4 Ways to Simplify Your Business Life

Sometimes we assume what’s best for clients without asking them. What if evening delivery isn’t convenient? What if they prefer payment by card only? What if they want to place orders only through WhatsApp? Don’t assume -just ask! This could be as simple as a quick poll on social media, a casual chat with a customer, or a full-fledged market survey.

Example from experience:
I once worked as an assistant for the manager of a gingerbread café. She was certain that if it was gingerbread, it had to be beautifully decorated, no exceptions. But once we started asking our customers, we discovered that many just wanted plain gingerbread to have with tea — no decoration necessary. Less work, more revenue.

There’s always room to improve in business. Even if you feel like you know everything in your field, try learning something new. It could be a social media marketing course, a webinar on personal branding, or even a pottery class. Learning from an expert is energizing, and you never know where you’ll find inspiration :)

Example from experience:
As a florist, I dealt with photography daily, snapping bouquets for social media. But something always seemed off, like I was missing a piece of the puzzle. The missing piece was theory! Three lessons with a photographer, and suddenly photographing bouquets (and work in general) became so much easier.

As my grandmother says: "Jack of all trades, master of none." When we try to do it all at once, our attention gets scattered. Start with one area, and once it’s going well, add more. This goes for your product range and for your daily activities in general. Don’t try to open a shop, launch a website, bid for government contracts, and develop your social media all at once. Focus on each step and give it the attention it needs.

Example from experience:
When my friend and I opened a small shop, we wanted to sell fresh bread, lactose-free milk, toothpaste… plus, we had to deal with taxes, rent, and hiring. We ended up feeling overwhelmed and couldn’t open for almost six months. But when we focused just on essentials, we opened in three weeks!

Yep! As obvious as it sounds, laziness drives progress — especially in small business. When you get fed up with a certain task, start thinking of ways to eliminate it. Have suppliers deliver goods to you instead of spending two hours on a cross-town drive. Use a quick call instead of a lengthy text exchange. Don’t take on low-paid corporate gigs just because it’s a friend asking. Respect your own time, and better solutions will follow!

Example from experience:
I don’t enjoy driving out to client meetings, and I’m not big on long calls, either. So I have a detailed questionnaire for website clients, covering every question I’d ask in person. This gives them time to think about each question. And as a bonus, the questionnaire provides a cost estimate — saving me from calculating it manually each time.

Making life easier isn’t a weakness. If you can trim even half an hour from your workday, that’s a win. Preventing burnout is easier than fixing it once it sets in.
And of course, I’m here to help with a website tailored to your needs.