Audio and slides: How to manage multiple businesses without going crazy
Like many small town business people, I have more than one business: liquor store, cattle ranch, speaking and writing about small town business, and Tourism Currents. So how do I do it all? It’s one of the most common questions that I get asked. That’s why Cory Miller of Entrepreneurship Lab and I put together this webinar.
I shared not just the big picture business strategy, but also the day-to-day level productivity skills that keep it all from falling apart.
Here is the audio recording. (MP3)
You can follow along with the slides below, or download a PDF of the slides here: Manage Multiple Businesses.
Here is a summary of the productivity principles I mention.
1. Know your mission.
I know that my mission is helping small towns build more successful entrepreneurs. Knowing that makes it easy to focus on just the most mission-critical items. I can say no to things I should never take on.
2. Know your goals.
For each business, I keep one page with the goals and next actions written out. I update these regularly so I can see what needs to happen next with each line of income.
3. Plan your week.
Each weekend, I sit down and plan out the coming week. I start with appointments on my calendar. Then I fill the rest of my week with actions from my goals pages. That lets me keep all the businesses moving forward during any week. And I can start Monday strong, because I know exactly what to work on first.
4. Be realistic.
When I’m filling in that weekly calendar, I restrict my goal-related tasks to no more than six on each day. That keeps my work load realistic. I don’t have to worry about all 30 goals today, just six. I know the others are scheduled for later in the week.
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Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
