For a small business, the number of filings required in a given year can be overwhelming. Let’s take California as an example. A newly formed corporation must obtain a Federal Tax ID number, file an Initial Statement of Information, elect S Corporation status if desired, file a DBA (Doing Business As) if needed and file an annual statement of information on the anniversary date of the corporation’s filing date. Then, there’s other paperwork like meeting minutes or Articles of Amendment, if you make any changes.

This may seem like trivial paperwork, but it’s actually pretty important. Failure to file required paperwork can lead to fines and penalties. And as states are facing rising budget deficits, they’re looking to ramp up their collection efforts and increase revenues any way possible. Penalties and fines can range anywhere from $175 to $400.

While it’s never fun to pay a dime more than you have to, failing to file paperwork can have even more serious consequences than these extra fees. This paperwork is key to keeping your corporation or LLC in good standing. If your business happens to be sued, a plaintiff may try to show that you haven’t maintained your business to the letter of the law.

In the worst cases, your “corporate shield” is pierced and your personal assets can be vulnerable.

Maintaining a corporation or LLC is an ongoing process. Below is a general overview of what you need to do to keep your business in compliance. Of course, specific requirements will vary based on your business type and location.

Stay In Compliance

1. File An Annual Report

Most states require some sort of annual report filing on the anniversary of your business’ incorporation date (in some cases, it’s every two years, or due at the end of the calendar year). It’s a simple form, so be sure to get it done on time to avoid late fees and penalties.

2. File Amendments For Any Changes

If you made some major changes to your LLC or Corporation, you may need to keep your state up to date with an Articles of Amendment form. Examples of changes include: changes to the company name, registered agent, registered office, business address, number of authorized shares, and business activities.

3. Get a Federal Tax ID number

To distinguish your business as a separate legal entity, you’ll need to obtain a Federal Tax Identification Number, also referred to as an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Issued by the IRS, the tax ID number is similar to your personal social security number and allows the IRS to track your company’s transactions.

4. Keep Up To Date With Any Meeting Minutes

If your business is a corporation (S or C), you’ll need to record meeting minutes (including every action or decision) whenever you hold a corporate meeting. Typical content includes: time and place of meeting, attendance and chair of the meeting, any actions (purchases, elections, etc.) and signature of recorder and date.

5. File a DBA For Any Name Variations

A lot of times, a business has an official name and then uses any number of variants of that name. For example, your official name might be COMPANY, Inc., but you also go by COMPANY or COMPANY.com, etc. In these cases, you need to file a DBA (Doing Business As) for each of the variations.

6. Use Your Proper Name On Any Contract

In addition to filing DBAs as needed, you should be extra careful about how your business is referenced in business contracts and other forms. Whenever you reference your business, make sure to identify it as a corporation, using Inc. or Corp., whichever your state requires.  Never use your name followed by “DBA” (Doing Business As) on a contract.

The post Don’t Pay Penalties and Fees: Avoid Business Compliance Pitfalls appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Big data is big news in today’s digitized world. With the explosion of Internet usage and social media networks, there’s a massive cloud of data being generated about people all over the world, and it’s growing at an exponential rate.

Until recently, big data has been a mining center for big business to learn more about customer behaviors, desires, trends and browsing or buying patterns. It takes a sophisticated system and considerable computing power to sort through all that information and pull something useful out of it.

However, technology has advanced in power—and come down in price. Now, even small businesses can tap into the power of big data to improve the customer experience and boost bottom lines.

Analytics: The Key to Using Big Data

The term “big data” covers a lot of ground. Data is collected from every action that’s performed on an Internet-connected network—sending an email or tweet, posting to Facebook or a blog, commenting or rating, updating a profile, shopping online, using a cell phone or tablet, even swiping a credit card at a physical store. Every action generates a digital footprint that’s stored somewhere in the ether.

That’s a lot of data. To obtain useful information from this vast ocean, you’ll need some serious analytical power that can find the relevant bits and display them in a format you can understand. Fortunately, that power is both affordable and accessible through various platforms from free programs like Google Analytics to inexpensive business tools like customer relationship management (CRM) software.

