As the business owner, you will always carry an operations load. For many, however, the load can become a burden. Sometimes transitioning tasks off your plate is not possible immediately. There are, however, easy and efficient ways to reduce your operations burden while you build up to offloading it completely.

Take a listen to my engaging conversation about the value of taking breaks and delegating to support your growing business on the Growing Your Team Podcast.

As your business grows and evolves, your operational needs change. The inflection points that trigger needs and the order in which operational support is added is unique to each business. Regardless of the order and timing, there are indicators common to businesses that it is time to add support.

As a small business, your budget often prevents you from having dedicated software that addresses all your unique needs. A spreadsheet is a great tool to fill in the gaps. With so much versatility, why do so many business owners hate using spreadsheets? It is a tool that could be a game changer for your business.

When it comes to streamlining your business and saving time, automation is not the only option. Using templates across your organization can save time and create a more consistent, quality experience for your clients and employees. Not sure where to get started, here are three examples of where templates can help your business.

Businesses today are looking for opportunities to automate their operational activities. Automation has the power to free up time to do higher impact work for the business. In addition to asking if a process can be automated, it is important to also ask if automation is the answer.

Business needs change over time and often we ask more from team members because they are already on the team, not because they are capable. It is important, as an owner, to monitor the capabilities of your team and ensure that their skills, abilities, and motivation align with the needs of your business.

Business owners like to set big goals that align with the vision they have for the company. While the big goals can be motivating, sometimes they feel so far off they can be demoralizing. Do not let big goals diminish your drive. Use simple math to figure out a bite size data point that you can monitor, track, and feel good about your progress towards your larger goal.

We all know it takes money to make money. Yet business owners are intense about watching expenses and not adding anything new that is not necessary or does not have a clear impact on the revenue of the business. In doing so, many opportunities for efficiency and revenue are overlooked. It is time to look at expenses as an opportunity to grow and strengthen your business.

Every business owner knows that money needs to flow into the bank account to maintain the business. The key is to prioritize activities that keep the cash flowing. Cash is king. What are you doing to orchestrate things behind the scenes to keep things moving in the right direction?

The to-do list is a must have for every business owner. Whatever method you use for maintaining your to-do list, it is important that you triage the activities to move from crossing off as many items as possible to selecting the items with the greatest impact.

Reviewing your budget for services and tools and determining if each is a good use of money, energy and time is a great first step in simplifying your budget and your time.

Many business owners are not detail oriented. Yet details and data can have a significant impact on your business. Taking steps today to track details will allow you to grow your business.

Having a routine each morning is an effective way to get ready for work with minimal hiccups. Having a routine that works for you and your lifestyle will make you even more prepared for the day and to drive towards success. The key is to make your routine work for you.

With extensive media coverage on the return-to-office movement, it is easier to assume that everyone is going to back to in-person work. Before you jump on that train, ask yourself what you would be trying to accomplish by changing your workplace structure.

As you prepare for growth, scaling, or even selling your business, it is critical to have a solid foundation for the business to move forward on. While there are many elements to a strong business foundation, there are two that need to be in place for every business.

If someone asked you what it would take to double your revenue, would you have an answer? The question was posed to me and it caught me off-guard. I’ve pulled together key questions to ask as you build your plan to achieve significant growth.

Having a budget creates a mechanism for understanding where you are spending the business’ money and for monitoring if you are on track to achieve your profit goals. Building a budget does not need to be overwhelming. Here are 4 steps to help you get started as you prepare for the new year.

Some say if your business is not growing, it’s dying. But growth can also kill a business owner. You didn’t go into business to lose the life you were living or hurt your health. There are steps you can take to move your business in a direction that will be personally sustainable.

It is easy to assume that what you have tried in the past will not work in the present. But preferences and needs evolve and what you tried previously that did not work out the way you had planned may be exactly what you need in this phase of your business. Sometimes we need to give things a second chance.