YOUR BUSINESS + A CRISIS: ARE YOU PREPARED ?

People don’t like to think about emergencies. Not in their personal lives and certainly not in business. But as a small business owner you can’t just stick your head in the sand.

If you own a small business (in terms of people, not sales) it is imperative that you are prepared for all emergencies.

Let’s start with thinking about you as the business owner. If something happened to you or a member of your family and you could not be involved in your business for a few days, weeks or months…. could the business survive without you? Do you have someone in place that can run things or take charge while your gone?

You may be the healthiest person on the planet….but a car accident or a medical crisis with a family member can have your spiraling out of control and the last thing that you are going to be thinking about is your business.

Do you have a back up plan?

Do you have a manager or key employee that can handle things while you are gone?

Do you have an operations manual? Do you have anything documented? Those are a lot of things to think about. And unfortunately I have seen too many businesses where there is no documentation of any kind.

Now let’s say that you are just fine but that your key employee leaves. Can your business survive? Have you given one employee too much power that if they left they can cripple your business?

Do you have job descriptions for all of your employees? Including yourself?

Is everyone trained in everyone else’s job?

Let’s go one step further. What if your building burns down? I’m just saying…..

Do you have everything documented and taken OFF SITE ???? Do you have backups of your backups? Have you tested your backup system lately? Have you tried re-storing your backup tapes to be sure they work?

As the old saying goes “been there…done that…”. Yes, my backup tapes said they were “just fine”. They weren’t. And then came the crash. Of course it was two weeks before the end of the year when I usually run every single report with data from January through December. Two more weeks and I would have been fine. But I wasn’t. And it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Are you starting to get a bit nervous because you don’t have a backup plan and I’ve made you think about things that you never wanted to think about?

Don’t stick your head in the sand. Accidents happen. Emergencies happen. Loyal long time employees leave you hanging. Stuff happens.

Be prepared. Get your business organized. Start today.

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

RUN YOUR BUSINESS LIKE A BUSINESS NOT LIKE A HOBBY

I think that it’s really important to support small businesses. Having a sense of community and knowing the people that own the business makes you feel like you are getting superior customer service. Or at least it should. Everyone likes feeling special. When you need a referral for a specific project or problem you ask your friends and colleagues and they give you the names of businesses that they have dealt with and are happy with.

Word of mouth is great advertising and you know that it comes with a built in recommendation.

But what happens when a small business falls short on customer service? You tend to get very angry and badmouth that business to everyone that you know.

Not exactly the “word of mouth” advertising that any business wants.

At the end of June we had a water tank explode at one of our rental properties. Since it was on the other side of town we didn’t use our regular plumber but called a plumber out of the yellow pages. We were desperate and in a huge bind. A very nice plumber agreed to help us out and was there to fix the problem within a few hours. We were very happy and very grateful. We immediately paid him by credit card and were promised that a receipt would be mailed to us immediately.

Since it’s rental property we needed that receipt for our accountant and for tax purposes.

It’s now September. And you guessed it. No receipt.

I have called and spoken with the owner of the business at least six (6) times now.

His excuses were:

1) “I was busy”
2) “We were on vacation”
3) “I forgot”
4) “I really did mail it myself personally, just wait a few days and it will show up” (that was 5 weeks ago).
5) “I’ll send you another copy” and “I’ll email you a copy”
6) “We were out of town over the weekend, then I came home Sunday and had to do work around the house”.
7) “I really did mail it, you will be surprised at the date when it shows up” (what about the copy you supposedly sent? Or the email you supposedly sent?”
8) “I’ll have my wife email it to you” then it was “I’ll email it myself when I get home”

We need that receipt for our taxes. Are we really asking for too much?

If you run a business, paperwork comes with the territory. It you can’t handle the paperwork get an assistant to help you so that your customers aren’t inconvenienced and annoyed. If your wife is too busy with the kids then don’t expect her to help with your business.

It’s your business. Run it like one. Not like a hobby.

Being organized. Calling your clients back in a timely manner. Handling any problems or concerns that your clients have in a timely manner. Those are all part of being in business.