What Can Your Small Business Do With Big Data?

If you’re looking to tap into the vast, rich landscape of big data, there are a number of avenues to explore.

Sort Through Your Social Media

You’re already connected to many of your customers through your business social media networks,aren’t you? Well, the data collection doesn’t have to stop there. Tools like Social Mention, Twilert, and Kurrently let you set up alerts and notifications whenever a subject is mentioned online like your business itself, the products or services you offer or any relevant keyword.

Once you start tracking these mentions, you can tailor your responses and conversations to build buzz, generate more interest and improve customer satisfaction and engagement.

Collect Customized Data With CRM

There are many inexpensive (even free) CRM systems that offer fully featured platforms to track interactions with customers and prospects. Programs such as Insightly, Zolo, and Nimble not only provide an inside line to big data, but also help you sort through it and pinpoint the most helpful information.

These platforms also include social media functionality, so you can streamline your big data collection from multiple sources.

Monitor and Mine Customer Calls

Whether you’re working with a few office lines, a VoIP system with mobile capabilities, or a third-party call center, customer service calls can be an important source of data. Be sure you’re collecting your call logs and analyzing the information.

Customer call data can help you:

• Discover the demographics of your callers.
• Identify the most common problems that result in a phone call.
• Analyze inbound calling trends.
• Optimize customer service through strategic call routing.

Many web-based VoIP systems include analytics and automated call logs, and they’re also an inexpensive solution for business voice needs.

How can your small business take advantage of big data?

Data Photo via Shutterstock

The post How a Small Business Can Use Big Data appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Keeping track of activity is a common challenge for small business owners. We wear many hats and are responsible for many things. One of the places where we fall down is with our sales process. I am a huge fan of systems because I believe systems keep us on track and focused.

Systems To Build Business

There are three areas where I see these systems having a lot of value. They are:

• Prospecting
• Selling
• Follow up

Prospecting Systems

Who and where?

The question here is, “Who is your target market?” You can have more than one. However, pick one at a time to work on. Ask yourself which industry or demographic makes the best client for you. Now, go find the prospects within that target. Once you have the list, determine how you are going to pursue them.

Having a specific, structured system for how you are going to connect with the prospects within a target market will help you schedule those steps and implement them.

Monitoring

How are you going to monitor your interactions with those prospects? Having a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system makes the most sense to me. There are a number of small business CRM programs out there. Explore a handful of them with an eye toward what information you want to be able to capture.

You should use a CRM system that integrates with your calendar so you can set reminders and tasks. A couple of systems to take a look at are: Salesforce, Insightly, and Base.

Selling System

I consider selling to be what you do when you are in front of a prospect. So, think sales appointment. The key to a successful sales appointment is gaining information – not giving it. This is your chance to learn as much as you can about the prospect. What is their issue, urgency, budget, decision making process, ability to pay, etc.?

Create a list of questions you can ask the prospect. As you listen to their answers and write them down, pay attention to how they are sharing. You want to do business with clients who value you, are forthcoming with information and openly discuss their situation. You have the chance to determine if they are a prospect you really want to do business with.

Having this list of questions, will help you gain all of the information you need to successfully quote. Which brings me to the next step of the selling system. Create a quote that speaks directly to what they’ve told you. You can even repeat what you heard them say. This is confirmation that you heard them and are responding to what they told you. This will diminish objections as well.

Follow up System

One of the most critical parts of sales success is the follow up. This is also one of the places that we fall down the most. We get busy and are prone to focus on the task at hand. However, follow up is a key ingredient in the health of a business. Using a CRM program to monitor when and how to contact your connections, prospects and clients can be invaluable.

Determine what information you need to keep track of when it comes to follow up. Then look at the tools you already have in your business; tools like an Outlook calendar. You can set reminders and alarms with Outlook that will remind you of when you need to make a call or send a letter.

Setting agreements with the other person is an interesting part of a follow up plan. This entails suggesting to the contact when you will call them or when you should meet again. When they agree, put it on your calendar. You can email them a confirmation as well.

