Workarounds, hacks & knowing what you don’t know!

If the key to juggling & prioritising is to “really know yourself”, then the key to cutting through red-tape, regulatory filings and tax returns is “workarounds, hacks & knowing what you don’t know”!

Micro business and professional practice owners / managers are generally very different people with very different mindsets to government and regulatory agencies.

Government and regulatory agencies have four key characteristics:

• a clear hierarchy
• specialisation
• a division of labor
• formal rules, or standard operating procedures

Entrepreneurs and micro business owners generally have four distinctly different characteristics :

• absence of hierarchy
• administrative generalists – in support of a specialism
• solopreneur or the lead on a small team that ‘does it all’
• fewer systems or processes (admittedly, they could help)

Now what?

All we can do is “accept the things we cannot change” – find the workarounds, hacks and adapt!

The creative, innovative and non-conformist spirit that serves many entrepreneurs is the same free spirit that headed off to school and for more than a decade was crushed by the relentless routine, grinding boredom and graded performances.

We overcame that – we can deal with this. Our networks can help us find those workarounds!

Organise, Automate and Communicate

…while respecting your strengths and weaknesses.

• Marshall your energy and resources – these are not tasks to be started at 2 pm.
  If your high energy time is 8 am – schedule it then.
• Simplify – you can streamline and automate your processes.
• Adopt new tools and integrate the ones you use
• Cut the paperwork! Automate note taking, document storage & file sharingAnd most importantly –
• Communicate – avoidance only makes it worse

Does a late notice from a supplier, client or the revenue department paralyse you?
Take a deep breath.

You’d be surprised what good may come from lifting the phone to them. Most
important in these current times – a record of having kept them apprised of
your circumstances will serve you well in the future.

• Ask for help!The times are changing and even the bureaucracies are adapting. At this writing,
  new financial schemes and new business support initiatives are announced weekly.Professionals in your area and your peers are participating in advice and information sessions.

Reward yourself

Accepting the things we cannot change is great in theory – but we need an organising principle to keep us motivated.

Never more so than when we’re operating out of our area of expertise.

We’ll never master organising ourselves if it’s for the sake of the tax collector or licensing agencies.

Reframe the approach from ‘I have to’ to ‘I want to’.

We’re doing it to serve our own purpose.

“The purpose of putting these systems in place is…..”

In my case – “…to work less on tasks and more with clients” – so much more rewarding!

Lastly – maintain a sense of humour!

#DontGoItAlone

#PoweringProductivity

#Collaborate

Helpful links:

50 things only remote workers understand

Understanding Your Numbers

For Northern Ireland resources:

NIBusinessinfo has compiled a comprehensive and updated guide to all the business and self-employment schemes

Newry Chamber news, announcements, guidelines and schemes re Covid-19

Guidance from Newry Business Improvement District (BID)

Official UK Government Guidance for employees, employers and business

For the Republic of Ireland

Information and Advice for Taxpayers and Agents
Enterprise Ireland Supports
LEO Business Continuity Scheme

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