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Running a business or managing a team tends to come with a lot of responsibilities and tasks. So it’s not surprising that there are some things that get lost in the mix––put off until you have “more time” (when does that happen?!) or ignored until they become impossible to avoid.

There are some things that tend to be overlooked that really should be a bigger priority because of how they impact your overall operations or marketing. Today, our experienced team of EAs are weighing in with 4 overlooked tips for business owners based on what they’ve seen with their executive clients and on our own team at Elevate.

Keep reading to find out if you’re ignoring or avoiding any of these important tasks. If you are, we’ll give you some advice for making them a priority without adding even more to your to-do list.

Tips for business owners with direct reports

Whether your team is you and one other support person or you’re directly responsible for a dozen team members, one-on-one check-ins are a crucial part of being an effective manager.

However, a one-on-one is often the first thing to get moved off the calendar when other meetings, requests, and deadlines pop up.

Don’t make this mistake!

Regular, face-to-face check-ins with your team members give you a chance to:

• Have back-and-forth, direct dialogue without dealing with long gaps in communication or timezone differences if your team is spread out.
• Give and receive feedback. You can share what’s going well and where the team member needs to make changes or improvements while also opening the conversation to receive feedback as a leader.
• Get more help! Regular conversations about what you’re working on allow your team members to spot new ways they can support your work that you may have not thought to ask for.

Bookkeeping isn’t just for tax season

Oh, bookkeeping. One of the most common business tasks that is ignored by CEOs and business owners… until it’s tax time.

While having updated books will make tax time less stressful, having a consistent bookkeeping system and software is about a LOT more than just taxes.

• Consistent bookkeeping allows you to anticipate what you're going to spend.
• Understanding financial patterns will dramatically improve your planning and budgeting abilities.
• Seeing when each platform or software charges shows where you can switch to an annual plan to save money.

Marketing tips for business owners

If someone asked you about the foundation of your marketing strategy, you would probably talk about your brand messaging and identity.

You use words and the logo, colors, fonts, and brand marks to communicate what you do, who it’s for, and why it matters.

But there’s another foundational element of your branding that says a LOT about your brand, team, culture, values, and priorities… but many CEOs and business owners don’t prioritize this like they do their copy and visual brand.

Brand photos.

Take 2 minutes and scan the images that are currently on your website and social media.

Do they tell the whole story you want people to know about your brand and team?

Instead of putting off-brand photos for years, we recommend scheduling a session at least once a year.

Up-to-date brand photos reflect your business’s evolution and highlight new team members, services, or ideal clients.

Skipping this task is costing you time

Think about how much extra space you would have in your calendar if you never had to answer another question about “How do I do this?” again.

Imagine the freedom of handing off task after task to someone else on your team without having to sit down and explain everything. Just effortlessly delegating without any extra input from you!

It all starts with SOPs –– Standard Operating Procedures.

SOPs are clearly written or recorded steps and processes for completing repeatable tasks in your business.

Things that should have a documented SOP include:

• Onboarding
• Customer service
• Lead generation
• Data storage
• File access
• HR
• Event planning
• Scheduling social media
• Uploading blogs
• Calendar management

Don’t sweat it if writing SOPs feels overwhelming or confusing. Our expert team can handle the entire process for you in just 2-6 weeks.

SOPs ensure that every repeatable action or process in your business can be successfully delegated without additional instructions.

Which of these 4 overlooked tips for business owners will you implement first?

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Tariffs on Canada and Mexico will have a real, devastating impact on American businesses of all sizes, as well as on workers and consumers. The 25% tariffs on most goods from two of the top U.S. trading partners are creating uncertainty and financial strain, particularly for businesses that rely on imported materials.
 

What they’re saying: Business owners worry about the tariffs’ immediate and damaging effects to their operations.

• Traci Tapani, Vice-Chair of the U.S. Chamber’s Small Business Council and co-president of Wyoming Machine, a sheet metal fabricator in Minnesota, said, "My company will feel an immediate, detrimental impact as a result of these tariffs. The threats and uncertainty have made it hard to make business decisions, and these kinds of tariffs will make it extremely difficult for small businesses like mine to grow."
• Bill Baburek, owner of Crescent Moon in Omaha, Nebraska, told a local news outlet that even the threat of tariffs affected his supply chain: "Ever since the announcement there was going to be tariffs on Mexico and Canada, we saw prices on all materials, including domestic materials, start to increase."
• “[Lumber] has already been getting more expensive over the past few years due to supply chain shocks and wildfires, and a huge proportion of our lumber comes from Canada,” said Bar Zakheim, Owner of Better Place Design & Build in San Diego, California, to the Baltimore Sun. “These tariffs are going to make everything we do considerably more expensive at a time when the high-priced housing market and high interest rates are already cutting into our bottom line.”

Why it matters: More than 41 million American jobs depend on trade, and 97% of the American companies that export are small and medium-sized businesses. See how your state benefits from trade with this interactive map.
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Our take: “American families and businesses are struggling with high costs. It’s one of the top issues that they want policymakers to address,” said U.S. Chamber Executive Vice President Neil Bradley.
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• “The Chamber supports the administration’s efforts to advance pro-growth policies like fewer regulations and less taxation that will grow our economy and expand opportunity; and to fix serious problems like our broken border and stopping the flow of fentanyl in this country. We also want to work together to keep costs down, but tariffs will only raise prices and increase the economic pain being felt by everyday Americans across the country.”

Learn more:

Tariffs on Imports Rocking Small Businesses as They Scramble to Adapt

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