Small Business Success Formula: Tools, Automation & Outsourcing

Small business owners and entrepreneurs stare down a massive list of daily responsibilities, from managing finances and inventory to communicating with customers and marketing their products or services. Time after time, the end of the work day arrives to find a small business owner exhausted yet still overwhelmed by all that didn't get done. It is nearly impossible to make a dent in the larger list of business priorities – like innovation and growth – when the day-to-day operations consume the majority of each hour. 

When polled, small business owners say that managing administrative tasks is one of the most challenging and time-consuming aspects of running a small business. These tasks can include everything from scheduling appointments and responding to emails to data entry and maintaining records.

If you run your own business, it is time to rethink your day.

Cloud-based software programs, automation, and outsourcing are changing how small business owners get work done. Thankfully, the "go-it-alone" / "do-it-all-yourself" model is no longer standard issue for entrepreneurs.

Today, you can streamline your business processes using online tools, automate recurring or repetitive events, and easily outsource a wide variety of administrative or support-based tasks to a virtual assistant.

ONLINE TOOLS

Cloud-based tools and software programs can significantly enhance the efficiency of a small business. Today's tools offer a variety of features that can help with tasks such as communication, project management, and data storage. They allow for collaboration and data sharing with team members and partners, which can greatly increase productivity and efficiency. Some examples of cloud-based tools and software programs that can help a small business owner run their business more efficiently include:

1. Google Workspace (formerly known as G Suite) - This set of productivity tools includes Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, and Google Docs, which can be used for communication, collaboration, and document creation and management.
   
   
2. Slack - This team communication tool allows for real-time messaging and file sharing, making it easy for team members to stay in touch and on top of projects. It also integrates with other tools, making it easy to bring all your work together in one place.
   
   
3. Asana - This project management tool allows you to create boards and cards to keep track of tasks, assign them to team members, and monitor progress.
   
   
4. QuickBooks - This accounting software is designed to help small business owners with tasks like invoicing, expense tracking, and financial reporting.
   
   
5. Zoom - This video conferencing tool allows you to hold meetings, webinars, and virtual events with anyone, anywhere. It also offers screen sharing, recording, and breakout rooms.
   
   
6. Canva - This graphic design tool makes it easy for small business owners to create professional-looking designs for marketing materials such as social media posts, flyers, and infographics.
   
   
7. Jotform - This tool allows you to create customized online forms to collect information and requests from clients and subcontractors.
   
   
8. Calendly - This modern scheduling platform makes "finding time" a breeze. It integrates with personal calendars and allows you to customize meeting types and availability to make scheduling easier.
   
   
9. Zapier - Get a taste of automating with Zapier! This "middle man" for programs connects apps and software programs and can be customized to trigger automation & workflows.
   
   
10. Loom - Free! This tool allows you to record your voice and computer screen and share it with others. Invaluable for training & sharing workflows.

These tools allow small business owners to streamline operations, communicate more effectively with their teams, and make data-driven decisions.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: 

Cloud-based tools are typically subscription-based, meaning that small business owners can pay for only what they need and quickly scale up or down as their business needs change. Additionally, they can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection and often include automatic updates, backups, and robust security features.

AUTOMATION

One of the best ways to free up time and energy for more important tasks is to automate as many administrative tasks as possible. Automation lessens the burden of administrative tasks and allows small business owners to focus on higher-level matters like growing their businesses. Automation can be achieved through the use of technology, such as software and apps, that can automate tasks like scheduling appointments and managing emails. For example, scheduling tools like Calendly allow you to easily schedule appointments and meetups, while email management apps like SaneBox and Unroll.me can help you to triage and manage your emails more effectively.

Another way to automate administrative tasks is through chatbots. Chatbots are computer programs that can simulate human conversation and are becoming increasingly popular as a way to handle customer service inquiries and simple tasks like scheduling appointments and making reservations. 

Automation can keep businesses streamlined and agile. Additionally, incorporating automation into small business processes can help small business owners operate their companies more smoothly and without human error, which saves additional company dollars.

If you are a small business owner, consider looking into these areas first as you begin your automation journey:

Marketing and Sales Processes

Making deals and closing sales will likely always require human involvement. But innovations in marketing technologies allow small businesses to reach wider audiences and increase sales potential. Marketing automation software targets customers on multiple channels with a consistent and cohesive strategy. Email, social media, and websites are united in their outreach to potential clients through automation integrations, allowing a business owner to generate more new leads and act more quickly on inquiries and website visits. Inexpensive and effective automation software programs like ActiveCampaign, Keep, Hubspot, and Ontraport can operate the baseline for your marketing endeavors and expand as you grow to accommodate your business's future needs.

Customer Relations Management and Customer Service

Automating some of your customer relations management (CRM) can help a small business build better, longer-lasting customer relationships. CRMs can maintain your client database, create drip campaigns and track contact points with potential customers and active clients. The client's journey becomes seamless with current cloud-based CRM tools, ensuring no balls are dropped and no future customers are missed. Most CRM systems can help manage leads, alert to new opportunities, forecast sales, and even help to identify cyclical trends. CRM tools like Salesforce Sales Cloud, Pipedrive, and Zoho can help you deliver the type of customer experience that will help you convert more leads into sales.

Finance and Accounting

A large percentage of small businesses still rely entirely on human accountants to handle their companies' finances, even though automation exists that cut down on hours and helps prevent errors. Accounting automation helps to reconfigure workflows from manual, formulaic tasks. Software bots mimic human activity using robotic processing automation (RPA). The bots can repeat tasks faster and more accurately than even the most experienced human. Copying and pasting data, interpreting applications, and processing transactions can happen smoothly behind the scenes. And you can start small! Even relatively simple changes to your accounting process can make a difference. For example, optical character recognition (OCR) software can scan and digitize receipts, saving hours and inevitable data-entry mistakes. These developments in automated payment processing can speed up the time between invoices submitted and bills paid, keeping clients and employees happy and content. Some accounting automation technologies to look into are Xero, Intuit QuickBooks, FreshBooks, and Wave.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: 

Salesforce surveyed 500 small businesses in 2017. They discovered that companies that automate some of their processes are 1.6 times more likely to grow than those that don't. 

Intuitive automation platforms are helping small businesses grow and scale. They can also help a small business owner get back to the core of what makes their small business unique – custom, personalized interactions, and specialized service offerings.

OUTSOURCE

Outsourcing administrative support tasks to a virtual assistant is another effective way for small business owners and entrepreneurs to save time and focus on growing their businesses. A virtual assistant is skilled, trained, and experienced and can easily handle most of your administrative, back-office support tasks. Virtual assistants like Freedom Makers can be brought on on a part-time or full-time basis, as needed. They can help with many tasks, from scheduling appointments and responding to emails to data entry, research, and scheduling, freeing small business owners and entrepreneurs to focus on more strategic tasks like marketing, sales, and product development. Outsourcing administrative work to a virtual assistant is a cost-effective way to get administrative support without the expense of hiring a full-time employee.

From administrative and technical to marketing and even creative work, the right virtual assistant can exponentially boost a small business' productivity and reduce the stress, and pressure entrepreneurs face. Outsourcing invoicing, data entry, social media, blog writing, and calendar and meeting management to a virtual assistant provides access to high-quality professional support at an hourly rate. 

Employing some new strategies this year could help you refocus on your business goals and put some energy and time into tackling your priorities.

We know there is no one-size-fits-all strategy when it comes to small business operations, but we believe these suggestions are the formula to orient your business toward growth!