Working with design professionals in their businesses, it seems like far too many are operating with random stacks, sticky notes, and a chaotic office. Organizing saves precious time, builds greater confidence in your business, and allows you to always know exactly where you stand for success. There are simple and proven techniques to get and stay on top of the paper tiger.

Mastering of client files

Each file folder should be clearly marked with the customer’s name, address, and contact phone number, as well as email. To make it really easy to use, project management folders are available at any office supply resource. These provide a graph where you can record your customer visits and progress at the front of the folder. Keep all job receipts, samples, product cut sheets, and customer notes in the file folder. When a job is complete, move the folder to inactive but follow up regularly.

Organization of commercial receipts

Non-customer related receipts, such as those for marketing, office supplies, auto expenses, insurance, employee meals, and more, must be submitted monthly, if not weekly. You can simply use an accordion file folder, or if (like mine) you have too many, use 6×9 manila envelopes in a file drawer and label each one clearly with the expense category and year. Then you can easily hand them over to your bookkeeper or accountant in time for tax preparation and annual and quarterly finances.

Conquering Purchase Orders

While if you’re really at the top of your game you’ll be doing all of this electronically, it’s very hard to avoid the role of vendors! So, print a copy of each order, keep it in a three-ring binder with dividers per month, staple together all relevant documents for each order. This makes it easy to track and trace. Be sure to record the name and date of anyone you spoke to about the order on the original purchase order. Plus, for quick reference, you can keep track of all orders, including date, purchase order number, vendor, items ordered, expected expiration date, and received date. Old fashioned but it works, yes you can do this in an excel spreadsheet too! For ease, I make my own PO numbers, they are sequential, but I include the customer’s initials before each number.

Track your time

Yes, most of us work at least part or full hours, whether consulting, creating, designing, training, or managing projects. You will make more money with a daily log than with a mental download once a week or once a month. Create an Excel spreadsheet on your laptop or PDA or on a green legal pad and keep it in your car. Assign values ​​to the time spent (on the left side), is it consulting, resources, design, space planning, installation, project management? Assign project names at the top and then record dates and times. The increment you work in is up to you, some do it 15 minutes, others 30 minutes or a full hour. Biweekly or monthly invoice.

Regular billing maintains cash flow

Too often, you don’t bill until you need cash, forgetting that there’s always a delay between when you ask for payment and when you receive it, often a 30, 60, or even 90 day delay despite the terms you’ve set out from time to time. payment on receipt. So check often first. That means a minimum of bi-weekly and monthly. Also, for their services, work with an advance. You can provide advances for as little as 5 hours or for a percentage of the project budget. This commits the client to the project and allows them to get money up front. At the expense of each advance, it sends an invoice marked as paid with the detail of its use and then includes the next advance. This will keep you on track instead of behind. You own a business, not a bank!

Using the easy to implement system here will control your paper nightmares, keep you organized and on track to make money. Passion for work is paramount, but useless if you’re not making a profit!