Image via: SamsonOS
It happens to everyone: you’re sitting at your desk, staring into the distance, or out the window, silently kicking yourself because you know you should be working, but it’s just not happening. Every little distraction seems to be much more interesting than what you’re meant to be doing, yet turning your attention to the work at hand is easier said than done. This is even further accentuated when you’re working for a small company, starting your own business, or work from home.
Creating the right work environment is a low-cost but effective way of improving and maximizing productivity; it‚Äôs about making your business work for you. Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur or have been working from home for a while, following these simple tips will help bootstrap your way to success.
1. Create a Comfortable Environment
Given that space can be a problem for a lot of people, deciding where to put your workstation can be difficult. It may feel natural to place your desk facing the wall or in a corner, but this can make you feel boxed in. Instead, position your desk so the outside is visible, but don’t face it directly into the window, have it at right angles so you’re not blocking the natural light, and won’t be easily distracted.
If the room lacks abundant natural light, paint the walls a light/neutral color, and try to set the lighting to the most natural level you can achieve. The temperature of the room is important, too. There’s no ideal set temperature; have what works best for you. Just keep in mind that if it’s too hot you’ll feel sleepy; too cold will make it hard to not focus on anything but the chill factor.
2. Invest in a Good Chair
Image: Ergomonic Rescue
If there’s one thing guaranteed to help boost your business, it’s a good comfortable work chair. Dodgy chairs often lead to dodgy backs, making working effectively almost impossible. It doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune, it just means putting a bit of thought into it. Hard wooden dining table chairs, or flimsy fold-down chairs are rarely nice to sit on for a dinner party, never mind a whole day. Make sure you get one that’s adjustable, with lumbar support. And remember, what’s right for one person may not be right for another, so test a few out before you buy. Check out how your seat should be positioned too, good desk ergonomics are equally as important, to prevent stresses and strains on the body.
3. Make the Most of Your Workstation
Having your desk, chair and computer equipment at the correct height and layout for your body means you can prevent future posture problems, and improve your overall well-being, which will increase current and future work production. If you’re on the phone a lot, invest in a headset to avoid straining your neck; it will also free up your hands so you can do other things.
Cluttered Desk: Not Good
Image via: Dotloose
A cluttered desk or workstation makes it harder to find things and stay organized. Ensure all paperwork is filed within a reasonable time frame, i.e., weekly, but is still accessible, leaving you space to work.
Tidy Desk: Good
Image: midnightglory
4. Get in the Right Mindset
If you’re working from home, always have a shower first thing in the morning and have a set time to be at your desk. Try to steer clear of old track suit bottoms and holey T-shirts while you’re working. The comfort factor is tempting but dressing like you’re set for a day on the sofa instead of in the office will surely affect how you work.
One of the hardest parts of working at home is being surrounded by all of your home comforts. Try to walk into your office and metaphorically close the door to your home life.
Once you enter your office space, you should be in work-mode. Don’t worry about the breakfast dishes, the shopping or the washing. You wouldn’t be doing it if you worked in an office so why do it at home?
5. Put on Your Business Hat
Focus on your business acumen when at your workstation. Treat every email, phone call and chance client encounter/handshake with the same attention. They may be the building blocks of important future work connections.
6. Structure Your Day
Having a start, middle and finish to your day helps you focus for longer. It’s important to plan the day, too, for example, going through emails first thing in the morning, or working out the best time of day to do cold calls etc. But don’t spend too long on emails. Set yourself a time limit in the morning and then check them just once again in the afternoon. Too many people get waylaid by answering time-consuming emails that aren’t important. And, make a pact with yourself to never check time-draining social sites like Facebook during work hours. Yes, you.
7. Make a List
Image: Jayel Aheram
Have a to-do list, so you can check off each thing you need to do. This can be done as often (daily/weekly) as necessary; whatever works for you. Write the list in a diary and tick them off as you go or enter it into a project management database. Seeing them ticked off at the end of the day gives a sense of achievement, which in turn keeps you motivated.
8. Set Goals and Have Rewards
Having short- and long-term goals promotes accomplishment and helps you work towards achieving your aims, no matter how small or complex. What do you want to achieve? Sit down and create a list of what you want from your business, and where you want to be in X amount of weeks/months/years. You need to have something to look forward to once you have reached these milestones. Give yourself a pat on the back. Go out for a meal, theatre, drink etc. Do something that you enjoy.
