You have probably heard this advice countless times in small business forums and blogs. Saying that you should be working on your business and not in it sounds like very strong advice, but many of us are still confused about what it actually means.

Working on the business means doing the things that are needed to help the business grow and flourish. This includes developing new ideas, finding new markets, developing new products, and building relationships with new customers. The other point is working in the business, taking care of the little things that need to be done to keep it running. Traditionally, work done in the business are things that can be delegated whereas work on the business comes from the “idea person”, usually the owner himself.

When we work in our business, we are taking care of the day to day operations like stocking the shelves, waiting on customers, sending out invoices, opening and closing the store, and making sure the trash gets taken out. When a business is just starting out, the owner usually takes a pretty much hands on approach to working in the business. Sometimes this is out of necessity (the business is still too small to have hired people to work in it) or the entrepreneur is simply more comfortable keeping things small and simple.

Whether the success of the business is measured in term of growth and profit or simply owner satisfaction, the more time you can dedicate working on your business as opposed to working in it, the greater your overall success will be. Small business and startup owners tend to take a DIY approach to many business functions. In many instances, automating these functions with a Cloud based application not only makes good sense, it can lead to greater business success, no matter how you measure that success.

Consider something as basic as invoicing. It is hard to imagine a anything more basic or important to your business than letting your customers know how much they owe you and keeping track of their payments. As important as it is, managing your invoices takes time that could be spent on other things. Taking advantage of applications like Receipt Bank and Xero means that these tasks are accomplished with just a few taps on the screen.

Cloud based applications are a force multiplier for the small business owner. By handling the important but routine tasks that need to be accomplished for working in your business, you will have more time to work on your business.

Call us today and learn more about how cloud solutions can give you more time to work on your business.