How Checklists can Help your Small Business

Written by Manager on September 19th, 2017. Posted in Blog

A checklist is one of the most basic organizational tools.  Even a simple list can improve the effectiveness of team communication and effectiveness when performing both complex and menial tasks.  Routine tasks that you perform every day can become just that, routine.  These mundane, but still very important, tasks are important enough that you want to make sure they are not overlooked.  Here are few options for checklists that will help you maintain, and grow, your small business.

Finances – A monthly, quarterly, and yearly financial checklist will ensure you’re on track to meet goals and grow at the rate you planned.  Monthly check lists to step back and do a financial overview, review statements/ sales, keep an eye on stock, and review traffic.  Annual lists are better for gauging long term goals, financial plans, and see the ‘big picture’ when it comes to your bank account.

Legal – Keeping in good standing with the law is important for the future and growth of your business.  Proper record keeping, paperwork and tax preparation will help you gauge your growth.  If you plan to hold an annual meeting before year end, checklists can help make sure all your ‘ducks are in a row’ when it comes to what you need legally and for the IRS.  Finally, human resources is another area where being legally compliant is extremely important.  With payroll laws changing and so much documentation needed, a checklist would help make sure that you have all that you need when you hire/ terminate employees.

Organization – Your finances are in order, you are legally sound, but does your desk look like a paper bomb was just set off?  Purge your office and organize your paper files with the help of checklists.  You could make one for your paper files so employees know what to keep and what to throw away.  The same could go for receipts, electronics, cloud storage – a checklist for what to keep and what get rid of will help you stay organized at quarter end and at year end.

Social Media – These days you can’t run a business without marketing on social media.  It is something you have to do every single day to make sure you voice stands out over all of the other web chatter.  Time for a checklist!  Have you posted to Facebook today?  Mark it off of your checklist.  Try another checklist to set up themed posts for each day of the week, like motivational Monday, funny Friday, etc.  Follow us on Instagram @cmcpsomason to get some quote ideas.  You can also start a checklist for your target demographic and how you can help that audience.

When properly conceived and used, a checklist ensures confirmation, and can catch errors, between team members.  The daily, monthly, and yearly challenges that small business owners face can be manageable if you keep and follow your checklists.