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The Small Business Owner’s Guide to Maximum Efficiency

MOMENTUM Business Support Admin, Business Support, Home Working
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Small business owners wear many hats and juggle numerous tasks all day, every day. With so much to do, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and struggle with productivity. However, implementing a few simple strategies can boost your efficiency and help you get the most out of every workday. In this blog post, we’ll explore practical tips and tricks that can help you achieve maximum efficiency and get ahead of the curve in the competitive world of small business. Whether you run a retail store, a consultancy or any other type of small business, these strategies will work for you.

Get Organised: The first step towards increased efficiency is to declutter your workspace. A tidy working environment reduces stress and distracts you from looming piles of paper. Set up a filing system for important documents, store items in their designated places, and allow ample storage space. In addition, organise your digital workspace and consider utilising project management software. This way, you’ll have a clear overview of your tasks and deadlines, and you can easily delegate work to team members if you have them.

Prioritise Tasks: One of the biggest challenges small business owners face is knowing where to focus their energy. Identify the most critical tasks that need your immediate attention and deal with them first. Create a daily to-do list and break each task into smaller, more manageable steps. Not only will this increase your productivity, but also help you maintain focus throughout the day.

Employ Time-Management Techniques: Good time management is about making the most of your working day. For example, you could use the Pomodoro method -a technique where you work for 25 minutes and take a five-minute break between sessions, then repeat- to combat procrastination and distractions. You can also make use of tools like RescueTime and Trello to track your productivity, identify your most productive times, and eliminate time-wasting activities.

Automate Processes: Automation is a fantastic way to streamline your workload and save time. Use software to handle administrative tasks like sending invoices, scheduling appointments, and responding to emails. This automation gives you more time to focus on growing your business, networking, and other high-level tasks that require your attention. You can also automate marketing and sales processes by using chatbots, social media scheduling tools, and email automation tools, among others.

Use Outsourcing Services: Outsourcing frees up your time and resources so that you can work on your core competencies, reduce costs, and increase efficiency. Outsource administrative tasks such as bookkeeping, social media marketing, and content creation to reliable and experienced agencies to further streamline your business operations. This way, you can focus on the essential aspects of your business, and the day-to-day tasks are handled efficiently by experienced professionals.

Running a small business is often a delicate balancing act, more so if you’re a first-time entrepreneur. With so many tasks vying for your attention, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed. However, by implementing the above strategies, you can increase your efficiency, reduce stress, and grow your business more. Just remember to keep the end goal in sight, stay organised, and make the most of each day. With focus, consistency, and perseverance, you can achieve, and even exceed, all your business goals.

T: 01903 688789 E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com

Improve Your File Management Efficiency

MOMENTUM Business Support Administration, Business Support
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As a business, file management can be a tedious and sometimes overwhelming task. Between your computer, the cloud, and mobile devices, remembering where all of your documents are stored can be quite the challenge. But fear not – there is always something to be done! To make finding everything that little bit easier, here are our top tips to help you improve your file management efficiency.

Avoid saving unnecessary documents

Saving unnecessary documents will clutter your folders and take up precious storage on your device. Too many files will make it more time-consuming to navigate and find what you’re looking for, so avoid saving documents unless necessary. Take a look through your existing documents and only keep the ones that are relevant to your current work. Declutter regularly!

Name your files and folders consistently

Naming files and folders in a consistent way makes your documents much easier to find. Using abbreviations like “CLI” for clients makes it easy to identify sought after files and folders relating to your customers. Including the date of creation in the file name can also be useful for sorting, while ‘colour coding’ softwares are an effective, tried and tested way to differentiate your content through the help of a third party.

Store related documents together

Store all documents relating to a single project or theme in the same folder. Avoid grouping unrelated documents together just because they have the same file type. For example;  putting all presentations in the same place, all spreadsheets in the same place etc. You can always use the ‘sort’ function in a folder and sort by file type instead if you’re looking for something specific.

