PSD Office in a Box®-Quick Books Hints and Tips

"If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and everyday you have the opportunity to write a new page" -- Mark Houlahan

These Samll Business Hints and Tips are to help you grow your business. We know entrepreneurs are busy folks. Take these suggestions to heart. They will make your life a bit easier and keep you much more organized.

Think before you call! Don't just pick up the phone and dial. Make a check list of everything you have to cover in the conversations.
It is good to out-source as many services as possible. Employee payroll costs are pricey. If you don't need the product or service on a day to day basis-out source it!
Analyze your marketing expenses. Key-code all of your on and off-line ads so you can tell which ones are pulling for you.
Don't pay for banking services you can get free elsewhere.
Buy PSD Office in a Box. Order it, implement it, and breathe three deep breaths. Now you will be miles ahead of your competition. You will know where everything is...right when you need it. No slop, no excuses--You will be one clean, mean, business machine.

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."-Henry Ford

If you give terms (i.e. net 30 days) on your invoices, set up one day per month to send out past due notices.
Try to make deposits in a timely manner.
Clean your desk off every night before you call it quits.
Fill out your entries in your Daily Planner before you go home. The pressing needs will be fresher on your mind. Don't give yourself a chance to forget them.
Keep your thoughts on what is going right. Keep seeing the company you dreamed of when you first started. Positive attracts positive. Negative attracts negative. Don't be a whiner!

"The most powerful time is when we are alone, thinking about what we are to do."--Walt Whitman

Listen to your employees. They are the ones doing the actual work. If you implement their suggestions, they will be proud and your company will work better.
Designate one storage area for your office supplies. Don't put the box of stationary here and the staples and tape there.
Watch the "low monthly payments" scam. If you can't afford it-don't buy it.
Regularly review your business and marketing plan. Even more than keeping your business on track for your banker, you need to keep it on track for yourself.
Keep up on technology. There are internet business aids popping up every day. They can help you cut costs.

"Let him who would enjoy a good future waste none of his present." --Roger Babson

Clean out your desk drawers--this space is valuable to you because you don't have to move to access it. Don't fill it with snacks, old receipts you mean to file later, medicine or last weeks to-do lists.
If you work with more than one company, create a box for each.
Get comparative bids on office supplies, equipment and printing costs. Your old supplier could be costing you two to three times more than their competition.
Clean out your files on a regular schedule. Set up one day of the month to eliminate out-dated files.
Use re-filled and re-manufactured cartridges for your printer and fax machines.

"Every minute of planning will saveyou nine minutes in execution."
--Dr. Donald E. Wetmore

You absolutely need to have a web site. It is the business card of the 21st Century. Hire a competent firm with marketing skills and check their references.
Remember that there is a life beyond your business. Spend time with your family and loved ones.
Take a vacation every year. Even if you only travel to your brother's house-30 miles away. You need to get away so you can gather perspective.
Always think of your customers first. If you take care of them-they will take care of you. Treat them like gold-because they are.
Don't forget to include your business brochure or other sales information in the envelopes you use to pay your bills!

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." --Confucius

Join an industry association related to your product or offering. Subscribe to all the magazines that cover your business.
Find a mentor you can bounce ideas off of. It is difficult to come up with the best solution by yourself.
Don't lock yourself in your office. Join the Chamber of Commerce or other organizations where you can find a business support structure.
If you catch yourself worrying about an upcoming task, go ahead and do it now so it no longer is a distraction.
Frequently ask, "Is what I am doing right now moving me toward my goals?"

"You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction." --George Horace Lorimer

Carry a 3x5 card with your goals written on it and say them out loud at least three times a day.
Instead of thinking about what you didn't accomplish, recognize all you did get done and reward yourself for having done the most important things.
Check to be sure you do not fall into the "Busy is as busy does" trap of simply doing tasks without knowing to what greater good the task going to contribute.
Set your goals. If the words "Business Plan" send you reeling, don't dismay. The true purpose of a business plan is to get you focused. Not just a little focused...really, really focused.
Be sure to order your copy of Getting Started with Your New Business. Honest folks, this book has everything you need to know in order to get started in business. In the beginning there are things you want to avoid, things you should do, things you really should do and things you have to do. Don't make the mistake of thinking your intuition will carry you through.
Laugh sincerely and often.
Set up a tickler file.
Learn to speed read.
Buy second hand equipment.
Ask every customer or client to give you the names of three people they think might benefit from your product or service.

"The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live." --Flora Whittemore