If you can’t handle it…. Hire someone that can or go work for someone else.

Don’t run your business like a hobby or you won’t be in business long.

If you need advice on how to run a business there are consultants out there that can help you with everything from advice on employees, workflow analysis, marketing, your business image, organizing your business and anything else that you can think of.

Small businesses are essential. Don’t give them a bad name by providing bad customer service.



Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Business Organizing

On any given workday, business people are inundated with paper or training materials, an influx of e-mails, and piles of snail mail. Under a mountain of files, whether electronic or paper, it’s sometimes a challenge to find that one needed document or e-mail.

In fact, thirty percent of all employees’ time is spent searching for lost documents, according to a 2006 Boston Globe article. As business evolves and people recognize the need for personalized filing systems, tips on how to control e-mail, and better project management skills, professional organizers are sought after more than ever before

In fact, more than 148,000 clients were served nationally by members of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO®) in 2008.

As a professional organizer, and NAPO® member, I work with clients on organizing their businesses and offices and have a few tips that will help to increase productivity


• Infuse color. If traditional paper filing tools are not working for you, it could mean that you need to add color to your system Many office supply companies now offer a variety of paper organizing tools for more creative thinkers, and professional organizers can help figure out what works best for you .

• Tame your desktop. Only keep items you use regularly on top of your desk. Instead of looking at a piece of paper and setting it on your desk, use that time to make a decision about that document and place it in a file, trash can, or recycle bin. You will spend less time looking for papers when you need them if they are in a place that makes sense rather than under a pile on your desktop.

• E-mail filing systems are just as important. Professional organizers can help you create e-mail folders that make sense for your business needs, and can teach you skills to keep important e-mail accessible but under control.

• To-do lists can help with time management. Creating a plan at the beginning of the day makes it easier to prioritize tasks even if other projects pop-up as you go about your day.

Professional organizers suggest making to-do lists at the end of the work day so tasks are accomplished the next morning before new projects are assigned.


Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

COMPUTER and EMAIL ORGANIZING

Getting rid of the clutter on top of your desk doesn’t mean that your office is organized. There is probably “hidden clutter"….in your computer.

Just as you should clean out and de-clutter your desk and office …. you should also de-clutter your computer.

Your “inbox” is probably filled with a ton of mail. Mail that should have been deleted, filed or dealt with a long time ago.

Don’t use your inbox as a “holding” spot for every piece of mail that you get. Don’t use is as a “catch all” or a “library of information”. Your inbox is just a “mailbox”. Use it as such.

You get your regular mail out of the mailbox at your house. So do the same with your “email mailbox”.

First, start by making a list of items that you want / need to keep. For example:
* Mail from my Boss
* Mail from Client “A”
* Mail from Client “B”
* Mail from Vendors
* Mail from Teachers
* Mail from H.R. Dept
* Articles to Read
* Meeting Notes
* Newsletters
* Financial Information
* Letters to Clients

Create a “folder” for each of these categories. Make sure that the name that you give to your folders is descriptive enough so that you know what’s in them. It doesn’t help if you just move things from your Inbox to another folder and then can’t find it when you need it.

When you send email always put something descriptive into the subject line. That way the recipient knows what the email is about and it’s more likely to get read. If you leave the subject line blank it might end up in someone’s Spam or Trash folder.

When you need someone to answer a question or give you some information in an email, ask them to also put something into the subject line. Some email programs allow you to ‘sort’ your email by subjects or they will automatically put your email into an appropriate folder based on who it’s from. Take advantage of the different functions of your email program to sort things in a more organized manner.

Once you have decided on “folders” there are two schools of thought on how to “organize and deal with” your email.

The first says that after you receive the email you should look at the subject line and immediately put it into the “appropriate folder” and deal with it later (at the end of the day or another time set aside for dealing with email).

The other school of thought is that you read the email, deal with it (or delete it) and then file it into the appropriate folder if you want or need to keep it.

Choose a method that works best with how you work and what works best for you.

