This week’s Entrepreneur University comes thanks to Stephanie Calahan. Stephanie L.H. Calahan of Calahan Solutions, Inc. is a dynamic entrepreneur, nationally known speaker, media personality, author, publisher, productivity/ organization consultant, & business start-up coach. She focuses on conducting presentations, personal coaching, productivity assessments & organizing services.

Stephanie shares her advice on how to organize your business:

“According to the Small Business Administration small businesses make up more than 99.7 percent of all employees. Add to that the latest figures that show small businesses create 75% of the net new jobs in our economy and you can see how important small businesses are.

Small Business Owners have a very challenging job. Many small business owners go into an industry because it matches their passion or is something that they are really good at. What many start up business owners do not realize is that it takes a LOT more than being good in a particular industry to successfully run a business.

Most of the time, small business owners need to wear many hats - visionary, product developer, marketer, bookkeeper, secretary, janitor and more! Overwhelm is easily around most corners!

Develop a Team!

Even the most organized business owner needs help. That help can come in the form of employees or other outsourced help. You cannot be an expert in everything, and if you try; you will loose focus on why you started your business in the first place! Make sure that you have a team of knowledgeable people to help you run your business. It is worth the expense to have it done right the first time.

If you are not sure how to figure out what you need, start by listing the activities in your business that you

* don’t want to do
* don’t know how to do
* know how to do but don’t have time to do

Yesterday I asked you how organized your business was. Did you consider your answer? Today I’ll share a thought on how you can move yourself to a business more organized. Write Your Processes Down!

Write Your Processes Down

Small businesses can sometimes turn into BIG business. Did you know that Ford and Apple both started out as small home-based businesses? Make sure that you are ready for any growth that your company may experience.

Review the processes and procedures that everyone in your organization performs and then write them down. By writing them down, you will

* be able to see any gaps or improvement areas that need to be addressed. Also, having written procedures and policies ensures consistency.

* have the ability to manage someone that leaves when you least expect it.

* be able to cross-train people to strengthen your business

* grow the value of your business. Did you know that most business investors do not want to purchase a business if all of the information is in the head of the owner? If you have solid systems that are written down, you significantly increase the value of your business.

Take Care of Yourself

Burn out is easy to achieve when you run a small business. Make sure that you take time for yourself. The most successful business owners ensure that they take vacations and time off to “recharge.”

Are you saying to yourself “How can I take time off? There is too much to do!!” True, every business owner has more than enough things to do and the list never ends. However, do you get the feeling that things are stagnant? Is output the same all of the time or is it growing?

As a recovering work-a-holic, I have had hard times taking vacation time or relaxation time myself. When I left my corporate job (before Calahan Solutions) I had over 2.5 weeks of vacation that had rolled from year to year.

A good friend and mentor, however, told me that I was not going to be able to grow my business if I kept up that “crazy” timing. He reminded me that my business was largely creative and involved out-of-the-box thinking. If you don’t give your brain and body time to recharge, the things you come up with are not nearly as good.

Since I received that hard message (essentially he said that I was not as serious about my business unless I gave everything I could for great ideas — including rest) I have practiced what I was taught and have taught it to clients too. Some of my best ideas pop into my mind when I am either relaxing or have come back from a break. By giving my mind time to focus in a different way, it energizes and inspires me!

So how do I take time for me? I do a lot of different things. They are things that work for me. I suggest that you find what works for you too!

* I play with my son and read to him - we laugh a LOT — laughter is a great de-stress for me.

* I play with my puppy (he turned 2 this month) I get really excited when I see that he has been able to complete a new trick successfully.

* I go to my NAWBO activities — the National Association of Woman Business Owners. I build relationships with other woman business owners that are there for me when I need help.

* I go fishing with my dad.

* I read a great book.

* I go on weekend trips.

* etc.

When was the last time that you took time for yourself? What do you to recharge? Do you agree with what I said? If not, why? Let us know by commenting below in the blog comment section.”

Evan Carmichael
YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog Manager

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