Home
>
Small Business
>
Three Small Business Secrets to Getting More Billable Time

Three Small Business Secrets to Getting More Billable Time

As small business owners we're in business to make money doing what we love. And that means we need enough billable hours to cover our expenses, our payroll, upgrades in skills and technology, and profit. But if stay in business for any length of time, you eventually reach the point where you just don't have more hours in the day to give to your business. After all, you have a personal life too. (If you don't have a personal life, you really need to work on that.) So, if you've maxed out on the hours you have available to build your business, how can you get more billable hours?

You have to get those billable hours from time you are currently spending doing other activities in your business. Here are some ways to do that:

Delegate out anything you hate to do or aren't good at doing in the running of your business. For example, I hate filing and organizing all my reference materials. So I hire a professional organizer to come in once a quarter to file all the papers I've stacked up, to set up any new files I'll need, to pack up old files on inactive clients and projects, and to reorganize my 10 bookcases. She can do all that for me in 3 hours. When I was doing it myself it took me forever and it was never completed because I'd let anything else distract me from it. So, finding just the right reference book or file was not only hit-or-miss at best, it again took too much of my time. How much time can you recover by delegating out activities and tasks you don't want to do, but that have to get done to keep your business running smoothly?

Automate or computerize administrivia, including making regular backups of your computer disk drives. (I learned to get my backups automated after I'd lost my entire contacts database, including my appointment schedule ? sometimes I'm hardheaded about these basic business maintenance things!) In addition to now having automated backups of my computer disks, here's a sample of what else I've automated:

Contact management and scheduling
Taking class registration and payment
Distributing class notes and materials
Taking coaching payments via the Web
Notification to follow-up with clients
Subscribing and unsubscribing to my ezine
Broadcasting of my ezine
Payment and delivery of digital products
Creating eClasses from templates
Subscriptions, payment, and delivery of eClasses
Tracking of billable time
Creating time reports
Invoicing
Expense and revenue tracking

Gracefully get out from under your most time-consuming and energy-draining clients and projects. I know it's difficult to say "No" to a client or a project in today's economic climate. But you can refer these clients and projects to competitors in your network who are better suited to serve them, retain the good will from the clients you are referring out, and free up all that time and energy to work with people and projects you love. Just by relieving all the stress you're under from your Clients and Projects from Hell, you make yourself open and available to more of your Ideal Clients and projects. And, have you noticed, you're more productive and efficient when you're working with your Ideal Clients and Projects?

Increased productivity = increased billable hours available

Put these 3 secrets to work in your business and get back valuable and billable time for doing more of what you love for your Ideal Clients!

_____________________________________

Rose Hill, Founder and Owner,of Biz Whiz Expert (http://www.solobizville.com) and Team Member of Solo-E.Com (http://www.solobizville.com) has been self-employed since 1990. Knowing how to run corporate departments and how to market corporate entities, products, and services did nothing to prepare her for successfully running and marketing a one-person business. That is why Rose created the SoloBizVille and SoloBizU community - to specifically to help solo entrepreneurs jumpstart their business success without all the trial-and-error learning.

_____________________________________

*********** Find more articles like this at http://www.solobizville.com ? Keeping Solo Entrepreneurs Juiced in Business and in Life. Our team of Solo Entrepreneurs are comprised of small business experts who support others in finding business success with the flexibility and freedom to have a life, too. Network with other freelancers, self-employed and Solo Entrepreneurs in our forums, enjoy our articles and newsletter, and find other online training opportunities. ***********

house refresh service Lincolnshire ..

In The News:

Apple releases emergency patches for two zero-day vulnerabilities actively exploited in attacks. iPhone and iPad users urged to update immediately.

DoorDash launches Zesty, an AI-powered social app that recommends restaurants through conversational search, now testing in San Francisco and New York.

Cybersecurity firm Infoblox reveals that over 90 percent of parked domains now redirect visitors to scams and malware, making simple typos extremely dangerous.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

GPT-5.2 is now live for all ChatGPT users with improved coding, writing and image interpretation, with Kurt Knutsson offering his review.

New iPhone replacement scam uses pressure tactics and fake carrier calls to steal devices from buyers. Criminals claim shipping errors and demand urgent returns.

Amazon Ring's new facial recognition feature sparks privacy controversy as Electronic Frontier Foundation critics argue the AI upgrade expands surveillance risks.

New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.

Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.

Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.

New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.

The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.

San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.