However, everyone agrees that you should set aside a very specific time to actually read your emails. Whether it’s once a day (for personal email) or two (2) or three (3) times a day for business emails….you should NOT become a SLAVE to your email.

Do not check your email every single time you hear that “you’ve got mail” noise ! This is a waste of your time. For some people that could mean checking their emails 20 – 50 times a day ! Not only are they checking their email, they are also making decisions on what to do with their email or responding to their email. That would also mean that they are not getting anything else done.

By setting up a schedule to check your emails at certain times of the day ….you have the rest of the day to actually do your job. Set aside a specific time (whether it’s 15 minutes or ½ hour) a couple of times a day (morning and afternoon, mid-morning, lunch, mid-afternoon…. whatever works for you) to check and deal with your email.

Another important thing that you should do is to “log out” of your email account after you are done reading it. Do not just “minimize” your email account because you will be tempted to check your email more frequently.

You should also set a schedule (once a month, once every other month, once every six months…) to go through and purge things that you don’t need any longer. This will also free up space on your computer.

Technology is wonderful….if you let it work for you….and don’t become a slave to it.

By being organized and having a set routine you will save yourself a lot of time and will also find that you are a lot more efficient.

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

DIFFERENT WAYS TO USE A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER

A professional organizer isn’t just great for helping you organize your closet.

They can help you in many ways that you probably never thought of.

They can help you with space management, showing you how to use your space more efficiently.

They can be a life coach, guiding you through the clutter of your life.

They can be a business coach, helping you organize your procedures and workflow.

They can help you with time management, showing you how to make better use of your time.

They can help you with paper management, dealing with all of the incoming paper and creating a filing system.

They can help you with project management, defining your goals and coming up with a game plan.

They can help you with organizing and planning meetings and events.


By becoming more "organized" you will also become "less stressed", "more efficient" and will "save time and money" .


Less Clutter = Less Stress ….. in your home, your business and your life.


Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

WORKING AT HOME

A lot of people are working out of an office at home these days. For a variety of reasons.

* They are self-employed and don’t need an office outside of the home
* They work in sales and don’t need a desk at their companies office
* Their company is letting them “telecommute” from home so that they can save money on
office space
* The company doesn’t want to lose a valuable employee who has children and wants to be at
home

The list goes on and on….

Working from home also saves you money (on gas, wear and tear on the car, clothes, lunches….). And it also cuts down on pollution from your car.

But working from home also brings about some challenges. There are a lot of distractions.

You might have a tendency to throw in a few loads of laundry while you are downloading some software or waiting for an important phone call. Or you might want to run the vacuum cleaner and dust while you are waiting for a fax to go through.

In order to work at home you must be very disciplined. You have to act in a professional manner just as if you were in an office outside of the home. That also means getting dressed and not working in your pajamas (who knows if your boss might stop over?).

My old accountants had an office at home in their basement. They had remodeled it with state of the art computer equipment and if you didn’t know you were in the basement you would have thought you were in a first class office building! Every morning they put on their business suits and worked from 9 am till 5 pm. They were always ready for a client to stop by or to go off to a business meeting. They ran their home office like a real business. They saved a lot of money by not paying for additional office space and therefore they were able to keep their overhead down.

On the other hand, some people never get out of their pajamas when they work and the clients on the other end of the phone don’t know the difference.

Being professional when you are talking to a client on the phone, no matter what you are wearing, is crucial in having a home office.

Working at home if you have small children brings on a whole new set of “challenges”. Having a child screaming in the background when you are trying to talk to a client is not very professional. By scheduling your calls to clients while the children are sleeping or while they are busy with a project of their own is one way around that problem.

Having a “dedicated” work space is very important. If you treat your “at home” business like a real business you will be much more successful. By having a desk or workspace set up with all of the essentials and having a filing system in place you will be much more organized and efficient.

Working at home should not be an excuse for “slacking off”. You should have the same dedication and drive as if you worked in a “real office”. And you definitely have to be the type of person that can work by youself…without having someone standing over you telling you that you have a deadline to meet.

