How Small Businesses Stay Organized

1. Get the important stuff on paper

As you grow, often the #1 concern is important details getting lost in the shuffle. If you don’t have your goals, progress and definition of who is responsible for key results captured in writing, you’ll never be able to hold your team accountable for delivering results. Check out a tool such as Weekly Update that adds some structure to your team’s weekly communication.

2. Ensure everyone understands their role

If the team doesn’t know what to focus on, they’ll end up stepping on each other’s toes. As you grow, continuously define everyone job responsibilities and KPIs (key performance indicators). Each team member should know if s/he is succeeding or not.

3. Use simple tools

Don’t go overboard, but be sure to have a basic list of software to make your life easier:

• Google Apps (Gmail, Docs, Calendar, etc)
• Quickbooks or another invoicing system
• Slack or a similar team chat tool
• Weekly Update

4. Start the week with an agenda and team meeting

I like to do Monday morning 730am leadership team meetings. Yes, it’s early but it is a fantastic way to ensure everyone is on the same page, and that we’ve allocated some time for strategic discussion.