As a small business owner or solo professional, you’ve got many tools, processes and procedures in place, not to mention lots of outward-facing marketing components, like your LinkedIn profile and your website. Periodically review past decisions and look for updates that can improve your business.
Over time, it’s easy to look at your operations, without really seeing them. With that in mind, here are three ways to keep a fresh eye on your work:
- Question past decisions. Decisions we made about how to do something two or four years ago may no longer apply today. Better software solutions appear all the time. Maybe your business focus has shifted. Or maybe there is an easier, less expensive solution available now. For example, new Zapier tools allow you to sync Asana to Trello. In simple English, that means that now your to-do list can talk to a project management board you can share with other people.
Additionally, there are great new inexpensive tools available for writing, banking, payment processing, and email sequences. If you’re not reviewing your tools and processes, you’re missing out on opportunities to improve and streamline your business. Every update is a step towards success.
- Review your main messaging tools with fresh eyes. The other day, a friend noticed a typo in her email newsletter that had literally been there for years. How could that happen? To avoid this, do a scan of the parts of your communications that you may be taking for granted. If you’re about to give a presentation you’ve given many times already, review it closely one more time. Consider whether your Google Business profile and social media bios are still accurate. If you’re no longer uploading content to YouTube, remove that link from your website. Only send people to media you update.
- Know that the buck stops with you. I’ve heard many times from solo professionals: “I don’t know how that works, someone set it up for me.” That’s fine. You don’t need to know how the technology was set up, let alone how to make modifications to it. But it is critical to check the work you outsource and make sure you understand what is supposed to happen when. Then document it, so you can look back later on and check again! Notion is an intuitive and free tool for this type of documentation.
It’s easy to fall into a comfortable groove when running your own business. That can be a good thing. Just make sure you review things often, and update when needed!
Look at your website–every page–and make sure all the buttons and links your potential clients might be clicking are working as they should.
And does your messaging need an update?