Small business entrepreneurs always have a hard time getting started. It is not easy to make a place for yourself on the market, and often many entrepreneurs don’t even make it there. Ecommerce makes things a bit easier for merchants since it is easier to set up an online store, and it is cheaper to take care of it.

That being said, there are a few tips that can help small businesses grow bigger and stronger so that they can compete even with big brands. Here are some of the tips you should follow to better market yourself online.

Content Marketing

In the digital age, content marketing is one of the best marketing tools. The best thing is that there are many free ways to realize this. First of all, it is essential to have a blog. Use the blog to talk about your products and services and show that you are a credible brand that can be trusted by customers.

Your blog doesn’t have to use only words, and it can also come with some beautiful visual items. You can use infographics to explain the most critical points.

Make sure that your viewers remain interested in your blog. Don’t merely use your blog to promote yourself. Instead, you must think about your readers and create valuable content that answers key questions that your viewers may have.

You should also take advantage of social media. It is free, and it attracts a lot of attention if used properly. Social media usually requires a lot of pictures, so that is what you need to focus on. Create a Facebook account and an Instagram page and make sure that you keep them regularly updated.

Content marketing may sound like a big task, but you can always outsource your efforts by hiring blog writers and social media experts, so you have a consistent flow of content and promotion.

Produce Videos For Your Products

While pictures are beneficial, you can’t see all the details in a picture. Try to take things to the next level and include videos for your products. Customers will understand better how the product looks and works, and it will be more likely that they will buy that product. 73% more visitors who watch the video will buy.

To increase the chances that your videos will convert, make sure they are well shot and clear enough, and if you can, use proper lighting.

You may find it easier to record a 30-60-second video than to write content surrounding your products and services. Make sure your lighting is good, and the picture is clear. You can even bulk record several videos on one day to save time.

Use Ecommerce Platforms

Small business entrepreneurs can receive a lot of help from e-commerce platforms such as Shopify. Shopify helps merchants sell online, and they take care of most of the technical details. For example, Shopify will let you choose a theme for your store, and it will help you set up your payment options.

If you are interested in acquiring a store that is already set up, Shopify has an app called Exchange by Shopify that you can use for this purpose. If you find it hard to get started with your business, you can always buy a store that is already created. With Exchange, you can see the exact traffic and the revenue data since Shopify provides them.

User-Generated Content

It is crucial to receive feedback from your customers since it can also influence other possible buyers. Reviews can help your business, but they can be quite hard to obtain sometimes.

You can try offering a discount for any person who writes a review or leaves feedback for use in testimonials. Some customers only buy if they have seen authentic reviews and testimonials. Odds are, you have pleased some people in the past and should have collected a review from them. 

It takes hardly any time to reach out and ask that they give feedback or set up an automatic email with a survey link for them to use.

Build a Sales Funnel

If you don’t have a sales funnel, you could be missing out on a ton of opportunities to reel in new customers. Setting up a sales funnel is easy, and it’s one of the most efficient ways to grow your business.

Let’s break down why. To grow your business, you need more customers. For customers to buy, they often need to know like and trust your business.

You can easily do this with an email funnel. Create an offer for people to receive when they opt into your email list. Then, once they sign up, you can automatically add them to a sequence of emails that are helpful but also allow you to market your business.

Focus on offering helpful tips, information, and resources as part of your email-funnel. Becoming a resource for your customers and clients pain points can help people get more familiar with your business and how it can help them. When it’s time to present your offer, it will be a much easier sell for the people who have gone through your email funnel.

Summary

To grow your business efficiently, focus on automation and outsourcing once you nail down the best strategy. You can put a lot of tasks on autopilot once you have a clear plan and know how to execute it.

Using the strategy mentioned in this article, you can continue forward and get familiar with the right tools and resources to help you succeed.

Even if you enjoy going to work, it can take a toll on your overall health. For example, working in an office, your entire career can literally kill you. Between sitting all-day, unhealthy eating habits, and stress, it’s easy to see why this isn’t an exaggeration. Throw in financial insecurity, work-life conflicts, and problems that exist outside of work, and you also have a team who may be struggling with their mental health as well. Leaders can improve mental health in the workplace.

Your first instinct may be, well, that’s not my problem. But, consider the fact that according to a report from the Mental Health in the Workplace Summit found for that for U.S. adults between the ages of 15 to 44 that mental illness is the leading cause of disability. Additionally, mental health is the leading cause of absenteeism — even ahead of sickness or injury. As a consequence, that negatively impacts your bottom line.

Why you should care about your employee’s well-being.

When employees are absent, that means they could miss deadlines because they’re playing catch-up with their work. Or, it could mean asking other team members to pick up the slack. Pulling these individuals puts additional stress on them because now they have a heavier workload and are busting their tails to get everything completed on time.

Even when employees are at work, they’re not always 100% present. Their minds are not focused on what work needs to get done. But, it’s somewhere else — like worrying about how they’re going to pay for a bill or manage conflict at home.

As if that weren’t enough, when not addressed mental can also affect a person’s physical health, or change their behavior. More problematic is that they may turn to unhealthy habits like drinking, smoking, or drug use to cope.

Ultimately, mental health brings productivity to a screeching halt. Employees with depression report their productivity at 70% of their peak performance. Furthermore, the World Health Organization states that depression and anxiety have cost the global economy a staggering $1 trillion annually because of lost productivity.

So, yeah. The mental health of your employees should be a priority. It’s not just because it impacts your business. But, also because you’re an emotionally intelligent leader who genuinely cares for his or her peeps.