It’s not for everyone. Some people need the interaction that an outside office brings.

But if working from home is something that you want or have to do (maybe because you live in a remote area), then treat your office at home as if you worked in an office building.

Have the proper tools and the proper attitude. And you too can be successful and happy “at home”.


Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

SETTING UP A NEW OFFICE

You are setting up a new office. Before you go to the store and randomly start buying things you will need to make a list of some basic supplies and equipment. By making a list of the essentials you will save yourself time (because you don’t have to go back to the store over and over again) and money (because you know what you have and therefore won’t buy duplicates).

Don’t go overboard on supplies when you are first starting out. Buy the essentials and keep a list of things that you still need. What you “think” you need and what you “really” need can be two different things. Just because you “want” the best of everything and like all of the “things” in the store doesn’t mean that “you” need them. If you don’t need a rolodex because you are using a computerized system, don’t buy one. If you don’t need a holder for you pens/pencils because your desk has a built in one, don’t buy one.

Start simply and once your office is set up and you’ve used it for a while you will be able to figure out what works and what doesn’t work for “you”. Since everyone works differently you don’t want to be stuck with an office set-up that doesn’t function according to your needs.

By putting some time into planning your office according to how “you” work you will end up with an office that is functional and not just one that “looks good”.

Following is a list of some basic supplies to help you get started:

Basic Office Supplies

Calendar
Envelopes – Business size
Envelopes - Legal size
Erasers
Filing Bins
Folder Labels
Highlighters
Legal pads
Manila Folders
Markers
Notepads
Paper – copy
Paper Clips
Pen Holder
Pencils
Pendaflex Folders
Pens
Rolodex
Scissors
Stapler & Staples
Tape & Dispenser
White Out

Basic Office Equipment

Computer
Copier / Fax / Scanner
Copier -Toner
Desk
Filing Cabinet
Phone
Storage Cabinet

Basic Business Supplies

Brochures - Marketing
Business - Letterhead
Business Cards


Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

HOW TO BE MORE ORGANIZED FOR THE NEW YEAR

It’s a New Year and everyone makes “New Years Resolutions”. Why don’t you make one that says “I will be more Organized”.

I don’t mean that you need to run out and buy all types of “organizing gadgets”. Or that you drive your family crazy with your new found organizing obsession.

What I mean is that you should start with small steps, such as making a list of ways that you can “organize” your home, business or life. Just like your resolution to exercise more will probably go by the wayside, so will your resolution to be more organized... if you don’t fully commit to it.

It took years to develop your behaviors and it will take you weeks or months or longer to change them. It’s a lifestyle change.

Once you have made a list of what you want to change in your home, business or life (and this has to be your idea or it won’t work) then you need to start implementing the changes. One at a time, otherwise you will become overwhelmed and you won’t stick to anything.

I’m a list maker. I have a list or an Excel spreadsheet for everything. My family makes fun of me but my motto is “why re-invent the wheel”. If you have repetitive tasks they can be turned into lists. I have a “what to take on vacation” list. Every family member has their own column and they check off things as they pack them. Now things aren’t forgotten and I don’t hear “Mom, I forgot my bathing suit”.

I have a list for “what to pack for college”. And yes, my daughter refused to use it the first year. But the following year I heard “Mom, can I have the college list...”. Music to a mother’s ear. I’m not as useless as I thought!

I have lists for school supplies, list for groceries, lists for vacations, lists for medical information, lists for donated items, lists for events that I go to every year and equipment I need to take, lists for meetings…… and on and on. There is no end in sight.

If you do it more than once ... make a list. That way you won’t forget anything.

If you have a list of spaces to organize or projects to do, break them down into manageable pieces. For example, break down the “I’m going to organize my kitchen” project into smaller projects. Such as:

* I’m going to organize the kitchen drawers
* I’m going to organize the kitchen counters
* I’m going to organize the kitchen cabinets
* I’m going to organize the kitchen pantry

That way you can start and finish each project in one sitting and feel like you’ve accomplished something, instead of getting tired or frustrated and never finishing it and then never starting another project. Start a small project. Finish a project. Feel proud of yourself. Go on to the next project.