Separate ongoing work and completed work

If you store your ongoing and completed work in the same place, things can get really confusing and it can make finding the right files a nightmare. Avoid getting mixed up by moving all your completed work into a different folder every couple of weeks. This will go a long way in improving your general organisation as well as providing a clearer picture of your current tasks and duties.

Don’t overfill folders

Try splitting a busy folder into smaller groups (subfolders). You could try dividing the folder by different categories, for example; clients. Then within those folders by different projects or contracts. This will allow you to navigate through your documents quicker and ensure that you always know where everything is. If you can’t divide the files any further and are having trouble finding what you need – try sorting by date modified, file type, or name.

Make digital copies of paper documents

Making digital copies of business documents is highly recommended. It can be helpful if physical documents are taking up too much space, if you like to have everything in one place, or if you’re on the go and frequently need to take your ‘office’ with you. You can do this by scanning documents and organising them accordingly in relevant folders. Carefully consider if it is appropriate to make copies of sensitive documents and always adhere to the latest GDPR standards.

We know that file management can be a struggle, and so we hope you’ve found our tips insightful! Should you ever find yourself needing help with your admin or any additional business support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team – we’re always more than happy to help! Get in touch:

T: 01903 688789 E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com

Bookkeeping Tips for SMEs

MOMENTUM Business Support Administration, Business Support, Finance
Business individual carrying out administrative duties on a white table with a laptop, diary and tablet

No matter how much you try to avoid it, bookkeeping will always be an integral part of your business’s daily operations. Helping to improve your budgeting, target visualisation, and compliance with Government regulations, bookkeeping is the backbone of any well organised business. Failing to designate the necessary time and focus it needs, can quickly result in stunted business growth and progress delay. And while we can’t make it disappear, we can offer a helping hand and some of our favourite tips to help you boost your SME’s bookkeeping efficiency.

Separate business and personal finances

One of the most common mistakes among business owners is the mixing up of business expenses and personal income and spending. While it may seem a small overlook at the time, it is a sure way of overcomplicating your future bookkeeping duties and can actually lead to some larger issues down the line. Get a business bank account and a separate credit card before you begin any business operations. This will help to keep your finances organised and helps your business build its own credit rating.

Learn to automate

Automation can go a long way in helping you to carry out your accounts and bookkeeping operations – it’s a great time saving solution! Streamline your duties with smart accounts and payroll softwares and take time to pick the right one for you. Bookkeeping tasks you can automate include: payroll, categorizing transactions, expense management, bank reconciliation, cashflow forecasting and reporting.

Keep track of business expenses

Predicting and budgeting future business expenses is a tough job, which is why it’s imperative to track any current outgoings and keep organised records. It helps to create a clearer forecast and thus allows more room for any unexpected spendings. These records should include things such as: inventory, supplies, insurance, utilities etc. Not only will this give you a better idea of what to expect it will also make it easier to claim any business expenses when it comes to doing your taxes. Remember to always keep receipts!

Review regularly

Undoubtedly one of the most important things when it comes to measuring your business progress and making sure you’re staying on track are regular reviews. Looking back at past records and reviewing financial affairs gives a more in-depth perspective into any trends, and therefore allows you to better strategize your future plans. It also helps to establish stronger targets, boosts proactiveness, and improve responsiveness to any presented challenges.

Utilise time tracking software

Time tracking software can be a great addition to daily business operations, allowing your team to clock in and out of work using their electronic devices. It also promotes better time management and allows you and your employees to see how your time is distributed throughout the day. This will help you to gain a better understanding of your workloads as well as automatically tracking and monitoring wages and any additional overtime. Do your research and pick a tracking solution that works well with your other business software.

Stay on top of tax deadlines

Don’t back yourself into a corner when it comes to your tax deadlines. Anticipate and avoid running short by leaving finances aside for all established tax bills. Be sure to be timely and on schedule with your payments to avoid any fines and note all important deadlines in your calendar. To improve your efficiency set reminders on your chosen device, alerting you of the approaching deadlines ahead of time. When you can, try and leave room for any unforeseen mistakes and don’t leave your taxes until the last moment.

