Working by yourself, for yourself is one of the most exciting aspects that lures so many people towards becoming self-employed and master of their own destiny! What better thought than to be your own boss and not have anyone telling you what to do each day! Sounds like heaven, right? Well, in theory, YES, for sure!

But the stark reality is that life in the fast lane of working for yourself is not all that it’s cracked up to be.  There are numerous hidden challenges that aren’t immediately apparent and only become visible as the journey starts to unfold.  Don’t get me wrong, when it's operating like clockwork, and more money is coming in than going out, it’s the best feeling in the world to know you have your own small business.

It’s just not always talked about how hard it is to reach that point and how long it takes to get a micro-business up and running operationally smoothly and all the hours it’s taken to reach that magic tipping point where you can casually look like it’s a breeze!

Overnight Success is a Rarity!

When you’re a one-person business, a solopreneur, a mumpreneur, a micro business or however else you wish to see yourself, it takes a huge amount of self-belief, resourcefulness, grit and determination to make a go of it and stick with it.   Overnight success is rarely just that – its most likely the culmination of many months, if not years, of hard work and balancing many things to reach that well-deserved status of being classed as a ‘successful business owner’.

The Overwhelming Choice of Technology Solutions

Thankfully, however, technology is advancing at a huge rate of knots and there are now greater opportunities for the micro-business to harness software and technology to support and leverage those who are time-poor to maximise their efficiency.  One of the biggest challenges though often comes in the huge range of choice and oversupply of available tools - all claiming to help save time and money.  It’s hard to know which one to pick when they all have such slick and fine-tuned marketing messages bombarding you with feature-laden opportunities telling you that without it your business just won’t survive! 

Sinking into the quicksand of overwhelm is as real today for any one-person business owner as ever.  So how do you know what you need?

The Best Small Business Organiser App

The key point for any small business is to be organised. Without structure, routine and systems in place, it’s very difficult to grow and function in a way that provides a strong foundation for future longevity.  Getting your business organised means having a way to track, manage and measure what is happening and going on in each aspect of your business, so you have this information to hand and can look at it to see exactly what is actually happening each day and week and month.

Tracking Patterns and Trends

Once you have tracked information, its much easier to spot patterns and trends and to see where things are going well, and which areas might need more of your attention or where you need to get help to manage them differently.  Unless you have this base information, it’s very hard to know what needs working on and what you should be focusing your energies and time on.

One technology solution that can do all this simply and easily is Pocket PA. It’s a web-based software that can work on any phone, tablet or computer and lets you manage not you’re your finances but also your clients, appointments, services and sales, billing and accounts all in one place and it was created specifically for the micro business owner in mind, earning under £85,000 and non VAT registered.

Business Appointment Scheduling App

Using colour coded appointments and income and expense dials that show information visually, it’s easy to understand at a glance and you don’t need a maths degree to understand your money!  Convenience and simplicity make this the tool of choice for many new start-ups and it gives a free 14-day trial so it’s easy to see how it can transform a small business and create some great supporting habits that lets anyone understand their money and cashflow quickly as well as running their business on the go with their clients and appointments.

Pocket PA user Lauren said ‘I feel so much more confident having it. It’s nice to see how much I’m gonna be making as well. Thanks for making it!’

Getting left behind with technology isn’t necessary in this day and age when there are simple ways you can use it to keep your business up to speed.  Use it to your advantage and you will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner!