Summer is a great time to recharge. Recharge ourselves, our businesses, and our frame of mind. July is a great time for me as a small business owner to take a vacation from my laptop and focus my thoughts and plans moving forward for the remainder of the year.

I have been fortunate enough to be able to take four weeks off and focus on my family and business this summer. With all our schedules from work, school, and other social activities, we were all a little brurned out. So our family vacation this year was four weeks of sand and fun in Jamaica. It’s been four weeks that I haven’t looked at my laptop, but it’s also been four weeks of much needed reflection time to focus on what I need to do to move forward in the next half of the year.

My top picks that small business owners need to focus on at this time are:
Administration – No matter how much business you do, if your back office is not at its best you will lose out. Administration covers so many aspects of our businesses but it’s one of the areas that many of us give the least attention and time. If you’re struggling to keep on top of your administration then it’s time to take some time out and sort it out. If you can’t do that then hire a virtual assistant to do this for you, it will be worth the cost.

Accounting – Depending on the size of your business this can come under administration, however for those of you who have larger businesses, having your accounts up to date is essential. It is always necessary to know who you need to invoice, and what your receivables are. It is essestial to have your accounts up to date to keep on top of your finances.

I like to do my accounting at the end of each month, that way if there is something I missed like sending out an invoice, I can deal with it in a timely manner and not two or three months down the line.

Marketing – Marketing is one of the areas that is outside my expertise, but in relation to many businesses it is an essential and integral part. Now is the time to go over your marketing plan and see if it’s working for you.

If you’re paying someone to do your marketing get in touch with them and ask for an update. It’s your money and you need to know how it’s working for you. Marketing takes time to take effect, but if your plan has been active for six months or more with no results then it’s time to rethink your marketing plan and strategy.

Time Management – Many of us are so focused on making our business viable that sometimes we make certain areas slide. Learning how to effectively manage our time can be a daunting task, but it is not difficult. My advice to anyone struggling with managing their time is to write out your schedule and have it visible as a reminder what to do. Time management is not hard it just takes discipline.

If you schedule all your administration, accounting,  and marketing time on a visible schedule then you’re more likely to do the tasks as they fall. Schedules can always be changed so make them according to what time is best for you.

Finally as you go forward with the rest of the year remember to enjoy what you do. Things can be stressful at times but if you didn’t have the passion for what you’re doing you would never have gotten as far as you have today.

Have a great summer.
Althea – Virtually Yours P.A.