An efficient business is a productive business. If you want to succeed, you often have to do more with less. The following business hacks will help streamline your business and keep you moving in the right direction.
Online Accounting & Bookkeeping
The ability to manage your business’ finances is one of the most important and difficult tasks. In a fast-paced and mobile business world, you need an accounting solution that keeps up with you and can be accessed whether you are in Detroit or Dubai.
Online accounting programs allow users to scan receipts from their smartphones, send professional invoices and make tax preparation easier. Online accounting software, like Sage One, is affordable and integrates seamlessly with your bank account. Sage is also compatible with a variety of world currencies.
Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant (VA) can help tame your inbox and provide assistance with many other tasks, which enables you to focus your attention on more important matters. Other tasks to consider outsourcing to a virtual assistant include scheduling, social media management and travel planning.
You can hire a VA just when you need one, for as long as need one, so you don’t have to keep an additional employee on the payroll. You are not obligated to stay with one VA, either, so you can find the perfect fit for your specific task. There are dedicated agencies where you can hire VAs, like Zirtual and numerous sites that cater to freelancers. Some agencies are based overseas, so be sure to check your VA’s English-language skills before you hand over a task like email management.
The Cloud
If you aren’t already using cloud-based services to run your business, you need to start. Cloud-based services range from online storage to accounting solutions. The benefits are numerous, but being able to get to all of your company’s information at all times saves you from running back to the office or tracking down somebody who has the information you need. Here are a few cloud-based programs to consider:
- Google Drive: This is a nice suite of cloud-based business apps that have become increasingly popular. It is easy-to-use and it simplifies group work. For the price, it’s hard to beat.
- Dropbox: This is one of the oldest and most popular online storage services around. You can use it as your primary storage or have it act as a backup to your Google Drive account. Like Google Drive, you can send links to documents, which makes it easy to get big chunks of data where it needs to go.
- DocuSign Pro: With this online tool, you no longer need to mail or fax forms back-and-forth to collect signatures. It is simple-to-use and affordable, which is great for your small business budget.
There are plenty of other online services that can help you streamline your business. Take the time to sit down and see what tasks are holding up your process or where you need to cut back on overhead expenses. Then, use a technology hack to keep your business moving in the right direction.
Let us know what tips and tricks you’ve utilized to help increase your productivity and boost your business by leaving a message below.
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