Save Time, Stress Less: How to Automate Your Small Business

Remember that as your business grows, you should be doing less. 

These automation tools will help you focus more on improving the product or service you offer, and less on everything else.

Remembering Passwords

If you’re still using Post-It notes or a Google spreadsheet for the passwords that guard your digital life, this is the year to stop. And with 1Password and 1Password for Teams, there’s no excuse. This simple software helps you collect, create, and remember all your complex passwords. You won't waste time trying to recall them.

Ordering Lunch

What I’ve gained in weight this year, I’ve saved in time, thanks to Postmates. It is a food delivery service that makes ordering lunch at the office as easy as pushing a button. Postmates brings your local restaurants to you, so you don’t have to waste time driving to them.

Outsourcing Simple Work

In 2014, two of the top sites in online outsourcing (oDesk and Elance) merged, and last year, they re-launched as Upwork. If you’re new to hiring remote workers and outsourcing work, this is the place to start. Simply post your project or job. Choose your preferred candidate from anywhere in the world. Watch in amazement as your workload diminishes while you sleep.

Tracking Your Jobs

One of the hardest parts of a growing business (especially a service business) is to know exactly where each job is in your workflow. Pipefy makes it easy. Just create a “pipeline”, and move your jobs through various stages. It is as easy to use as Trello. However, it also offers the power of automation. This includes features for emails, tasks, alerts, and other integrations.

Learning a Language

This year I learned to speak Czech. And Polish. And German, and French, and a little Mandarin. Okay, maybe I just downloaded Google Translate (iOS and Android). But seriously, that app was a lifesaver in Europe. Launch the app on your smartphone. Aim it at a sign or menu, and it will translate foreign words into your native language. It’s not perfect, but it sure beats studying.

Customer Service

If you’re still sharing an email inbox to take orders or support your customers, stop the madness! You need a ticketing software, and this year none impressed me more than Help Scout. Their straightforward design makes it easy to begin. The contact forms provide suggested answers for your customers, reducing incoming messages.

Answering The Phone

Does the phone interrupt you all day? Well, maybe you need a receptionist. Their straightforward design makes it easy to begin. The contact forms provide suggested answers for your customers, reducing incoming messages. Your Ruby Receptionist can provide simple info, take messages, or even transfer calls that meet your criteria.

Keeping in Touch With Clients

When my clients tell me that “word of mouth” is their top referral source, I ask how they track the last time they’ve spoken with their top referrers. When they stare back at me in silence, I recommend Contactually. They help you categorize your key relationships, and then follow up on a regular schedule, so you can close more business.

Scheduling Employees

Juggling different calendars and putting together the monthly schedule is a huge chore. Last year, I discovered the open shifts feature of WhenIWork. This tool allows employees to trade shifts or pick up available work effortlessly. As a manager, you won’t need to intervene at all. Once you set it up, creating future monthly schedules becomes a breeze. Simply copy a previous schedule with one click, make any necessary edits, and publish it in seconds.

Bookkeeping and Accounting

Bookkeeping often feels like a burden for many clients I assist. To address this, I created a unique process to automate accounting and save time on this task. What used to take me hours-a-week has turned into a minutes-a-month process.

I convert all my statements to a paperless format. I then sync them to a cloud storage folder, such as Evernote, Google Drive, or Dropbox. After that, I share access to this folder with my Bench Bookkeeper. They gather all the data. Then, they create financial statements that are easy to understand. This allows me to relax without having to do anything.

Invoicing and Bill Payments

Creating invoices and paying bills are essential tasks in running a small business. However, they should only take a few minutes of your time. Speed up the invoicing process with FreshBooks. The app lets you track your expenses and billable hours. It also generates and sends online invoices to clients.

Scannable or Shoeboxed can help automate the storage of receipts and other financial records. If you have plenty of bills and invoices to pay each month, send them over to Bill.com and the app will handle the rest.

Working With Data

It’s amazing how many multi-million dollar businesses are run on a spreadsheet. Now that Fieldbook exists, there are sure to be more. Fieldbook allows you to create multiple connected spreadsheets, similar to a database. You can then navigate through the information as if you have your own custom software. You can view, sort, filter and search to your heart’s content.

Social Media Automation

Imagine if you didn’t have to spend an hour or two each week scheduling social posts. Unlike other social media scheduling software, Edgar lets you store your social posts in an online library. The app then recycles your social content by re-posting it to your followers on a rotating schedule. It’s a great set-and-forget solution, especially if social media marketing takes up too much of your time.

There's no doubt that successful entrepreneurs are hard workers. But we tend to be bad at learning how to stop working so hard.

Automating the more difficult parts of your small business will not remove all the challenges of entrepreneurship. However, it will make the process of running your business simpler. This allows you to concentrate on tasks that foster growth for your business.