Grow Your Business Forward By Focusing On Your Zone of Genius

Photo by Akil Mazumder: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-a-green-plant-1072824/

When I go to the store I usually have a grocery list and then I put the amounts of each item I want on the list and total it up so that I can have a general idea of how much I will need to spend to get those items. In contrast, if I am out running errands and I just pop into the nearest Walmart Neighborhood Market to grab a few items almost always 3 things happen: 

I always forget something when I get home and notice it’s missing

I always spend more than what I wanted

I always buy stuff I don’t need because I am hungry when I go to the store, which is a big no-no.

🙂

In the same way we as service-based business owners tend to do more of the latter than the first scenario. We tend to try to do everything in our business from marketing to sales to customer service to bookkeeping and handling our tax filing using TurboTax (I see you out there:) We typically do not outsource these very important components of our business to someone else that, let's be honest, can most likely do it better than us because they are focused on doing only that thing. I see this a lot when it comes to bookkeeping management and I get it. When you are first starting it could make a lot of sense to try handling the bookkeeping because you are trying to save money and for a while, it might be working 

BUT

As your business grows, it is time to tap into a seasoned professional to help take you to the next level. This is where partnering up with a professional bookkeeping firm can be a game changer. In my series this month called What Can A Bookkeeper Do For Me, I will lay out what are the different types of bookkeepers, how you need to prepare before you start looking for help and what are some types of things a bookkeeping firm can help you accomplish. 

I am passionate about the bookkeeping/accounting profession and hope you will gain knowledge and insight to help you select the right partner for your business. 

Keep IT Sunny

How To Have Sustainable Growth & September Roundup!

Many of us started our business out of a need to solve a problem or a passion for a skill set that we have. I started my business to use my background in accounting and administration to help service-based entrepreneurs create & sustain a business that they love so they can create the lifestyle of their dreams. I am a one-woman shop and look forward to growing my business but I want to do it smart.

According to a joint study shared on Entrepreneur.com, “Roughly two-thirds of the fastest-growing startups end up failing. Research from California State University also showed that companies that had fast revenue growth performed worse, long-term than their slow-growing counterparts.”

I am sure these business owners had the best of intentions and were super-excited to scale their business to increase revenue and jumped right in. We can learn from their mistakes by applying the 5 steps below as we move along the business scaling journey.

Step One

Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals. I shared in a previous blog post that SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Step Two

Take time to do market research on your industry and the competition to gain a better understanding of your competitive advantage or threats.

Step Three

Know your numbers. It is super important to understand where your business stands financially so that you can make good decisions. Additionally, creating a detailed business budget and financial projections are also must-haves in your business toolkit.

Step Four

Create efficiencies in your daily operations and use technology to reduce labor on repetitive tasks.

Step Five

Provide excellent customer service to your customers and ask for their feedback to improve your services.

There are many more things to consider when you are thinking about scaling your business. If you take your time and give some thought to the steps above you will be miles ahead of your competition as we sail out of the month of September. As usual, this month went by fast. People say that time flies when you are having fun so that must be true.

I truly enjoyed kissing summer goodbye and moving forward into the fall season. I hope you had a fantastic summer season and were able to get some things accomplished. This month I talked about 3 Ways To Create Measurable Goals and How Busy Entrepreneurs Can Continue To Learn New Things. If you have time for a few quick reads check them out and remember the tortoise won the race.

Keep IT Sunny~

Welcome To The Month Of April!

Photo by Polina Kovaleva: https://www.pexels.com/photo/scrabble-tiles-on-a-wooden-surface-6945789/

I absolutely love April. Spring is in bloom (in most places in the country:) The flowers are blooming and the sweet smell of summer is just around the corner.

My favorite thing is to get outside and explore which is a lot of fun here in the Vegas Valley. This month I want to explore the necessary tools to have in place to help your business grow. We will specifically look at some options for funding your business, hiring team members, and managing cash flow.

I hope you are ready to dive into this month and learn what it takes to move your business forward.

Keep IT Sunny!