Make your time count

Hack your schedule to get through the hurdles of economic downturn

When resources are scarce, you have to put in the time. And nobody knows better than small businesses and freelancers just how little time we all have, so it’s important to make sure that this most valuable resource is put into the most impactful tasks. So…how do you manage all that time you don’t have, especially in periods of scarcity and crisis?


Here are some essential tips for taking your time to task.

Preparation, preparation, preparation

Lack of preparedness ranks among the top three reasons why SMBs fail during times of recession. It's natural to think of recession or off-peak times as periods ripe for cutting costs and rationing. However, this cookie-cutter approach may not work in an increasingly diversified economy. There are far bigger risks that will not be mitigated by such actions. Far worse, by simply cutting back, you could be shutting out some key opportunities. For example, with layoffs running wide, competitors may think fast and snatch up skilled employees. Make sure you’re aware of what’s going on in your market and not solely focused on keeping it bare bones.


That being said, it is a good time to rethink your business costs, including those paid to suppliers and vendors, and more importantly, to review your return on investment for each expenditure. Some businesses get aggressive here by dropping valuable parts of their supply chain, which can significantly hurt the quality of service and products. So, bottom line: think before you drop!


Good prep will start with an audit of your business operations, including the costs and quality of supplies, the costs of service, the costs of acquiring or retaining customers, and so on. You can work with a freelance expert to help you out with this analysis.


Now’s also the right time to ask for thorough updates from various vendors and suppliers. If you have an active subscription with a marketing agency, SEO agency, paid advertising agency, social media marketing, bookkeeping, CRM, and others, be sure to review quarterly, semi-annual, annual, and 3 years’ efforts. Leave only those partners that are helping your business remain lean and sustainable. You don't want to retain the services of a company that is not offering you good value for your investment.

Make the most of what you have (and hire an expert for the rest)

You probably won't be able to generate a lot of big-budget marketing content during this period. However, you can create informational, how-to, and demo videos either internally or consult a skilled expert for help. If filming is too expensive, improvisation and team spirit are key. You might have to ask your team members to step in and step up. And for the finishing touches, including retouching, outros & intros, and more—head over to a professional video editor.


If you’re not even sure how to start, freelancers can help you with video scripts and transcriptions to take some of the workload off you and your team.


You can end up creating more valuable content for your marketing and lead generation by divvying up tasks, mobilizing your team, and collaborating with freelancers.

Leave your work in the best hands—your team’s

You need all the clarity and focus you can get to make critical business decisions. This is not a good time to allow things that could be done by someone else bog you down. Trust in your team to take over some duties.


Things tend to get more frantic during recessions. You could find yourself overwhelmed chasing calls, juggling appointment bookings, and more. It’s a good time to rethink some of these tasks. Surprisingly, most routine tasks, such as publishing on social media or responding to requests for quotes, for example, can be delegated.


Put together a list of your daily tasks, making sure to group similar or related tasks. If tasks revolve around marketing, separate them into offline and digital efforts. All those that fall under one category can be assigned to one person to coordinate—even if others internally or externally are involved.


While you divide and conquer tasks, try to centralize your supply chain if possible. Opt for bundled services and packages instead of multiple vendors. You can end up getting more for much less, while keeping coordination tight. Eventually, you want to work with simple and executable business information. So, consolidating reporting will be more efficient than tracking data from multiple sources.

Provide the right tools and environment for your team

Your team can do more in far less time, so delegating gives you an advantage—and a little spare time to breathe, among other things. But to entrust your team with important tasks and ensure proper execution, you have to equip them for the challenge. Creating a productive, effective environment might mean investing in POS and CRM software or scheduling tools. No matter what tools you choose to adopt, you can hire experts to integrate and customize them to best fit your business.


Using these tools can often help you automate routine tasks where possible. Chatbots, templates, autoresponders, and other automation features can significantly save time and help you dedicate yourself to more strategic tasks such as networking or media outreach.

Put the work in your FAQs

Most businesses add random FAQs to their sites. They don't look at the data about customer calls. Out of every 100 customer calls, there will always be a trend of questions and concerns that should be addressed.


Adding relevant and specific FAQs to your website or social media platforms can help close customers faster and reduce call times. A customer who has to call to know the price or return policy or ingredients will make a call to place an order as well, which burns through your reps’ time. If you don't have such a section on your site, work with a website developer to add it. Consulting a content writer to ensure that the FAQs are clearly and professional addressed can go a long way.


As the old saying goes, “time is money.” During times of economic downturn, both tend to be a little tighter. So, while you’re working extra hard to be careful about your finances, don’t forget that your time is just as valuable and make sure to adopt the right strategies to keep your business momentum going.

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