And you also can improve their mental health. Want to know how? Start by using the following five tactics to improve mental health within your organization.

1. Frequently check-in with your team members.

The most comfortable place to start is to get to know your staff and check-in with them. When they’re taking a break, stop by their desk and ask how everything’s going. For your remote team, you can shoot them an email asking the same question. It’s a proven way to show them that you actually care about them as people and value them as employees.

More importantly, it builds trust. When you work with the same people every day, you can begin to notice when something’s off. Don’t just brush this aside. Take this as an opportunity to be supportive. You don’t want to pry. But, if they trust you, they may open up and let you know what’s wrong. From there, you could share suggestions or inquire about how you can help. Sometimes, however, they need someone to listen to them.

I’ve also found that it’s useful to be transparent about your own mental health. I know entrepreneurs think that they’re flawless. But, we’ve all been through our own struggles. Opening up about your own mental health illustrates to others that this is a safe environment where one’s well-being isn’t swept under the carpet.

2. Foster a positive work environment.

Positive work environments are more productive. They can also reduce turnover and improve employee happiness and satisfaction. Best of all? They’re not too difficult to construct if you do the following:

• Develop a core set of values and priorities, so everyone is aligned towards a common goal and has meaning to their work.
• Establish appropriate organizational policies, such as strict policies again, bullying and sexual harassment.
• Greet your team every morning when they arrive to work.
• Enhance your own emotional intelligence so that you can be empathetic and aware of how others are feeling.
• Show gratitude and appreciation for all the hard work your team does.
• Create a more comfortable and productive workplace, such as providing your team with ergonomic furniture. Also, let your employees personalize their own workspaces and place lots of plants throughout the office.
• Never use fear as a tactic to motivate your team.
• Have some fun by celebrating milestones and playing games like team building activities.

3. Have clarity, while granting autonomy.

I used to get so frustrated when working with my dad either around the house or at his business. He wasn’t always the best at giving directions. There were definitely times when he said, “Pick that up and put it over there,” as he pointed to several different areas.

Just imagine how your team would feel if you weren’t clearly explaining what their responsibilities are and what you expect from them. I’m sure they would be stressed and just as irked as I was with my dad.

At the same time, you don’t want to micromanage employees. Once they know what needs to be done, let them take the ball and run with it. Granting them ownership shows that you trust them to work however and wherever they see fit. In turn, this motivates them to be more productive.

Additionally, those battling mental health often feel powerless. So, when a struggling individual more control over their work, they feel empowered and free to make their own decisions.

And, if you allow your employees to have more flexible schedules, then they won’t be afraid to take a mental health day when they need it. The reason is that if need a break today, it’s not the end of the world. They’ll take the day off and get back to work tomorrow feeling refreshed.

4. Promote work/life balance.

We all want our team members to put in a good day’s work. But, that doesn’t mean we expect them to arrive early, stay late, and answer your emails as soon as it’s sent. Doing so will only make them more stressed and anxious. And, eventually, they’ll get burned out.

Encourage everyone, even yourself, to take frequent breaks throughout the day. Suggest that employees take a vacation. And, do not bother your team when they’re off-the-work. That means no midnight texts or emails during the weekend. They need this time to disconnect and attend to their own lives outside of work.

5. Invest in your employee’s well-being.

Finally, make your team’s well-being a top priority. You can start by offering EAP benefits. You can also provide gym memberships, mental health screenings, healthy snacks, and meditation rooms. And, you could host in-service events that focus on areas like stress management or have more meetings outside.

And, as I already mentioned, don’t punish your employees if they need to take a mental health day or leave work early to speak with a counselor. I mean you wouldn’t give them any grief if they had a dentist appointment, right?

Legendary film critic Roger Ebert once said, “I believe empathy is the most essential quality of civilization.” And, from my own personal experiences, I couldn’t agree more. The first example that comes to mind was a former boss. I learned a lot from him on how to be an effective leader, and I greatly respected him. That’s why I was taken aback on one specific occasion. This boss taught me why empathy is the most critical leadership skill as a result of “doing it wrong.”

An acquaintance of mine had been in a car accident. Unfortunately, he passed away. The next day while at work, I was lost in thought and not really myself. I overheard my boss ask a co-worker what my problem was.

While I was upset, I was still at work and able to do my job. I was surprised that the boss didn’t ask me what was going on directly. And why say this to someone right next to me where I would overhear? This particular individual boss must have had lower-emotional-intelligence to act in this manner. I obviously wasn’t broadcasting this news to my co-workers. Maybe this boss was busy — but in my grieving self — I took his actions as a sign that he lacked empathy, and that bothered me. I didn’t necessarily want to explain what was going on. I just wanted him to understand that emotionally, I wasn’t at 100 percent.

Since then, I’ve made it a point to be an empathetic person — at work and home. It’s actually something that I continue to work on since I feel it’s helped me become a better person. On top of that, I would say that empathy is also arguably the most important skill one can possess –especially when you’re in a leadership role.

What is empathy, and why is it important?

In simplest terms, empathy is putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. However, Psychology Today has a more detailed definition; “Empathy is the experience of understanding another person’s thoughts, feelings, and condition from his or her point of view, rather than from one’s own. Empathy facilitates prosocial or helping behaviors that come from within, rather than being forced, so that people behave in a more compassionate manner.”

There are three types of empathy:

• Affective empathy is being able to understand someone else’s emotions and respond appropriately.
• Somatic empathy is where physically experience what someone else is experiencing. For example, you may blush when you see someone who has just been embarrassed.
• Cognitive empathy is when you’re able to understand another person’s mental state, like thinking about what is going through their mind.

