Chase the Money You’re Owed, and More Manager’s To-Do Items for July

July 4—10

STAFF It’s the halfway point of 2021. For many of you, that means staff evaluations. Make tough decisions now on non-performers, and you’ll still have time to hire and train replacements before the holidays hit.

MANAGEMENT Give your business card a new look. Perhaps change your title to something fun like “Visionary in Charge.” Your goal: Make your card so cool that customers will want to show it to others.

July 11—17

PLANNING Will you need an extra body this summer to cover for vacationing staff or help out in the peak back-to-school weeks? Ensure your part-time help can do multiple tasks. Someone who describes themselves as a “human Swiss Army Knife” should fit the bill.

FINANCES Identify and chase all overdue payments and outstanding receivables. Balancing your accounts is much easier when you get all the money that is owed to you. “Managing cash needs to be a key part of your overall strategy,” says small-business consultant David Brown of Edge Retail.

July 18—24

OPERATIONS We’re guessing you promised to use the lockdown to get everything in order in your business… only you didn’t. It’s time to get organized: The core decluttering rule is if you haven’t used it in a year, toss it.

July 25—31

ONLINE Check your website. Is your telephone number easy to find? It needs to be.