Duplicate yourself

You know you should. You know you need to. But oftentimes, you don’t know how to go about running your business more effectively. Duplicating yourself, by hiring correctly, using technology efficiently, and outsourcing tasks, can save you time, money, and most importantly, your sanity as a business owner. 

Outsourcing

Outsourcing tasks is probably the single greatest way you as a small business owner can flourish. Let’s face it, you have far more important (and profitable) tasks to do other than, answering the phone, scheduling, doing accounting. Small business accounting is the repetitive task that I want to hit on most of all: it’s tedious and time-consuming if you’re doing the accounting, and a ticking time-bomb if you’re not. 
We at Ledger & Pen know that you didn't start your business so you could do books, you started your business because you wanted to make a living, change the world, and create value. Please contact us for a free consultation on how we can help you with your accounting. 

Hiring

If you’re a small business owner and don’t have employees currently, hopefully you’re looking forward to the day when your business takes off that you can hire others who share your vision to continue your work. Finding someone who shares your zeal for your industry and yet wants to work alongside you in your pursuits is difficult, but realistic. There are many hard-working people out there who crave the challenge of working in an entrepreneurial venture without being the person in charge. Here’s a great article from Entrepreneur.com regarding hiring your first employee: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/83774. 

Technology

Technology is great, but it does have the tendency to take over your life. The Internet was once touted as a great time-saving mechanism—and indeed still is—but it has taken on a sinister quality in that we have a tendency to spend even more time playing around on the Internet rather than using it to help us get work done. Ironic, right? There are some great resources online for keeping track of your business data, such as QuickBooks Online, Wave Accounting, and Mint.com.

Take off the cape

In regards to a “superhero syndrome,” Chris Ducker, in his book, Virtual Freedom writes, “After all, your business is your baby, and who better to take care of it than the person who gave birth to it—you! However, this will all eventually catch up with you, and the strength that you possess as an entrepreneur will start to backfire. Your superpowers will ultimately begin to control you, eating away at your energy levels and stumping any potential for freedom in your life. They will leave you stressed and overworked, and ultimately you will be no good to anyone or anything—including your business.” If I haven’t mentioned before, Virtual Freedom is an incredible resource on how to hire and work with virtual assistants (VAs) to leverage your time and resources as a business owner. You can find his book on Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Virtual-Freedom-Become-Productive-Business/dp/1939529743