When meeting new clients, there’s one question I hear over and over: “How can I take my business to the next level?” Some even ask if there is some kind of checklist or template they can use in making this happen.

Unfortunately, there is no universal set of tactics that are suited for every business. However, there are a few things that every business needs to have right away (a business banking account; a way to track income and expenses; a dedicated place to work, etc.) Once those are in place, I always recommend that each business owner make their own checklist of “best next steps” and set off to tackle them one by one.

Here’s where I recommend you start: Consider the problems first (and be honest about what it will take to fix them).

I know, this may seem a bit backwards. After all, the business blogs and magazines tend to focus on tools and tactics that are intended to grow and improve operations or profitability. In my experience, though, until you fix the “messes,” you’re spending time and money in the wrong place.

Problems Slow You Down

As your business grows, your messes will grow right along with it, if you don’t fix them, When that happens, you’ll be drowning in new work but unable to do a good job since you’ll be beyond the point where ad hoc fixes and systems can support you.

Here are some examples of messes that escalate as your business grows:

1. Your email inbox. If you’re having trouble keeping up with your inbox now, think about what happens when you reach your dream and your business doubles or triples in size. The volume of email will double or triple, too.

So take the time now and figure out a system to manage your inbox. Check out how I take care of this here.

2. Your contact list. You have business cards piled all over your desk, a gmail account, a business email address, and a ton of LinkedIn and Facebook contacts. Right now, you can kind of, sort of, remember where to go to find a given contact.

But as you grow, particularly if you add stuff, it will be too much to keep in your head. When you want to announce a new web site, promote a webinar or even just send a holiday card, it will be a huge chore.

The solution is to keep all your contacts in one place. I use Contactually (this is my affiliate link) and recommend it to all my clients.

3. Your finances. Whether you offer a service or a product, it’s important to know whether or not you’re making money. When a business is just starting out, you might have more time than money and not be too worried about profitability.

But here too, as you get busier, you’ll want to make sure that you’re not losing money on some (or all?) of your efforts. So either take the time to figure this out or find yourself a capable financial resource who can come in and sort things out for you.

Messes are as individual as the person who made them – but they’re all fixable. Make a list of all your messes and prioritize them according to how much time (and money) they are wasting and how much they’re holding you back.

Then either hire someone to help you handle them or make a list of actionable steps to get them under control. Get rid of them one by one so you can be bigger, more efficient, work less and make more money (yay)!