6 Productivity Tips for New Entrepreneurs

productivity tips for business goals

Starting and running a new business will require too many tasks to be accomplished by the entrepreneur. Here we will discuss six productivity tips that can help you.

In the early days of your business creation, you’re driven by passion and desire to bring your product or service to the world. Whether aiming to be the world’s next billionaire or simply looking to create financial security and live life on your terms, the entrepreneurship journey can be rewarding, but it’s often demanding and difficult. After all, there’s only so much one person can do!

Because we’re all working the same 24 hours a day, and many of us maintain “day jobs” to help finance our entrepreneurial projects, founders must improve productivity. Killer skills and a willingness to sacrifice will only take you so far.

Here are six productivity tips so you can get more done in less time – so you can reach your business goals and have a bit of time to relax, too.

1. Go Mobile

Who wants to be chained to a computer all day? Many of today’s business applications include a mobile app or mobile web access so that you can take care of tasks from your tablet or smartphone. This frees you up to take care of tasks while you’re waiting for appointments, during your commute on the subway, and in other small moments, you can steal throughout the day.

Because these apps allow everything to sync in the system from the cloud, all the information you add to an account from your phone will be readily accessible on your computer when you’re ready to sit down and work.

2. Embrace Automation

Handling everything you need to do for your business manually is time-consuming and often means certain things don’t get done. With tools such as Zapier and If This Then That (IFTTT) you can create actions that will automatically happen under certain conditions.

For instance, when you receive an email with an attachment, the attachment can automatically upload to Google Drive. When you post a social media update on Facebook, it can automatically go to Twitter, too. Though these take time to set up initially, automation will save you a great deal of time and energy in the long run.

3. Digitize All Records

Using digital solutions instead of standard pen and paper keeps things simple. There’s no risk of losing important documents, and it’s easy to share files for collaboration.

For example, when you meet new business connections, it’s common to exchange business cards. Instead of keeping a pile of them in a desk drawer, you can use the Salesforce business card scanner to upload the contact information to your Salesforce customer relationship management (CRM) software.

4. Look for Integrations

What apps and programs are you already using? Look for ways you can integrate the things you’re already using to simplify their overall use and improve your workflows.

For instance, your CRM may integrate with accounting, email marketing, chat, and collaboration tools. These integrations will save you a lot of time because you can take care of things from a central location and trust that the data will transfer where needed.

If you find an app, you must absolutely use it for your business but realize it doesn’t have the necessary integrations to create a smooth and efficient workflow. You can use the automation tools listed above to create your integrations.

5. Hire Contractors

While you may have a broad and unique skill set, the reality is most people don’t possess 100% of the skills and expertise they need to start and maintain their businesses optimally. When it comes to something you don’t know well or don’t have the time to do yourself, there is absolutely nothing wrong with hiring contractors to help you get the job done. Depending on your business needs, you can hire people as needed for a one-time gig or ongoing help.

As your business grows, you can use contractors to scale your products or services. When you reach a certain point, you may decide to start hiring official employees and offering benefits, or you can continue to offer independent contractor status to allow your staff to maintain flexibility of their own.

Thanks to platforms such as UpWork and Fiverr, it’s easy to find people with the skills and expertise you need to complement your own at affordable rates.

6. Pay Close Attention to Free Solutions

One of the most important lessons to learn as an entrepreneur is that free tools are helpful but aren’t always the best option to ensure maximum productivity.

In some instances, it’s well worth it to pay for the premium version of something to get extra features to make your life easier. Remember, investing in your business is investing in your future – and it’s worth it, as long as you’re smart about it.

If there’s a service you’re not sure about, take advantage of free trials to see how it might fit into your workflow before you commit to paying for it. Many services that offer a free-forever version with basic features offer limited trials of higher-tier plans with additional features.

Wrapping Up

Using these productivity tips to help you boost productivity should make it easier to reach your business goals faster.

However, for the greatest productivity, it’s also important to recognize the value of rest. You cannot burn the candle at both ends and expect to work at your best. It’s better to walk away and take a break to produce higher quality results than to slave away for hours on end and have a mediocre result.