I was recently asked how I keep my business organized. The short answer is systems. I realized early on that if I had systems in place for my most common tasks, my business would run a lot smoother. Below are 4 different systems I have in place to help my business run effectively.
1. Email – If an email is in my inbox it means there’s something that needs to be
taken care of. A starred email means it needs to be responded to while an
email without a star means I’m waiting to hear back about it.
Emails that have been addressed are filed into folders, which are culled annually. On every business related email I send, I bcc myself using a chrome add on. That way I can see if an email hasn’t been responded to after a few days.
2. Notes – When I speak with a prospective client or networking contact, I either type notes into Evernote or write them in my notebook and type them up later. That way when I walk into a job, I can go back and reference those notes.
Evernote is where I have all my business related notes including to dos that are important but not so important that they make it to my daily to do list.
3. To Do List – My to do list is split into four categories: personal, not urgent
(top left), personal, urgent (bottom left), business, not urgent (top right),
business, urgent (bottom right). If an item is starred, it needs to be done
ASAP. You can read more about my to do list habits in my To Do List Blog.
4. Financials – Quickbooks Online, which my wonderful bookkeeper/
accountant has access to, is incredibly helpful when it comes to keeping track
of spending, financial goals and sales receipts for my clients.
Every time a client gives me a check, I put it in a clear pouch in my bag and deposit the check using my banking app. Afterwards, I create a sales receipt, which I send to my client. I follow these steps every time.
You're probably thinking, that this is not exciting and you're right, it's not but it works for me and helps me maintain my sanity as a business owner :).
Try my tips and tricks above and let me know how it goes! You can email me at tori@toritheorganizer.com and follow me on Instagram @toritheorganizer.