When I ask new entrepreneurs about their target market, I’m no longer surprised when I hear their answer. Far too often, it’s “everyone! Our product/service is needed by everyone. That’s why this business is such a sure thing!”

I can understand why their enthusiasm gets the better of their business sense. For plenty of businesses, the product or service can seem (at first) like everyone would want it. Restaurants are a classic example of this – everyone needs to eat, so how can a restaurant go wrong?

Of course, restaurants have some of the highest failure rates of any new venture. Everyone does need to eat, but getting the right combination of tasty food, great service, location, price, décor and a hundred other considerations just right is not an easy task. Most importantly, restaurants seem to do well when they target people with specific tastes. When was the last time you heard someone say “let’s go to that Chinese-Italian-Irish pub restaurant down the street! I hear it’s got something for everyone!”

In my own business, I learned early on to target specific markets. Of course, everyone needs systems to organize their lives, boost productivity and get better work-life balance. But who’s going to hire me to teach them how to achieve these things?

After doing my research, I recognized that some of my biggest customers would be people who were moving or downsizing their homes, as well as offices that needed to reduce clutter and improve productivity of their employees. Also, successful professionals who were being held back in some ways by bad habits and procrastination could also use my services.

After catering to these target markets, I also adjusted my services to that target market to offer both organization consulting and speaking engagements for companies and organizations that perhaps wanted a one-day workshop or training session. This has led to success and many happy clients.

Whether you’re hunting in the forest or running a business, you have to know where to direct your limited ammunition. Understand your target market before you start your business and keep re-evaluating to ensure you’re not missing opportunities in other markets.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

Almost every successful business depends on cultivating relationships with its champions. These are the clients who come back to you again and again, pass on referrals to your contacts and help add to the value of your brand. (Sometimes, your champions not even customers of yours – maybe it’s a family member or someone who just knows you from a past relationship. For whatever reason, they just keep referring plenty of business your way).

I often talk about the 80/20 rule when it comes to organizing your tasks to focus more on the things you do that generate true value. But business isn’t just about work – it’s about people, and your champions are the people you need to make your business work. That 80/20 rule also applies for focusing efforts on building real relationships.

Now, some champions will even get better over time. Some will lose their champion status for a variety of reasons: their own business is facing cutbacks which get passed on to you. Perhaps they simply don’t require your services after several engagements, and may be in touch at some point in the future, but not the short-term.

So you’ll want to build relationships with your champions. Especially with companies that have been around for a while, this can be a bit tricky; you may actually have dozens of champions. Who has time? 

Actually, it’s not so tough, as long as you’ve got a working calendar. Schedule a meeting over coffee or another informal setting at least once or twice a week with a different champion each time. Try to make it at a regular time of day so it’s easy to remember when you’re meeting, even without checking your schedule. By the time the year is through, you’ll have met with your complete list at least once (hopefully more than that). You’ll probably have a better understanding of who your biggest champions really are, who has moved on and who might be a future champion in your roster.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

In many small businesses, the two top employees aren’t just collaborating closely at work –  they’re husband and wife. How can you work together while maintaining a work-life balance?

First of all, you need to set firm boundaries for work and your life outside of your work. The dinner table and the bedroom are business-free zones. If you’re in a home office, papers, files, supplies and hardware all stay in there.

Dividing up responsibilities according to your real strengths is also key. If both partners have similar skill sets, it’s important to ensure they both have a share of the interesting work that will keep them motivated. It’s often easier if they have complementary skill sets (say, one handling logistics while another takes on creative tasks). Workload should be split fairly, which doesn’t always mean equally.

Communication is always important. You want to nip problems that can lead to workplace stress and resentment in the bud, because any lingering stress realistically will impact your relationship. Recognize that stressful situations will happen, but aim to mitigate these issues. Be honest with your partner and make sure that any possible miscommunications are clarified before the end of the workday.

Keep that balance in your work and life and you can have it all.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

Ready for some quick tips that you can implement today to boost organization and productivity at your office? This could be the most important thing you read all day. Don’t forget to tell your colleagues!

