Look for new ways to automate your business.

To gain the most leverage, you want to find ways to automate the more routine tasks of your business. Yes, you can- and probably should- outsource these…but, after a time, even these tasks will become too routine for your assistant, and his/her time will be better spent in other ways. Your answer? Find ways to automate these super-routine tasks. If you fulfill a lot of product orders, see if there are ways to streamline the process so it can run with well without too much human intervention. If you find yourself answering the same kinds of questions over and over, consider turning these into a "frequently asked questions" page (FAQ), a streaming audio presentation, or even a CD & manual. I use a phone service which automatically emails my phone messages to me. This saves me the time and hassle of having to go into the messaging system- I can just click and listen from my computer. In my voicemail, I may refer people to my website- inviting them to email me for fastest response. This saves me time in talking on the phone. I also have a FAQ sheet for new clients which keeps me from having to repeat the same procedures and logistical information over and over. How about you? How can you automate your business processes even further so you can create more leverage?