When you’re able to experience empathy, you’re more likely to build and fortify social connections. It also encourages you to regulate your own emotions. And it promotes helping behaviors.

Those aren’t just amazing traits as a person; they’re also ones that will make you a better leader. Empathy is always important in life, but here are the reasons empathy is so meaningful for leadership, as well.

It’s in our DNA.

“Evolutionary biology and neuroscience have taught us that humans are hard-wired for empathy from birth,” wrote Maria Ross in a previous Entrepreneur article. While writing her book, The Empathy Edge: Harnessing the Value of Compassion as an Engine for Success, Ross found that the idea of empathy being is “an innate part of our humanness spawned the concept of Homo Empathicus. This Latin phrase, Homo Empathicus, is the concept that we as humans survive and thrive on collaboration and belonging, not on self-interest or isolation.”

Simon Sinek also found that we find comfort in being a part of a group. “Our confidence that we can face the dangers around us depends on feeling safe in a group,” Sinek says. “Being on the periphery is dangerous. The loner on the edge of the group is far more susceptible to predators than someone who is safely surrounded and valued by others.”

Because of this, this explains why empathy is so vital. When we help others and feel valued, it releases serotonin and oxytocin — or as Sinek says, “all the warm and fuzzies.”

“This carries over in the business world, as more and more studies reveal that employees do their best work when supported by empathetic cultures and leaders,” adds Ross.

Empathy creates a more loyal, engaged, and productive team.

Empathy creates bonds. It also shows that you care, value, and understand others. For example, an employee’s performance may be suffering because they’re going through a personal matter. As a consequence, they’re battling insomnia or not able to give 100% at work.

Instead of questioning their work ethic or talent, getting to the root of the problem lets them know that you have a personal interest and concern for them. In other words, they’re not an employee. But an individual that you have affection for.

When your team feels like they’re valued, appreciated, and cared for, they become more loyal, engaged, and productive. Studies show that as leadership demonstrates empathy, employees are willing to put in more effort. And, as a bonus, you’re more likely to retain them. Creating loyal teams includes your virtual teams too.

Teaches presence.

“Empathy means listening attentively, putting your complete focus on the person in front of you without becoming distracted,” writes Lolly Daskal. “As a leader, you are present to listen, understand, assist, and support, not to advise or fix or reply but simply to be.”

“Being present means allowing others to have their moment, and it teaches us as leaders to be patient. It means putting others ahead of yourself,” adds Daskal. That may be challenging in such a competitive world, But, it’s vital if you want to get the most out of your team.

Increases happiness.

When your staff is happy, everyone reaps the benefits. Not only are they more productive, but that positive energy can also be spread to others like your other employees and customers. Imagine if an employee wasn’t in the best of spirits and took that out on colleague or customer. Besides breeding a more toxic work environment, that customer may vow not to support your business again.

Furthermore, it’s another way to keep your top talent. One study found that 66% of employees would quit if they felt underappreciated.

Fosters innovation collaboration.

When people feel like their voices are being heard because you have an interest in what they have to say, they’re more willing to share their ideas. Those innovative solutions could improve not only their performance but the output from everyone within the entire organization.

Additionally, empathy leads to a more collaborative workplace. The main reason is that they feel safe expressing their thoughts and ideas. But, because you know what’s going on behind the scenes, you can also identify the best way for them to work. For example, if a colleague recently lost a loved one, you could allow them to work from home for the next couple of weeks. If you are forcing an employee to come into work, this is not going to create a pleasant environment. Starting a new project with another department head would be even worse.

How to practice empathy.

If you believe that you’re in short supply of empathy, you can easily enhance this skill by:

• Getting to know people better, such as their interests and background.
• Stop rushing to judgments and critiques.
• Listening more and talking less.
• Becoming more aware of other’s needs.
• Ask someone how they are doing if you notice they may not be feeling well, or when you think that something’s wrong.
• Being genuine and even a little vulnerable.

In turn, this will make you a better person, as well as a more focused and inspiring leader. And, this will eventually breed a more creative, dedicated, and productive team.

A secretary or administrative assistant does much more than just schedule or reschedule meetings. You’re responsible for organizing and maintaining your boss’s calendar so that they’ll always meet deadlines and never miss an important event. Because of this added responsibility — you’re probably the most crucial person in your exec’s life. Here are twenty-five calendar tips for secretaries.

You will want to be continually improving your calendar skills. These additional ideas for higher productivity.

1. Know your boss’s preferences and priorities.

You’re responsible for your client’s and superior’s calendars. You’ll want to continue upgrading any needed calendar tools and helps.

First, you need to get better at “doing” the calendar process.      

• For example, when are they most productive? How long does it take them to complete specific tasks?
• When do they prefer to schedule meetings?
• Do they have a particular time when they like to return emails and phone calls?

You can answer these questions by simply asking them what their levels are or what prioritizing do they want? You can also shadow them for a week or two to witness their routine first-hand. Go through their back schedules and calendars to note how their schedules have appeared before.

2. Commit to lists and planners.

As a secretary or assistant, you must be organized — for both your boss and yourself. If not, you won’t be able to prioritize tasks. And, even worse, you may make common scheduling mistakes like double-booking appointments.

The most natural solution is to create lists and use planners and calendars. While you can use a paper planner or calendar, going digital allows you to access this information anywhere, anytime. It’s also more convenient to share with others. You can also use these tools to set reminders and notifications so that important dates and tasks will not be forgotten.

If you do use several apps, such as an online calendar and a task management app, make sure that they’re synced and updated in real-time.

