Small business owners are notorious for being the first through the door in the morning and the last to leave at night. It's what you do with that time that determines whether burning the candle at both ends sets you apart from your counterparts or makes you just another hardworking entrepreneur trying to better your business, according to Inc. magazine.
Early-rising small business owners tend to focus on their own tasks before other people arrive and the work day truly begins. For instance, they may look over their financial plan, go through emails before the day's correspondence begins piling up or simply take time to organize their thoughts before plunging into the day-to-day tasks associated with running a business.
Instead of focusing on things that primarily only benefit yourself, consider being more selfless with this time by doing something that will be appreciated by the company as a whole. The news source offers the example of setting things up for employees so that when they arrive, they can get straight down to work instead of wasting valuable time getting things ready.
"Don't just be the one who turns on the lights – be the one who gets in early and gets things done," the media outlet urges.
Another way to stand out from the crowd is to become infamous – but in a good way. Offering consistently solid customer service is one way to do this, as it shows your consumer base that the business is completely dedicated to making sure everyone is satisfied. A good tactic that indicates to customers that you as the company owner are committed to running the enterprise from the ground up is to tag along on deliveries or personally answer phone calls when your schedule permits. Understandably, it's unlikely that you'll be able to do this often, but every little bit helps.
Time management is a perpetual issue for entrepreneurs who often feel they're spread too thinly. The to-do lists of small business owners are typically long and extremely varied, reminding you to open an account, research commercial loans, go over your business banking options, put together a new marketing campaign and more.
A separate article by the news source recommends breaking down pending tasks into to-do's and not-right-now's, thereby prioritizing the most pressing responsibilities.