15 Management Tips for Small Business Owners

Management is the process of influencing people to act together to accomplish common goals and objectives using available resources effectively and efficiently. No matter how small your business is, you have to act as a better manager to optimize your resources and achieve success in your business. Whether you only have one or five employees in your organization, you have to learn how to lead them to ensure that your business will move to the right direction. The following are 15 quick management tips for small business owners.

1. Learn self-management. If you want to successfully manage your people and your business, you have to start by successfully managing yourself. Acquire personal development by learning good habits, attitudes, virtues, and disciplines. You have to be inspiring and motivating first before you can inspire and motivate others.

2. Plan your business. Planning is an important function of management. A plan is like a map that will guide you on your journey to success and accomplishment. It also tells you if you are in the right track or if you are moving to a wrong path. Hence, come up with a strategic plan before you start your small business.

3. Establish mission, vision, core values, and principles. These are the things that you and your team must stand and adhere to in times of happiness or troubles. They will also serve as the strong foundation of your business and will be there even after your business becomes big.

4. Hire people who are better than you in other fields. Since you’re the businessman, don’t hire a businessman. In other words, hire someone who doesn’t have a conflicting talent or skill with yours. If you’re not good at accounting, then hire an accountant. If you’re not an expert in Internet marketing, then hire a professional Internet marketer.

5. Train your team. Even if you will hire the best people, knowledge should still continue pouring on them and their skills should consistently be honed. Thus, don’t stop training and improving your human resources, including you.

6. Promote teamwork. Teamwork makes management more efficient and effective. Therefore, always spend time and even some money for your team building activities, even though that team or partnership only involves a number of two.

7. Learn how to delegate. The purpose why you hire people is to delegate the tasks that you shouldn’t be doing so that you can concentrate on other things that contribute more profit to your business. Thus, learn how to let go of your other tasks and move on.

8. Empower your people. Give your staff or workers the independence that they need to perform their jobs without your unnecessary interventions. Remember that they also need to learn how to manage themselves. The successful manager teaches his subordinates how to manage themselves.

9. Be a genuine leader. Have a heart in your management. You are handling human beings with emotions and unpredictable behaviors. Hence, don’t just always use your head, mouth, and hands, but also use your heart with kindness, understanding, and compassion.

10. Be careful what you say. Words are powerful in managing people. They can build and strengthen your team or they can also destroy your team. People’s hearts can emotionally be broken. Hence, avoid things that you shouldn’t be telling to your people. Check out these 20 things you should not tell to your employees.

11. Be active in listening. Managers should love their employees, and loving starts from knowing. To know and understand your subordinates better, you have to pay attention and listen to your people. And not only that, you also have to encourage them to talk. Hearing their issues and concerns is one of the best ways to widen your knowledge about them and make better management decisions.

12. Share your business glory. Management is bringing people together – inspiring and motivating them to accomplish a common goal. If you want to always bring your team together, then share your business glory to your team. Don’t just claim all the honor and credit, but recognize also your people’s efforts, whether they are small or big.

13. Claim your blame. As the owner and manager of your business, you have the greatest responsibility within your organization. Thus, hold on to justice, be accountable, and don’t blame other people to always keep their morale high.

14. Follow your organizational rules. Policies are created and implemented in a business to govern the whole organization. As the manager and leader, you have to uphold these rules and set yourself as an example. Be a role model.

15. Follow the law of the land. There are labor laws that every government in the world has enacted and enforced to protect workers in the government or private sector. Their rights should be protected, such as their right to a just compensation, hazard-free working environment, health benefits, and others. As an employer and business owner, you have to obey these rules to avoid legal problems.

What you have read are only tips to make you a better manager in your small business. You still have to continue learning and understanding specific people in your business organization to improve your management and leadership skills. Finally, remember that if you want to grow your small business, you have to strive in developing your people who are stakeholders of your business – not only your employees, but also yourself, your customers, and your community.

For more small business tips, you may read our articles about business tips and marketing tips for small business owners.