April 9, 2015

How to buy time to grow your business
Time is the one thing we can’t buy and the one thing that everyone needs more of. But if we can’t buy it, we can certainly create more of it for ourselves with the help of innovative technology. Here’s some very modern resources that will free time to grow your business.
Virtual meetings
With video conferencing technology now at the finger tips of every owner of a smart phone, tablet or computer; holding a meeting with a client on the other side of the world (or the M25) can be done personably and efficiently from your home or office. Google Hangout, Skype and FaceTime are just a few of the platforms allowing you to add several video callers into a meeting. The time and money saved on travelling to meet clients could be better spent creating a knock out pitch to present via video conference; so ask yourself which appointments need to have your physical presence, and which are perfectly viable online? You can demonstrate that you have your finger on the pulse with technology and care about your carbon footprint, and you won’t even need to polish your shoes.
Delegate to a virtual assistant
Successful entrepreneurs aren’t afraid to delegate. Why? Because they know their time is better spent focusing on growth than on managing their company’s social media accounts. The rise of the virtual staffing industry means SME’s and corporations alike can gain flexible employees without the commitment and expense of a permanent PA or assistant. Outsource the tasks you don’t need to do yourself, and enjoy the benefits of a Virtual Assistant creating your company e-newsletter, researching your competitors, arranging your business travel or managing your diary, only paying for the hours and minutes used. Services like Google Mail and Outlook allow you to provide access to specified areas of your email and calendar, so you can retain as much privacy as you need whilst letting a virtual assistant organise your life.
The new ‘to do’ list
Once upon a time we had post it notes, email reminders and biro scrawled on the back of our hands. Now we have the Wunderlist App. Split your to do list into categories, share it with your PA, colleagues and family, and prioritise everything you need to action in one central place.