Business Journal
What is a Business Journal? Why do you need one? Whether is is a traditional business or an online business, you need to record certain pieces of information about your business. So a Business Journal is simply a source to record this information. Whether you make your own or buy one that is your choice.
There are many journals out there that you can get online or in a department or book store. This article is not about a certain physical design, color, size, shape,brand or type.
What I want to emphasise is what goes in a journal that is best for our business. The physical type of journal will be your choice and how you will use it.
Let's take a look at a few suggestions:
1. Goals and Goal Progress When you joined Wealthy Affiliate, you were encouraged to set goals for your new business. You can set all the goals you want to, but if you don't write them down, goal-setting is a waste of time.
Ok your have them written down...somewhere! Now is the time to combine all goals and related information into one area. However is this information being updated? What was your 30 Day goal, 6 month goal, yearly ooal or longer? Have you recorded how your actual progress in your business compares to your goal? A journal could be an excellent starting place for this task.
2. Daily Record of Events This is simply a record of noteable events that might have occurred during a typical working day. This could be number of site visits, sales,problems or comments from customers. Maybe you had a technical problem and it was resolved. It would be nice to have a record of how it was resolved for future use.
3. Quick Reference You should have a quick reference list with websites, frequent customers names and other info, also names and telephone numbers of those pertinent to you business. Include any other general information you use on a regular basis.
4. Calendar/Appointments All businesses need some sort of calendar. This is needed as a reminder for important actions, appointments-business or personal. depending on the nature of your business.
5. Financial Data Bookkeeping and accounting today is usually kept on computer accounting programs or perhaps your business is large enough to hire an accountant. Whatever the means, electronic or old fashioned paper ledger, you should have an up to date record of your finances. in whatever form or amount you desire for ready viewing.
This is only a small example to gt you thinking of other areas you could put in your journal.
The better organized you are the better your business grow and a business journal will be essential.
Now it is up to you to write enticing content, get highly ranked and bring in the visitors.
Best wishes to all on your journey to success.
.
Recent Comments
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Hi Jim,
Thanks you for your comment.
I will be working on my next deficiency; focus and distractions.
Bill
Hi Jim,
Thanks for your comment. I am glad to know I am not the only one to be distracted. It is one thing when legitimate reasons for "work stoppage" occur but when you get up and wonder around the house and don't really know why, that ireson has to stop.!
Bill
HI Bill and Sue, I am a great fan of and daily user of journals so I could relate to your post in every way. Great information.
Hi Mark,
Thank you for your remark.s. I need to enforce these principals in my business a lot more.
Too easy to lay back and think I'll remember important things. ha,ha!
Bill
I began trying to express my ideas and feelings when I was very young. I used to draw them on the walls of my bedroom and other rooms in the house. I wrote the word "cat" all over my brother's bedroom and the word "spinach" all over my bedroom later on, showing off that I knew how to spell this word. When I did finally catch on to putting this stuff on paper where it belonged, my parents had a sigh of relief.
I guess it was when I drew a basketball court with a black Magic Marker on my grandmother's wall-to-wall carpet that taught me the final lesson!
A journal is certainly one of the best ways to grow and become organized in whatever one writes about. I began writing a journal in 1973. It started out as a sort of short science fiction story featuring a few of my best friends and was strongly influenced by the movie, Planet of the Apes, which was extremely popular back then.
The desire to write was not new to me at that time, nor was the desire to capture things in time doing so. I used to bore my younger brother to sleep telling him my childhood memories from the standpoint of being 12 years of age or younger, and doing so repeatedly was enough to get this into writing when I did begin to write - many of such memories were incorporated into that sci-fi story!
When I realized the value of doing this was more than just capturing stuff, I began to find my earliest writings were juvenile, and thus began to see the true value in being a tool for growth. Though many years later, in the mid 1980s. I began using the Journal as a means of setting and carrying out goals, and the Journal became that track record. Even later, I began writing to-do lists within and even capturing my dreams upon awakening.
I have some wild stories now in writing from an untold number of dreams, surreal and simply astounding. Recording these have also revealed patterns in the kind of dreams I have and how they have changed over the years.
The to-do lists have grown into a massive Daily Checklist that I keep alongside the Journal. They are indeed part of it today. I would be nowhere near where I am today had I not begun the Checklists.
I have used my Journal to grow, become better organized and have accomplished many smaller goals, purposely put together to make some pretty giant steps in my life. As all of this evolves, the ultimate goals I have for my life is business development and the culmination of a book, like no other on the earth. This book is aside from the Journal, which is yet another massive tome in itself, now with an unknown number of pages, probably in the thousands and requires a search engine to find stuff in it.
Learning from doing over time, I vouch for what you have written in this fine blog! The value of keeping a Journal, even a business journal cannot be overemphasized. One thing is for sure, most people who are successful keep some sort of journal, even if it's just a record of ideas they get and record.
The written word is incredibly powerful!
Thank you!
Hi Daniel,
What a great testimony on how a journal started your writing career and still is part of it. Many thanks for your sharing this.
Bill
Great post, Bill and Sue! I love journals of every kind and use them often.
All the best,
Sue
Hi Sue,
So nice to hear from you. Thank you for commenting. Best wishes for all the success in the future.
Bill & Sue
Thank you both for sharing this very helpful information. It is definitely a smart idea to keep track of vital information pertaining to our businesses.
Jerome
Hi Jerome,
Thank you for your comments. I am reminding myself I need to practice this in my own life. It is so easy to not write something down that should be written down, then when you need it, you can guess the frustration.
Bill
Hello, Bill and Sue,
Thank you for this post. What a wonderful way to start off the New Year with a business journal.
I have all kind of notebooks on the go, but no business journal.
I will have to get another for the Business Journal I am going to start.
Thank you and wishing you much success in 2018!
Noreen
Hi Noreen,
Thank you so much for your remarks.
My thoughts always are it is up to the business owner to use the "journal" that suits them the best, whether it is a notebook, stack of loose leaf paper with a binder or even an electronic journal on the computer.
Writing things down always helps to keep one on track.
Bill
Yes, writing things down sure helps...I never used to write anything down, just relied on memory, BUT now I write everything I want to remember!
NCHH
Thanks Bill and Sue! Really useful stuff. Best regards to you both for a wonderful 2018! Mahesh
Hi Mahesh,
Thank you for your comments. Best wishes for great success in all areas of life.
Bill & Sue
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Nice post ... organization always a good thing in business ... cheers ... Michel
HI Michel,
Thanks for sharing your comments. may many good success stories come from you.
Bill