1. Put a sticky note of your top priority task in the most prominent place on your desk at the end of the day, so it’s there when you arrive first thing.

2. Clear plastic storage makes it easier to find stuff.

3. Make lists of tasks you need to do in priority. Do them in priority (not in order of how easy they are to do).

4. Sort, purge and file piles of paper at least once a week to eliminate them. After one week, you’ll never remember what’s in them, anyway.

5. Have a paper-weight or sign on your desk marked “Do Not Disturb”. Use it when you can’t be interrupted.

6. Use hanging files with labels to file papers.

7. Keep a clock radio handy. Alarms aren’t just good for waking up. If you’ve got an appointment you can’t miss, it can provide an extra reminder.

8. Your trash bin should be emptied at the end of every day.

9. Review files regularly. Update, file and purge as required.

10. Reuse, reduce and recycle. They’re not just slogans for environmentalists. It also cuts down on your clutter.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

Productivity and disorganization don’t mix. I’ve been recommending and training clients on the GO System to help their operations remain organized and competitive. In tough times, telling your employees to just “work harder” isn’t an inspiring message – but providing them with simple, specific recommendations to decrease workplace stress and frustration will pay dividends.

Employees already come with project management skills and some effective organization and time-management habits (otherwise, why did you hire them?). But that doesn’t necessarily provide cohesive organization across a company. Without training in procedures, two employees working right next to each other in the same room, even doing similar kinds of work, may organize files, projects and effort in very different ways, making collaboration challenging.

Throughout your organization, all members of your team stand to benefit from standardized processes that can be adapted to your particular organization. You’ll want to focus on things like processing incoming items, prioritizing, rational time management, understanding personality and psychological issues and more. The GO System is particularly good at covering off these points.

For more information, check out the GO System at www.thegosystem.com/ or get help from a professional organizer.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

As a coach I am always forcing my clients to generate a plan B, no matter what, even if they’d rather die than not have their plan A come to fruition. Firstly because, as we all know, sometimes things don’t work out the way we plan, and that’s just life. It’s only in retrospect, and sometimes not even then, that we can see the reasons why our beloved plan didn’t come to fruition. Secondly, it’s there for insurance. No one plans to get in an accident or have their house burn down or worse, hence the reason we all by insurance, just in case. Lastly, and most importantly for me and those whom I advise, so that you can clear your anxious, fear based energy (the energy that manifests itself in quiet moments while you worry about your plan A not coming true).

Something very interesting happens to a person’s energy when they take the time to think out and formulate a plan B. They clear themselves of their attachment to the end result and their energy is therefore more open. Trust me, I’ve had many the argument with people who say ‘having a plan B means you’re not committed to your plan A’ and I highly disagree. Of the hundreds of times I’ve experienced in my own life and the number of times I’ve seen it happen in the lives of my clients I stand firm on this point. Just the other day, I found myself getting a bit anxious because the gentleman whom I wanted to keynote an upcoming foundational luncheon that I sit on the committee for, had not gotten back to me with an answer. Instead of worrying, I sat down and wrote out my back up plan for if he didn’t come through. An hour later he called and said, you guessed it, YES!

If you’re with me, sit down today and make sure you’ve got a plan B for all your beloved plan A’s. This will free your energy up and remove any anxiety and fear that may be getting in your way.

All the best,

Heather White, 2020 Communications Inc.

One of my favorite fables that has a pretty straightforward application to business is of the grasshopper and the ant. The hardworking ant prepares for the future by gathering and storing his food. His lazy neighbor, the grasshopper, doesn’t get organized and spends his time in idle pursuits. When winter comes, the ant is content in his home, enjoying the fruits of his labours. We never really hear precisely what happens to the grasshopper – you just kind of guess that he might not still be around when the warmer weather rolls around.

