Staying Organised

You will be surprised how much startups lose annually simply for not being well organized. Startups are great and ‘startuppers’ are awesome. We’ve got solid plans and have super ambitious business goals. However, if you are somewhat disorderly, then your start-up could be something of a nightmare, to begin with.

Staying organized should not be a herculean task and it certainly should not cost you to give up too much of your precious time. But if you are not convinced that it is an important aspect of growing a start-up, allow me to let you in on why your start-up must be organised.

Stay ahead

As a start-up, you will in all likelihood have a lot of competition in your industry. This means that you must stay organised to keep ahead of the curve. By being more organised, you will be able to meet client briefs on time and keep to your schedule. Organisation is important for your start-up because it saves you time, stops you from procrastinating and keeps your team on track. With improved customer service due to your efficiency, you will soon find your business growing in leaps and bounds. If you do not plan, it simply means you do not know where you are headed and thus you could end up anywhere!

Prioritize properly and save time

Established business people understand how a schedule can significantly contribute to business success. You do not have to be at an executive level to follow an executive schedule, and setting one up for your start-up can work wonders for how your business grows.

You should take time to plan your week, writing down all obligations, meetings, and tasks that you have to finish. Seeing your week written down in front of you will help you to stay on task and will make it easier for you to complete them on time.

Having a schedule is important. Most startups have one thing in common; limited ‘everything’ and that includes time so make the most of it.

Manage Your Time Better

Being organised saves you from rushing around, searching through paperwork to find that one invoice or bank statement. You can use simple DIY to organise forms. You should be devoted to having a well-structured filing system, both in the office and digitally. Use neatly organised folders with clear and relevant names on them for all of your documents, bills, and receipts. By doing this, you can free up hours of the day to work on important tasks, such as drumming up more business through a new and exciting marketing strategy. You will also be setting the tone for a culture of staying organised for your team by having an organised office and computer.

Keep your team on track

During the humble beginnings of a startup, you probably will not have the time to conduct a consistent review of your team (I strongly advise you find a way to work this into your priorities though) so one hustle-free way to keep the team on track is to stay organized.

By keeping your company organised, you will be better able to keep your employees on track, making it easier for them to finish tasks on time. This is because they will not be spending time searching for important documents that have been filed in the wrong folder (or not even filed at all) but rather concentrating on completing tasks and building your profit as a company.

Improve customer service

By using organisation techniques, such as simply filing documents digitally or in a file cabinet, you will be able to improve customer service. Problems with organisation can lead to a drop in customer service, which is highly detrimental to any start-up. If you have a poor billing system or are constantly losing invoices and important documents, soon your clients will move on to more organised businesses. If you implement a strategy to become more organised, you will find your customer service improving. This will lead not only to return clients but to new business, as word-of-mouth travels about your professionalism and efficiency.

Make Life Easier

Staying organized is one sure way to make your life easier without having to do much. This could include labeling boxes where you put your stuff in storage; it could also include buying a file cabinet for all your important documents. Making your life easier should be a priority for you and if the cost is a little bit of organization, then so be it.

Not only do you need to be organized right now, but you also need to stay organized period. The reason why this is not a one and done thing is because things change and if you are not on top of those things, then you are going to see your life change right along with it and odds are it won’t be for the better either.