Small business operations best practices look different for every business out there. Perhaps your business just launched this year, and SOPs and best practices are still developing. On the other hand, if your business is well-established, your operations may need to be updated or reviewed. As the Expert Virtual Services team wraps up 2023, we want to highlight our suggestions for operations best practices via past blogs. Below are overviews and links to our tips, tricks, and resources that can carry your business into 2024.
Operations Best Practice #1: AI Tools Can Be a Helpful Tool in Your Business
Have you used artificial intelligence (AI) tools in your business before? You may have used AI without really even knowing it. For example, when you write a Gmail and “predictive text” pops up to help you finish the sentence – that’s AI at work! But other tools are out there to help your business more efficient and productive. For example, ChatGPT and Google’s Bard are two popular AI tools that go beyond prior AI tools that helped write blogs or marketing pieces.
Our September blog focused on how AI tools can boost your creative process, improve efficiency, and increase productivity in ways that you may not previously considered. Not ready to jump on the AI bandwagon just yet? Our advice is to at least check into it. While many businesses are scared of how smart AI tools are, it is not going away anytime soon. It’s here and will be part of our personal and professional lives for years to come.
Operations Best Practice #2: Business Planning & Goal Setting
Planning for the New Year stresses out many small business owners, but it doesn’t have to be that way. We suggest that small businesses take extra time to strategically plan out the New Year starting in September or October of each year.
Our October blog dived deep into business planning and goal setting. We focused on reviewing your business’ current state to celebrate successes and understand areas for improvement. Next, we highlighted updating your business plan based on market changes or new products/services. And most importantly, we reminded business owners to talk to their team. There’s no “I” in team, remember?
Operations Best Practice #3: Remember to Recharge and Rejuvenate
If you can, the holidays are a perfect time to slow down and recharge those batteries. Now if your business has high revenue during the months of November and December, remember to rest once your busy period is over. Give your team an opportunity to take time off to spend time with their families or have a “stay-cation”.
The November blog was a friendly reminder on how to best recharge if you are a small business owner. For example, we shared tips on mindfulness, recognizing success (yours and the team’s), and why mental health days matter. Yes, even small business owners take mental health days every now and then.
What operations best practice are you going to take away and use in 2024? Tell me in the comments below!
This is our last blog post of 2023. We are grateful to serve our existing clients and look forward to working with more small businesses in 2024. The Expert Virtual Services team wishes you a Merry Christmas and a successful New Year! Remember that you are always welcome to schedule a no-obligation video chat to learn about our operations management services.