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5 Ways Aspiring Tech Entrepreneurs Can Manage Their Workload

By Robert Vaillancourt of CFB Strategies

Aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly in technology, are overloaded with ambition, ideas and to-do lists. While putting those plans into motion often proves to be the most difficult task in getting a startup off the ground, there are some simple tools available to help manage the constantly changing tasks that go with building a company.

While there is no magic formula for "Startup Mode," here are a few battle proved tips to improve productivity and manage your workload more efficiently.

 

1. Write Down Your Plan

Write down all of the tasks you must accomplish in order to be successful. Once they are written down and emblazoned in stone, identify proven tools that will help you achieve these tasks. You're going to have to rely on yourself to do everything that a company of 10 or more would typically be doing, so you'll have to find automated systems that will replace the need for additional employees.

 

2. Accounting/Billing Software

It all comes down to making money. Relying on excel or a ledger book to handle the most crucial part of your business is a bad idea. Unless you are an accountant, do not do this on your own. Adopt a proven software that will automate this part of your business. We found that Freshbooks is an affordable program to handle our invoicing. The software automatically sends out recurring invoices, late payment reminders, and ties directly into our bank account so we can see our receivables vs expenditures.

 

3. Scrap The Office

Embrace the virtual office concept as there is no reason to invest in a physical space unless your business depends on having a brick and mortar shop. There are plenty of options out there that will allow your mail to be sent to a physical address. Get a local or 800 phone number and give off the appearance that you are bigger than you are. Your time and money should be spent on perfecting your concept and hustling for new business.

 

4. Website

The modern world essentially demands that you have a website. Thankfully between Wix and Webflow, there are multiple options to put together a great looking site with drag and drop features. There will be a lot of trial-and-error creating your window to the world, but you don't have to code to put together something that looks professional.

 

5. Busy Work

It's going to happen. There will come a time when you need to spend potentially hundreds of hours typing in information or gathering data for a project. Your time is better spent selling yourself or further developing and refining your product. Upwork.com is an amazing site that allows you to tap into a diverse workforce from around the world where the economies of scale are favorable for performing these crucial but time consuming data projects. Hiring a competent worker abroad to perform these tasks frees up your time to focus on the important tasks that need your insight.

The digital world offers a virtual toolbox of programs to help companies operate more efficiently.

Time is money, and regardless of the task, there is likely a free or affordable solution. It's very basic, but don't forget to google: "How can I do {insert task} more efficiently"? You cannot do everything, so embrace the startup mindset and start to divide and conquer.

 

Robert Vaillancourt is the CTO and co-founder of CFB Strategies. He has worked as a data consultant and GOTV specialist for political campaigns for over a decade. After getting his start in politics working for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 2005 re-election campaign, Bob went on to work extensively in New York City and New York State politics. Bob's knowledge of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and information systems led him to co-found CFB Strategies, where he architects flexible database platforms for all of CFB's clients. His work at CFB has allowed him to consult and develop databases for campaigns that vary from city council to President of the United States.

The views, opinions and positions expressed within this guest post are those of the authors alone and do not represent those of CBS Small Business Pulse or the CBS Corporation. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are verified solely by the authors.

 

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