5 Essential Systems Every Small Business Needs

For the last few years, I've been spreading the word about the five essential systems every small business needs. What started as an idea for a Periscope series became a popular blog post, a video course, and a topic I speak on often. I've now given at least a dozen talks on this topic at events and though the specific tools and tech may change, these core systems have not. So, here are the 5 essential systems your business needs – along with some of my favorite tools to help you along.

Contact Management System – Every business needs a great contact management system. Your contacts are your business – especially if you're in a service-based business that's relationship driven. If you've ever missed out on an opportunity because you didn't follow up or didn't have someone important on your radar, you probably don't have a good system in place- or you aren't using it. The systems I've recommended most this year include Dubsado and Salesmate.

Calendar – A calendar is a must! If you're anything like me – if it isn't in your calendar, it isn't going to happen! Stop trying to remember everything off the top of your head. Also, piles of Post-its aren't a great system. My calendar of choice is Google Calendar. I also have a planner that I write in every day. You don't need to go crazy like me with two calendars – but pick a good one and stick with it!

Financial – You've GOT to know what's going on with your money if you're going to grow your business. Stop making invoices in Excel – and forgetting who hasn't paid you yet. We've got great tools now that take care of it for you! This year, I've gotten more requests to set up QuickBooks products than ever before. People are getting serious about their money and I love it! If you're running a solo show, consider QuickBooks Self-Employed. If your needs are a bit more complex, QuickBooks Online has plans of various sizes. Before making the QuickBooks switch, I was a Freshbooks customer for several years and loved them. Track the money coming into and going out of your business. If you're not sure where to find a good local bookkeeper, check out Bench. I used them for most of 2014 and it was great relief to know they had everything organized. They'll even do one month of your books for free to see if you like the service.

Projects and Tasks – you've probably got a lot of things on your plate. How are you tracking them? In your planner? Great! In your Google Calendar? Awesome! By memory? FAIL! Make sure you have a system in place so you get important things done. If you have too many projects and/or tasks to manage in your everyday calendar, you'll probably need a separate tool or app. Basecamp is great for web-based projects or projects where you have several team members that need access (or there are people who need limited access). Asana is another great task and simple project management tool. And hey, its free! I've recently (after almost a decade), switched to their competitor, ClickUp, which gives me all the great features of Asana, plus some of the features only available in Asana's premium plan, for free.  Evernote can also be used for projects and tasks if you work it the right way. It's also great for note taking, writing projects, storing ideas and bookmarks. The list goes on…The free version gives you what you need, but they also have a Premium plan if you're feeling fancy.

Marketing – if you want to grow your business this year, you need to market it! That's going to look different for everyone. Whatever you decide to do, make a plan and stick to it. Is networking part of your marketing strategy? Make sure you get interesting events on your calendar. Schedule time to follow up (the right CRM will help you with this…). If social media is on your radar, make sure you have a plan that helps maintain some consistency.  My favorite marketing tool for every service-based business owner is the book Get Clients Now! I've used it almost a dozen times since I started my business. You can use this book and the corresponding plan over and over – and it will be different every time. When I look back at 2014, the times when I made the most progress in the shortest period corresponded to me working the GCN program. The program is great on its own. It is better with a partner. It is best with a group. Start your own or join an existing group. Want to know when I'm leading another GCN mastermind? Make sure to get on my list. Oh – and get the paperback copy. Don't go Kindle on this one.

Having an email list is really important if you're doing any kind of online marketing. MailChimp and Convertkit are my recommendations for tools that are easy and inexpensive to get started with. MailChimp is free!

That's it – the 5 most important systems to get in place for your biz this year. Focus on one area at a time if this is a lot for you to handle.  I realize you might not geek out about this like I do. Which area is causing you the most stress or frustration? Start there. Dive in and explore the options. There are so many great tools out there, you're bound to find the one. If you want to speed up the process and zero in on which systems are right for you and your business, I'm happy to help you solve that puzzle.