What’s a Growth Phase?
Owning your own business comes with a lot of perks. You can work at your own pace and schedule, you can complete tasks the way you like them, and you don’t have to answer to anyone but yourself. On the flip side, however, it can be challenging to really get your business off the ground and in a good financial flow. Things like marketing, networking, and growing your client list all take time. Growing your business is the goal of just about every business owner. But how do you know when you’ve hit that sweet spot and need to think about getting some help? How can you be proactive and what are some things you can tackle right away to stay ahead of the curve?
You might be in a growth phase if:
You’re seeing a consistent increase in demand for your service or product
You are no longer capable of handling this increase on your own
You are feeling overwhelmed, disorganized and things might be getting missed
You’d like to hire some help but don’t know where to start
The good news is, being in a growth phase is an amazing thing! All your hard work is paying off and you’re now beginning to thrive! The bad news is, if you can’t sustain this growth, you are likely to lose it and be back at square one.
Here are some things you can start doing NOW to be proactive:
Get organized! I’m talking emails, documents, how you structure your time and workflow - all of it. Find a system that works for you and nail it down.
Document your tasks right away! Even the most mundane task that you repeat over and over should be documented. The idea being that you save time (and ultimately money) by moving through tasks quicker, freeing you up to work on more revenue generating activities.
Start thinking about where you need help. Even if you want to start with a part-time administrative assistant, think about what tasks you’ll want them to complete, how many hours/shifts you’d like for them to work and how you plan to find this person.
Obviously this isn’t the whole list, but this is a pretty good place to start. Managing your time, documenting how to complete daily tasks and starting to plan for help will at least push you in the right direction and give you an edge when you start seeing that influx.
