Why Your Big Ideas Never Pan Out

Have you ever had a project you were super excited about slowly lose momentum and fade from your memory? Or a great idea for your business never even make its way into the real world at all?

If you are human, the answer is “Yes!” because as amazing as the human mind is, the complexities of the modern world and workplace make it impossible for us to keep all our tasks, projects, and ideas organized in our head.

Stuff slips. Period. We’ve all been there – and that’s where this January’s Small Business Tool of the Month (I’ll highlight one every month in 2015!) comes into play…

We started using Basecamp.com at PostcardMania in 2011. Basecamp is an online project management software where all the key members of a project can log in and see what their responsibilities are, what step the project is at, and even communicate with others and share files.

If you want something to get done, you simply create the project in Basecamp and assign it to someone. BOOM! Now they are responsible for getting it done, and you can check in and make sure they are taking the necessary steps to make it happen.

Here’s an example. This is a project template we use every week to make this newsletter happen!

When one step gets completed, the next step is assigned – and on and on it goes!

These lists can be as simple or as complicated as you need them to be. This is the one we use to plan my speaking events…

Aaaaand that’s why I have an in-house public relations person! Yikes!

There is a cost for project management software like this, and Basecamp isn’t the only option out there, but if you need a way to keep your projects organized, I definitely recommend you look into it! There are definitely some tasks I still prefer old-fashioned email for, but in terms of getting big projects done, Basecamp has been a lifesaver.

Do you have a small business tool that has helped you grow? Share it in the comments!

As always, you can contact me directly with any questions or comments at Joy.Gendusa@PostcardMania.com. I’d love to hear from you!

Best,
Joy