3. Get familiar with your chosen calendar.

If you do use an online calendar, set aside time to understand the essentials and how to use the Calendar thoroughly, for example, with what other tools does this Calendar integrate? How can it be shared with others? And, what shortcuts are there so that you can quickly add and edit information?

To get you started, here are some helpful guides you can refer to:

• Apple Calendar
• Microsoft Calendar
• Google Calendar

4. Create a calendar template.

After you’ve gotten to know your boss’s preferences, and how to use your calendar, you can create a calendar template. It makes managing a calendar easier since you can input essential dates and data instead of creating a calendar from scratch for every day, week, or month.

For example, does your manager prefers to have all meetings take place on Tuesday? Block out that day in the calendar for meetings so that nothing else is scheduled in the same timeframe. If they want to check their emails daily from 1 pm to 1:30 pm, then in the template would block-out that time for that specific task.

5. Use a shared calendar.

If you’re using a digital calendar, then one of the most important features it should have is the ability for the calendar to be shared with others. Most calendars allow you to share it via email or an URL code. As you’re creating and managing someone else’s schedule, they should have access to their calendar so that they know exactly what’s going on.

Additionally, shared calendars ensure that everyone remains on the same page. It also prevents surprises, conflicts, boosts productivity, and helps manages tasks, deadlines, and milestone.

6. Address possible scheduling conflicts before they occur.

Let’s say that you’re reviewing the calendar for either yourself or your superior and spot a possible scheduling conflict. For instance, there is a meeting that ends at 4:30 pm on Tuesday, but your boss has a dinner commitment at five pm. You may want to see if you can conclude the meeting earlier or push-back the dinner ASAP. Paying attention to the details that cause frustrations in scheduling will prevent your boss from rushing from one appointment to the next or even running late.

7. Create and stick to your routine.

Everyone needs a routine. Without one, you’re aimlessly wandering from task-to-task. What’s more, a set routine will keep you on track. You’ll know precisely what you’re working on and when.

An effective routine should be based on energy and not time. If you are most productive in the morning, then that’s when you would want to focus on your most demanding or essential work for the day. After you’ve determined your ideal routine, add blocks of time to your calendar that is set aside for a specific activity. Remember, your routine should remain the same every day.

8. Batch similar tasks together.

Batching is where you group similar tasks to accomplish at the same time. This way, your brain isn’t switching gears. For example, you could arrange all meetings on the same day of the week. Now you and your superiors aren’t interrupting your day to attend a meeting. The other days of the week would then be dedicated to your other priorities.

9. Never book back-to-back or standing meetings.

These suggestions may feel like you are going back to scheduling 101. Back-to-back meetings are disastrous since this doesn’t provide an opportunity to prepare and decompress from the previous appointment. If there’s travel involved, your manager could run late. It’s unprofessional to be late for any event or meeting and results in wasting someone else’s valuable time. Always add a buffer between meetings to prevent these mistakes from occurring.

Additionally, scrap any standing meetings. If the other party isn’t committed or the event doesn’t serve a purpose — it’s not worth adding to the calendar.

10. Optimize time for different types of meetings.

Speaking of meetings, they’re not all created equal. As such, they shouldn’t require the same amount of time. For example, a discovery call with a potential client should only take 10-15 minutes. A face-to-face appointment with a high profile customer should last around 45-minutes.

Knowing how to optimize time for various types of meetings means that you aren’t committing additional time to your boss’s calendar.

11. Always bring your calendar into meetings.

Whether you’re using a paper or electronic calendar, always make sure that you have that calendar with you — by your side whenever you attend a meeting. Having this calendar with you allows you to jot down how long the meeting lasted, who attended, and what was discussed. Having this information will make planning future meetings a breeze.

Rely on a tool such as Calendar as it will tap into the power of machine learning and make smart suggestions on how to schedule meetings to more significant advantage. Although voice-intelligent calendars are right around the corner, they’ll be able to make meetings even more productive. For example, smart calendars can analyze past events to see how everyone participated. You will also want to suggest to your higher-up that they find ways to make meetings more engaging and time-effective.

12. Plan for breaks and interruptions.

No matter how organized and prepared you are, emergencies happen. While it’s impossible to always plan for the unexpected, you can make it less of a problem by having some flexibility in your manager’s schedule. Now if there’s a fire to put out, it won’t completely throw their entire schedule into chaos. They can move a task back to an empty block of time.

Also, you need to build in breaks into everyone’s calendar. We all need time to unplug, rest, and refocus throughout the day. For some of us, if it’s not in our calendar, we may keep on working until we hit a wall.

13. Don’t offer open-ended scheduling options.

Let’s say that you leave Friday mornings open for your boss. They receive a request for a meeting, and you say, “Friday morning is open. What time works best for you?”

A high number of appointment requests and your boss’s Friday morning is now jam-packed with meetings. Now you have left them with little time to handle priorities like administrative tasks. Instead, only offer one or two options to reduce this from happening. However, I would reply by sharing your exec’s calendar so that they can see their availability for themselves.

14. Use a variety of tools.

If you want everyone’s life to run smoothly, you need to have an arsenal of tools. An online calendar should be the first tool that you embrace. Consider solutions such as:

• Calendar to automate any meetings or events that need to be added to a calendar.
• Trello for project management.
• Dropbox for sharing files.
• Todoist to manage all of your lists.
• Slack to communicate and collaborate with others.
• SaneBox to keep your inbox in check.
• Hootsuite for managing social accounts.

15. Color-code everything.

A color-coding system is where you assign a color to a particular activity. For example, you could use blue to represent all meetings and red for concentrated and undisturbed work. It’s a quick and effective way for you, and your boss, to view a calendar with just a glance.

