Business Education

What 90% of Small Business Owners Don’t Know About Employee Productivity—And How to Fix It

“When the cat is away, the mice will play.” It’s a familiar saying and one that has serious consequences for small business owners because unsupervised employees can efficiently squander hours of any given workday. While no realistic employer would demand every second, no conscientious business owner would allow team members to waste their workdays away. So, there must be a sensible balance.

Reducing Employee Distractions and Time-Wasting Habits in Small Businesses

Distractions and time-wasting habits can significantly hinder productivity, especially in small businesses where every hour counts, especially in our tech-heavy, social media world.

According to various productivity studies, employees lose an average of 2-3 hours per day to non-work activities, such as social media scrolling, unnecessary meetings, and multitasking. For small business owners, this translates to lost revenue, delayed projects, and increased stress.

The good news is that with targeted strategies, these issues can be minimized without heavy investments in fancy tools or overhauling operations. Below, we’ll explore practical steps to foster a more focused workplace.

Identify and Eliminate Common Time-Wasters

Start by pinpointing the biggest culprits. Common distractions include procrastination, excessive email checking, social media, and chit-chat. Encourage employees to track their time for a week using simple apps or logs to spot patterns. Once identified, implement small changes, such as setting specific times for email responses—perhaps only three slots per day—to batch tasks and reduce constant interruptions. This approach helps maintain workflow without the mental drain of switching tasks frequently.

Create Distraction-Free Zones and Policies

Designate phone-free areas in the office or enforce “do not disturb” periods during peak productivity hours. For remote or hybrid teams, suggest using focus apps that block distracting websites during work blocks. Small businesses can also adopt a “no interruptions” policy for specific times, allowing deep work on complex tasks. This fosters a culture of respect for focused time and can boost output by up to 20-30%, as employees stay in the zone for more extended periods.

Leverage Time Management Techniques

Introduce simple methods, such as the Pomodoro Technique, where employees work in focused 25-minute bursts followed by short breaks. This combats procrastination by breaking tasks into manageable chunks and building momentum with small wins. For business owners, model this behavior by starting the day with high-priority tasks and encouraging staff to do the same. Tools like timers or shared calendars can make it easy to implement without added costs.

Automate and Streamline Repetitive Tasks

Many time-wasters stem from mundane activities like data entry or report generation. Utilize free or low-cost automation tools to handle these tasks, thereby freeing up employees for value-added work. In small businesses, this may involve setting up email filters, utilizing templates for routine communications, or integrating basic software for inventory management. Automation reduces errors and distractions from switching between low-level tasks.

Promote Digital Detox and Boundaries

Social media and notifications are notorious productivity killers. Encourage a digital detox by turning off non-essential alerts during work hours and logging out of personal accounts on work devices. For small teams, lead by example: restructure workdays to prioritize completion over mere attendance, and value results rather than hours logged. This shift can help employees reclaim time lost to endless scrolling.

Foster Clear Goals and Accountability

Vague objectives lead to wasted effort. Set daily or weekly goals that are specific, measurable, and aligned with business priorities. Regular check-ins—without micromanaging—can keep everyone on track. In small businesses, this might involve morning huddles to outline tasks, reducing the temptation to drift into unproductive activities.

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We can make that dream a reality. Give us 30 minutes, and we will show you how to get your life back. Skeptical? Good! Put us to the test.

You can call us for your free appointment at 480-636-1720, or, if you prefer, Waters Business Consulting Group to learn more about us and the services we offer.

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Is Your Business Really Ready to Expand in the Coming New Year

January 7, 2020 No Comments

Is your business really ready to expand in the coming new year? Although the question seems complicated, it’s not too difficult to answer. Just four key factors can quickly help you determine if you’re ready to expand your business. And, perhaps more importantly, if your company is ready to expand. What it Really Means to Expand a Business Business owners often think about two elements when it comes to expansion — output and sales. Of course, it’s not that simple. However, these are two very important parts of the overall equation. Nonetheless, what it really means to expand a business is to take on a whole new level of responsibility. Even thinking about growing your business is exciting. Expansion means more products or services, customers, sales, and income for you. And, for businesses with physical locations, expansion might mean opening a bigger or second location. Before you rush into expanding your small business, you need to make sure your company is actually ready for growth. Your recent business success isn’t the only thing you should look at. —Forbes.com It also means the business having to respond to a new level of production while not losing it’s nimbleness or its personalized customer service. After all, if it can’t do the latter two — stay agile and maintain customer care quality — it will hurt the company greatly. 4 Signs It’s Time to Expand Your Business So, just what are the signs that it’s time to expand a business? Well, it comes down to only a select group of factors, which include the following: You have too much business. Time and again, you’re falling behind because you simply lack the resources to get all the work done. You’ve streamlined every single solitary step along the way and still, you’re not able to adequately keep up. Worse yet, it’s starting to show itself to customers. Too much work and too few resources to get it done in a timely manner. You have a strong team in-place. Your team members are your secret sauce. Without them, you’d really be in big trouble. Fortunately, they’re able to pull off magnificent feats over and over again. Well, that’s not only good news for the present, but really good for a future expansion. You have the money to expand. Expanding usually means incurring significant expenses. But, if you have some retained earnings saved and a strong forecast for the next several months, you probably can afford to expand your operation. You have a plan to upscale your operation. While the first three elements are absolutely critical, this is perhaps the most important of all because it will define your way forward. (It’s also where winging it just won’t cut it.) So, take the time to consult an experienced business consultant and coach. Someone who has helped companies grow before. Work together to formulate an actionable expansion plan. What other advice would you give business owners who want to know if it’s time to expand? Please share your thoughts and experiences by commenting! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

Is Crazy Creating Chaos in Your Company?