Not everyone can become organized on their own. That’s why there are “Professional Organizers” that are there to help you and to teach you how to become more organized (teaching should be part of the organizing project).

Since most people call a plumber or an electrician when they have a plumbing or electrical problem, why shouldn’t you call a Professional Organizer when you have an organizing problem?

By having a Professional Organizer help you with your organizing dilemma you can get more accomplished in less time. A Professional Organizer is there to guide you through the process.

How many people have bought workout tapes for use at home but never used them? Good intentions but people tend to work harder when they go to a gym and have someone watch over them than when they try to work out by themselves.

So call a Professional Organizer and let them help you become more Organized – Less Cluttered – and Less Stressed.


Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

YEAR END ORGANIZING

Another year is coming to a close and a new year is looming ahead.

There are a number of things that you can do now to get ready for next year.

Donations:
Go through your closet and the rest of your home and get rid of anything that you have not used all year or anything that you have outgrown (clothes, toys….) or anything that you just don’t want anymore. Take your items to a donation center (such as Goodwill or your church…..) and be sure to get a donation slip so that you can deduct it off of your taxes. It’s a win-win situation. You give things that you no longer use to someone who can use it and you get a tax deduction.

Get Ready for Next Years Taxes:
As the year winds down start thinking about the year end process of cleaning out your files and establishing new files for next year. Make sure that you have the needed supplies (folders & envelopes….) to store the past years information.

Getting ready for taxes can be painless if you’ve kept track of things throughout the year. If not, now is the time to start making your lists and spreadsheets so that you can start fresh next year .

You don’t need to wait for January to start copying all of your spreadsheets and lists and anything else and labeling them with “2010”. If you have Excel spreadsheets for your expenses or donations it’s a simple process to copy them and then blank out the 2009 data. You will be one step closer to being organized for 2010.

Once you have paid your last bills for 2009 you can pull everything out of your files and put them into envelopes with the appropriate labels. For example: have an envelope labeled “Household Expenses – 2009” and include your gas, electric, water, phone, cable….bills. Have another envelope labeled “Bank & Credit Card Info – 2009” and include all of your bank statements, checks, credit card statements….

These are just some examples of ways to organize and store your information.

Have an envelope all ready for your accountant labeled “Tax Info for Accountant” and as you get your W2’s and your year end financial statements and anything else that you usually give to your accountant immediately put it into your envelope. That way you won’t need to search for it when you are ready to do your taxes.

By starting to at least think about this before year end and leaving yourself time to get things organized at a pace that’s comfortable for you ….you won’t be stressed out come tax time.

Calendar:
Now is the time to transfer all repetitive events to next year’s calendar. Birthdays, anniversaries, meetings, doctors appointments….

Keep one main calendar that has the entire families schedule on it so that you can see everything at a glance instead of having to go to each person’s calendar.

Make notations on your calendar for reminders, such as scheduling all of your yearly check-ups, dental appointments, kid’s physicals….. Depending on your doctors scheduling policy I usually put a reminder note at least 3 – 4 months in advance so that I can book my appointments early (and get them at a time that’s convenient for me).


By thinking ahead for next year you can avoid the New Year organizing rush.

Happy Organizing !


Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

CREATING A FILING SYSTEM

One key to good organization is to have all of your papers, documents, receipts and everything else filed and filed correctly.

How to set up a filing system is dependant on if you are setting one up for your own personal records, your home office or an offsite business. It varies on how complex you need or want it to be.

A filing system has to work for you and your personality. If it’s too complicated you will not use it or will not use it efficiently.

Start by making a list of things that you want / need to keep (filed).

One system is to set up and group things by categories.

For example: Household Expenses
* Gas
* Electric
* Water
* Cable
* Phone - home
* Phone – cell

Household Expenses would be the “main” category and all of the bills that fall under Household Expenses would be “sub-categories”. Use the Pendaflex tab for “Household Expenses” and the other categories would have manila folders.

