{"id":1211,"date":"2020-07-17T15:48:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T15:48:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=1211"},"modified":"2023-10-18T17:35:33","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T17:35:33","slug":"how-smb-owners-can-be-productive-from-anywhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/how-smb-owners-can-be-productive-from-anywhere\/","title":{"rendered":"How SMB Owners Can Be Productive From Anywhere"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Their companies might be described as small or medium-sized, but the average SMB owner\u2019s to-do list can loom pretty large. <\/p>\n

Besides cultivating new customers or providing help to existing ones, the day in the life of running an SMB<\/a> can also include a lot of managing, hiring and putting out various fires. Even when they feel productive, there are probably a lot of areas where they would love to devote more of their attention. <\/p>\n

On the plus side, technology has made it possible for SMB owners to do some of their most important work from wherever they are. Not only can you check messages on your mobile devices \u2014 you can run your entire business on the go<\/a> when you have the right cloud-based tools at your disposal. <\/p>\n

Tools don\u2019t solve everything, of course. You still have to figure out how to make the most of small windows of opportunity that wouldn\u2019t have existed in the days when running an SMB meant being physically present in your office. <\/p>\n

Use this post as a tip sheet for boosting productivity whenever those opportunities present themselves, and add to it with some that are uniquely your own: <\/p>\n

Tip #1: Choose between learning, deciding or delegating<\/h2>\n

Maybe you\u2019re sitting in the car at a parking lot between errands. You review email, voicemail or perhaps the dashboard of a more advanced cloud-based app. There\u2019s no question you\u2019ll get information, but what do you do with that information? <\/p>\n

When there may be little time available to digest or analyze data, delegating to someone else on your team might make the most sense. If you have more than a few minutes, you might be productive just by taking the time to learn more about a problem that\u2019s been festering in the company for a while. If you\u2019re waiting in the parking lot for someone else to return from a store, you may have enough time to really think through and make a decision. <\/p>\n

Each of these counts as being \u201cproductive,\u201d but considering them in turn forces you to assess what\u2019s most feasible based on where you\u2019re at in your day<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Tip #2: Compile questions to focus your efforts<\/h2>\n

Even if you\u2019re primarily working off of your smartphone while waiting at the airport, being \u201cproductive\u201d can often risk becoming little more than the digital equivalent of pushing paper around on a desk. You\u2019re answering messages and checking on metrics, but it may not feel like you\u2019re accomplishing that much. <\/p>\n

This is where the power of questions comes in handy. Make a list of ones that ladder back to some of your most important business goals and use your micro-moments to check in with whether you\u2019re consistently answering them. Some possible questions could include: <\/p>\n