How to Organize Your Online Business

One trait most entrepreneurs have in common is that they’re at least a little free-spirited. 

There’s a reason working for someone else and following their plan for you either doesn’t appeal to you, or hasn’t worked out for you.

You like to do things your way.

Which is great, as long as you actually have a way of doing things in your business and aren’t just flying by the seat of your pants.

When you first start your business, there’s a temptation to have the attitude that because your business is new and small, it doesn’t require a lot of systems and organization yet.

Unfortunately, going in with that attitude will eventually leave you with a business that’s in chaos.

The result will be that you’re wasting precious time due to your disorganization, and not making the money you could be making.

So whether your business is brand new or is suffering from a lack of initial planning, following these seven guidelines will simplify your business, free up some time, and help increase your profits.

Separate Checking Account and Credit Card

The balance on that checking account will be sitting a little low in the beginning, but that’s okay. 

Keeping your business and personal finances separate makes it easier at tax time and is the only way you can really effectively track your expenses against your profits.

Since most of your expenses will require payment through a credit card, the easiest way to pay for everything and have a good record of it is to put it all on one credit card.

Of course you’ll want to pay it off each month, and make sure you can do that before you  incur the expense.

Consult an Accountant

Chances are, even if you’re a one-woman business, it will be a good idea for you to have some sort of legal business structure, like an L.L.C. or a sole proprietorship. 

This is another thing people are tempted to wait to figure out once they’re making “real money.” 

By the time they get back around to it, their business finances are usually a mess.

Connect with an accountant who works with small business owners from the beginning and she’ll give you invaluable advice on how to set things up and how to use the tax laws to your maximum advantage. She’ll also help you make beneficial changes as your business grows.

Don’t Answer Your Phone

You may be thinking, who even has a phone these days? Well, one you use to actually call people on anyway . . . But you should have a phone, with a number that’s published on your website or wherever your clients and potential clients find you.

Having a phone adds a lot of legitimacy to your business and gives many customers a sense of comfort in purchasing from you.

And, with the number of options available to get a free phone number, cost is not an excuse that can get in the way here.

But, now that you’ve got your phone, one phone call can throw off your whole day. 

Not only can it pop up in the middle of you doing something really productive, but the results of the call can send you down a rabbit hole of unplanned activities for the day.

You can prevent this by having “office hours” for phone calls. Set an hour or two aside, three to five days a week, when you’re available by phone. 

On your voice message, let people know these are the times you take and return calls. Stick to it.

If you are someone who uses Skype to communicate with your clients and business contacts, list your office hours on Skype, and keep it closed the rest of the time.

You’ll definitely find in your online business that the phone doesn’t ring all day, but this is still an important consideration since it just takes one phone call to send your day off course.

Having office hours, or certain times you respond to messages or are available for a chat, is also a good practice when it comes to using direct messaging features on social media, such as Facebook Messenger.

Schedule Distraction Tasks

Just like you’ll want to schedule when you’re on the phone or otherwise talking with people, you’ll also want to schedule when you do any “distraction task.”

A distraction task is anything you tend to do when you should be doing something else.

Email is usually your number one enemy here. 

Suppose to be writing an article for your blog but tell yourself you better check your email first in case you have any pressing business matters out there? 

That’s a big no-no called procrastination, and will leave you with a long unfinished to-do list at the end of the day.

Schedule when you’ll check your email. Two to three times a day is plenty. 

Nothing urgent ever happens over email, and your contacts will get used to knowing when to hear back from you by email just like by phone or messenger.

Identify other things that work to distract you throughout the day, and schedule those too. For work at home moms, these can be things like putting in a load of laundry. 

It may sound funny, but schedule that too so your work day doesn’t accidentally turn into a laundry day.

Declutter Your Workspace

It’s not essential that you have an office, but you must have something designated as your workspace.

Keeping it free from your kids’ toys, your dirty laundry, and that pile of stuff you’ve been meaning to take to Goodwill will save you time every day.

Also take a minute to file things in the right spot, including the recycle bin, at the end of each day. 

Not only will this save you time, having a clear workspace will also improve the ease and  quality of your work.

Keep Your Notes in One Place

The most popular note-keeping tool is Evernote, but there is kind of a learning curve to it, so use whatever makes you happy, there’s no right answer here.

For some people, the best option is a notebook and pencil.

The important thing is just that your notes from research and conversations, and of all the brilliant business ideas you have, be stored in one spot that you can easily access rather than spending 20 minutes to locate something you need.

Clean up Your Computer

Think of your computer as a file cabinet. Would you just throw papers in there and slam the door shut? 

Only if you wanted to never find them again.

Yet, this is exactly how most people treat their computer. We save things on our hard drive as if they’re going to magically organize themselves in there when we hit the save button.

In truth, we save many things that we never see again, either because we can’t find them, or simply forget about them.

The first step is to be conscious of whether you really need to save something. Just because you might look at it later is not a good reason to save it.

Do you really need it? Is there a realistic chance that you’ll go back to it?

If the answer is yes, make sure you’re using folders on your computer and putting things in a spot where you’ll actually remember they’re there and be able to find them when you need them.

As always, if you need help with your business organization or any other aspect of running your work from home business, KidsPartyCharacters.com founder Cheryl Jacobs is here to mentor you.

Cheryl is a serial entrepreneur and has likely faced any challenge you’re currently having.

Cheryl has also opened up a membership program to KidsPartyCharacters.com that is designed to eliminate a lot of the hard behind-the-scenes work of starting your own business. 

Membership allows you to have your own KidsPartyCharacters.com business, including an exclusive territory in which to book parties, the right to use all of our 200 plus costumes, access to our casting director and acting coach, and ongoing training and support from Cheryl and all the team at KidsPartyCharacters.com.

If having your own Kids Party Characters business sounds like it might be a good fit for your life, schedule a friendly, no-pressure chat with Cheryl right here and she’ll give you all the details and answer all of your questions.

Also join us on Facebook to see how fun and rewarding having your own KidsPartyCharacters.com business can be.