The story reminds you of the preparation that’s required for businesses to be successful. It’s about getting organized and sowing the ground with opportunities. For business, that includes building your networks, marketing, sales, product development and administrative tasks like bookkeeping and filing. Just as important is setting up the processes to ensure that when it comes time to reap the benefits, you’re ready. A few examples:

1. We all know networking is a great way to build business. Organize your new contacts, don’t just leave their business cards in a stack in a drawer. Put a system in place so that it’s easier to keep in touch and even add personal greetings to your messages as you build relationships.

2. Time management by itself won’t generate revenue, but it can generate opportunities for you to see the benefit later. An organized calendar allows you to spend your time more productively, leading to bigger profits. It can also help you allocate more time to pursuits outside of your work, so you can actually spend time on the fruits of your labours – perhaps in the Mayan Riviera or Las Vegas?

3. Keep your financial paperwork organized. File your contracts so you’re ready to submit your invoices on time. Business is not just about the sowing – reaping is work, too. You could even say the work is the reward.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

Social networking sites let you build your brand and connect with new partners and customers where they are – online. But to do it well, you have to be organized.

Many business owners think they’ll be wasting time on activities on Twitter, Facebook and elsewhere that may not lead shortly to cash-in-hand. But you can avoid that if you have a system and keep a schedule.

Let’s imagine that your goal is just to build targeted web traffic. Let’s also assume you’ve already got a blog where you post at least somewhat regularly. Make sure you schedule time both for getting content and publishing. Don’t procrastinate.

Next, you create a Twitter account. From here, you post links from your blog automatically using third-party tools like Twitterfeed. You do the same thing with your Facebook and LinkedIn accounts using tools like Ping.fm. It’s sort of like being on several TV channels at the same time. People are clicking and coming to your website. It can be great exposure, but it can only happen if you take some time to do these things systematically.

Just like with other parts of your business, using the right tools and staying organized will help ensure your social networking efforts meet the goals that you set.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

At a time when cutting costs makes more sense, outsourcing some activities may seem counter-intuitive. After all, outsourcing means money going out, not going in. But it’s essential for businesses that want to put their operations on autopilot and create conditions for success when the overall economy starts moving again.

Taking an example from my own business, I’m passionate about helping my clients get out of chaos by providing them with strategies for things like organizing their workplaces and homes, time management and work-life balance.

This is the work that I love to do. I’m excited every day when I start work, knowing I’m doing exactly what I want to do, helping people achieve better balance and reach their goals.

Bookkeeping, on the other hand, is not my passion. Neither is spending long hours undertaking a rigorous hiring process targeting candidates from across BC who might be a good fit for my company. Same goes for making sure my website is patched every month and the code shows up like it should on every web browser. Cold-calling, administrative support… there’s an outsourcing solution for just about anything.

These are all tasks that must be done for my business to operate, but they’re not what I’m passionate about. It makes way more sense for me to hire people who are passionate about these things to do them for me. There is a cost attached to this. But compared with your bill-out rate and where you might better make use of your own expertise, it just makes sense to outsource. Find the right people, put the process in place, and you’ll find that you have more time to get down to the business you love to do.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

A big part of automating your business means being tech savvy. Name an administrative business function and you’ll probably find a free, or inexpensive, online tool to get it done. Google alone has dozens of apps you can use to organize, create, promote and network.

A few of my favorite tech tools for business include:

GTDMail

This email service provides simple workflow that transforms emails into tasks, enabling you to process them much more efficiently. Create categories like Follow Up, Read and Action for various types of responses. Create a Snooze folder so you can have the email re-delivered to you when it’s convenient.

Jott

Imagine having a private secretary following you around 24/7, transcribing all your thoughts so you can retrieve your ideas at any time. With Jott, you can record messages on your cellphone and have the messages sent to Outlook as sound files or transcribed and sent to your email.

Sticky Notes

Lots of people still use the paper sticky notes to help remind them of important tasks. Digital sticky notes fulfill the same purpose on your computer, without adding to your clutter. You can insert hyperlinks into them to make them more useful.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca