Top Tips For Making Sure Your Business Runs Smoothly
Julie Starr • March 4, 2022
Whether you are
starting a new business
or focusing on expanding your current company, ensuring that your business runs smoothly should be at the top of your to-do list. This is due to the fact that it will help you to
avoid burnout
, manage stress, and ensure your customer’s varying needs and demands are met.
However, as any business owner can attest, it sometimes feels impossible for things to run smoothly – especially if your workload is ever-increasing. However, it does not have to be that way. Here are some top tips that you can use to make sure your business runs smoothly!
- Build a strong, competent team. The first step towards ensuring your business runs smoothly is to build a team of engaged employees who are passionate about what they do. This way, they will be more motivated when they show up to work each morning and will be able to focus on the task at hand. Furthermore, by focusing on hiring professionals who can grow your business , you’re making your day-to-day life easier as you can delegate tasks across your team instead of trying to do all of the work yourself. As a result, your operations will run smoothly.
- Make your goals clear. When it comes to ensuring that your business runs smoothly, you must ensure that you have clear goals in mind – and that these goals are shared across the workforce. Whether trying to make your business more environmentally friendly or grow your customer base, working towards a shared goal helps with both focus and productivity levels, making it easier to meet these targets. It’s also a great way to increase workplace morale – which will also positively impact productivity and efficiency.
- Streamline your payment processes. In order to make sure your business runs smoothly, you must identify any areas which are causing you problems. Usually, this means figuring out which tasks you’re spending too much time on, be that money management or administration. When it comes to finances, you have plenty of options available to you that can be used to ensure everything runs smoothly. For example, you could use a payment optimization platform to better manage and track your invoices and spending. Not only is this a great time-saver, but it also enables you to go paperless as you can manage invoices entirely online.
- Keep employee morale at a high. Boosting employee morale is key when it comes to keeping burnout at bay, as unsatisfied or overtired employees will simply be unable to do their job to the best of their abilities. As a result, you should find as many ways as possible to boost employee morale – whether you focus on cultivating a friendly and supportive atmosphere or put together an employee rewards scheme. This will also help you go a long way towards improving employee retention , which means you will not have to spend a lot of time hiring new employees due to a poor turnover rate.
- Manage your time effectively. Another way you can ensure your business runs smoothly is by becoming a time-management pro. Again, there are various ways you can achieve this goal. For example, you can use time-management apps to keep you on track each day. This is a great way to ensure you don’t spend too much time on projects and will help you when it comes to meeting critical deadlines.
- Give yourself a break. While taking some time off may seem like the very last thing you should do when trying to get your workload under control, sometimes it can be the very solution you are looking for. After all, it enables you to destress and spend a little time outside of work engaging with your hobbies and interests. As a result, whenever you return to your desk, you do so with a much clearer mind. This also means that you can bring a new, fresh perspective with you, which could help you resolve problems that you’ve been dealing with for several months.
- Give your employees a break too. During this time, you should also make sure you allow your employees the same grace, giving them some time off or encouraging them to take a break when they need it. One way you can further support this is by taking a flexible approach to work. For example, instead of requiring everyone to come into the office, you might want to encourage them to work from home where possible. Some companies have reported great success by implementing a four day work week.
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.