When you keep these activities on your calendar and treat them as appointments, you are more likely to see them through. This will help you maintain your activity and progress.

You can see how setting up systems can help you maintain your forward progress and business growth. Don’t leave these important areas of your business to chance – the chance of having time and remembering to do them. Rather, create your systems and then implement them.

You’ll find your business growing steadily.

Building Business Photo via Shutterstock

The post Systems That Build and Grow A Business appeared first on Small Business Trends.

3D printing is like having a small-scale manufacturing device right in your home or office.

3D printers are devices that can create three-dimensional objects.  Most 3D printers create objects in plastic. Some use ceramic, metal or other materials. There’s even a 3D printer that forms items out of chocolate or cheese.

How does 3D printing work?

In a way, the term “3D printing” is misleading. It sounds like a 3D printer somehow folds ordinary paper into objects – like origami.

But that’s not how 3D printing works.  Instead, 3D printers start with a computer-generated design for an object.  Then the printer forms a three-dimensional object out of plastic or other material. Most 3D printers work by layering the material in thin layers over and over until the material builds up.

The technology isn’t new. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, aerospace companies and auto manufacturers have been using large, industrial-grade 3D printers for about 25 years. What’s new is the availability on the market of cheap 3D printing options affordable by small businesses.

Recently, 3D printers became a sensation online, when one was used to create a functioning handgun. The YouTube video demonstrating it has over 3 million views. The U.S. State Department has demanded the files be taken offline.

How can small businesses use 3D printing?

3D printing can be used to create prototypes of new products.  It can be used for industrial design and even small-scale manufacturing operations.

For inventors and small business manufacturers, developing product prototypes can be a laborious and expensive process. 3D printing can simplify prototyping by allowing creators to make digital files of their new designs and then simply print them on-premise. For certain items, this could prove easier than fabricating prototypes by hand. It can be less expensive than finding an outside facility to produce prototypes.

In certain cases, 3D printers can even be used for the manufacturing production process itself.

Examples of 3D printed items

3D printed items can be used in a wide range of industries.  Its use is not limited to creating prototypes.  Here are some examples:

• Architects have used the technology to create small models of buildings or pieces to see how they fit together in real space.
• Toy builders could use 3D printing to make small dolls or action figures.
• Jewelry designers could use 3D printing to create bracelets, pendants or other accessories.
• People have even used 3D printers to create much more complicated items like clocks, human prosthetics, and cars.

Pros and Cons of 3D printing

Pros

• Protoyping Speed –  One of the main advantages of 3D printing is that it can speed up the prototyping process. Rather than having to design a conceptual model and then finding the materials and equipment necessary to create a physical prototype, businesses can simply design the model digitally and then print it.
• Reduced costs - Aside from the initial investment in the printer and materials, there isn’t much cost associated with 3D printing if you do it yourself.

Cons:

• Production Speed - If you’re a small-scale manufacturer or crafter, 3D printers can be used for the manufacturing process. But the printers are relatively slow. This makes them unrealistic for manufacturing large quantities.
• Intellectual property - Another concern is that 3D printing could give people an easier way to create counterfeit items based on digital designs of others.

What is the cost of 3D printing?

3D printers still vary greatly in size, capacity, and price. Industrial grade 3D printers go for up to $1 million.

However, you can find affordable, do-it-yourself options on the market. A 3D printer called the Cube (pictured), made by 3D Systems, can be purchased online and will be available at Staples stores in June for $1,299. The Cube is preassembled and can hook up to a Wi-Fi network, allowing users to download their designs and print them into real objects. Or you can insert a USB stick with the design and print.

Other small 3D printers run as low as $999. There’s even an open source 3D printing community called Fab@Home.

For those who don’t own a 3D printer, there are online 3D printing services like Shapeways that allow users to create digital designs and have them printed and shipped by the company. Users can even set up their own shops to sell their designs to others.

Image: Cube 3D printer by 3D Systems

The post What is 3D Printing? appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Small business manufacturing is growing, according to a recent analysis.  One big reason for the growth is the ability of small manufacturers to reinvent themselves to take advantage of new industries and new business opportunities.

