As a small-business owner or operator, you’ve probably spent some time lost in the Google-Galaxy of information. It’s likely that you’ve been duped by the headlines and read into a strategy or two. Haven’t we all? In truth, as much as we all hate to admit it, growing a successful and sustainable business takes time and focus.
According to FreshBooks, most small businesses take at least two to three years to be profitable and don’t become truly successful until the seven to 10-year mark. In short, it’s a marathon, made up of hundreds of sprints. Sprints that you can smash out in just 21 days.
You won’t go from zero to hero overnight, but with a heightened focus on these three key areas, there is a whole lot you can achieve in as little as 21 days!
Adopt the fundamentals of project management
Every business needs a project manager. Whether you’re a Nan and Pop corner store, or a multi-national organisation. Trust me, everyone needs a project manager.
We challenge you to spend just 21 days building rock-solid project management habits in goal-setting, task management and planning. Trust us, these habits will act as a springboard for all kinds of success in your business.
Google terms to get you started: Kanban board, Trello, Work In Progress (WIP) meetings and priorities matrix.
Get serious with social
Ad hoc posting works just fine for your personal social, but it simply won’t cut it for your business social. We understand that social isn’t for everyone, but we do challenge you to stick to a posting schedule for just 21 days.
Start by setting a social media schedule that is achievable. For you, this could be as little as 2 posts a week, or 9 in a month.
Now, consider the type of content your customer will engage with, mood board and develop some simple templates and/or content buckets.
Block out some time and schedule out the entire month using Facebook’s Creator Studio. Get it out of the way and out of the back of your brain.
By setting time aside to smash it out it will feel like less of a chore.
Google terms to get you started: Facebook Creator Studio, Instagram feed mood board and free Canva templates
Set up email automation
Setting up email automation is like cleaning the microwave. You are reminded almost daily that you need to do it, and still, it takes weeks, sometimes months, before you get around to it.
Email is still the #1 revenue driver for small businesses. And email automation places this profit in cruise control!
Think of it like a robo-vac. Get it set up properly and it will do all the hard work for you.
You don’t need to do it all. Just focus on three key automation emails: welcome email, order confirmation and abandoned cart.
Google terms to get you started: Reallygoodemails.com and best practice for email automation.
Conclusion
We don’t believe in overnights successes, but we do believe that a business can really evolve with a targeted focus for just 21 days. In today’s rapidly-evolving digital landscape it’s easy to become overwhelmed. So, if you don’t know where to start, start here!