9. Stand Out From the Crowd
Investigate how others in your profession are doing what you do. Know your competition! With that knowledge, develop an edge that makes you different from others, and more marketable. What are your best points? Promote these when selling yourself to potential clients. Use past experience for examples. If you’re starting afresh, tailor past experiences that may not necessarily be in your current line of work to suit the kind of work you are now promoting.
10. Maximize Your Image
Image: Ian Britton
It can be harder to make your business look professional when you’re starting out or working from home. To counteract this, meet clients in cafes, restaurants or at their place of work. Dress to impress. You don’t need to break the bank to do this, but try and wear attire that you think suits the people you are meeting with.
11. Utilize Your Software
There are so many tools within the standard computer programs that can help you save time but maximise productivity. For example, use the calendar function within your email and you‚Äôll get automatic email reminders of recorded events or meetings. It’s also a good idea to set up templates for emails you send regularly, or set up rules to filter certain mails into set folders. If you don’t already use them, set up macros (a set of actions you can use to automate tasks ‚ in certain programs you use frequently). They can be huge timesavers; even the simplest macros can benefit you immensely. Ask your friends or family for assistance, or take a course to help you improve.
12. Log Your Hours
If you’re a freelancer and are working for a few different companies it’s important to keep track of the hours you’re working for each one, and log the time. Not only do you have all your working hours documented so you can see how you’re spending your time, it gives your employer a bit of reassurance that even though you’re working from home, you’re still organized and reliable.
13. Stretch, Drink Lots of Fluids and Take Regular Breaks
Image: Lex in the City
This may seem obvious, but a lot of people don’t realise how important it is to follow these simple work rules. Stretching relaxes your muscles and boosts your energy. Drinking fluids, especially water, increases your brain activity. And taking a short break, even for a few seconds, rests your body from the rigidity of sitting in front of the computer screen. It’s especially important to look away, even for a few seconds, to rest your eyes. Take productive breaks that refresh you enough to stay focused on your work. And, always take a lunch break away from the desk. This should apply whether you’re working from home or in an office. On the whole, people are much more productive after a break away from their work space. Use the time to fit in some of your exercises, which will help to invigorate you for the afternoon ahead. And try to lay off the lunchtime booze, too.
14. Combat Loneliness
If you ask most home workers what they miss the most about working in an office, their answer will more than likely be, the people. We humans are a funny bunch, when we’re around people we want to be in our own space, when we have it, we crave human interaction. To avoid feeling isolated, make sure you meet up with people for lunch or an after work drink a couple of times a week, or use your lunch hour to make social calls.
15. Ignore the Weather
Image: sameold2008
It’s always incredibly tempting to take some sneaky time off when it’s hot and sunny outside. Well, who would know? The answer: you the next day when you find you’re way behind in your work and are having a mild panic attack because you know it will never be done in time. This means you stay up late to finish what you need to, your wonderfully-thought out timetable has gone out the window, and you end up cranky for the rest of the week because you still haven’t caught up on the sleep you missed. Don’t do it, it’s not worth it.
About The Author
Fran is a banker and a freelance writer, currently living in London and freelance writing for an Australian price comparison site where you can easily compare credit cards online. She grew up in New Zealand; the Land of the Long White Cloud and many, many sheep. Ten years ago she left farm life to build a career in investment banking, in the financial capital of the world. She has worked for numerous big name banks, and is currently with JP Morgan. She loves writing and finance, so combining the two is a dream come true.
So, you’ve sat down with your annual finances, stayed up until the early hours of the morning and drank the local coffee shop dry, and now your finished company budget is staring you in the face, challenging you to stick to it. It’s not easy—creating a feasible budget is hard enough, but sticking to it can be an absolute nightmare. However, with a little dedication and a bit of advice, making the company dollar stretch as far as you want it to is not such a daunting prospect.
Always, always, always have a slush fund—a portion of your budget unallocated to deal with major problems or expenses as they come up. No matter how well-planned the budget, if John from accounts somehow loses $50,000, or Mary the receptionist gets pregnant and requires maternity cover, or a virus crashes and wipes your server and causes all your computers to start displaying the lyrics to REM’s Bad Day, you’re going to be very, very thankful for every cent not allocated. Always plan for the worst, and if nothing goes catastrophically wrong then anything not spent from the slush fund can either go towards next year’s budget or a damn good Christmas party.
Learn to trim expenses wherever possible. Keep a weather eye on stock levels, employee overtime, charged expenses and company credit cards. Try and negotiate deals on rent every time the contract is up for renewal. Remember that if you can lower the expenses on the budget, you’ll have much more of a safety net inside your slush fund for that inevitable server meltdown.