The PayNet Manufacturing Index found that American manufacturing by small businesses is up 48 percent since 2009.   While it still hasn’t rebounded to pre-Great Recession highs, the trend overall is significantly upward since 2009. See chart above (black line is the full index – green line reflects the industrial machinery sector).

PayNet’s index measures investments by small manufacturing businesses in property, equipment, tools and business units.  In other words, small businesses in manufacturing are investing again – a positive signal.

Manufacturers of industrial machinery and equipment are one category of manufacturers fueling this resurgence in an area of the economy that has been losing jobs since the 1990s. Companies manufacturing equipment like gas compressors, carburetors, tools, and industrial fans fall into this category. They did better than manufacturers as a whole.

PayNet President William Phelan said with the release of the new data, “This sector is the biggest example of the resurgence of U.S. manufacturing. The process of re-invention and recreation is core to business right now and surviving companies have figured this out.”

Instrument manufacturers make up another category showing positive gains since the 2009 recession lows.

One sector that has not seen growth is small manufacturers in the printing and publishing sector.  They appear to be a casualty of the digital age. There’s less need for book binding and other traditional printing technologies, PayNet points out.

PayNet also notes that these investments by small business manufacturers are driving productivity increases of 15%.  Small businesses are “producing more manufactured goods for the same level of capital.”

PayNet is based in Skokie, Illinois. It was founded in 1999 and maintains a large proprietary database of small business loans, leases and lines of credit encompassing over 20 Million contracts. The company also publishes the Thomson Reuters/PayNet Small Business Lending Index.  PayNet recently launched a Small Business Delinquency Index.

Chart credit: PayNet

The post Small Business Manufacturing Is Up. One Reason: Reinvention appeared first on Small Business Trends.

[Click for large version PDF]

Nearly all (98 percent) small businesses use wireless technologies in their operations, a 2013 AT&T small business technology poll says.

Details of the poll released recently also reveal how dependent upon wireless technology most small businesses have become.

For example, the survey shows two-thirds (about 66 percent) of those businesses would be unable to survive or would be severely challenged without wireless.

“For small businesses today, wireless solutions have become part of their DNA,” said Cathy Martine, AT&T executive vice president of small business solutions in a release earlier this year.

The poll also reveals additional details about the choice of wireless technology for many small firms.

Smartphones – Small businesses depend on their smartphones – and usages keeps growing. The poll found 85 percent of small businesses use some kind of smartphone in their operations (even if it isn’t the latest generation). That’s double the number five years ago.

Tablets – Just over two thirds (69 percent) of small businesses now say they use tablets in their operations. That’s a bit up from the 66 percent of small companies that said they used the devices last year.

Interestingly, the use of tablets increases with the size of the business. Ninety percent of firms with between 51 and 99 employees use tablets, while only seven in 10 (69 percent) of firms with 50 or fewer employees do so.

Newer businesses are also more likely to use  tablets.  The survey found 80 percent of small businesses less than two years old use tablets in their operations, while just 69 percent of those two years and older use them.

Mobile apps – Despite all the hundreds of thousands of apps available today, only 31 percent of small businesses in the survey say they use apps in business.  But of the ones who do, almost half say they couldn’t live without them.

The survey paints a picture of tech-savvy small businesses far removed from the old stereotype of small businesses as  technology laggards.  Small business owners are probably not surprised by the popularity of wireless technology in business operations. It brings productivity and allows small business personnel to be mobile instead of stuck in the office all day.

AT&T’s 2013 Small Business Technology Poll was conducted with 1,000 small businesses in 50 states and the District of Columbia surveyed from December 18 through December 27, 2012.

The post 98% of Small Businesses Use Wireless, AT&T Poll Says appeared first on Small Business Trends.

People regularly tell me they want business results fast, like in 30 days, to grow new customers, get more referrals, have more LinkedIn or Twitter followers and get more likes or comments. Those things are all possible, as long as your “operating system” and certain strategies are in place, driving momentum.

