Business Buzz - Making You Famous

We love small businesses! There are so many advantages to being a small business but there can also be disadvantages. Don’t let something simple like organization be one of them. Getting organized can sometimes feel like an overwhelming task, but it doesn’t have to be. We’ve come up with four simple tips that can help take your organization from something that’s holding you back to something that will help you be even more productive!

1. Organize your Space– We know how fast paper can take over an office. You don’t want to be digging through papers trying to find new contracts when meeting with a potential client. File what needs to stay, digitize what you can, and shred the rest. If you don’t have a scanner in house there are apps for your smartphone or tablet.

Which brings up another good clearing tactic. If you haven’t touched a piece of equipment in your office in over a year, it doesn’t need to be there. Just get rid of it! Your office is not a storage closet; it’s your company’s space to make impressions on clients – and no one wants to do business with someone whose office looks like a hoarder’s nest.

We suggest you check out Pinterest for tons of ways you can organize even the smallest space. They even have fun ways to organize the smallest of things, right down to your paperclips.

2. Declutter your digital– Now that you’ve taken what you can and turned it digital, don’t let it pile up on your computer. Go through all your old files and delete the ones you don’t need. Organize the ones you want to keep into folders so you know where they are stored.

This same principle applies to email too. Don’t let you inbox become overcrowded with old emails and miss important new messages. Most email hosts now have options for automatically sorting your emails into categories, so you can easily filter through subscriptions and social media alerts to the things that really matter. Or an application like Unroll.me can combine your subscription emails into one daily overview, saving you time.

3. Use the Cloud-Now that you are organizing your digital files, it is the perfect time to make sure you are using cloud storage. With free options like Google Drive and Dropbox available, cloud storage is a good way to make sure your files are securely stored and can be accessed from almost anywhere. Saving things in the cloud can be a good way to stay organized, too. Your task lists can be accessible remotely and by all employees, and important client documents can be viewed right on your smart phone, so the information you need is always at your fingertips.

4. Take Care of your taxes-It’s inevitable and it’s here. Tax season is upon us and you don’t want to wait until the last minute to make sure your business taxes are taken care of. Being organized in all the ways above will help make your gathering your tax documents go so much smoother. We suggest meeting with a professional if this is your first time (or maybe even your fiftieth time) filing business taxes. They can tell you what to look out for, how to keep records and what you should save. Building a filing system up front will save you hours of time and volumes of grief later on.

Being organized will help your business organization run smoother and allow you to be more productive. If organization isn’t your forte just take it one step (or tip) at a time. It can be hard to change but getting organized will allow your business to thrive. For more great tips about business, marketing and everything in between, check out our blog and facebook page.