Working ON Your Business now matters more than ever!

With the current state of the of economy and the spending slowdown, businesses are finding themselves confused and uncertain of their long-term prospects with survival becoming the primary goal. Cutbacks on spending, staff, advertising, etc. generate even more confusion and chaos. But here lies an opportunity – an opportunity to not only weather the storm but also emerge stronger. This article explores why working ON your business during tough times is not just advisable; it’s essential for long-term success.

The Myth of Belt Tightening

When the economy slows, the instinctive response for many business owners is to tighten their belts – to cut costs, reduce investments, and play it safe. While prudent financial management is crucial, merely battening down the hatches won’t propel your business forward. Resilience in recession requires more than survival; it demands adaptability and working on your business.

The Power of Strategic Thinking

Instead of just working IN Your Business, it’s now time to “Work ON Your Business”. This means stepping back from the daily grind and adopting a more strategic mindset. It’s about asking the critical questions:

• What are our core strengths?
• What can we do better?
• How can we be more efficient?
• What new markets can we explore?

Strategic thinking allows you to see beyond the immediate crisis and envision a path forward.

Innovate by working on your Business or Stagnate

Recessions force innovation. When resources are scarce, creativity flourishes. Use this time to innovate – whether it’s streamlining processes, developing new products, or reimagining your customer experience. Remember, the companies that thrive during downturns are the ones that dare to disrupt themselves by working on their Business.

Upgrade Your Digital Arsenal

We all know digital is no longer optional; it’s essential. Invest in your online presence, optimize your website, and embrace e-commerce and social media etc. When it comes to internal processes though, we’ve often inherited systems that were set up ages ago – like a hand-me-down suit that no longer fits quite right. These legacy processes might have served their purpose once, but as your business has evolved, they are now rigid and cumbersome. Imagine an old tree—sturdy but inflexible. When change comes, these processes break instead of bending.

Studying your internal process management is essential. These processes keep your business ticking. The goal? Streamline these tasks, eliminate unnecessary steps, and automate the rest. Think of it as decluttering your process closet. By integrating different office applications, rethinking labour allocation, and redefining steps, you create a lean, mean process machine.  We at ProcessIT can help you with your Process Analysis, suggest possible solutions and options and develop Custom Solutions that are specifically tailored to your Business.

Custom Software: Not Always a Full Overhaul

Sadly, most think you need a huge and complete system overhaul to see results. -WRONG! Often, existing software or trusty Excel spreadsheets can be the foundation for something much greater. Our custom application development team have embraced agility and understand business processes. We can break projects into bite-sized chunks as needed. (think mini quests in a video game). By focusing on your key processes first, you gain measurable improvements without breaking the bank. It’s a bit like remodelling your kitchen – one cabinet at a time.

But Where to Begin with working on your Business?

First discuss Your Business Processes with your Team, the ones who navigate your processes and systems daily. What frustrates them? Are there bottlenecks? What would make their lives easier? Their insights will be invaluable and involving them will foster ownership and  their buy-in to any changes.

Then Contact us at ProcessIT for your FREE Initial Consultation. Our experience professionals can study and discuss the ideas and suggestions to help refine the options and the feasibility of these. It’s likely we may need a more in depth analysis on some of the more complex processes. Then we can scope the proposals, in small chunks or as a full project and prepare an obligation free estimate for you.

Resilience isn’t about standing still; it’s all about moving forward. As the economic clouds gather, remember that working ON Your Business – rather than just IN Your Business – will determine your future trajectory. Embrace change, seize opportunities and emerge from the storm not merely intact but transformed. Soon your business will again be humming but with greater efficiency and as we all know, businesses that adapt swiftly to efficient digital processes will emerge as winners.

So contact ProcessIT Now for your FREE Initial Consultation and see your business thrive…

Tech Tip -Use Two Screens.

If your job (like mine) requires significant computer time, there is huge value in adding a second (or even a third) screen. Why?  -To help you work more efficiently, of course.

How does another screen help?

You can have multiple applications open and visible at once visually comparing, checking and referring between applications. Plus by using Windows11’s quick docking functions (officially know as Snap) you can easily view 4 applications per screen, and optionally accept the handy suggested combined layouts by clicking on one of the selections in the “Snap Layout” box. You can view this by clicking the Windows Key + Z or hovering over the Maximise or Minimise box on the right of the applications Title bar.

You can also Drag applications by their Title Bars to the Top, Left, Right or a Corner of each Screen to “dock” it in the popup shaded box, and for even greater efficiency use keyboard Shortcuts of Windows key + Arrow keys. See more details for both Windows 10 and 11 here.

“On my desk I have three screens, synchronized to form a single desktop. I can drag items from one screen to the next. Once you have that large display area, you’ll never go back, because it has a direct impact on productivity.” – Bill Gates (see more here).

According to the University of Utah; “A second monitor can save each employee 2.5 hours each day if they use it for all of their tasks.”

That’s 12.5 hours per week, per employee! -A Massive saving.

So, get more efficient and add a second monitor!

ProcessIT can help here too with a special on Philips 23.8 inch 1080p full HD Monitor for just NZD $199 INCLUDING GST! (if ordered before 30-08-2024). Contact us for details on this and other options.