No one ever said that running your own business was easy. It is anything but a "walk in the park." Most of us don't do it for the money. We run our own businesses because we want to do something that we LOVE. And some of us don't want to work for other people. And some of us want to have the flexibility to work from home (and be with our kids, if you have kids). I am doing it for all of the above and more!
I have noticed that some entrepreneurs may find it a challenge to squeeze in time for all of the business administration stuff and having any time left over for your crafts. So here are a few advice from my own personal experiences. Feel free to comment and add any tips and advice that you may have yourself. I love having your feedback and comments.
1. Keep a daily planner and have a calendar.
I have a daily planner booklet that I keep in my purse and I do take it everywhere that I go.
I also have a calendar. You can have an old fashion calendar eraser board or paper calendar that you can write on. But I prefer to use the calendar on my smart phone (it's so much more convenient).
2. Have a smart phone (if you can afford one). This saves me so much time!
3. Plan out your day (by the hour!) and give yourself an estimated time to finish each task.
Treat your business like a REAL job because it is! If you don't take your business seriously, you won't be able to achieve your business goals and quit your day job (that's my goal) in a timely manner. I'm not getting any younger so time is money.
4. Label out each daily task that you have for the week. I usually fill out my calendar on Sunday night. Treat all of your tasks like homework that you must complete everyday. And please be realistic so that you don't overwhelm yourself.
5. Have a day off each week. I always make sure that I have at least 1 day each week (could be the same day each week or different days) that I have as my "Me Day." On this day, I treat it like my weekend for my business. I use it to relax, catch up on tasks that I am behind on, or I spend this time to make more craft for my shop.
6. So here is my typical daily tasks schedule (yours might be different from mine):
7 am- Check emails and enjoy morning coffee with breakfast
8am-print invoice and fill orders
9am- package orders for shipment (depends on the amount of orders it could take awhile, and I can't control the demands of my customers. You will have slow days and busy days. So adjust accordingly).
I try to finish everything so that I can get the shipment out by noon. I like to ship my items out as fast as I can so that my customers can get their stuff asap! No one wants to wait forever for their package to arrive. I know I don't!
And use this time to do your book keeping as well. Do your book keeping as you go because if you leave that kind of stuff to pile up, you will definitely fall behind.
Time in between here is where my Day Job takes place.
8pm- check emails again. Update my blog and Facebook. Hang around the team forums.
9pm- squeeze in some time for crafting.
Go to bed at around 12 am (midnight).
And on my day off...well, I can do whatever I want! :)
*Make sure you pick a day off that you normally don't get a lot of store activity*
When you are starting out (new business owners) it might be a bit of a challenge managing your time and schedules. But it will get easier over time. So hang in there my friend! The world is made up of millions of small businesses like yours and mine. And if other people can do it and be successful at it, then so can you!
**Please feel free to leave me comments on more tips and advice that you may have**
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This is great advice! It is so easy to get side tracked with household work. Then by the end of the day I don't know why I have not gotten my next project done.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right to suggest scheduling time for to answer blogs, hang out in forums and network. I have notice an increase in visits to my shop since I have started taking the time to do that. It is also a great way to learn and meet some really nice people.
Thank you.
I was just thinking about time management. I just can't stretch my day to fit everything in (I'm also a high school art teacher). I've tried making a schedule, but something always derails me from it. For now I just let the day dictate what I'm going to work on.
ReplyDeleteScheduling time for blogs and forums is a good idea too because I find I end up using the forums, twitter, facebook, blog, etc. as a procrastination tool as much as a business tool (if not more). I know they are useful and so I justify sitting in front of my computer hitting "refresh" on the teams page over and over and over again, when really I am just procrastinating and should be doing more productive work. If I scheduled time for those things than I would still get the benefits from them, without allowing them to siphon all my time away.
ReplyDeleteSuch great info and many things for me to think about. With 2 kids and a hubby, I find it hard to stick to a schedule. Writing it out will totally help! It is a great way for the hubby to see what I need to get done so he can help me stick to it.
ReplyDelete