ACCOMPLISHMENT #3:
Get organized
My Checklist:
Set up files
Create digital records
Set up a contact management system
Keep track of your company’s “vital statistics”
Keep track of expenses
Starting any new, big project can seem overwhelming. There’s so much to do, so many things to think about. Some of the challenges are fun: figuring out a name for your business, creating new products, thinking up innovative marketing ideas. Some of the tasks don’t seem like much fun: setting up a budget, going to a lawyer, getting business licenses.
With so many things to do, it’s easy to forget or overlook some of the most important things. So right from Week One, start keeping track of all the basics and get organized so you don’t lose critical information you’ll need later.
Trust me: You’re about to get a lot of stuff. You’re quickly going to accumulate a whole lot of tangible stuff (reports, brochures, samples, contracts) as well as intangible stuff (information, data, advice, prices, and the like). You’ll gather information on customers, competitors, suppliers, and distributors. You’ll be researching and evaluating computers, facilities, and vendors. You’ll be given names and numbers of people who can help you. And you’ll be spending money—money you can later deduct as business expenses if you keep track of it and retain receipts.
All this stuff can overwhelm you. Instead of feeling like you’re making progress, you’ll feel completely over your head. And if you don’t stay on top of your stuff, it can directly affect your chance of success—and your bottom line!
So, set up both physical files—to hold all that tangible stuff, including receipts—and digital files on your computer to hold all that intangible stuff: your notes, contact info, price comparisons, and so on.
Get in the habit—right from Week One—of putting the stuff you gather (tangible or intangible) in the appropriate file as you go along. If you wait until later (“I’ll put this stuff away this weekend”), those piles of paper will just get larger and larger and larger...
In addition, I’d recommend getting a good-size box (like a large plastic storage tub) to keep all your bulkier items (such as samples, large brochures, research studies) in one place and easily retrievable.
In addition to all the physical staff you’re going to accumulate, you’re going to pile up information even faster.
Although you can start by keeping track of information such as what you paid for office supplies in a notebook, pretty soon you’re going to find it hard to quickly find and retrieve critical information. The answer: Put it in electronic form so it can be easily searched for and found when you need it.
Since it’s likely that you’ll do a lot of online research—regarding competition, pricing, sources, and so on—you’ll discover it’s much easier to keep track of this data if you’ve got a system set up right on your computer.
One way to do this is to utilize the “folder” organizational structure used by most office automation software products. Start right away by setting up computer folders and files as you gather information. For example, you can create a folder called “Suppliers” and inside that folder put all documents— whether word processing, spreadsheets, PDFs, or other types of files—containing the data about suppliers that you unearth during your research.
Start It Free
Storing your information in a free online, cloud-based application like Dropbox (www.dropbox.com) or Box (www.box.com) makes all of that information you collect accessible 24/7 from any computer or mobile device that has Internet access. Later, when your business grows, you can upgrade to a paid account for more storage space.
People who do not seem particularly important during the early stages of your business may be very useful at a later date. It’s a horrible feeling to realize a few months down the road that you met the perfect supplier or distributor, or the person who could introduce you to the right investor, but you’ve lost the little slip of paper with their name, phone number, and email address.
Moreover, you’ll want to start building your database of potential customers, referral sources, and friends so you can later invite them to your “Grand Opening” and send them your email newsletters (Week Six). Believe me, when it comes time to start your marketing program, you’ll be glad you have an easy way to identify and contact people you want to communicate with.
So, right from Week One, establish a system for retaining and retrieving individuals’ contact information. The best way