Keep a close eye on the inflow of income, as this can also affect the slush fund and expenses. If you start to make more than you budgeted for, don’t clap your hands with glee and laugh all the way to the bank—put some of it into the slush fund or any other strained area of the budget.
Similarly, never let a month go by where you do not keep an eye on your budget, comparing it to monthly income and expenditures. Make it the same date every month, preferably some time around the 25th to give yourself enough time to start making changes before the next calendar month comes in. Check your cash flow, costs and potential liabilities with a fine-tooth comb, and when you’re done get somebody else to look at it for you. If you can snag an accountant to help out, even better.
Lastly, do not get downhearted if, at some point in the year, you realize your budget is completely messed up and you’re going to overspend this month. You need to remember that budget projections are a best guess only and nothing more—overspend is practically unavoidable in today’s uncertain economic climate. Face one simple truth—chances are that you will miss your estimates. Of course you try to avoid it, but if (when) it doesn’t make you the worst businessman ever or a dunce with no financial acumen. Just pick yourself up, dust yourself down, and look for ways that you can get the budget back on track next month—firing John from accounts for losing that $50,000 may be a good place to start.
Other Articles that will be of interest:
Well I have dug through the archives to bring you some more great guerrilla marketing and innovative ad campaigns. We had a lot of discussion last week about pushing social, religious and political agenda’s in marketing. Many thanks to those that participated and I am excited to hear about what we think of these ones.
Guerrilla Teeth
What a great idea this one is, it really hits the message home in my opinion. After being a bit disgusted you can’t help but smile at this one. I am going to look to see if I can find some statistics on how the response was for the company.
Playful Playboy
This one feeds most boy’s imagination, some girl’s ego and for the rest it will generate conversation. This is a guerrilla campaign that could be used for both traditional and viral marketing for many years to come. You can get a lot of traction out of this one.
Virgin Virgin Virgin
I have had a lifelong fascination with everything Virgin. Richard Branson’s marketing and PR stunts are the best in the world. I bow down to “The Master of Branding”.
This one gave me a bit of trouble when I first saw it. I see it for it’s brilliance but have a problem with using historical monuments for commercial advertisements. I would like to hear your thoughts on this?
Maybe I am just being sensitive with this one!
Pothole Application. Does it cross the line.
As you all know I am big fan of pushing the limits of creativity and how to get your message out to the masses but when we get to a point when we endanger public safety that is where the line has to be drawn. With the adhesives and quality of the graphics we can create now something like this could cause accidents, injury and possibly death. I am pretty sure that is not the legacy that the company wants for there marketing.
That is it for this time, if you have any campaigns that you would like to see me feature in this series of posts, let me know.
This is a guest post from the very talented Patrick Walsh. Patrick has 20+ years helping big, small and bootstrappers like us see that our current marketing and advertising isn’t working for us as well as it should be.
His Company Map business Growth Strategy helps you to optimize your message in the three critical areas of business, you’ll discover the profit power you have, right now, within your business just waiting to be tapped.
When you make an advertising claim, don’t think about it in terms of coming out of your mouth; instead, think of it in terms of it entering your prospect’s ears.
When you do this, you will realize how ridiculous, non-compelling, boring and flat-out stupid much of the advertising you see and hear sounds.
What we’re trying to accomplish here is simple; we are going to discuss a common sense evaluation you can use to judge whether or not your ads, ads you’re spending GOOD money on, are any good.
Wouldn’t you like to know if what you’re writing and spending your advertising budget on is any good–before you actually spend the money?
The first evaluation you need to use is pretty simple. It is also, however, the one most likely to be failed. It is called, simply…
Well, I Would Hope So!
Whenever you say anything in your advertising or marketing, ask yourself if the prospect will immediately respond to what you’ve said with: “Well, I would hope so!”
To illustrate this; write on a piece of paper why a prospect would favor your business over the competition.
Then use the “Well I Would Hope So” evaluation and see if the answers hold weight.
Let me give you an idea by giving you some of the answers from other industries. A huge printing company gave as their number one reason to choose them over the other sixteen zillion other printers: “We help the non-professional print buyer understand the various options available.” Here’s what you should say to that kind of claim: Well I would hope so! You’re a printer! Isn’t that what you do? See how ridiculous that answer sounds?
An insurance agency claims in their advertising that “they’ll be there for you when you have a claim.” Well, I would hope so! What else would they say?
See how this works? Just read any headline or any claim out of one of your advertisements and then see if it spawns this response: Well, I would hope so!
