As a company, you know that time and money are your two biggest assets, and they’re the two things you’re constantly trying to find more of. Sometimes companies feel that in order to save money, they need to give up on something they truly want or need, but that’s not true. There are plenty of ways your company can easily find more time and more money without scrapping yourself down to the bare minimum.
If your company is looking for shortcuts to success—and let’s face it, who isn’t—then you need to check out and use the following six life hacks for your business.
1. Invest in cloud computing.
Most companies dish out a large sum of money on servers and other IT related technology and employees, but if you invest in cloud computing, you can save a great deal of money. Cloud computing is much more cost-effective than housing (and doing maintenance on) an in-house server, so you will see an increase in your budget. Plus, if you allow a third-party company to control your cloud computing, you can ditch the IT team as well, freeing up even more space in your budget.
2. Buy used equipment.
Instead of shelling out a fortune on brand new office equipment, opt to buy your items second hand. Many companies that are going out of business hold estate sales where everything must go, so you can easily snag desks and computer chairs at cost.
When it comes to technology, you can opt to buy refurbished computers and mobile devices instead of purchasing new items. This can be a great way to cut the costs of running your business and allow you to place that money in other necessary locations.
3. Go paperless.
In an age where everyone is trying to cut back on their carbon footprint, your company should opt to go paperless. Instead of sending invoices or other correspondence through the mail, send it electronically. Get your payroll set up on a paperless system so your employees receive direct deposit and can view their check stubs online instead of having a physical piece of paper. Not only will going paperless save you a large sum of money on paper, printers and ink, but it will also save you a great deal of money on postage.
4. Create templates.
If your company sends out the same type of correspondence regularly, it’s a good idea to create a template and save it to your cloud or server. This way, when your employees need to create an invoice or draft a letter, they can save time by filling in the appropriate sections instead of creating the template from scratch.
5. Use distraction tools.
With the computer at your fingertips, it’s easy for you and your employees to get distracted. This is not only a waste of time, but it can greatly impact your production schedule. Instead of wasting time on things that are not important, use tools to help you and your team stay on track. For example, the Self Control tool allows you to block certain websites on your computer. The best part of this tool is that you can block the websites for a specific period of time, anywhere from 1 to 24 hours, and the sites will be blocked until the time runs out. It doesn’t matter if you or your employees restart the device, they will only be able to access those specific sites when the time runs out. This can help keep your employees from becoming distracted and keep them on point.
6. Record everything.
Sitting in a meeting, on a conference call or in an interview can make it hard for you to take the right notes. You end up scribbling something down and have to spend time weeding through what you wrote just to remember something. This is a waste of time.
Instead, you should consider recording your meetings, interviews or random great ideas for future reference. With the recording, you can easily rewind back to actually hear what was said instead of trying to decode your notes.
About the Author
Lizzie Lau is a freelance writer and online marketing consultant with SEOMap.com. Lizzie combines personal opinions and research to create appealing and informative articles on various topics.
Chintan is the Founder and Editor of Loyalty & Customers.
