Do you often find yourself attending to other businesses so much that you forget to look after your own? Maybe its time to make time for you!

Think of your own small business. In this day and age, you probably have a website, but have you updated the content recently? Are there any quirks on the site that need fixing, that you havent got around to? Remember, this website is the worlds shopping window into your business. Is the first thing they see a badly written page? Are there design glitches that ruin the overall impression of your website? And what about your filing system? Do clients and customers call you up and you struggle to find their details? Do you feel embarrassed when you cant remember their names? Do you say to yourself, Im just too busy to get all of this done? Then count yourself in the legions of Sole Proprietors who feel the same way. But it doesnt have to be that way. Read on

Sole Proprietors wear many hats!

A thought occurred to me the other day. There I was, trying to run a small business as a Sole Proprietor, and performing with all of my hats on at the same time; from writer, to marketing manager, to pubic relations officer, to accountant, to scheduler, to mug-washer (and yes, I have to sharpen my own pencils and get my own tea!). But as I put the finishing touches to a large and often complex technical writing project, I realized there was something I was forgetting to do: take care of my OWN business.

Look after Number One!

Its easy to fall into the trap of the plumber whose bathroom has leaking faucets and a bust water-pump. As Sole Proprietors, we spend so much time looking after other peoples houses we forget to get our own house in order. But this is something that is vital to the ongoing success of our own business. So should we make excuses and put it off until we have some quiet time in between projects?

What do you mean your toilet doesnt flush? Youre a plumber!

Here is the scenario that occurred to me. I have a good friend who, coincidentally enough, is involved in the plumbing industry. He is an expert in his field, is reliable, professional and even more importantly, great value for money. He is also a very busy man. I remember joking with him that he had a toilet outside his bathroom rather than inside (it was a replacement pot. He just hadnt got around to installing it yet).

And as much as he would have liked to have his home look spick and span and the paragon of modern plumbing, he just couldnt find the time. So how does this equate to business? Its all about not procrastinating and making the time to do the small, and seemingly unpleasant things, that make our businesses work. Or in my friends case, our toilets.

Dont Procrastinate!

We all have periods of time during the day and week where we have nothing to do. It might be our lunch break; it might be the 20 minutes we take for a walk each day to recharge the batteries. We might even sleep in on Saturday mornings, because we believe we deserve it. And you know what?

We DO deserve it. But we also deserve to give our businesses the best chances they have of succeeding, and that sometimes means giving up those precious few minutes and hours to make sure we are organized enough to know our Mrs. Hackensacks from our Mr. Hollenbecks; to make sure that visitors to our websites dont read Our customer service representatives are often very busty, when we should be telling them that they are busy.

Those short moments can be the difference between looking like a professional and looking like a business run by your 15-year-old nephew. So as tired as you might feel, take that time to get all of the little things done. They can, as the clich goes, make a BIG difference.