What’s your next week look like? How much of your time will be spent on your clients work and how much time will be spent on building your own business? This is an ongoing question and challenge for many small business people and entrepreneurs. But how do you really handle it, so your business doesn’t fall through the cracks?

You must put it on your calendar. But what kinds of things do you need to schedule to focus on your business every week.

Business development

Each week you should schedule time to get handle business development.

  • Quotes – People want to do business with you, but they need to know how much it is going to cost. You can’t let telling them drag on forever. So have a set day each week where you handle quotes. You do your research, run your numbers and create your quotes. Then if you need to sleep on them and send them out the next day after you make any necessary tweaks. This schedule also helps you give realistic timeframes when speaking with potential clients.
  • Following up – We all know that it takes time to follow up but if you have a system and a particular day that you do it each week it becomes part of your routine. Get it on your calendar and following up will stop being a when I get to it thing and start being a I’ve already done it thing.
  • Network – You need to be out there making new contacts and cultivating relationships. But if you don’t put it on your calendar it won’t have the same importance for you and will slip further down your list. Map out what networking you are going to do for the month and then plan around it so it works for you.

Marketing Materials

OK, I wouldn’t be doing my job if we didn’t talk about marketing materials. This is something that should be part of your weekly routine. You need to constantly be reviewing how you are marketing your business and where you have gaps. I’m not talking about changing your message or strategy. I’m talking about making sure that every way you touch a client or potential client delivers that message in the best possible way. Make sure you have this kind of review on your calendar. You may not do it every week, but you should be doing it a couple times a month.

Systems

Businesses need systems to run properly. But they can’t be left unattended for long periods of time. For example, what day of the week do you handle accounting? You need to make sure that paying bills and sending invoices isn’t a bottom of the list thing. You need to pay people and you’ve got to get paid. So, get it on the calendar.

Think through any other administrative things you need to do on a regular basis and get them on your calendar. In the long run, things will operate smoother if you aren’t doing all this stuff at 9 o’clock at night.

So, have a plan. Schedule time to work on your business so that you can grow your business. Make your business a priority. You don’t want to do an excellent job for your clients and leave your company to languish.

By: Amy Matthews, CEO, AMI LC