Are you running your business or is it running you?
Running a small business can take over your life but it doesnt have to be that way. Choosing and using the right technology and systems can transform the way your business works and this book shows you how!
No matter how technophobic you are, Sorted! will quickly help you find the small changes that will make a big difference to your business. If youre more tech savvy, youll love the ninja tips to take your business to the next level. Feel more confident in your choice of technology and systems for the future, because whatever your plans are, you need the right systems in place to help you achieve them.
Recenzijas
Solid advice and help for anyone starting or growing a business helping to simplify the day to day running of it. * amazon.com * A great book for an overview of what it takes to succeed in business today. A quick read with online resources making your to do, list doable. * amazon.com * I am half way through this book and I am finding it so useful. The advice that is given, along with the free downloads, actions and checklists are invaluable as a review of my business. I am sure that any new business owner would find it just as valuable. There are lots of free systems that "Sorted" can help you with, alternatives to paid versions to start you off when cash is tight. I am looking forward to reading the rest! * amazon.co.uk *
In the beginning
..........................................................1 How to get the
most from this book ............................ 1
1. Be realistic
.................................................................... 1
2. Be
committed .............................................................. 2
3.
Be kind
.......................................................................... 2
Systems vs tools
.............................................................. 4 How to use
this book ..................................................... 4
1. To solve
a specifi c problem ....................................... 4
2. To help you
plan your ideal business and then carry out the steps required to get there.
........... 5
Chapter 1: Getting started
........................................7 The SORTED Framework
................................................ 9 Rule
1. All businesses
have three departments ......... 10 Rule
2. There are three stages of
business.................. 11 Before you start choosing your systems and
tools ... 14 How will you do your work?
........................................ 15 What is your business?
................................................. 17
Chapter 1 checklist
..................................................... 22
Chapter 2: Client
attraction: getting customers ...25 Word of mouth
............................................................. 26 Offl ine
advertising ........................................................ 26 Email
marketing ........................................................... 27 What
is email marketing? ............................................. 27 The
rules of email marketing ........................................ 28 What
does an email marketing tool do? ................... 31
Which system to use? ................................................... 35
Moving on from free tools ............................................ 36
Websites
........................................................................ 38
Domain names and web hosting ............................... 39 What do you
want from a website? ........................... 40 What is the simplest way
to get a website? .............. 44 Wordpress.com vs Wordpress.org
............................... 44 Measuring
...................................................................... 46
Google Analytics ..........................................................
47 Landing pages
.............................................................. 48 What are
the options? .................................................. 48 Social
media ................................................................ 49
Facebook
....................................................................... 50
Twitter
.............................................................................
53 Instagram
....................................................................... 54
LinkedIn
.......................................................................... 55
Social media scheduling ............................................ 56 What
are the options? .................................................. 56
Chapter 2 checklist ..................................................... 57
Chapter 3: Delivery: great customer service .........59 How to consistently
deliver above expectations .... 59 Standardisation: over-deliverings best
friend .......... 60 What are the options?
.................................................. 62 Presenting your process
diagrams .............................. 64 Standardisation tools
.................................................... 65 Checklist tools
................................................................ 65 How to
get started ........................................................ 67 What
to do with all this information ............................ 68
Templates
..................................................................... 69
Customer Relationship Management Tools ............. 69 So what does a CRM
tool do? .................................... 70 Why use a CRM tool?
................................................... 71 What are the options?
.................................................. 73 HubSpot
.......................................................................... 75
Keap
.............................................................................
.. 75 Client communication ................................................
76 What are the options? ..................................................
76 Creating content .........................................................
77 Written content
............................................................. 78 Audio
content ............................................................... 79
Video content ...............................................................
80 Webinars
........................................................................ 82
Online programmes and memberships ..................... 82 What are the ways
of delivering an online course or membership
programme?........................................... 83 Events
............................................................................
85 Publicity
.......................................................................... 85
Booking systems ............................................................
85
Chapter 3 checklist .....................................................
87
Chapter 4: Behind the scenes: make your life easier
................................................89 Keeping it all above board
........................................ 89 Things to think about
................................................... 89 Registering your
business .............................................. 89 Insurance
....................................................................... 90
Data protection ............................................................
90 Finance
......................................................................... 91
Bookkeeping vs accounting ........................................ 92
Accounting
.................................................................... 93 The
fi nance information you need to keep track of
...........................................................................
93 Accounting tools
........................................................... 95 Getting paid
.................................................................. 98
Information storage ................................................... 102
Physical storage ..........................................................
103 Cloud
storage.............................................................. 104 The
internet and computers ..................................... 107 Internet
......................................................................... 110
Browsers
........................................................................ 113
Extensions
..................................................................... 117
Email
............................................................................
118 What sort of email do you want? .............................. 118 Choice
of email address webmail or domain-based
............................................................. 118 Where to
get a domain ............................................. 119 Email hosting
................................................................ 120 Email
client ...................................................................
121 Calendars
................................................................... 131
Calendar options ........................................................ 132
Booking systems ..........................................................
139 Time and task management .................................... 141 Time
management tools ............................................ 141 Time
tracking ............................................................... 141
Task management ...................................................... 143
Simple tools
.................................................................. 144
Offi ce tools
................................................................. 149 Word
processing ......................................................... 151
Spreadsheets are cool ............................................... 152
Presentations ...............................................................
154 Cool tools
.................................................................... 156 Make
some space in your brain! Use a note tool ... 156 Make your business
beautiful: design tools .............. 158 Capturing information: surveys and
feedback ....... 159 Keep it safe
............................................................. 165 What can
you do? ...................................................... 166
Chapter 4
checklist ................................................... 168
Chapter 5:
Bringing it all together .........................173 Choosing a new tool
................................................. 173 Requirements defi
nition .............................................. 174 The suck it and
see method .................................... 175 Creating your action
plan ........................................ 176
Alice Jennings loves solving problems! From her time in the lab during her PhD research and then in a corporate environment as a management consultant and process improvement expert, Alice has always looked for ways to make things work better, quicker and smarter. As a qualified coder she is able to understand the technology on a deep level while her easy and friendly manner enable her to explain complex systems in a way that is easy to understand. She is passionate about enabling small businesses to use technology and systems to help them punch above their weight.
Alices mission is to help business owners make informed choices in the systems and tools they use by giving them the information they need to confidently take their business to the next level and resist being bamboozled by people selling the next big idea.
Since starting her own small business she has worked with over 200 business owners through webinars, workshops and one to one consultancy; sharing simple tips that enable better working as well as helping implement more complex systems to support growth and reduce stress.
