Featured in Inc. Magazine
I’m honored to be featured in this Inc. Magazine article by Bharat Kanodia
Keeping yourself Organized is the foundation for business success.
Although some people like to work in complete and utter chaos, a recent survey showed that over 80% of small businesses in America believed that having an organized office is a critical factor to their business’s success.
Disorganization can lead to important details getting lost in the clutter, meaning you will waste time putting out fires that you could have essentially avoided if you had a bit of organization set up in the office.
To help you avoid this kind of problem, we at The OCI Group have come up with some easy ways to keep yourself and your business organized for success.
- Write down your Procedures
Every successful business has their procedures written down so that everyone is literally on the same page when they need to complete a task. Obviously, you cannot have a procedure for EVERYTHING you do in the office but having the most important ones written down will help with organization.
- Have everything condensed and consolidated
Being well organized is more than just cleaning up the visible clutter in and around your office, it is also about having procedures and tools in place so that your business runs as effectively and efficiently as possible. There are quite a few affordable tools that are available for businesses to stay organized, you just need to find the ones that are suitable for your business.
An important factor to note, don’t have too many tools and procedures, you know the saying – too many cooks spoil the broth – the same comes to using too many tools to streamline your business. Using and implementing too many can cause confusion, making your business less efficient and more disorganized.
- Keep that inbox clean!
Emails are one of the biggest time wasters. A survey completed by Carleton University found that people spend a third of their time on email alone – put that into hours and its 11.7 hours a week you could be using to get things done. Unsubscribe from those newsletters, organize your email into folders, and use categories and rules to help you keep your inbox under control.
Other useful tip that we learnt early on, is to schedule time during your day to tend to your emails. Once this time is over, close your email and start on the new task. Emails can be a horrible distraction when you are busy on a busy task.
- Keep Projects deadlines under control
Any business, whether big or small, is juggling more than one project at a time. Keeping track of the status of these projects can become time consuming and frustrating if other team members do not communicate effectively or meet their deadlines.
To stay on top of everything, simplify the way you communicate with project team members to help everyone stay on the same page. By finding a system that works best for your business, can help you share documents and keep everyone in the loop.
As you can see, staying organized takes more than just a spring clean and keeping your filing up to date. At the end of the day organization is critical to business success and having clearly defined procedures and proper systems in place is half the battle won.
Do you need an accounting system put into place – click here to find out how we can help you with that!
Planning for success in 2019
With the holiday season upon us and the new year just around the corner, it is normally around this time of the year that many businesses start to think about goals for the year to come. Are you considering expanding your products and services, or even hiring on some new people to help get your services and products out into the world?
During this time of the year, offices usually quieten down which gives you just enough breathing space you need to plan for the year ahead. When planning for the next year – here is a list of things we at The OCI Group think you should start with to get the ball rolling:
Business Plan Update
As you already know, any successful business model has a business plan.
Not the kind that you keep stored in the back of your mind, but a physical one that is written down on a piece of paper and been made official. If you do not have a business plan, now is the perfect time to get one set up. Once you have a plan set in motion, review it and make all the adjustments needed. By doing this, you will be able to stay focused on key activities that need to be undertaken to bring you success.
Here are some questions to help you get started
- Financially – where is your business?
- What do your current and anticipated business expenses look like?
- How did you perform on last year’s goals?
- What successes from this year can you build on for next year?
What are your competitors doing?
Once you have your business plan for the next year all set up and reviewed, you need to start looking outside of your company. What outside factors will have an impact on your business going into the new year. Remember to factor in Economic, political and competitive factors – these can all have a positive or negative effect on you and your business reaching your business goals.
By keeping up-to-date with local and international news, you will be able to determine the demand for the product/service you provide, and whether you will need to make provisions or improvements.
Revamp your online presence
Websites are becoming the most important aspect of any business. Most websites are built when the business is started, and often fall by the wayside and are not maintained properly. This could be a great source of potential leads and information for your company. By using tools such as Google Analytics, it will answer questions like:
- Where are your customers coming from?
- What are they looking at?
- What is the conversion level for visitors?
The holiday season is the perfect opportunity for you to take the time and step back from your hectic work schedule. Take this time to assess, adjust and implement new procedures that will help you with your day-to-day management of your business.
How are you getting ready for the new year?
Is your marketing ready for the upcoming holiday season?
The silly season is almost upon us and for most businesses it is one of the best times to showcase your products. Unfortunately, planning for the festive season is sometimes forgotten and all the opportunities are missed. For the best outcomes, you should identify your holiday marketing budget and begin planning well in advanced so that you don’t miss out on great opportunities.
Here are just some ideas to inspire your holiday marketing plan.
Social Promotions
Choose where you want to focus your promotions. It could be in-store, online or even through social media, but you need to start developing these plans earlier on, you need to know what needs to be done for them to be successful. Remember to include time for design, to secure ad placements as well as time for printing and setting up.
Email Marketing Lists
Databases are crucial when it comes to marketing. Update your opt-in messages on your website, landing pages, social media channels and even in-store messages to include a message along the lines of “Sign up to our list now to grab our amazing holiday saving offers.”
Gift Incentives
Have a look at how you can repackage your existing products/services to make them look or feel like presents. Gift cards are always a popular purchase during the holidays, but there are creative ways that you can give your customers products or services as gifts without it being the usual gift card idea.
Event ideas
If you plan to hold in-store specials or local events to promote your business, then you need to start planning and promoting them well in advance. Remember it takes time to secure venues, décor, entertainment and staff. Also have a look at the charities in your local community to find events your business could sponsor for a goodwill boost and some indirect promotion.
Partner with others
This is a perfect time to look in your network for another business you could pair your products/services with. You could offer joint promotions or even co-host events in and around your local community.
The most important thing when it comes to promoting your business during the holiday season is to make sure everything you need for success is in place. Whether it is printing, website changes, or event training staff to handle any situation that might come up. The last thing that you want to happen is for your business to spend money unnecessarily because you were not prepared for a certain situation.
What marketing incentives will you be using this festive season?
