Planning

  • Online Courses, Planning

    How to Productise Your Services and Get Online

    Productising your services is an excellent way to get online and expand your reach. By creating a product out of your services, you can provide a clear value proposition to your potential customers and streamline your delivery process.

    How to Productise Your Services and Get Online

    Here are some steps you can take to productise your services and get online:

    1. Identify your core services: Take a look at the services you currently offer and determine which ones are most in demand and have the potential to be turned into a product.
    1. Define your target audience: Determine who your ideal customer is for your product. This will help you tailor your marketing efforts and messaging to reach the right audience.
    1. Create a package: Develop a package that clearly defines what your product includes, such as the scope of work, timeline, and pricing. This can be in the form of a brochure or webpage.
    1. Develop a pricing model: Determine how you will price your product. This could be a one-time fee, a subscription model, or a tiered pricing structure.
    1. Talk about your product: Develop a landing page and create some social media buzz to promote your product. Make sure your messaging is clear and targeted to your ideal customer.
    1. Streamline your delivery process: Create processes and systems that enable you to efficiently deliver your product to your customers. This could include using project management software, setting up payment systems, creating templates and checklists to streamline your workflow.

    By productising your services, you can establish yourself as an expert in your field, reach a wider audience, and provide a more efficient and streamlined delivery process for your customers.

    What service could you productise today, to start building a suite of online products?

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  • Organisation, Planning

    TIME MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE YOUR PRODUCTIVITY

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    Finding more time in the day is something we all chase. Managing your time comes down to how organised and self-disciplined you are. Getting more done and being more productive is a result of excellent time management skills.

    Too many of us are faced with the realisation that you haven’t accomplished a fraction of what you intended to. Brian Tracy says “time management is the core skill upon which everything else in life depends.” So we must improve how we manage the irreplaceable time we do have and be smart about it.

    Here are five key strategies that will help you maximise your time in order to be more productive:

    Track Your Time

    In order to remove inefficiencies, you need to first know where they are. Keep track of time spent on activities and projects. Evaluate how much time it takes you to accomplish tasks from start to finish. This data will help you identify what tasks are more important and which ones you get the biggest return from. As well as those tasks you are not so good at and are big time wasters, which then you may want to consider delegating or outsourcing. A software like Toggl is a great tool to track and dissect precisely how your workday is spent.

    Eliminate Distractions

    To keep yourself from wasting time, remove social media and email notifications from your desktop and mobile device. Don’t check your email first thing in the morning as this can get you off track too easily. Block time to check email and social media throughout the day at your least productive times. While sites won’t be completely out of reach, this practice can keep you from checking updates on impulse. Social media is statistically one of our biggest productivity wasters and with our phones an extension of our computer it becomes increasingly hard to avoid distractions. A tool like Moment is great for tracking how much time you’re picking up your phone each day.

    Be Prepared and Plan

    At the end of each day reflect on what you achieved that day, and what you need to work on achieving the next day. Break tasks down into small achievable tasks and limit the number of tasks you set yourself each day. By planning your day in advance your work will go faster and smoother and you will feel more in control.

    Determine Priorities

    You’ve prepared and planned what you are doing for the day or week, now you need to prioritise them. Go through all your tasks and break them down into the following:

    • Now – Urgent tasks
    • Next – Important tasks
    • Later – Not important tasks

    Re-evaluate these priorities each day and focus your time on the important tasks first, therefore they will be kept to a minimum and help alleviate stress.

    Schedule Your Time

    When you have various projects on the go and are working tirelessly between them all you feel like you’re not actually completing anything because you are essentially task switching. To give your projects and tasks the attention they deserve set larger blocks of time aside to ensure you have limited distractions and complete one thing before moving onto the next. Knowing what time of day you are most productive also enables you to schedule when to get the most important tasks done.

    The better organised and more in control you are will help you focus on what the most important aspects of your schedule are. This will also enable greater flexibility to make changes and adapt when required.

    Original article published online in Business Business Business

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  • Planning

    THREE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR THE SUMMER SEASON

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    With holidays fast approaching put yourself in the best position to rejoin the office brimming with new ideas, informative and entertaining solutions.

    Now is the perfect time to invest some energy in making some extra effort during the summer holidays, it will help to lay the groundwork for future success once business picks up again, post-holidays.

    Here are three key business management tips to keep in mind this summer season:

    1. Revisit old leads and unfinished projects

    When business is busy, it’s easy to fall into the trap of treading water, putting out fires, and only responding to the most urgent client queries. The Summer holidays are a great time to revisit your long-term marketing goals or revive some unfinished projects. For example: Are there old leads who said they weren’t interested when you first contacted them months ago, or asked you to call back another time? Take some time now, during the slow season, to get back in touch. Sales leads that went cold might warm up again when given a fresh contact during the slow season, when others also have time to reflect.

