If you like what we do here at SaneBox, you know how obsessed we are with productivity. Less time spent “administering” email means more time spent doing enjoyable and interesting tasks to make your life easier.
Of course, we’re not alone in this. Our friends over at Recruiterbox know a thing or two about working more effectively. Their platform is squarely aimed at making it easier to find the right people for the right roles. They’ve streamlined finding, sorting, shortlisting, interviewing, and placing candidates into an art form. We figured they had something to teach us, so we sat down and picked their brains all about what’s helped them in business.
Here’s what they told us.
When it comes to running a successful business, what’s the biggest time-waster for a business owner?
Spending too much time on the little things that don’t really impact the business. There are a lot of small, tedious tasks that have to be done but can keep the business owners away from what matters most. For example, a chef’s time is best spent making delicious food, not sitting in an office paying bills or getting payroll ready.
The obvious solution to this problem is to outsource or hire someone to do these small things for you. But that’s easier said than done when you’re operating on a tight budget and have a lot of your money on the line. I think a more realistic alternative is to use technology to your advantage. Find free or inexpensive apps that automate all these microtasks. Then when you’re hitting your business goals and generating enough revenue, expand your team and hire experts to do the big things that move a business forward and can’t be automated.
What is the one skill you believe every small business owner could benefit from being better at?
It depends on the individual so I would say it’s important for business owners to truly understand their strengths and weakness. It can be difficult for a confident entrepreneur to take an honest look inward and admit they just aren’t good at something. But it’s an exercise that will almost always lead to business success.
Once the business owner knows their strengths and weakness, they can focus on what they’re good at and delegate everything else. An introverted techie leading a startup probably needs a head of sales. A business owner who is a bad with money needs someone to play the CFO role. But the business owner needs to be self-aware first so they can make the right decisions for the company.
Can you give us a good example of how software can make running a business simpler and easier?
Every member of the U.S. team here at Recruiterbox works remotely so we stay in touch through Slack. When I joined the company about a year ago, I had heard a lot about Slack but hadn’t yet used it. Now I can’t imagine how remote teams work together without it.
There are so many different conversations going on but there all in the right places. I can chat back and forth privately with other team members or participate in bigger conversations in channels devoted to specific topics. We have a marketing channel where my team collaborates, company news channels for general discussions and even a random channel, which is mostly funny memes.
What three things could the average person do every day to be more successful and reach their goals?
Exercise, continue to learn and keep perspective. I believe those three things are all related and together lead to personal growth.
First of all, I believe in the sound body, sound mind mantra. When you’re in good physical shape, the responsibilities of life get easier. And I think it’s important to always been learning new things. Whether it’s job skills or just something you’re personally interested in, I think learning something new every day is huge for personal growth.
Lastly, keeping perspective helps us all get through the hard times. Life is hard and every day there are challenges but the quicker you can accept and overcome them, the quicker you’ll accomplish your goals.
What is one piece of advice that continues to stick with you and changes how you approach life or work?
I think it’s important to have integrity, whatever your own definition of that word may be. I always try to follow through on my commitments, be respectful and kind to others and when confronted with a difficult decision, consider what the right thing to do is.
So there you have it, some great advice on learning to be more productive at work. If you’ve got recruitment needs, why not pop over to Recruiterbox and see how they can help you out?