May 5, 2017 No Comments

We all deal with crazy (read: difficult) people in life. They are rude, obnoxious, oblivious, pitiful, without fault, always victims, stir up drama, and what’s worse, don’t know so. You see, the problem with him or her is someone else besides he or she: another coworker, a family member, perhaps even you. As the head of an organization, no matter its size, you’re bound to run into crazy and what’s simply insane is the fact that you let them through the door in the first place. This is just one way business owners and managers rationalize a situation that’s spiraling out of control. “It’s a phase,” or “he or she just needs a little extra motivation.” Though these thoughts might bring a modicum of comfort, it will be short-lived. If you are faced with an employee that’s ultimately doing more harm than good, you’ve got to deal with the situation before it has time to inflict more damage. Ways to Deal with Difficult Employees In most instances, people that behave this way aren’t at all aware of reality. While you and the rest of your team know it, the problem personality probably has a peculiar position. This is a moving or adaptable perception that assigns blame away from him or her. Of course, this makes things worse because he or she won’t be easily convinced as to what’s truly going on. Often, when an employee is difficult we stop paying attention to what’s actually going on. We’re irritated, it seems hopeless, and we’ve already decided what we think about the employee – so we just turn our attention to other things, out of a combination of avoidance and self-protection. But the best managers get very attentive when someone’s not doing well. They know their best shot at improving the situation lies in having the clearest possible understanding of the situation… —Forbes.com The very first thing you ought to do is to take stock of the dynamics. Put yourself in his or her shoes to try and gain some perspective. If that comes up short and doesn’t provide any tangible answers, you now know he or she is the real source of the problem. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to take crazy out of the company: Separate fact from friction. Yes, friction, as well as fiction. Friction between employees can easily lead to you taking sides because of your affinity for one over the other, which is where fiction comes into play. You should act on facts, not feelings, and not because of favorites. Don’t confuse performance with conduct. One rationalization for keeping problematic employees in the company is because of their so-called “redeeming qualities.” While he or she might well possess some great performance traits, it is his or her conduct that’s actually most important. What he or she might be producing individually could well be undermining his or her peers. Take time to listen and offer solutions. Should the person who brings crazy chaos into your company be a productive team member, you ought to try to invoke a turn-around. Go into a private place and ask if he or she is having any problems, then, tactfully offer solutions. If the response is knee-jerk or obtuse, it’s probably time for ultimatums. Lend a helping hand. Not your own, but someone within your organization you trust. This works best peer-to-peer, where coaching captures cooperation. Though this can work wonders, it can also become a tempting choice in the future. Don’t use it as the fallback position or you’ll simply be known for passing difficult personalities out for others to deal with. Ultimately, you are fighting to deal with a situation, not to win by wrangling control away. You want to create a solution, not to win an argument. If you do chose the latter, you are choosing to join in the craziness and even make the environment worse. Also, know when you’re at your limit, as not every situation can be resolved. There will be times when simply parting ways will be the best solution for you and your business. [shareaholic app=”follow_buttons” id=”26833294″]

Best Ways to Practice Self-Promotion

February 28, 2018 No Comments

Social media is a great way to promote your business. But, it alone certainly isn’t enough. You have to practice self-promotion and do it right to make it really pay off. Sure, you can effectively use social media to increase brand awareness. However, it does lack a personal touch. That’s why you need to get out and represent your company. The problem with this is, most people just don’t know where to start. Others make the mistake of over doing it. Still a few more tepidly practice self-promotion but only with great restraint because they don’t want to give off the wrong impression. Self-Promotion and Selfishness Make no mistake about it, self-promotion is paramount to growing your business. What you need to avoid is confusing it with being selfish. You see, self-promotion isn’t really about being selfish. (Unless you’re totally selling for your own benefit alone.) In other words, you shouldn’t feel guilty about promoting your brand because it has something of value to offer. That’s the whole purpose of being in business — to fulfill a need. Marketing is a lot like fishing—some companies cast a wide net to scoop up whatever they can get, while others use bait and wait it out until the right customer takes a nibble. To be successful, you need a combination of both techniques to not only grab a large number of new customers at once, but to also allow new business to continuously trickle in through referrals, word of mouth, and general curiosity. —Forbes.com So, don’t make the big mistake of thinking it’s all about you. Keep in mind that your customers get something valuable in return. And, both of you benefit from each transaction. This means that it’s a win-win scenario. You just have to see it for what it truly is and not fall prey to thinking it’s wrong to make a profit. Only when you don’t deliver on your promises is it unethical (and probably illegal). Best Ways to Practice Self-Promotion Now, let’s get to the most effective ways to practice self-promotion. You should know how to behave because your actions will definitely speak louder than words. Here are some helpful tips for how to practice self-promotion: Practice awareness. You can’t network in a vacuum. If you’re promoting your business, there is more than one person in the room. Keep this fact in mind. You need to read the other person or group and interact accordingly. If you fly blind, you’ll inevitably hit a wall. Always be gracious. Remember that polite manners go a long way. But just because someone gives you an opening to talk about your business doesn’t mean they are asking for a shameless sales pitch. Keep it short, succinct, and kind. Offer something interesting. Sometimes, it’s very tempting to rattle off numbers. Or, go into details. But remember it’s important that what you share is interesting. Otherwise, you’re not only boring the other person, you’re undermining your own efforts. Never be dishonest. Of course, you should always be honest about what you have done and can deliver. Don’t embellish or exaggerate because it will come back to bite you. Besides, if you mislead someone, the relationship begins with a lie. And, that’s never good for business. How do you promote your business? What self-promotion tactics work best for you? Please share your thoughts and experiences by commenting! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.