7 effective time-saving strategies that help me run my small business

7 effective time-saving strategies that help me run my small business

Here are some of the best ways to save time in business.

I run a very lean business and am consistently ensuring everything runs as efficiently and effectively as possible. And... this focus is what allowed me to achieve a six-figure revenue in under six hours per week. These days I work more like 10 - 15 hours per week now that we’ve built sustainability but because I’m so incredibly multi-passionate, I essentially run two businesses, in addition to being an active partner in my husband’s business…. Whilst parenting and doing all the things.  

Here are some rules and things I do that have allowed me to save time, so that I can be uber-effective and spend my time having a life, being with my kids AND being profitable:

  1. If I need to do it more than once, make it a rule. In my email inbox and accounting software, if I have to do something more than once, (like code an expense or file an email in a folder) - I create a rule so it happens automatically and I don't have to do it again.
  2. I don't prioritise email unless it's from clients. My fertility email account is bananas with cold pitches and people who want to come on the podcast for which the answer is almost always a 'no' and receipts. Your entire day can get sucked up by responding to people - and this is not a task that moves the needle. I reply, but on my own time, and in a chunk of time.
  3. I choose function over form Meaning... I try to add value rather than make everything look pretty. In the same way, I didn't prioritise logos and branding and photo shoots until much further along. I prioritised the things that would move the needle in my business.
  4. I have strong business boundaries. When you don't cut yourself off from your work... it bleeds into everything you do and feels like it's never-ending. Parkinson's Law states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion - so, I am super dedicated with my time.
  5. I am consistently simplifying my business. My core value is discovery so it's hard for me to stop creating, but instead of 12 funnels, 12 products and a complicated sales process - I keep it simple. It doesn't need to be complicated to be profitable.
  6. I take things off my plate, in this order
    1.  What can I eliminate? (What things are actually not worth my time and can just be cut out?) 
    2. What can I automate? (What things can I automate in my business so that nobody needs to touch it and it just happens?) 
    3. What can I delegate? (What things are dominating my time and don't need to be done by me?)
  7. I focus on just one thing at a time. Business can be incredibly overwhelming. There will always be edits that need to be made to the website. There will always be new social media channels. But instead of trying to do all the things, I think about one program and work my way backwards by thinking of 'what is the next thing that needs to be done to get there.
Your business is there to serve you in creating the life that you want, and for me in particular I know that time with my kids is so incredibly precious. That doesn’t mean that you should put everything down to serve them - my business absolutely fills my cup and I’ve been focused on my bigger picture vision - but it does mean that I consistently work to make it as efficient and effective as possible. This is exactly how I was able to get to a six-figure revenue, whilst only working six hours per week - in the margins of my 9 - 5 and naptimes.  

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Daily tips on growing your audience, impact and revenue (without sacrificing your life): @robynbirkin

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