Home
>
Small Business
>
Operating Your Small Business ? Everything Really Is a Project

Operating Your Small Business ? Everything Really Is a Project

Do you operate your business as a series of projects, using project management tools and skills to advance your projects from conception to completion? Or perhaps you're new to project management tools and skills and haven't considered applying them to your own business? Most of us fall somewhere in between.

Running a productive and efficient business, whether for one person or for 500, is a series of projects of various sizes and complexity.

For example, here are some projects a typical solopreneur may have:

-- Creating/upgrading your business identity (logo, stationery, biz cards, etc)

-- Creating/upgrading your web site

-- Setting up or upgrading your computer equipment

-- Setting up or reorganizing your filing system(s) ? whether computer-based or paper-based

-- Doing your tax reports

-- Creating your marketing referral engine

-- Creating passive-income revenue streams (teleclasses, ebooks, e-classes, white papers, reports, etc)

If you aren't using project management tools and skills to run your business, your productivity is suffering.

Now, if you don't have a full client/work load, then perhaps you don't think this is an issue you need to be concerned with right now. May I offer to you the suggestion that the time to increase your efficiency and productivity with new tools and skills is precisely when you don't have all the clients or work you want or need?

Learning something new like this helps keep your enthusiasim charged, which spills over into your marketing activities, which helps engage your prospects in your business. It's all good.

So where do you start?

I recommend that my clients start by using TraxTime, a little PC computer program available inexpensively at www.spudcity.com.

TraxTime allows you to setup projects or clients and then track the amount of time you are spending on that project or for that client. You can run reports (which are great for attaching to your invoices) of how much time you've spent by day or by week.

TraxTime functions like a little time clock ? you just punch in and punch out of the various projects and clients as you move from project to project throughout your day. When you get in the habit of using TraxTime, you'll find you can then analyze how/where you are spending your time ? quite the eye-opener for many solopreneurs. (Where you actually are spending your time can be quite different from where you think you are spending your time. And in the soloprenuering business, time is our most critical resource.)

Then what?

Once you get the hang of tracking your time, you next use this history of how much time it takes for you to perform certain tasks and projects to begin forcasting the time you will spend on upcoming projects and tasks.

For forcasting, task dependency identification, and scheduling, I use an Excel spreadsheet in its most basic text-only format. I identify all the tasks in a project and enter them into the spreadsheet in column 1 in the order (from top to bottom) of how they must be completed. Then I use the cells across each row to specify the due dates (via time allocated). I reserve the last column of the spreadsheet for recording notes of special circumstances or decisions that have or will affect that task. And I use color to highlight those cells where tasks are critical (yellow) or off-schedule (red). Works great for most solopreneuring projects.

I've used this method for projects as complex as requiring me to track the work of 12 subcontractors, so I know it works. (Yes, I've used Microsoft Project. I find it too cumbersome to setup and manage for most projects performed by solopreneurs. But if you already know/use it, please continue.)

No matter which project management tools you use in your business, do start thinking like a project manager and setting up, tracking, and running your business as the series of projects it really is.

____________________________________________

Rose Hill, Founder and Owner,of Biz Whiz Expert (http://www.solobizville.com) and Team Member of Solo-E.Com (http://www.solobizville.com) has been self-employed since 1990 - first as a technical writer and publications project manager, and now as a business coach for solopreneurs.

Knowing how to run corporate departments and how to market corporate entities, products, and services did nothing to prepare her for successfully running and marketing a one-person business. That is why Rose created the SoloBizVille and SoloBizU community - to specifically to help solo entrepreneurs jumpstart their business success without all the trial-and-error learning.

____________________________________________

*********** Find more articles like this at http://www.solobizville.com ? Keeping Solo Entrepreneurs Juiced in Business and in Life. Our team of Solo Entrepreneurs are comprised of small business experts who support others in finding business success with the flexibility and freedom to have a life, too. Network with other freelancers, self-employed and Solo Entrepreneurs in our forums, enjoy our articles and newsletter, and find other online training opportunities. ***********

Cadillac Deville rentals Bingham .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says 329,000 mph fusion rocket promises to be fast, disruptive and enable deep-space missions.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a new autonomous AI is a game changer that also raises privacy risks. Is your data safe?

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says robots and drones are revolutionizing fruit farming with faster picking and smarter handling.

Landmark Admin revises May 2024 cyberattack scope to show twice as many people were affected. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives tips to help stay safe from an insurance data breach.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how Yamaha’s hydrogen outboard motor could revolutionize boating with zero emissions.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals how to memorialize or remove a deceased loved one’s Facebook account and protect their digital legacy from misuse or scams.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says an Apple Watch saved psychiatrist Amanda Faulkner by detecting deadly leukemia early.

Scammers and fraudsters are increasingly targeting the most vulnerable, especially nursing homes and the personal data of their residents. Kurt the CyberGuy has safety tips.

Infected USB flash drives can spread malware among multiple organizations in ways that can easily bypass traditional security systems.

With a fully automated warehouse system and AI-powered robots, Ocado's Hive picks, packs and delivers grocery store orders in just a few minutes.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Recycling robots are using artificial intelligence to learn how to sort recyclables by recognizing patterns in colors, textures, shapes and logos.

The Reachy 2 robot is designed to be friendly and approachable, inviting natural interaction and is perfect for research, education and experimenting with embodied AI.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson shares several easy ways to keep your credit cards safe from digital thieves while you're traveling this summer.

Arcturus sets up cameras around the edges of baseball stadiums to capture real-time action and generate a 3D digital clone of the game.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

The CyberGuy explains why healthcare organizations are vulnerable to hackers after there have been a half dozen data breaches this year.

Developed at two California universities, the innovative technology combines brain-computer interfaces with advanced AI to decode neural activity into audible speech.

Microsoft patches 12 critical flaws, but six have already been exploited by criminals. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says updating your system is only a short-term fix.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson discusses how robots can milk, feed and clean cows on dairy farms, boosting efficiency and comfort.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says quantum internet ensures unhackable security and redefines online privacy and speed.

Kawasaki's CORLEO is a hydrogen-powered, AI-driven rideable robot. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reports on this new way of thinking about off-road transportation.

The CyberGuy breaks down five mobile privacy terms that could make a difference when it comes to keeping your personal information safe.

A groundbreaking robot that's like a real-life Wall-E uses advanced artificial intelligence to replicate natural gestures and deliberate actions with striking accuracy.