These usual, lazy communicator claims, are like your barber telling you that your hair will be shorter after it’s cut, or the gas station telling you you’ll have more gas after you fill the tank.
Always, always, always use this important evaluation question whenever you make any claim.
Go ahead and take this test right now.
Answer the question: “why would anyone choose you over your competitors?”
Then honestly evaluate your answer against the “Well, I would hope so!” evaluation.
If you can’t come up with the answer instantly and articulate it well, you can bet that your customers don’t know why either.
Growing your business has never been this easy. Knowing what to do ahead of time can greatly increase the chance of success with your new business venture. In any freelance career you choose, bootstrapping can greatly increase your chances of profiting and growing your small business as large as your wildest dreams. Bootstrapping is essential to every freelancer and an avenue you should not overlook. I know every freelancer reading this article right now can say yes to the following question: “Would you like to grow your business at little to no cost?” Well, bootstrapping is your answer.
In essence, bootstrapping is building your business with little to no start up funds. I’m sure we’ve all been there or are currently in a place to want to grow your freelance business but do not have the funds to flourish like you would want. Below I will outline ten steps to bootstrapping your freelance career that will definitely get you going on the right path.
- Study Your Market – This might seem like a no-brainer but most people skip this entirely and find out weeks or months down the road that they’ve missed out on a chance to learn ahead of time if their market is going to work or not. Why spend your time and money building a product or service in a market where it’s not needed or wanted? You also need to study the habits of your potential clients/customers. What are they into right now? Where do you normally see them or is there a place you know you can find them? These are key elements in your market studies. Don’t be lazy; take your time and make sure you’ve got a solid outline here.
- Study Your Competition – This is one thing I made sure of when I started my blog design business. Looking at what your potential competition is doing right can let you know what you should be doing. Alternately, finding cracks in their marketing or their business in general can really give you a heads up on how to make your business stand out. Use key points from your competition and build on it to be one step ahead of your competition.
- Outline Your Plans – This is by no means supposed to be a business plan in the sense of sitting down and writing 200 pages on what you’re going to do, how much money you’ll be making 10 years from now and so on. This should be a simple paragraph or two at most that outlines the following: the purpose of your marketing, how you’ll achieve this purpose, your target market, the marketing weapons you’ll use, your niche and your position and what you stand for, the identity of your business and your budget which should be displayed as a percentage of your projected gross revenues.
- Get A Website – If you’re an on-line business or a business that functions solely off-line, it doesn’t matter. You need a website. In my Small Business Blogging article, I mentioned how on Duct Tape Marketing they discussed and posted an audio tape of an interview they did with a company selling Fishing Lures who used the power of the web to jump leaps and bounds ahead of their competition. The owner credits the website to changing the way people find out about his business. It’s such a powerful statement, I had to mention it again here.
- Get Promotional Materials – You’ve got your marketing plan together right? I mean, it was step #3 so I hope you do! Now you’ve got to gather the promotional materials it calls for. Anything from business cards to flyer’s, t-shirts and web banners. These are your weapons and without them you will never win the fight.
- Call Call Call – If you’re selling a product, calling potential customers is the perfect way to find out if they’re interested. You don’t need to sell anything on the first call (or maybe you will) but getting your voice out there and making yourself accessible to the potential customers is desperately needed. Estimate around 100 calls per day because out of those 100, a seasoned bootstrapper who knows how to sell should make 10 sales.
- Email Email Email – So you’ve got a business that functions on-line? Well, make sure you email around 100 people per day. It is not that hard. If you’re targeting a specific service, (for this example we’ll use my blog design company) you can go to Google and type in “Fishing Blogs”. Replace the word fishing with any other word and you’ve got an infinite list of blog owners you can email about designs or redesigns. It’s that simple.
- Delegate – So you’ve got the point now that you’re a selling machine but you can’t find the time needed to create your products or deliver your services properly? Pass the selling aspects of your business along to someone else. DO NOT do this until you’ve become a selling machine yourself because if you can’t sell your product, how can someone else?
- Expand – Anything from office space to employees. This goes hand in hand with Delegate at #8 but is a vital aspect of bootstrapping your business. You’ve got to know when it’s time to expand. You can’t be a one man/woman show forever. You can’t work out of a 6×6 space in a spare bedroom forever. Give yourself room to breathe and your business will flourish.
- Reward Yourself – So you’ve been working your fingers to the bone for almost a year now? Give yourself time to relax, spend a little bit on “you” and not your business. Go ahead, you deserve it!