16. Double-check synching.

Always make sure that all of your boss’s devices are synched with her calendar. The last thing you want is for them to miss an important deadline or appointment because their calendar on their phone wasn’t updated. To make matters worse, Google Calendar is known for having syncing issues even though it’s one of the best calendar tools available.

17. Check the weather and traffic throughout the day.

Your executive is always on the go. One of your responsibilities is to keep up with the weather conditions and traffic patterns. If there was implement weather or an accident, it could result in them arriving late to a meeting or appointment.

In your calendar, you should set reminders to periodically check the weather or traffic so that your exec can plan accordingly. Some calendar apps provide real-time weather and traffic information and will notify you on when you should leave.

18. Keep others on-track.

Whenever there’s a meeting scheduled, it’s your job to confirm the event with everyone attending. You also need to make sure that you’ve sent participants an agenda and directions to the location of the meeting. Thankfully, most calendar tools will send event reminders. But, you still want to make sure that everyone will attend and be there on-time.

19. Become a timekeeper.

When your manager is in a meeting, they probably aren’t focused on keeping a sharp eye on the clock. As such, you could be the one keeping track of the time. When there are only ten minutes left, give them a cue so that they know it’s time to wrap up. You may also be expected to keep everyone on the team in line with the boss’s calendar.

20. Simplify your inbox.

As an assistant, you not only have to tame your inbox but also your supervisor’s email. Suffice to say, if not tamed, email can become an overwhelming and time-consuming task. That’s why you need to set aside times throughout the day to go through emails. Since you may not have time to go through every message, you’ll establish a priority matrix. Determine which messages are urgent and need immediate action and those that can be responded to later. The priority matrix will also help you identify messages, in email, text, or calls that require a follow-up. Those items require monitoring you’ll add to a to-do list.

21. Set an out of office message in your calendar.

Both you and your boss need time away from the office. But, what if someone asks when your superior is free or not? Instead of viewing their calendar and rattling off a series of dates and times, you can share the calendar with the other party. But, by adding an out-of-office message to the calendar, no one will be permitted to book an appointment whenever you and your boss aren’t in the office.

• How To Set an Out of Office Message in Outlook
• How To Set An Out Of Office Message In Google Calendar

22. Prepare, prepare, and prepare again.

Preparation is vital when you’re an assistant. There’s no right or wrong way to prepare. However, the best place to start is reviewing you and your manager’s schedule in the evening to make sure that everything is for tomorrow. You don’t want to wake-up to any surprises first thing in the AM.

Personally, I also like to prep my meals and clothing the night. The decision the evening make that decision in the morning. Generally, you can’t pick your boss’s clothing without assistant-access permission to their items. However, some executive bosses do get desperate enough to allow you to have access to accomplish this task for them. But you can have their favorite snacks or list of their favorite restaurants readily available.

23. Set aside time to discuss your boss’s calendar.

No matter how well you know, your manager, schedules, and priorities will change. To address this, you should block out a time to discuss the schedule with them. Some secretaries like to do this weekly, while others feel that once a month is satisfactory.

24. Review this (and next’s) week’s calendar.

Once a week, preferably on Fridays, review your calendar so that you can see how the last week priority activities were spent. You can then use that data to make the next week even more productive and effective. For example, if you notice that your exec spends an hour per week hosting a team meeting that only takes 30-minutes, cut-back the meeting length going forward.

25. Follow the fundamental rule of scheduling.

Finally, make sure that you always follow the fundamental rule of scheduling; all scheduling goes through you. No exceptions.

Having a steel-control on the schedule may sound like a bit much. But, if too many people are involved in creating and managing a calendar, it can become extremely cluttered. And, it can lead to scheduling conflicts or errors. The fewer cooks in the kitchen, the better.

Do you have a love/hate relationship with deadlines? I do; for starters having a deadline hovering over me can be stressful. I already have so much on my plate that the last thing I need is to have a nagging deadline to occupy my thoughts. And, things will only get worse if you miss any deadline because you’re under the weather, putting out a fire, or if you fall victim to planning-fallacy. But, here’s how to never miss a deadline again.

Deadlines are essential for entrepreneurs.

After the many reasons people spout-off about keeping deadlines, the main issues with deadlines is that they hold us accountable and help us prioritize. Deadlines prevent us from making promises that we can’t keep and they motivate us to keep pushing the needle toward our goals. To state the purpose more simply — deadlines are often the only reason people ever get anything done.

Missed deadlines will harm your reputation.

Even though deadlines are adding a little grey to my hair, we all need deadlines. More importantly, we want the parameters we set for ourselves to make sure that we never miss another target. Besides feeling pretty crummy, missing a deadline will harm your reputation, waste other people’s time, and even leads to repercussions like losing customers or being penalized.

With that in mind, if you never want to miss a deadline again, are here the best places to start.

Ask when — not what.

“Don’t say ‘this is what we want to achieve, now let’s put a time-tag on it,’ advises Daria Shualy on the monday.com blog. ”Instead, say ‘this is when we want to achieve something, now let’s see what can fit into this time frame.’”

It’s a little awkward when you first take this approach. But, Shualy suggests that it’s all about knowing your timeframe. For example, you could either build an app in 12 or months or finish the app in just two months. “And, indeed, they won’t be the same mobile app,” you first need to decide when you need the app to launch. If you need to start generating an income, then you don’t have a year to launch your app. If this is the case, then you know you need to have the app ready in two months.

Understand that you can’t do everything at once.

