Many owners put off vacations or stay connected to work while away thinking the business cannot run without their involvement every day. Unfortunately, we will all experience unexpected emergencies that force us to step away for a period. Doing the prep work now will help your business continue moving forward when you cannot be present.

Uncertainty is a given in your business. There are forces you cannot control that impact how your business moves forward. As you face uncertainty in your business, your plan, core strengths and values, and flexibility will enhance your ability to achieve your goals.

We all know it takes money to make money. Yet business owners are intense about watching expenses and not adding anything new that is not necessary or does not have a clear impact on the revenue of the business. In doing so, many opportunities for efficiency and revenue are overlooked. It is time to look at expenses as an opportunity to grow and strengthen your business.

Business owners know what they need to do to work ON their business. Yet many find themselves drowning IN their business. Find symptoms and ideas for how to pull your head up, look around and work on your business.

Your days are busy. Are those activities the ones moving your business forward? Or are they simply tasks that need executing. Spending time on your business allows you to see where things are going, get creative about how you are going to build your business and move you closer to your vision.

Take a listen to the engaging conversation about building personally sustainable success on the Rising Tides Business podcast.

Implementing processes is one way to increase the capacity of yourself and your team. Documenting processes and coordinating with your team on who takes on different steps can provide more space to move work forward. There are three ways process can improve your capacity.

As a business owner, you know that understanding your team’s capacity, planning service delivery around that, and being open with your team about capacity expectations, will help you to be prepared for changes in client and team member availability and needs. Determining the capacity for each team member is not always straightforward. Assess each team member now to be better equipped going forward.

As a business owner, do you know your capacity? Knowing how much you have available in a typical week to service your clients, while still running your business, will ensure you can build your business without burning yourself out.

Year end is a busy time of the year. Year end, according to the classic song, is “The most wonderful time of the year.” Even with all the stress, we can take steps to help make it a more pleasant time of the year. A little thought, preparation, and notes can ensure that next time you will know what to do to enjoy the season.

Every business owner knows that money needs to flow into the bank account to maintain the business. The key is to prioritize activities that keep the cash flowing. Cash is king. What are you doing to orchestrate things behind the scenes to keep things moving in the right direction?

The to-do list is a must have for every business owner. Whatever method you use for maintaining your to-do list, it is important that you triage the activities to move from crossing off as many items as possible to selecting the items with the greatest impact.

Reviewing your budget for services and tools and determining if each is a good use of money, energy and time is a great first step in simplifying your budget and your time.

Many business owners are not detail oriented. Yet details and data can have a significant impact on your business. Taking steps today to track details will allow you to grow your business.

Having a routine each morning is an effective way to get ready for work with minimal hiccups. Having a routine that works for you and your lifestyle will make you even more prepared for the day and to drive towards success. The key is to make your routine work for you.

With extensive media coverage on the return-to-office movement, it is easier to assume that everyone is going to back to in-person work. Before you jump on that train, ask yourself what you would be trying to accomplish by changing your workplace structure.

As you prepare for growth, scaling, or even selling your business, it is critical to have a solid foundation for the business to move forward on. While there are many elements to a strong business foundation, there are two that need to be in place for every business.

Are you a super planner or an anti-planner. Regardless of where you fall on the planning continuum, having a plan to guide you in running your business has many benefits.

Do you have an optimistic outlook for the year or has the uncertainty caused you to stop in your tracks. Even in a period of uncertainty, it is important to keep moving forward. Use these tips to ensure you are making forward progress this year.

Having a budget creates a mechanism for understanding where you are spending the business’ money and for monitoring if you are on track to achieve your profit goals. Building a budget does not need to be overwhelming. Here are 4 steps to help you get started as you prepare for the new year.