Please stop trying to speed up success and results by taking short cuts, doing the minimum or not being willing to put the right things in place. It simply just doesn’t work that way and is actually a waste of precious time.

Success and business results leave clues, follow a process and unfold over time. We all have to put in the grunt work, pay the dues and follow the path that naturally unfolds as we gain experience and wisdom and find the right formula for ourselves.

Overnight success, quick success and results is a myth, very difficult to sustain, unrealistic and short lived most of the time. Our greatest assets for sustaining success and getting results is clarity, focus, patience, consistency and grit.

Look at the legacy and longevity of the impressive careers of Jonathon Winters, Margaret Thatcher, Dick Clark, Elizabeth Taylor, Shirley Temple, Zig Ziglar, Steve Jobs.

They all had a clear sense of their:

• Pace
• Timing
• Opportunities
• Self-management

What did they do? What was the formula they developed to sustain their brand and likability, yet still change? How can you build the “operating system” for your success, brand and platform around the same principles?

How to Get Business Results

Be Very Strategic, Very Focused and Very Specific

Smaller is better, laser niching is smart. Have a clear, thought-out, purposeful strategy for everything you do and everyone that you invest time and energy with and on. Know what roles you both play in each others story and why you are doing what you do.

Don’t get distracted for too long, stay focused. LinkedIn has done an amazing job climbing to the top of the professional online platform space, and is on pace to continue to lead with 200 million+ members in 200 countries.

Pace Yourself and Be Consistent

Easy does it. Run for the marathon, not the sprint. Always train for the second half of the race so you don’t start out too fast, then fizzle and burn out toward the end. A steady pace and then a kick at the end always wins.

Sense When The Timing is Right or Wrong

If it feels right, then trust your instincts and go with it. If it feels wrong or there is any hint of reservation, wait and let more unfold and be revealed. BlogTalkRadio is one of the most popular online audio podcasting sites and networks.

They recently re-branded their site and technology to keep pace with their growing hosts,  listeners and the exploding podcast space. It was very timely, smart and needed.

Assess Opportunities That Fit and Make Sense

A lot of opportunities come across our path, but not all are right for where we are and where we are going. Pounce on the ones that make the best sense and fit your goals and direction to the present. Did Mark Zuckerberg make a smart move by building a Facebook phone?

Have a Self Management Plan and Network to Help and Support You

Do you have a mentor, accountability partner or group and confidants? Trusted professional colleagues, friends and family create a network to support and keep us honest and on track. Who do you trust to call you out?

Two years ago, Heidi Grant Halvorson wrote about the “Nine Things Successful People Do Differently,” which became HBR’s most-read piece of content over that time span. It was a list of strategies, based on decades of scientific research, proven effective for setting and reaching challenging goals.

To help answer that question, last spring she created “Nine Things Diagnostic.” It’s a free, online set of questionnaires that anyone can take, designed to measure your own use of each of the nine things you do in pursuit of your personal and professional goals. In order of effect magnitude, here are the top 9 most impactful strategies she collected from her 30K surveys. Fascinating, but not surprising.

In the words of the comical genius and benchmark, (RIP) Jonathon Winters:

“I couldn’t wait for success, so I went ahead without it.”

What strategic things do you do daily to get business results?

Get Results Photo via Shutterstock

The post How to Get Results: Be Strategic, Get Focused, Show Grit appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Are you considering selling your small business?  Perhaps you think it’s a good time to sell, considering that more businesses have been bought and sold this year than at this time last year, according to a BizBuySell survey.

However, valuations of those businesses could be lower in 2013, thanks to some tax changes. So if you want to get the best sales price possible, there are likely some steps you should already be taking. And allow yourself enough time to sell a small business.

Most owners don’t realize that selling a business can be so time consuming, according to Bob Pullar of Owners University, who recently suggested that owners spend three to five years preparing to sell in order to get the best price possible. Pullar said that preparing your business for sale over time will allow you to demonstrate how well your company trends over time, both financially and operationally.

And those who don’t take the time to properly prepare are leaving money on the table. According to Pullar, an owner that takes the time to complete all the necessary valuation enhancing projects can see an increase of up to 400% in valuation, depending on their industry.

