A Note on “Doing” and “Doing Well”

Issues of quality are a common concern for me, and there have been some lonely times when I was the sole champion of a high standard for professional outcomes, even if it meant more work for myself and others. As the leader of your own enterprise, you might also have that tireless commitment to quality, but we both know that not all things can be done as well as we’d like in a small business environment, where being nimble, responsive, and accountable to clients must come first--with fewer resources. If you're not putting out immediate fires, the pressures can be just as great to do things that drive client satisfaction and sales—from product development to promotions. And typically these things, because client-facing, also need to be “done well” vs. just “done.” What's the exception? Procrastinating because a task MUST be done well, when, in the meantime, doing nothing means losing a greater potential return. So as a microbusiness or small business owner, next time you’re faced with an almost scary expectation for quality, ask with these simple test questions to determine your course:

--What is the cost of doing nothing?
--What do I stand to lose by just doing it and making it better later?
--How much do I stand to gain from doing it well now?

This is an overly simplified strategy, of course, but one that I hope to build on to acheive a more robust model. To help this along, please post your comments!

Handling Time Constraints

It seems that every small business owner I talk to faces the feeling of not enough hours in the day compounded by the sense that s/he must do everything themselves, thereby sacrificing valuable personal time and their freedom. If you’re a home-based business, no doubt, your pressures are multiplied as you attempt to pull yourself away from the computer each night. This is why 2008 should be the year you commit to a “process audit,” whereby systems and procedures can be mapped out and prioritized. Armed with this information, you’ll be able to clearly see what can be delegated, automated, outsourced, postponed, skipped, or even forgotten—freeing up your time to do what only you can and making each day more productive. With an eye for economy, a penchant for problem-solving, and experience implementing efficient processes (including proposal management and development, partnership applications, and vendor evaluation), I'm ready to conduct your process audit. When you're ready to get serious about managing your time, drop me a line.