    2. Reevaluate your business processes

    Summer is a good time to take a look at the big picture of your business processes and try to make corrections and improvements. Are there things you could fix or upgrade with your systems to make it easier for your staff and clients? Do your procedures need an update due to internal changes throughout the year.

    Also take a look at your overall business management tactics: What are you doing with automation, what could you be doing differently? Could you do more with marketing to generate more sales leads via your website and social media channels? Are there certain IT systems that are outdated and require some investment? Now is a good time to cut back on tasks that aren’t bearing results.

    3. Establish a growth plan

    Take some time during the holidays to reflect on you, your business and your purpose. People spend so much time giving to clients and others around us that we often don’t take the time to focus on our own goals.

    Knowing who your audience is and what problem you solve is the backbone of your business, otherwise, why are you doing what you’re doing? Take the time to look at your existing client base and nail down your ideal client. Identify where your revenue streams are coming from. What streams could you focus on or add to help increase profits? Once you’ve identified these streams, will they be sustainable in the long run, or is now the time to make some changes?

    Your employees are also your best business asset, take this holiday period to look at ways to help your team stay motivated for the year to come. These days it’s not all about the dollars, investing in things such as office furniture, social activities and even training are worth more.

    Remember, Summer is a great time to look back on what was and plan for the future, use your time wisely. Treat this time as an opportunity to really work on your business operations. So, even if the phone is not ringing, there are things you can do right now to get ready for bigger results once the work comes rolling in. Where are you going to start?

    Original article published online in Inside Small Business 

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  • Planning

    HOW TO DO A MID-YEAR ASSESSMENT

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    Can you believe it’s already halfway through the year! At the beginning of the year, you probably sat down and did some planning and goal setting for the New Year. But what have you done with that information? In most cases it’s just filed away, stored in an online folder, and never to be seen again, or maybe at least until you undergo the same exercise for next year. 

    How can you really strive to achieve your goals and targets if you have no idea how you’re actually tracking before it’s too late. Taking a mid-year goal assessment helps to measure your progress so you can re-evaluate and adjust for the second half of the year.

    Assess Your Progress 

    Which goals have you made progress on? Which goals are you struggling with? Measuring your progress involves looking at the numbers. If your goal is to get 20 leads, how many have you actually got thus far? When was the last time you contacted them? Have you followed up with any of them?  Knowing if you’ve won or lost a lead is crucial to building your business, so it’s vital you know these numbers.  This also applies for revenue targets, social media targets and so much more. 

    • Make sure you’re tackling the right goal at the right time
    • Think about the time required in pursuing these goals
    • Ensure the goals are aligned with your values

    Keeping track of what you’re accomplishing will inform your progress, therefore help you achieve your goal.

    Evaluate Techniques  

    Now that you know where you’re succeeding and where you’re struggling, think about why. If you’re succeeding at your goals it’s likely because you’ve planned time to work on them. You’re able to anticipate exactly what you need and you’re setting yourself up for success by allotting time for it. But what about the goals you’re struggling with? Have a look at what is preventing you from meeting the goal? Think of ways you can anticipate the actions required to meet your goals. Planning ahead and anticipating obstacles will leave you less blindsided by unanticipated events, and help you meet your goals more consistently. The key is evaluating what works, and why, and how you can apply it to other areas of your life.

    Focus on the actions, not the outcome.

    Adjust Your Timeline  

    Evaluating and adjusting your goals incrementally is an effective way to educate yourself about how you accomplish your goals, and to motivate you to stay on track. By taking the time to assess the progress of your goals, you take what you learn from the first half of the year and apply it going forward. It can also make your goal less daunting. 

    On a blank piece of paper write down what you want to accomplish and how you want to feel by the end of year.

    If you realise your on the wrong path, there’s no sense sticking to a goal that isn’t going to get you where you want to go. Or perhaps taking a slightly different direction or approach to the same goal may be the better way to go. Take stock of those smaller actionable steps that will help you achieve your goals, do they need a little tweak instead?

    Just because you’ve committed to these goals doesn’t mean you have to carry it through, because you said you would. Goals are designed to be a guide, change is inevitable and a thing called “Life” happens, but it’s how you respond and take action that will set you apart.

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  • Planning, Productivity

    STAY ACCOUNTABLE WHEN YOU WORK FOR YOURSELF

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    From the lonely corner of my home that is my office… If you’re not there right now, you’ve probably been there or you’ve had to work from home while in your day-day job.

    One of the biggest slaps in the face for me when I began working from home was how different it was to walk into an office or corporate environment every day. As soon as you got there you were switched on and knew exactly what you were doing because there were other employees and even your boss there to help you remain accountable. You had no choice but to perform!

    But then the washing would need doing, the dishes should be cleaned, I’ll just send this one message and make this quick phone call, I should really then put a post on Facebook… In the realm of what is my comfort zone, my humble abode, I actually had no idea what I was meant to be doing!

    Being your own boss and working for yourself does have a lot of perks, but you should not kid yourself either. Being accountable to yourself is the biggest thing you should NOT take for granted, otherwise, you could end up having a hobby and not a business. 

    Everyone is motivated in different ways but ultimately motivation is about having a reason for doing something. Fortunately, accountability is a big driver for people to get motivated and this is often why people source Coaches or Mentors to help with outside accountability.

    The 3 biggest things I find that help with keeping myself accountable are:

    Apply Deadlines

    Deadlines end up forcing you to think about what it will take to accomplish your particular goals. There is nothing like a strict deadline to help you prioritise your workflow. You will push yourself to get everything done. If we didn’t have deadlines with consequences we would lack commitment, motivation and our goals and tasks would go on and on.

    Set Micro Goals

    Goals are always great to know what you’re working towards, but they can seem very far-fetched if you don’t have a strategy to actually achieve them. Micro-goals are like action steps that you take along the way, when accomplished, serve as building blocks to your larger goals.

    Reward Yourself

    Rewards all work the same, they encourage us to work harder to get something we want. They can come in the form of promotions, bonuses, gifts, events and even non-monetary rewards such as a kid-free night in, an afternoon off to read, etc. 

    Think about it, if you were an employee your manager provides formal feedback at regular intervals in the form of a performance review. Whether quarterly, semi-annually or annually. So instead make a habit of managing yourself by taking an hour to perform a self-review.

    Ask yourself: what have I accomplished in the least year or month? Have I met my goals? Have I met my micro-goals? Have I built upon strengths and improved my weaknesses? Have I grown as a person? Even this simple, infrequent habit can transform your productivity, motivation, and success.

    If this doesn’t work for you, look into creating an accountability with a group of like-minded business people and meet regularly. 

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  • Planning

    BENEFITS OF GOAL SETTING & PLANNING

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    What do you want your year ahead to look like?

    A new year is fast approaching and like many of us, we’re all in planning mode just wondering how it’s going to be!

    While we understand the importance of goal setting and planning spending a great deal of time and money coming up with the strategic plan, it still remains something that is reviewed just once a year or worse – a glossy document that sits on the shelf!

    “If you don’t know where you are going, you are certain to end up somewhere else.” – Yogi Berra

    Motivating yourself to set goals and plan ahead, is to think more closely about the benefits this activity may bring you. There are many benefits that go along with goal setting and strategic planning. 

    Goal setting can help bring your business:

    A clearer focus

    Having clearly set out goals with my intentions and desires

    Effective use of time

    Time is a resource and by goal setting and doing some strategic planning it can become apparent that if you want to improve your time management, you need to stop doing what doesn’t need to be done or isn’t working

    Peace of mind

    Too often a lot of us have too many tabs open as the saying goes. By mind dumping and writing down goals it helps me to take all those ideas and plans, prioritise and apply them with perspective and commitment 

    Clarity on decision making

    Figuring out what has been working, what hasn’t been working, and is this getting me closer to my goals

    Easier measurement of what you do

    By setting goals especially SMART goals that are Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant and Time-Bound goals I can measure how effective I am during the year and if I’m moving toward my goals

    Your business’ strategic plan will become your company’s guide or blueprint.It will serve to remind you of your company’s core values and mission. It will help to redirect your energy when faced with tough decisions. Here are some key benefits to strategic planning:

    Direction

    One of the challenges faced by many is the lack of knowing how to proceed. During the planning process, you determine what tasks need to be completed. The planning process provides direction for you, your team and your business.

    Accountability

    During the planning process, activities should be assigned to you or the team, which creates a sense of responsibility. You hold the responsibility of those tasks and can be held accountable by making them part of your One Page Strategic Plan. Having a coach or other team members together with a Business One Page Strategic Plan helps keep everyone on track and in control of where you are headed. When activities are not completed it places a higher priority on fulfilling the requirements of this One Page Strategic Plan and achieving objectives. 

    Proactiveness 

    A strategic plan allows your business to foresee its future and to prepare accordingly. Through strategic planning, you can anticipate certain unfavourable scenarios before they happen and take necessary precautions to avoid them. With a strong strategic plan, you can be proactive rather than merely reacting to situations as they arise. Being proactive allows your business to keep up with the ever-changing trends in the market and always stay one step ahead of the competition.   

    Increases Efficiency

    A strategic plan provides you a roadmap to align your business activities to achieve set goals. It guides discussions and decision-making in determining what requirements are needed to accomplish set objectives helping increase operational efficiency.

    it is better to work smarter than harder. A well-thought-out strategic plan with objectives and goals will help you to work more efficiently rather than harder. Additionally, a strategic plan is a philosophy to share with those around you, enabling everyone to work together towards achieving your business goals.

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