Most of us have read dozens, if not hundreds of books about starting and running successful businesses. In my opinion, there are 6 (at the minimum) critical things that we should be doing each day to help our businesses grow. I split these into two categories, I call MBA and PA.

MBA stands for My Business Admin. 

MBA contains the first three critical checks.

1. Keep your house in order: What I mean by this is to create a solid administration foundation for your business. Create and keep records for each client. Put rock-solid contracts in place and keep them up to date and stored securely. Hire a lawyer to review your contracts to make sure that you are covered. Stay on top of the everyday administration. It's boring but it’s worth it in the long run and will make for a smoother workflow.

2. Follow up: The way you chose to stay in touch is as important, if not more important than your initial contact with your customers, staff, and suppliers. Meet with your team regularly for purposeful meetings. I’ll get to that in another post. Touch base with your customers to see how they are. Keep track of how their business is going and see what else they may need from you. Thank them for their ongoing support. As the years' progress, we are more and more spoilt for choice, and moving to new suppliers is easy for clients. Speaking of suppliers, we need to make that we stay in touch there too. Let them know how they are doing and what we need from them.

3. Stay on the good side of the tax man: Death and taxes are inevitable. It’s true for all of us. As a business owner, the last thing you want to do is get behind on your taxes. Some things to remember when it comes to taxes, firstly, as mentioned above, keep detailed records. Use an accounting system, even a simple one. Business tax is not as simple as personal tax, so I suggest professional help here. One last piece of tax advice, get it done as early as possible. Don’t wait until the last minute, which creates unnecessary stress, and pressure and can result in extra charges and a waste of hard-earned money.

Now to move on to the PA section. PA in my books stands for Personal Administration. Unlike the traditional term for a personal assistant, personal admin is all about the work that you as the owner of your business should be doing.

1. Do something for the business, EVERY DAY: As business owners, we find it hard to switch off. While we need a balance between full speed ahead and downtime to recoup, we must nurture our business daily. Even on the weekends. Find a way to contribute to the business and keep your finger on the pulse. Be deliberate in your action. Reading the paper over coffee in the morning may not help your business succeed, but targeted, industry-related articles may.

2. Daily self-work: Just like your business needs nurturing and love, so do you. Take a moment, 30 minutes, or an hour to work on yourself as a leader, business owner, manager, and person. Get a coach to help you set and achieve personal and professional milestones, join a gym, or read something other than an industry-related piece.

3. Be true to your vision and values: I have written a few blogs relating to vision and values. I cannot express how important it is to be clear on these and be able to share them. When you have these aligned and articulated, your team will drive together toward a common goal. Customers will understand you better and be easier to keep. You will rest easier, knowing that those around you get why you’re doing it.