A serious blow to the ego of all entrepreneurs is the fact that we can’t do everything. And, it’s a reality check for most entrepreneurs. After all, we pride ourselves on juggling multiple responsibilities at the same time.

The truth is that multitasking is a myth. Now that science has proven the fact that the human brain isn’t capable of multitasking — the smarter entrepreneurs may give it a rest. Some may even accept that the results — when attempting to do more than one thing at a time are costing yourself time and efficiency.

The better solution is to identify your priorities and knock them out first. Once completed, move on to your next item that has a timestamp on it.

Being real is what’s important.

If there is one reason why you aren’t able to meet a deadline, it’s because you’ve underestimated how long it will take to complete a task or project. The best way around this would be to conduct a time audit to see how you’re spending your time. Once you know how long it actually takes to finish something, you can block out the appropriate amount of time.

Also, stop sweating the small stuff, such as trying to be perfect. Do the best you can and move on to your next order of business.

What’s more, you should stop setting unrealistic goals that you’ll never achieve. Instead, they should be SMART. But, if they’re too large, then you can always break them down into more manageable bits.

And don’t forget to track your progress by using a time tracking app. It’s an easy way for you to see how far along you genuinely are and determine if you’re falling behind. You should also use this tool when collaborating with others to make sure everyone is on target.

Have a Plan B (and C).

“Surprises, setbacks, and roadblocks are inevitable,” writes Stephen Key in a previous Entrepreneur article. “You may not know where they’re coming from, but trust me: Things will go wrong — they always do.”

“So think about alternatives and backups before you even get started,” suggests Key. “If you create options for yourself, you will have less stress.” Of course, trying to think of every worst-case scenario is also exhausting and time-consuming. You could save yourself some trouble by asking a mentor or coach what could possibly go wrong?

Stop overcommitting — just stop it.

The most effective way to meet a deadline? Stop spreading yourself too thin. That means not taking on any additional responsibilities when you’re already at full capacity. It’s about not saying “yes” to each time request.

If you want to meet that deadline, then establish boundaries. And, make sure that you follow through with them.

Lean on your calendar.

I think that everyone has access to a calendar these days. I mean there’s one installed in every smartphone. So, there’s honestly no excuse for not living by your calendar.

At the very least, you should use your calendar in the following way:

• Whenever you have a new deadline, immediately add it to your calendar.
• Set reminders for as often as you need. For example, if a project is due on at the end of the month, you could set weekly reminders.
• Review your calendar daily to make sure that your schedule is still intact. For example, if your business partner scheduled a last-minute emergency meeting and you weren’t aware of this, it could prevent you from meeting your deadline.
• If you’re working with others, don’t forget to check-in with them and send them reminders as well.
• Always plan the night before, such as writing your to-do-list and adding your most important priorities to your schedule.

Front-load your days and weeks.

“Every week, plan to tackle the most difficult and pressing tasks first, early-on,” recommends Rose Leadem in an article for Calendar. “Try to front-load your weeks by getting started on these tasks early in the mornings and early in the work weeks on Mondays or Tuesdays. That way, you’ll avoid any stress that comes with racing to meet a specific deadline later in the week.”

“Also, if something comes up with another client or at your 9-to-5 job later in the week, requiring your full attention, you won’t have the extra stress of this project because you’ve already completed its toughest aspects.”

Ask for help.

Entrepreneurs have a tendency to believe that they can do everything on their own. I’ve definitely been guilty of this in the past. But, despite my most valiant efforts, I eventually realized that I needed a little help from my friends — or family and colleagues.

The main reason is that I have way too much going on — like all entrepreneurs. As a consequence, I was working almost non-stop and still missing deadlines. Clients were getting ticked off, and I was all sorts of stressed out.

To counter this, I learned how to delegate and outsource. For example, if I needed to have content for my website, I would assign someone to do the research and find links that benefit my readership. That way, I could focus on time-sensitive activities. Even though I know how to code, I’m not an expert. So, instead of trying to fix a bug on my site or app, I turn to a pro who can figure and repair issues much faster than I can.

Hack your deadlines.

Finally, you can trick yourself into an earlier deadline — or plan that all big deadlines will be done a few days or weeks ahead. For instance, if a deadline is on the twentieth, you would set the deadline for the 17th. Now you have a buffer in case the project takes longer than anticipated or you have to attend to an emergency. The worst-case scenario is that you’re ahead of all your deadlines.

Another way to hack your deadlines is to make a public deadline. One example was author Evelyn Waugh while writing “Brideshead Revisited.” He actually sent a letter to his superiors that said, “I have now formed the plan of a new novel which will take approximately three months to write.”

Although Waugh didn’t meet this goal, it still motivated him to write more quickly to meet this publically announced and self-imposed deadline.

Running your own business and knowing how to sell go hand in hand. Whether you’re selling to other customers or other businesses, the idea of actually selling can seem overwhelming and time-consuming.

You may think that you have to do all this work to build up rapport into order to successfully sell. Or, you may be implementing all of these complex strategies without seeing real results.

The good news is that your sales strategy doesn’t have to be so complicated. You can simplify your sales strategy so you can earn more in less time. Sound good? Great! But first, here’s what you need to get started.

What You Need to Simplify Your Sales Strategy

Have an Audience

Sure, having an audience may sound like a no brainer, but you need to narrow it down to your target audience and grow the number of people who engage with your business. Anyone can engage with your business but that doesn’t make them part of your target audience. You’ll need to focus on who you’re actually looking to serve and create a customer profile based on these details.

Find out where your target audience spends there time and how they can be introduced to your business. Then, survey them to make sure their interests and needs meet the type of person you are trying to target. Also, realize that having Facebook fans can be great, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re your target audience.

Anyone can like something on Facebook or Instagram, but they can be hard to sell if they aren’t your ideal audience member.

Make Contacts

Sales is a contact sport. If you want to win, you must make the most contacts. Think about it. If you know or reach enough people in your target market who need your help, you don’t even really need to be good with sales.

You just need to offer them your solution whether it’s a product or service. People are really looking to improve will be motivated to buy. However, if you don’t make enough contacts, your product will never get put in front of the right person.

Share a Specific End Result

Whenever you’re selling something, focus on the end result and how it will help the buyer. Selling is not about the process or the effort you put in. People will feel led to buy based on the results or outcome the product or service will give them.

Think about it. When you go to buy a car, do you ask the salesperson how much work and effort went into making the car or even where it was made? More than likely, you’ll ask about the features of the car and consider whether it looks like it will meet your needs and preferences. The same goes for anything that is bought and sold.

How to Simplify Your Sales Strategy (Step by Step)

Now that you know more about what you need to start your sales strategy, here are a few things you can do to simplify it so you can win back more of your time without sacrificing increased revenue.

Collect Leads Automatically

One of the best ways to simplify your sales strategy is to collect leads often and put it on autopilot. If you have a website or blog, you can set up a form that allows people to enter their email addresses and get added to your contact list.

You can put this right on your home page, underneath blog posts, or even in the footer of your website and on social media. This allows people to sign up whenever they want and you can even set up an automatic email funnel to help market to them and provide value upfront.

Write a Killer Sales Page

Sales copy plays a major role in being able to convert prospects into customers. Don’t be afraid to go in-depth in your sales page and really discuss every detail about the product or service and how it will help others. Share plenty of testimonials from others who have bought from your business in the past, and answer common questions to help people overcome their objections.

You may even want to think about creating a video to share on the sales page or even hiring a copywriter. Quality copywriters are well worth the investment since they know just how to market your products so customers have the confidence to actually buy. With a killer sales page, you can just send prospects that way and expect conversions.

Survey Potential Leads

Don’t just jump on a sales call with anyone. Make sure you survey your audience in advance to make sure they’re a good fit for what you’re selling. For example, if you have a coaching program, you may want to have people fill out a form and apply to make sure they’re a good fit for the program.

If you’re doing several sales calls per day and not closing any because you’re talking to the wrong people, it can seem discouraging.

Add More Calls to Action To Your Marketing

Every business owner’s worst nightmare is probably sounding like a walking advertisement. I get it. Still, your audience wants to be told what to do. They are likely looking for direction or a clear call to action after interacting with your business. Plus, you want to be proud of what you’re selling and confident that it will help people.

If you want to direct your audience to more resources that can help, be sure to mention your products and services in blog posts, podcast interviews, videos, social media content, etc.

At the end of the day, selling is going to be a natural part of your business systems so it’s important not to stress out over it. Learn the basis and test out simply tweaks over time as opposed to bombarding yourself with complex and time-consuming sales strategies.

After reading this, how do you think you can simplify your sales strategy and still grow your profits?

If we were in a room together and I asked everyone who feels that time is in short supply to raise their hands — I feel everyone’s hands would rocket into the air. Of course, there are many reasons for feeling that time is short because it is. The logic can be as simple as not being organized or taking on too many responsibilities. But what we want to do for higher productivity is work on reducing phantom workload.

For some individuals, the lack of time is something more profound, like not focusing on the appropriate activities at the right time. That’s likely the most common reason why so many people struggle with time management. There are multiple reasons why the latter is so common. Everything from not identifying your priorities to procrastination are leading culprits. But, consider something called “phantom workload.”

The words phantom workload were coined by Marilyn Paul, Ph. D., and David Peter Stroh. Phantom workload “is the unintentional work created when people either take expedient but ineffective shortcuts or avoid taking on such as essential.” Examples include difficult tasks like:

• Clarifying mission, vision, and values
• Asking questions that challenge what is ambiguous or unrealistic
• Identifying and resolving conflicts
• Clarifying and streamlining decision-making processes
• Providing candid, constructive feedback
• Differentiating people with sanctions and rewards
• Launching innovative projects
• Making decisions that require disinvestment in programs or projects

When not addressed, the phantom workload leads to a variety of consequences such as rework, unproductive meetings, organizational conflicts, and fractured relationships. It’s also a leading source of wasted time since you’re working on “the same problem over and over again.” Eventually, phantom workload “leads to greater stress and a further reluctance or inability to engage in difficult tasks.”

So, yeah, phantom workload needs to be acknowledged and squashed sooner than later. But, how exactly can you reduce your phantom workload? Here are ten areas that you should focus on.

Set a limited amount of realistic goals.

“Clarifying the unique contribution you want to make enables you to set a limited number of goals,” writes Paul and Stroh. Everyone from purposeful managers to aspiring entrepreneurs to employees should “work toward one to three goals at a time.”

It sounds simple enough. But, it’s a tried and true way to eliminate multitasking and ensures that you’re currently focused on the right activities. Furthermore, it assists you in managing the following tradeoffs:

• Short-term vs. long-term
• Urgent vs. important
• Easy vs. difficult
• Comfortable vs. unpleasant

“These tradeoffs are tough because we often prefer the left-hand column,” add Paul and Stroh. To address the items in the righthand column, you first need to know what tasks you’re avoiding and be able to separate the urgent from the important. Additionally, you need to determine what you’re essential tasks are and when they’re due.

Most importantly, I would add that when setting goals separate those that should be SMART and ones that you can achieve. If the goal is too large, then break it down into more manageable tasks.

Change your behavior.

It’s inspiring that you want to manage your time more effectively. But, just because you want to doesn’t make it so. Goals are not as easy as just making a goal. Goals involve changing your behavior so that the change will stick.

To get started, you first need to ask and answer why you want to change. Often the answer includes listing the benefits of the change. For example, reducing phantom workloads would make your meetings shorter and more meaningful. As a result, you’ll have more time to spend on more critical activities. But, the by-product is that the meetings themselves are more effective and efficient for participants.

Identifying your “why” has another perk. The why will keep you motivated to follow through with the changes you’re making.

Next, you’ll want to create a vision. If you’re stuck, this is your “long-term, big-picture aspiration.” Athletes tap into the power of visualization every day to help them reach their goals. To get to the target, they need to practice and hyper-focus on what they’re working on at the moment. An example would be where an athlete gets to the weight room every other day and do the sprints and speed on the odd days. Business, just like athletics means you can’t just lift the weights and hit the field the same day. Lengthy preparation and follow-through are essential.

After you’ve created your vision and plan, take stock of what’s really preventing you from getting time in control. Because the reasons will not be the same for everyone. You may think you are brutally honest with yourself — but to be sure — consider soliciting feedback from others. It’s no easy task to ask for feedback as you may feel vulnerable — but it’s essential to “think” with someone besides yourself. With outside feedback — you’ll likely get to the root problem faster and easier.

For example, you may believe that to be successful; you have to work 24/7/365. In reality, the most productive people take frequent breaks to rest and recharge. They also know that they don’t need always to be “on.” Productivity experts — and indeed the finely-tuned business people I’ve watched — set boundaries on when they’re working and when they’re not. It’s another proven way to reserve energy. The energy reserve allows them to tackle the more critical responsibilities because there’s only so much time in the day to complete them.

Plan out your day.

Imagine waking up and having no direction for the day. How productive do you think you’ll be? Do you believe that this strategy will encourage you to spend your time wisely? Of course not.

Make the planning for tomorrow a part of your evening routine. It’s probably one of the best ways to reduce phantom workloads since this encourages you to schedule out your entire day properly. What’s more, a concrete plan will help you maximize your day around when you’re most productive.

For example, if you’re prime times are eight am to one pm and then from three pm to six pm, those blocks of time would be reserved for your most important tasks. During lulls, you can take a break, grab a snack, meditate, or focus on less important tasks like responding to emails.

Be more protective of your time.

Since time is our most valuable asset, it should be protected as much as possible. Reducing distractions and interruptions, such as turning off smartphone notifications and closing your office door, is a great starting point. So is saying no to time requests that aren’t serving a purpose.

These may not seem like big deals. But, if you’re answering every email as soon as it comes in, you become more focused on your inbox instead of your priorities. The same is true when helping others or accepting each and every invite. These pull you away from the activities that deserve your complete attention.

Clap back against procrastination.

Although not always the case, sometimes we delay working on more important tasks because it feels better than feeling overwhelmed. It’s also the better option when we dread working on unenjoyable tasks or work that we don’t feel qualified to do.

Overcoming procrastination isn’t nearly as complicated as you would believe. You need to figure out why you’re putting off a specific task. From there, you can find the right solutions. You could also practice mindfulness, and self-compassion, and schedule your hardest tasks when you have the most energy.

Other techniques would be to change your thinking from I have to do something to I choose to do it. Also, give the five-minute rule a spin — this is where if a task takes under five minutes you should just get it done and over with.

Break any competing commitments.

Coined by organizational psychologists Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey, competing commitments is resisting change by unconsciously redirecting energy to obligations that are in conflict with our goals. For example, you decide not to say “no” to time requests because you don’t want to offend anyone — even though this is causing you to neglect your own priorities.

If you’re in a leadership position, you can help your team get to the bottom of what’s getting in the way of change by:

• Guiding “employees through a set of questions designed to uncover competing commitments.
• Having “employees examine these commitments to determine the underlying assumptions at their core.”
• Employees start “the process of changing their behavior.”

It’s fairly straightforward. But, it will take time to go through this process. Ultimately, it will be worth the investment since it will help drive successful change.

Get motivated.

We all have those off-days when you wake up and don’t feel like doing squat. As a consequence, you’re going to do anything but your essential work for the day. When feel like this is occurring, regain your motivation by visualizing your long-term goals, practicing positive self-talk, and establishing a reward-based system.

Moreover, find inspiration through quotes or Ted Talks. And, knock out a simple task to get some of the momentum flowing.

Help others help you.

There’s no shame in asking for help. It’s a part of learning and growing. So, take advantage of requesting help when you need it. Learn this skill early in your career. You can find help if you work your guts out all the rest of the time.

For example, ask a coach or mentor how they successfully managed their time. Ask family members to help out with household chores. And, delegate some of your workloads to those who are interested or have the skills to get the job done.

Use helpful tools.

There are a variety of tools that you can use to help you reduce your phantom workload. For example, Calendar is a scheduling tool that eliminates those back-and-forth communications when scheduling a meeting. It pretty much automates your scheduling for you.

There are also project management tools, like Basecamp or Monday.com, that streamline managing all of your projects. And, there is no shortage of tools that can automate everything from billing to posting social media updates.

The key is to find out where you’re wasting time on repetitive and tedious tasks. Then, you can find the right tool to help solve this problem.

Find what works best for you.

Finally, experiment with different time management and strategies. There will be some trial and error involved. But, it’s the only way that you’ll discover what works best for you.