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Used to be if you wanted to run a business, you needed a reasonably large staff of employees to handle a wide range of activities, from billing and sending invoices, to dealing with correspondence and communications, and everything in between. There was a lot of overhead and admin to consider. And all of that ate into profits.

The Internet and related software has changed the face of today’s business. Multimillion dollar companies no longer need complex offices to work from, and I know of several that are running very efficiently and quite profitably without a physical office at all — and have staff located around the world. Their secret? Using the Internet effectively.

By this I mean they are taking advantage of communicating using tools such as VoIP, sharing files and information, holding staff meetings in cyberspace, preparing and editing reports, e-mailing, and generally working as a team, even though some of their associates might be on different continents. Their physical location is irrelevant. Getting the job done is all that matters.

Not only can this virtual office work efficiently, in many instances this set-up can also cut costs. Using the right Internet software can save a substantial amount of time — think e-mail — and many of these great tools are free to use or very inexpensive.

A virtual office provides a lot in the way of flexibility. You’ve got a wider range of talent to choose from and are not stuck with an employee or paying their benefits package. They can work from their own location yet interface with the rest of the group.

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Working efficiently and using time wisely begins with staying focused.  Studies have shown that it takes twenty minutes to mentally get back to a task once you’ve been distracted.  That’s why it’s so important to structure your day to exclude interruptions whenever possible.

We all have plenty of opportunities each day to get “off track”, beginning with the e-mail.  No one will deny that e-mailing is a wonderful way to communicate, but it eats time and makes it very easy to get lost in an activity that probably isn’t a priority.  By setting aside a limited time, perhaps in the morning and again in the evening to check and respond to important e-mails, you’ve freed up time to work on those things that are important to running your business, such as a marketing strategy.

It’s easier to manage your time when you’ve developed the habit of planning daily activities.  The evening is a good time to review what you’ve accomplished during the day, and to prioritize what tasks need attention the following day.  Often, you can plan for the week, with a review of progress made.  Remember the 80/20 Rule — and concentrate on completing the 20 percent of activities that will produce 80 percent of your revenue.

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Automating your business is the ultimate system for setting yourself free.  By using  products that will save time and effort, you are freed up to take care of other tasks that require a hands on attention.  Particularly if your office is small — or even one person — automating activities, whenever practical, is just plain smart.

Many of the things that need to get done during the daily routine are simply that — routine.  A perfect example of this is sending out e-mail.  This can be a real drudge and eat up a significant amount of time, especially if you’re sending to a large list on a regular basis.  That’s where an autoresponder comes in.  This handy tool will not only send out your e-mail or series of e-mails on demand, but depending upon which product you choose, will offer statistics and a host of related benefits.

Using an autoresponder is not only more cost effective than sending out e-mails manually, but there are fewer chances for mistakes.  And the fewer mistakes (especially with e-mail, where you don’t want to be accused of sending spam), the more effective your e-mail campaigns will be.

This is just one example of how automating your business is a smart way to manage time.  We’ll discuss others in upcoming posts, so stay tuned.