Working as a sole proprietor, i.e. solopreneur means that you hold all the reins in your hands. That’s the key benefit of running an independent company on your own. You can put to practice every idea that pops into your head without justifying it to anyone else.
On the other hand, you’re in charge of every single business operation. Since this can be an excruciating experience for new sole proprietors, it’s necessary to make an additional effort to stay focused at this initial stage.
Therefore, we’ve prepared some productivity-boosting tips that will help rookie solopreneurs organize their business activities more efficiently.
Categorizing printed and electronic documents
Yes, we’re in the middle of the IT-revolution and many documents may be kept in electronic form.
Still, legal regulations and laws aren’t as fast as tech innovations.
For that reason, solopreneurs should learn what documents they need to print out, and which ones can be stored on their hard drives.
As explained in the guide on the Smallbiztrends website, it’s necessary to keep the hard copies of your tax and financial records, employment documents, client contracts, as well as your business license, among other documents.
On the other hand, invoices and balance sheets can be stored in electronic form, but you should be able to print them out at the potential request of the financial authorities.
Moreover, finding an adequate manner for grouping both printed and electronic documents will increase your efficiency. From alphabetical order to chronological order, to diversification based on clients’ names, everyone has their own preference. So, choose the one that suits you best.
Replying to business emails at once
When you’re at work, sometimes you don’t have enough energy or willpower to reply to business emails. However, if you don’t send those responses at once, it’s more likely that you’ll forget to do it that day.
A rule of thumb in the business world is to reply to an email within 24 hours from the moment you receive it.
If you keep falling behind with your email management, this might offend your clients. What’s more, you’ll constantly be under pressure.
Therefore, respond to your business emails at once. If you’re terribly busy doing something else at that moment, at least add a reminder to the email you’ve just received.
Also, think about improving your email management by using email templates and automated responses.
Turning to the cloud for faster work
The cloud has become a necessity in these modern business times. More and more business owners and sole proprietors recognize the benefit of keeping project documentation in the cloud.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should store each and every business task online.
First and foremost, it’s crucial to get familiar with the most reliable and affordable cloud providers.
After that, you should do your homework and learn more about cloud security. Then you can start using the cloud for your business operations.
Furthermore, different cloud services will suit different solopreneurs. For instance, content writers working on their own will significantly benefit from cloud services. Their editors and clients can edit their work and give them feedback in real-time.
On the other hand, software developers will have to opt for more complex cloud options for their work. For instance, if you need to transfer or handle large bulks of data in the cloud, you might want to find out more about cloud computing and big data from one of our previous blog posts.
Ensuring the visual online presence
Solo business owners need to invest a substantial amount of time and energy in their online marketing. While it’s true that expertise is a great unique selling proposal, you still need to let people know that you exist.
For starters, launch a website and write a bit more about yourself. As explained by the guys behind a digital agency from Houston, it’s useful to present your previous projects in a visually appealing way. So, you may want to dedicate one section of your blog to testimonials or case studies. Depending on your field of work, you’ll be able to showcase your previous experience to a certain degree.
After that, take care of social media and let your business speak through social media. Our two cents: separate your private and business accounts to look more professional. Besides, it’s better in terms of efficiency, as well.
Whenever possible, publish business stories and relevant photos for your business results. These visuals can spread the word about your business more quickly than you think and generate more leads.
What’s more, social media presence will make your communication with potential clients faster and more efficient.
There are some other strategies and tips that can improve your business results and productivity. Still, the ones shared in this guide should be applied at the very beginning of your entrepreneurial quest. When business documents are secure and in order and business communication is performed without difficulties, you don’t have to waste your precious time on those things.
Working in the cloud, on the other hand, is faster, and suitable for interactive collaboration.
Finally, marketing your solo business via social media and the website means investing a minimum of assets while ensuring lead generation and a higher workload. Therefore, apply these tips to run your business in an efficient and lucrative manner from day one.
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