This is a contributed post. However, all opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal view.
When running a business you know that the future isn’t certain and sometimes issues can arise. Some sudden issues we can’t control but there are ways that we can prepare our business. It is much better to be proactive in the business world rather than reactive, this will be less stressful if a problem does surface. We have compiled a list of ways to be proactive when running your business to help with your mental health, take a look below and see what you can apply to your business.
Manage Time Effectively
When we don’t manage our time effectively we can become too busy to notice small issues or not have enough time and energy to see them straight away. This is why managing your time effectively is a must. At the start of every week clearly set out your tasks for each day. And then at the end of the week, evaluate what you could do to be more efficient. When we don’t manage our time effectively we can become overwhelmed and stressed, so being proactive in managing your time can really help protect your mental health.
Update Your Website and Social Media Sites
It is important to keep your website and social media sites up to date with the same information. This will stop any confusion to customers on what you offer, pricing, deals, and anything else you deem important. Make sure your website is optimized for all devices so your customers can navigate your site easily. If you are expecting a rush in traffic to your sites, for example from an upcoming sale, then ensure you are ready to handle a large number of people visiting your webpage to avoid it crashing and making customers unhappy.
Talk To Your Staff
It is always good to have communication between you and your staff, so set out weekly or monthly meetings to get up to speed on where your employees are and gather any feedback they might want to give. The freedom of communication between employer and employee is essential to running a good business if employees feel they can come to speak to you about any issues this can prevent any future problems. Happy staff will always work harder when they are appreciated. It is always a good idea to have one-on-ones with each member and check on their mental health. If they are struggling put procedures in place to help them out.
Create Systems and Processes
Having systems and processes in place will keep your business running smoothly. You should have systems and processes in place for the day-to-day running of a business anyway, but you should also ensure you have them in place in case of a problem. This might be a process for dealing with a customer, in the event of a weather-related incident, a pandemic, or machines failing. Having a solution for almost every scenario might seem unnecessary but you will be thankful you have it if you ever have to use it.
Make A Plan
Every business should have a plan put in place, whether it is a 1-year, 5-year, or 10-year plan. But you should also consider creating smaller plans along the way. This can not only help you but help your employees see how their work makes an impact on the company. Take some time to observe your staff working and listen to their concerns. Then make a simple plan, it could be over 1 month, 3 months, or 100 days, whatever the length ensures that everyone is caught up with the plan and set up some visual aids so everyone can see if they are on track. Having visuals will motivate staff and help them plan ahead.
Respond To Customers Quickly
As a business, you can receive hundreds of emails and calls each day. It can sometimes be hard to stay on top and you can find yourself not responding to customers quickly enough. The first thing is when setting up your email, enable automatic responses, this will confirm to the customer that you have received their email, working on responding and not just ignoring them. If you are finding yourself too busy to answer calls or emails then you might consider hiring a secretary to help keep you organized and filter out the important correspondence from the junk mail and cold callers.
Work Smarter
A great way to be proactive is to work smarter, not harder. If you are a hands-on business do some research into what machines or devices can help you work more efficiently. A great example is if you have a lot of machines that require fuel you could build your own fuel station with the help of Great Plains Industries. This way you won’t need to waste unnecessary time messing around with fuel, meaning your staff will be more efficient.
Prioritize Your Workload
Sometimes we tend to prioritize the wrong tasks over the important ones. Sometimes in business, the ‘urgent’ jobs aren’t necessarily the most important and it is essential that we recognize this. Start by sorting your tasks into urgent vs non-urgent and then rank them from most important to least important. Then work out how much time it will take to do each task leaving some leeway and then be sure to keep your customers updated throughout your process.
Don’t Take On More Then You Can Handle
Sometimes we just accept every job that comes our way without assessing if we have time to do it, which can leave us burning out and completing poor work. This is why it is important to stay organized and plan your workload correctly. If you are finding that you are taking on more than you can handle, consider hiring an assistant or outsourcing some work. This way you won’t feel like you are losing business but also not taking on more than you can handle. If you are finding your work overwhelming take some time to focus on your mental health as a healthy mind is better than a stressed one
If you apply just a few of these tips to your business you will find yourself becoming more proactive each working day. Just remember that spending time on preventing a problem or at least having a plan in place in case of one will require less time and effort if you do not plan for such events. It will also help keep your mental health in check.
If you are thinking of starting a new business check out our tips on How To Protect Your Mental Health When Starting A Business.
