated entirely. There are programs to help you in general ways such as accountancy software, but there are also plenty of more specialised services including an automated trading platform for algo trading if you are in the financial sector. Even something as simple as creating an email template to send out to your clients can be enormously beneficial.
Develop Your Support Network
Sometimes, you simply need to let off some steam and relax, and this is where your social support network will be invaluable. Ideally, you will have some fellow solopreneurs whom you can talk to. After all, they know exactly what you are going through and they may even be able to offer some advice on how to deal with the particular situation that you are in. Of course, your friends and family will also play their part in helping you through the more challenging times of starting a business on your own.
Learn to Say No
When you are running a business on your own, the overarching temptation can be to say yes to every opportunity that you are offered. However, if you simply don’t have the time to fully deal with each project, there is no point accepting it as you will not be able to do your best work and your reputation could end up suffering as a result. Obviously, the bigger projects which will advance your business are the ones that you should be focusing on the most, so learning to politely pass on the smaller things is a skill which you need to learn.
Keep it Simple
Sometimes, solopreneurs have a tendency to overcomplicate parts of their business when they don’t really need to. For example, emails can be short, polite and to-the-point rather than essays. In fact, a lot of time can be saved by speaking to your clients on the phone or via Skype rather than a back and forth exchange which seems to go on and on. Obviously, there are some things which do need to take up more of your time, but the longer you run your own business, the easier it will be to identify exactly what these are.
Create a Backup Plan
Since you are relying entirely on yourself for the success or failure of your business, you need to have a clear backup plan. What happens if you have technology issues? Who will manage the business if you get sick? How will you respond in the event of a disaster? These are all questions which are worth answering so that you are fully prepared to deal with each one of these eventualities head-on. Also, if you have a sudden shortfall in your cashflow, how are you going to be able to get the funds to continue with the successful running of your business? Ideally, in your backup plan, you will have thought about a wide range of things that could go wrong so you are able to confront each one of them should they happen.
Learn to Unwind
Last, but by no means least, you need to learn to unwind away from your business. As we already talked about earlier in the article, this is something which is increasingly difficult to do in our ever-connected world. Try to find a time when you can distance yourself from all technological devices, so you are not continually disturbed by the buzzing of notifications on your phone. Many entrepreneurs find exercising to be a very useful way of taking their minds off what is going on in their business, and it has the extra advantage of being good for your health at the same time.
So, after reading through this article, hopefully, you now have some useful information that you can use to make running a solo business that little bit easier on yourself. Of course, that is not to say that it is ever going to be straightforward, but you should still take steps to improve your business whenever you can. Remember, you are just one person and there is only so much you can do all by yourself.