Or you can file everything Alphabetically.

For example:
* Cable
* Electric
* Gas
* Phone – cell
* Phone - home
* Water

Everything would have its own Pendaflex file.

When working with clients there is no “one size fits all” answer. It all depends on how complex you want to get, how much information you have and how you are going to use that information.

Some other examples of categories are:

Insurance
* Car
* House
* Life

Donations

Medical (you can break this down by person or just by medical / dental)

School
* General Information
* Report Cards
* Awards

Mortgage Information
* Monthly payment
* Taxes

Major Appliances
* Owners manual
* Expenses

Credit Cards
* Card information
* Bills


For Business:

Depending on the size of your business and if it’s home based or if you have an office outside of your home, there are a number of ways that you can organize your files.

If you have a fairly good sized business you could set up one drawer just for your clients and another drawer for your vendors. They would be filed alphabetically, with all invoices and payments in the appropriate files.

If you have a smaller client base that doesn’t take up an entire drawer or filing cabinet, you can create a main “category” called “clients” and have a manila folder for each client (with information about that client, including all invoices and copies of payments received).


Other categories:

Advertising
Affiliations (business & networking groups)
Business entertainment
Business Forms
Computer hardware
Computer software
Marketing expenses
Mileage expenses
Newsletters
Rent

If you have employees, you will need to set up separate employee files for each employee. Having employees also creates another set of problems and requirements for your filing system. There are federal guidelines you have to follow and you will also need to limit access to employee files.


A good filing system is one that works for you and one that you will use. Spend some time thinking about how you will use your filing system and come up with a list of categories that you think you will need. Look over the amount of information that you have for each category and decide if you really need that category (based on the amount of information that category will hold).

You can create too many categories that you will never use….or….you might have too much information in a certain category that actually needs to be broken down further.

By first taking the time to look over how you’ve captured the information in the past and how much information you actually need, you can come up with a solution that works for you.

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

Professional Organizer 4 U

A Professional Organizer does more than "organize" your closets. Or your kitchen. Or the garage....

A Professional Organizer can help you organize almost every aspect of your life.

It isn't only "rooms" that need to be organized ....... but your entire life.

Stop and think about it. If you have a job you need to be organized. You need to know when you have to be at work. You need to know when projects are due. You need to get them done, in a timely manner, following certain steps, in a certain order.

If you have a family, you need to get the kids to school on time, get them to all of their doctors appointments, their after school activities... Plus, you have to make dinner and help them with their homework.

You then have to juggle your kids and your spouse and your job.

This can't happen if you aren't organized.

Well.... it can happen....badly....

But if you were organized things would run smoother....and you would be less stressed.

You would get to where you needed to be, when you needed to be there, with as little stress as possible.

Sounds like a fairy tale ?

No.... it really is possible.

BUT......it requires planning and organization.

School is going to be starting in a few weeks (believe it or not)...... Are you ready? Or are you going to wait until the last minute and be stressed out and fighting over the last of the school supplies with another parent that waited until the last minute?

That's just one example of how being organized can help you..... by keeping you on track and making your life run smoother.

Being organized in your job, having your office organized so that you can find things easily can help you save time and money.

Having an organized home to come home to will not only make your life less stressful but it can lead to downright happiness !

Sit back and think about walking into a cluttered mess where you can't find anything........ and then think about walking into a home where everything is in it's place and you feel a calm come over you and you can relax.

A Professional Organizer can help you organize your home so that you can feel calm and stress free in your sanctuary. They can show you how to make your home flow better and teach you how to keep your spaces organized.

A Professional Organizer can teach you how to de-clutter your home and your life. They can teach you structure and order.....in a way that works for "you".

And that's the important part..... it has to work for "you".

A Professional Organizer is non-judgemental and caring.

There is an entire psychology around being organized. So don't beat yourself up over not being organized. Maybe you were never taught to be organized.

An outsider.... a Professional Organizer.... can show you the way to a More Organized You !

Call us today....... and let us help you change your life !

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/