So what steps do owners need to take to make sure they get the best sale price? Pullar recommends having three to five years of audited or reviewed financial statements, along with an annual business plan and three-year projection.

In addition, owners should have a detailed succession plan, which includes key managers to run the business after the sale, other employees who are key to the business’s success, and up-to-date contracts with third party suppliers.

According to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers survey (DOC), 79% of business owners identified maximizing the financial return as their top objective for succession. But not all of those owners said they had a succession plan in place. In fact, the most common step taken to prepare for succession was improving profitability by cutting costs and restructuring debts and compensation.

Though profitability improvements can certainly have an impact on valuations, Pullar said that most companies don’t require any massive changes in this area when preparing to sell. And even those that do need to make significant changes should begin preparations early and not discount the other steps involved in improving valuations.

“The most important thing for an owner to realize is that they can’t afford to wait until they know 100% that they want to sell their businesses,” said Pullar.

There is no magic formula for making sure your business is ready to sell. Targeting buyers and evaluating your business’s value can vary by industry. But having a plan and allowing enough time to implement it is essential for any industry.

Image: Sold via Shutterstock

The post It Takes 3 to 5 Years to Prepare to Sell a Small Business appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Over the past 15 years I’ve started several companies and helped thousands of others. In doing so, I’ve seen tremendous successes. I’ve also witnessed tremendous failures.

In assessing what I’ve seen, I’ve identified the following 8 common characteristics of those entrepreneurs and business owners who have enjoyed the most success. If you’re not doing any of these, now’s the time to start.

8 Characteristics of Successful Business Owners

1) Have a Crystal Clear Vision

If you don’t have a crystal clear vision of the company you are trying to create, you can’t possibly create it.

Figure out exactly the type of company you are trying to build. For example, in five years how many customers will you have? How many employees? What will your revenues be?

2) Have a Written Strategic Plan

Your vision is your dream. Your plan details how you will achieve that dream.

Your plan should identify what you must accomplish in the next twelve months to get on the right path to achieving your long-term vision. Among other things, your plan must document your product strategy, marketing strategy and human resource strategy.

3) Set Shorter-Term Goals

The most successful entrepreneurs and business owners also set shorter-term goals. Specifically, they identify what they and their company need to achieve in the next quarter, monthly and week to meet their annual goals.

They also meet with their teams to ensure all employees understand these goals and work together to achieve them.

4) Ongoing Education

To succeed requires continual education. This includes reading books and magazines (offline and online), attending events and networking with other successful entrepreneurs and business owners.

Having business mentors is another great way to get ongoing education and advice.

5) Satisfy Your Customers

If you can’t satisfy customers, your business will fail.

Always keep your customers top of mind. Focus relentlessly on their needs; not just on your needs.

6) Be a Great Marketer

If you are truly satisfying your customers, you will grow through word of mouth.

But in most cases, you want or need to grow even faster. So make sure you have a comprehensive marketing plan in place. Of particular importance is your promotion plan, or your plan to attract new customers.

The key to your promotion plan is to leverage as many marketing channels as possible. For example, if you are attracting new customers from radio ads, pay-per-click advertising, partnerships, direct mail and newspaper ads, you will get many more new customers than competitors who may only leverage one of these channels.

7) Be Laser-Focused in Your Work

As an entrepreneur or business owner, you are constantly faced with new opportunities and ideas. The key to your success is staying focused. By creating plans and setting (and sticking to) goals, you will achieve more.

That’s not to say to avoid all new opportunities. Rather, make sure you focus on hitting your short-term goals first, and then set up periodic meetings (perhaps monthly) to consider new ideas or opportunities.

8) Never Give Up

The life of an entrepreneur or business owner isn’t easy. There’s always more work to be done. And on any given day there may be significant ups and downs, such as landing or losing a big client.

Never give up. Build up a tolerance to the downs and realize that if you keep focusing on attaining your goals, you will.

We should all cherish the opportunity we have to run a business. By following these eight practices listed above, you can get the most out of your business and achieve the success you desire.

Success Photo via Shutterstock

The post 8 Common Characteristics of Successful Business Owners appeared first on Small Business Trends.

As a small business owner, free time is probably not something you have a whole lot of. What you do have a lot of are tasks to accomplish and deadlines to meet. So how can you better accomplish these tasks in a shorter amount of time?

Below are 50 time saving tips to help you save time throughout your workday.

50 Time Saving Tips for Small Businesses

1. Set Goals

Each morning, write out a detailed to-do list of the things you want to accomplish that day.

2. Create a Plan

Figure out when and how you’ll accomplish each item on your daily list – will you need help, supplies, etc.?

3. Prioritize by Importance

It’s inevitable that sometimes you’ll have to cut items off your to-do list, so decide early what the most important items are and prioritize.

4. Prioritize by Urgency

You’ll need to get to those projects that have urgent deadlines so leave the ones that are due next week for later.

5. Break Down Large Tasks

If your list includes some overwhelming items, break them down into smaller, more manageable tasks.

6. Be Realistic

Don’t expect to accomplish everything in an hour. Know your limitations and your abilities.

7. Track Your Time

In order to better understand how you really spend your time, take a few days and write down everything you do and how long it takes. Include breaks, email, social media and everything else, so that you’ll find out what your biggest time wasters are.

8. Set Deadlines

Need some motivation to complete a project? Set a deadline for yourself and tell others about it so they can help hold you accountable.

9. Keep One Eye on the Clock

You don’t want to constantly obsess about time, but you also don’t want to let the day get away from you because you weren’t paying attention. Stay on track.

10. Set Reminders

If you have a deadline or meeting coming up, set a reminder on your phone that will go off shortly before.

11. Schedule Breaks

Everyone needs to take breaks throughout the day, so make sure to account for them when scheduling your tasks for the day.

12. Schedule Time for Email and Social Media

Email and social media can be big time wasters. Don’t respond to every email as it comes in and don’t leave Facebook or Twitter open all day. Instead, schedule a short block or two throughout the day to accomplish these tasks.

13. Use a Central Social Media Management System

If you use social media for marketing purposes, you likely have more than one account. Using a central dashboard like HootSuite can help you avoid going back and forth between sites, and even allows you to schedule posts throughout the day so you don’t need to constantly sign back on.

14. Avoid Distractions

Aside from social media and email, there are a number of other distractions that can cause you to waste time throughout the day. If you work at home, turn off the TV. If you work in an office, take a different route to the water cooler to avoid chatty co-workers.

15. Stick to One Task at a Time

Multi-tasking can sound like a time saver, but it isn’t. Focus on one task, complete it and then move on.

16. Batch Tasks

It can be helpful to do similar tasks consecutively. For example, make all your phone calls for the day back-to-back.

17. Incentivize Tasks

When you have a really difficult task to complete, give yourself a reward for completing it. It can be as simple as taking a break.

18. Focus on Results

You should have an idea about why you are doing each task on your list. Ask yourself how each item will impact your company and focus on results.

19. Don’t Stress Over Unimportant Details

If something doesn’t have a big impact on your business, don’t stress about it. Perfectionism can be a big time waster.

20. Create Good Habits

Create a habit of sorting files regularly, responding to emails in a timely manner and quickly accomplishing any other tasks that show up on your to-do list so that it quickly becomes routine.

21. Eliminate the Non-Essential

Remove items that no longer serve a purpose to your mission, both physically and electronically.

22. Use Email Filters and Archives

Use email filters and archives so that you don’t spend hours looking for a particular message. Your email program most likely offers easy tools to keep all your communications organized, so make wise use of those features.

23. Limit Meetings

Meetings can be essential, but they can also turn into time wasters if they go on too long or happen too frequently. Accept and schedule only important meetings.

24. Hire a Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants can help you with mundane daily tasks like email, bookkeeping, scheduling and research. Consider getting yourself some help if you need it.

25. Utilize a Project Management Platform

Services like Basecamp offer your team a way to communicate in groups, set deadlines and share and edit files without having to keep up with several different email threads.