We know bookkeeping duties aren’t smooth sailing for everyone – which is why at MOMENTUM we offer various outsourcing services to help you and your business thrive. We hope you’ve found this blog insightful and encourage you to reach out should you ever find yourself needing any business support. If you’d like to find out more or have any additional queries, get in touch:

E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com   T: 01903 688789

We’re Hiring!

MOMENTUM Business Support Admin, Home Working, PA
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We are constantly growing and always looking for new individuals to join our expanding team. All our roles are flexible and diverse, please see our latest advert below:

Role: Admin, PA and Accounts Guru

Hours: Varied and flexible

Rate: To be discussed – Varies dependant on the client’s contract choice

Set up: Self-employed, working from home. A secure laptop and insurance will be required. Team support, training and systems’ access is provided.

Details: MOMENTUM is a small successful growing company, that works with clients all over the UK, supporting them and their businesses by providing remote back office services. There are currently 7 team members, and all of us work from home. Even prior to the pandemic we have always been a remotely based business. We have been running for almost 9 years and during this time have become expert communicators and collaborators using the many digital tools available to us. We provide Admin Support, Digital Marketing (inc. Social Media), Accounts, Credit Control, HR and many more services to small and medium sized businesses.

We are looking for a motivated, organised and customer focussed person to join our team to help provide our varied PA, Administration and Accounts services. The role will suit someone with proven strong administrative skills, who is resourceful, self-motivated and confident.

All aspects of the role will involve supporting numerous clients and demand an ability to quickly understand changes and new requirements. Flexibility is extremely important.

Whilst we all work remotely, we are a close team and communicate with each other constantly. We’ll provide support and training on our internal systems and processes and you’ll always have someone to help you or bounce ideas off of!

If you feel this is an ideal role for you, please send an email, with your CV and details, to Mikki at makeithappen@mbsmih.com

5 Reasons Why You Should Be Using A CRM

MOMENTUM Business Support Admin, Administration
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Looking after your customers is key to the success of any business. In today’s era of ever evolving technology we now have tools to help us do this in an efficient and user friendly manner without the use of client record cards, manual diaries, Excel spreadsheets or just your memory! Customer Relationship Management databases (CRM’s) have been around for some time and provide a number of benefits to any growing business.

Customer Engagement – CRM’s track and manage all interactions with prospects and customers  and flag opportunities that might require additional nurturing or follow-up. You can even link your email account to your CRM so you will have real time data as to when your customer or prospect was last contacted.

Customer Segmentation – CRMs allow you to sort contacts by the data that you’ve collected about them. You can filter by location, company size, or deal stage. This allows you to target specific customer sets and increase conversion rates.

Efficient Communication – CRMs offer a selection of customisable, ready-to-use email templates, proposals, quotes, invitations, newsletters, marketing campaigns etc. and allows you to easily select the customers you want to send them to and the email address you want them sent from. For marketing campaigns or communications with any large groups of customers, the CRM will also provide you with delivery and engagement metrics allowing you to see how many customers unsubscribed, opened the email, clicked any links in the content, were bounced back etc.

Automated Reports – CRM’s allow you to generate automatic reports to maximise your time and assist you in making strategic business decisions. You can create your own suite of reporting such as conversion rates, sales forecasting, customer contact, source of leads, and goal progress reports to name but a few. 

GDPR Compliance – CRMs can obtain and document your contacts’ permission to store and use their personal details, send automatic notifications to all new contacts informing that you would like to store their data, and manage your customers’ subscription to email communication preferences. This will ensure you are compliant with GDPR requirements.

If you think a CRM would benefit your business, there are a number of systems out there to choose from and we’d be very happy to chat through our experience and ideas with you. Just get in touch! 

E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com   T: 01903 688789