As a small business owner, it may be hard to identify the “projects” within your business because you just know all the things that need to happen to keep the bus moving. One of the easiest ways to determine projects within your business is to break down your processes. Some examples include client/internal onboarding, marketing and strategic planning. These are all functions that have a multi-step process and specific deadlines.
A project management tool such as Trello is a great way to document everything that needs to happen in order to complete a specific workflow or task. Are you ready to organize your chaos a little? Start here:
Create an Editorial Calendar board
In this board, create lists that document your marketing content-- this should include your social media posts, blog content and email campaigns.
Create a Client Project board
In this board, create lists that document client-related work-- this should include onboarding, workflows and individual task assignments
Create an Internal Blueprint board
In this board, create lists that document important in-house info-- this should include your brand kit, important links, internal workflows and reports/analytics
Utilizing a new project management tool can be just as scary as other “first-time” things you’ve done in your business. The anxiety and resistance may feel overwhelming at first, but relief will soon follow. The ability to quickly see the status of what’s happening will be well worth the initial heavy lift! Trello has an amazing learning library as well as great starter templates.
Ease into the uncharted territory by selecting one process/workflow to create a project board for. According to Small Biz Trends, get familiar with the basic functionality then slowly integrate more advanced features as you go.
Let’s be honest… the reality may be that you simply do not have time to set things up. A virtual assistant partner is a perfect solution for this type of project! Creative PlanHer offers a variety of packages including Book My Day. If you are not ready to commit to a monthly retainer but are ready to get a handle on things we can help!