26. Keep Projects in One Place

For both completed projects and those still in progress, have one folder or area where you know you can find them.

27. Avoid Rush Hour

If you commute or have to travel for meetings, take traffic and construction into account so as to not waste time en route.

28. Have Virtual Meetings

Avoid traveling when possible and instead consider the use of programs like Skype or GoToMeeting.

29. Automate Payroll

Rather than manually tracking hours and expenses, invest in a payroll system that will do all the work for you.

30. Take Notes

Keep a notebook with you at all times to jot down notes and ideas or use an app such as Evernote to store ideas, images and more so you don’t spend time trying to think of them later.

31. Take Advantage of Technology

There are so many time saving and organizational apps and services available such as Dropbox, which lets you bring your photos, docs and videos anywhere . Find the ones that work for you.

32. Don’t Get Carried Away

Attempting to master and utilize too many productivity applications and services at once can be a time waster. Don’t use so many of them that you spend more time on them than you save.

33. Delegate

Ask your team to take on tasks that you don’t have time for or those with which you know they’d do a good job.

34. Invest in Accounting Software

Keeping endless spreadsheets can lead to a lot of headaches and wasted time. Keep all your account information organized in one place.

35. Keep an Organized Workspace

Don’t spend hours rifling through your desk looking for a particular document when you could just implement a filing system and find it in seconds.

36. Back Up Your Files

Whether by external hard drive, hard copies or online backup, create backups of all your important files in case of a computer meltdown. Consider an online service like Carbonite or Mozy for this purpose.

37. Keep Templates for Commonly-Used Forms

Don’t spend time writing the same paragraphs over and over again when you could have a general template saved. Just go in and make a few updates each time you use it instead of starting from scratch.

38. Utilize Shortcuts

Use keyboard and browser shortcuts and keep all your commonly used programs in an easily accessible location on your desktop.

39. Automate Expenses

Make use of automatic bill pay services whenever possible to avoid late payments and time spent actually paying bills each month.

40. Use a Cloud-Based Calendar

Calendar apps can keep you updated on important meetings and deadlines and don’t take long to update. Consider using Google Calendar for this purpose.

41. Have a Collaboration System

Whether you use a platform like Basecamp or Google Docs or stick to more traditional methods, you should have a set system for collaboration so that your team doesn’t get confused and unorganized.

42. Say “No”

Don’t take on tasks just because someone asks you to. If you don’t have the time and it won’t help your business, don’t do it.

43. Make the Most of Down Time

Time spent in waiting rooms, on the subway or even on long elevator rides could be used to update your calendar, write notes or accomplish other simple tasks.

44. Clean Up Old Files

Ridding your computer of old files can not only keep you from having to wade through them while looking for more relevant files, but it can also speed up your computer and save you from a fate of endless loading pages.

45. Use Mobile Apps

There are mobile productivity apps, mobile calendar apps, mobile list apps – all of which can help you accomplish tasks and save time while not in front of a computer.

46. Know Your Habits

If you’re an early bird, get your most important tasks out of the way early. If you’re a night owl, don’t force yourself to turn in big projects in the morning. Play to your strengths.

47. Shorten Your Workday

In a blog post on Freelance Folder, Lexi Rodrigo explains that cutting time off your workday will force you to accomplish more within the time allotted.

48. Leave Room for the Unexpected

Things you didn’t plan for will come up throughout the day. Take this into account when making your to-do list.

49. Have Quiet Hours

If you work in an office, put a “do not disturb” sign on your door while you’re working on an important task. If you work from home, silence your phone for that time. If distractions come up when you’re in the zone, you can lose your concentration and end up spending way more time than necessary.

50. Don’t Over-Schedule

You might be overly optimistic in the morning about how much you can get done that day. But creating a too-full list is only going to overwhelm you later in the day.

If you implement even just a few of the time saving tips listed above, you will start to notice a difference in your workday and your productivity – and you may even notice that you have a little more free time.

The post 50 Time Saving Tips for Small Businesses appeared first on Small Business Trends.