As a fairly new small business owner, I have quickly learned that managing client information, marketing campaigns, and general business administrative tasks can easily become extremely overwhelming. Any suggestions?

Pen and paper aside, I’m in the market for an online hosted CRM solution. I’d love to integrate my website directly into the CRM application in order to manage my newsletter mailing lists with greater efficiency. At this point, though, it’s beginning to seem as though my head is in the clouds…

My professional organizing business is currently 95% service-based. At some point in the future, I do plan to expand into selling organizing-related products. I know, I know… there are definitely solutions out there that meet all my “requirements,” but I simply can’t afford to use them! I need some guidance!

My current CRM wish list:

• visually-appealing interface
• web-based & hosted
• lead, prospect, and customer tracking
• sales process management
• marketing campaign management
• automated drip marketing
• customizable reporting
• at-a-glance daily task list
• inexpensive (if not free)!

If you currently own a small business (or have owned a small business in the past), how do you manage your client information and marketing campaigns? I’d love to hear from you!

Courtesy of Jan Hayner from OrganizingAndCleaning.com:

The rule for cleaning a room is that if you can do a particular job in less than 2 minutes, get it done! It will be one thing that you won’t have to do later. After all, what is 2 minutes?

What jobs can you do in under 2 minutes?

1. Wipe the sink and faucet
2. Sweep the floor
3. Take out the garbage
4. Make the bed
5. Throw dirty clothes into the hamper
6. Unload the dishwasher
7. Pick up the newspapers
8. Do a fast clutter pick up
9. Put things away in the bathroom
10. Clean the mirror
11. Hang up your jacket
12. Sort the mail
13. Check your calendar
14. Pick out clothes for the next day
15. Throw a load of laundry into the washer

The ideas are endless! Sure if you do more than one project, it is going to increase time, but look at all of the things you could do with 10 minutes to make your life easier.

How cool would it be to win a NeatReceipts scanner just in time for Christmas? What a great way to get rid of some of your paper clutter in the new year! Weekly drawings will be held through the end of December, so you’ll have more than one chance to win!

Enter the holiday contest today!

Welcome to the [ real neat ] blog! I am excited to finally have a simple and dynamic site where I can regularly share new organizing tips and ideas with you! As trends evolve in the organizing industry, I’ll do my best to keep you up-to-date. (Plus, this blog will serve as a pretty valuable repository of ideas for me, too! It’ll be so fabulous to be able to quickly search and find old ideas stored in this digital filing cabinet!)

Now, keep in mind that I am not actually a goddess of organization (though I do come pretty close sometimes)!  *tee hee*

My ultimate plan for this blog is the free exchange of organizing tips, ideas, challenges, and more… You know, I am not the only expert here, and some of my ideas may not actually suit your needs. But, perhaps a fellow [ real neat ] blog reader will have some advice that will work better for you. I want to maintain an open community here so that all of us can learn and benefit from one another!

Needless to say, I am definitely anxious to get this dialogue started! What are your main problem areas when it comes to organization? Is there something in your home, office, or life that you’re ready to tackle? Hit me!