SORTED!: Essential systems for successful small businesses

Table of Contents:
In the beginning ..........................................................1 How to get the most from this book ............................ 1 1. Be realistic .................................................................... 1 2. Be committed .............................................................. 2 3. Be kind .......................................................................... 2 Systems vs tools .............................................................. 4 How to use this book ..................................................... 4 1. To solve a specifi c problem ....................................... 4 2. To help you plan your ideal business and then carry out the steps required to get there. ........... 5 Chapter 1: Getting started ........................................7 The SORTED Framework ................................................ 9 Rule 1. All businesses have three departments ......... 10 Rule 2. There are three stages of business.................. 11 Before you start choosing your systems and tools ... 14 How will you do your work? ........................................ 15 What is your business? ................................................. 17 Chapter 1 checklist ..................................................... 22 Chapter 2: Client attraction: getting customers ...25 Word of mouth ............................................................. 26 Offl ine advertising ........................................................ 26 Email marketing ........................................................... 27 What is email marketing? ............................................. 27 The rules of email marketing ........................................ 28 What does an email marketing tool do? ................... 31 Which system to use? ................................................... 35 Moving on from free tools ............................................ 36 Websites ........................................................................ 38 Domain names and web hosting ............................... 39 What do you want from a website? ........................... 40 What is the simplest way to get a website? .............. 44 Wordpress.com vs Wordpress.org ............................... 44 Measuring ...................................................................... 46 Google Analytics .......................................................... 47 Landing pages .............................................................. 48 What are the options? .................................................. 48 Social media ................................................................ 49 Facebook ....................................................................... 50 Twitter ............................................................................. 53 Instagram ....................................................................... 54 LinkedIn .......................................................................... 55 Social media scheduling ............................................ 56 What are the options? .................................................. 56 Chapter 2 checklist ..................................................... 57 Chapter 3: Delivery: great customer service .........59 How to consistently deliver above expectations .... 59 Standardisation: over-delivering’s best friend .......... 60 What are the options? .................................................. 62 Presenting your process diagrams .............................. 64 Standardisation tools .................................................... 65 Checklist tools ................................................................ 65 How to get started ........................................................ 67 What to do with all this information ............................ 68 Templates ..................................................................... 69 Customer Relationship Management Tools ............. 69 So what does a CRM tool do? .................................... 70 Why use a CRM tool? ................................................... 71 What are the options? .................................................. 73 HubSpot .......................................................................... 75 Keap ............................................................................... 75 Client communication ................................................ 76 What are the options? .................................................. 76 Creating content ......................................................... 77 Written content ............................................................. 78 Audio content ............................................................... 79 Video content ............................................................... 80 Webinars ........................................................................ 82 Online programmes and memberships ..................... 82 What are the ways of delivering an online course or membership programme?........................................... 83 Events ............................................................................ 85 Publicity .......................................................................... 85 Booking systems ............................................................ 85 Chapter 3 checklist ..................................................... 87 Chapter 4: Behind the scenes: make your life easier ................................................89 Keeping it all above board ........................................ 89 Things to think about ................................................... 89 Registering your business .............................................. 89 Insurance ....................................................................... 90 Data protection ............................................................ 90 Finance ......................................................................... 91 Bookkeeping vs accounting ........................................ 92 Accounting .................................................................... 93 The fi nance information you need to keep track of ........................................................................... 93 Accounting tools ........................................................... 95 Getting paid .................................................................. 98 Information storage ................................................... 102 Physical storage .......................................................... 103 Cloud storage.............................................................. 104 The internet and computers ..................................... 107 Internet ......................................................................... 110 Browsers ........................................................................ 113 Extensions ..................................................................... 117 Email ............................................................................ 118 What sort of email do you want? .............................. 118 Choice of email address – webmail or domain-based ............................................................. 118 Where to get a domain ............................................. 119 Email hosting ................................................................ 120 Email client ................................................................... 121 Calendars ................................................................... 131 Calendar options ........................................................ 132 Booking systems .......................................................... 139 Time and task management .................................... 141 Time management tools ............................................ 141 Time tracking ............................................................... 141 Task management ...................................................... 143 Simple tools .................................................................. 144 Offi ce tools ................................................................. 149 Word processing ......................................................... 151 Spreadsheets are cool ............................................... 152 Presentations ............................................................... 154 Cool tools .................................................................... 156 Make some space in your brain! Use a note tool ... 156 Make your business beautiful: design tools .............. 158 Capturing information: surveys and feedback ....... 159 Keep it safe… ............................................................. 165 What can you do? ...................................................... 166 Chapter 4 checklist ................................................... 168 Chapter 5: Bringing it all together .........................173 Choosing a new tool ................................................. 173 Requirements defi nition .............................................. 174 The ‘suck it and see’ method .................................... 175 Creating your action plan ........................................ 176

About the Author :
Alice Jennings loves solving problems! From her time in the lab during her PhD research and then in a corporate environment as a management consultant and process improvement expert, Alice has always looked for ways to make things work better, quicker and smarter. As a qualified ‘coder’ she is able to understand the technology on a deep level while her easy and friendly manner enable her to explain complex systems in a way that is easy to understand. She is passionate about enabling small businesses to use technology and systems to help them punch above their weight. Alice’s mission is to help business owners make informed choices in the systems and tools they use by giving them the information they need to confidently take their business to the next level and resist being bamboozled by people selling the next big idea. Since starting her own small business she has worked with over 200 business owners through webinars, workshops and one to one consultancy; sharing simple tips that enable better working as well as helping implement more complex systems to support growth and reduce stress.

Review :
I am half way through this book and I am finding it so useful. The advice that is given, along with the free downloads, actions and checklists are invaluable as a review of my business. I am sure that any new business owner would find it just as valuable. There are lots of free systems that "Sorted" can help you with, alternatives to paid versions to start you off when cash is tight. I am looking forward to reading the rest!