Get Organized with Homebase—the All-In-One Business Tool

It's no surprise that there are a ton of steps that go into starting a business: coming up with an idea, a business plan, finding the right business tools, hiring staff... Sometimes it feels like getting your new business off the ground is a herculean endeavor. And more often than not, business owners find that most of the to-dos can be found on their own list instead of their employees. It’s no wonder 33% of small business owners feel there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done.

When you run a small business, you’re likely wearing all the hats. The key to keeping all those hats in order? A really, really good organizational system. Keeping your business organized is essential to your success. But how can you keep everything streamlined when you're juggling so many roles? Luckily, we've got the answer to help you out. With Homebase, you have everything you need to run your business in one easy-to-use platform (we promise).Let’s look at how Homebase can help organize your new business to save you future frustrations.

Organization: The key to running a new business

It might not be the first thing you think of when picturing how you’ll run a successful business, but being organized can make or break a company. When you’re organized, you can set realistic goals and have a plan to achieve them. That means you can work more efficiently and stay on top of the many tasks that need to be done. Good organization can even improve your decision-making skills by reducing stress and building confidence in your business. And that makes it easier for your employees to work at your company, since they’ll clearly understand what they need to do and how to do it.

An organized business also helps to prioritize a work-life balance for you and your employees. When you’re able to schedule your time, work more efficiently, and be more productive, you can better protect your personal time.Now, let’s look at how to simplify your business’s organization with Homebase.

Ditch the overflowing file cabinets and go paperless

From scheduling and payroll to taxes and inventory, running a business comes with a lot of paperwork. When you’re doing all of that paperwork by hand, it not only takes a lot of time, but you’re also contending with illegible writing, double and triple checking information accuracy, and attempting to get your printer to, well, print. Thankfully, Homebase makes it easy for your new business to go paperless. No more paying for paper and ink, trying to read your employees’ chicken-scratch handwriting, or trying to install the printer drive on your computer for the umpteenth time. With Homebase, you can complete—and organize—everything from tax forms to timesheets online, without any paper, in one convenient location. 

• Homebase time clocks put the power of tracking employee hours into their hands with a simple solution that allows your team members to clock in and out from their mobile devices. Those hours automatically become digital timesheets that take the manual work out of preparing payroll.
• Scheduling is also paper-free with Homebase. You can keep PTO requests, overtime limits, and hours organized online while building schedules and communicating changes to your employees.
• Even onboarding and employee paperwork can go digital with the help of Homebase. When a new employee joins your team, you can automatically send a welcome packet so they can self-onboard. Their information—emergency contacts, payroll details, and more—is easily stored and managed. Uload, e-sign, and securely store direct deposit, W-4, W-9, and I-9 forms in Homebase.

Take control of employee scheduling

Managing a team of employees is as exciting as it is challenging for new business owners. One of the most complicated elements has to be scheduling, where you’re juggling the needs of multiple employees alongside the needs of your business. It’s easy to see how that information might get lost, mixed up, or misinterpreted. Finding an effective way to streamline all the elements that go into an employee schedule can help make sure that your calendar meets your business—and employee—needs. With one easy-to-use app, you can simplify the scheduling process.

Homebase lets you collect and track your employees’ shift preferences in real-time and create schedules using templates or automatically based on availability. Once you’ve made your schedule, publish and share it with your team instantly to keep everyone informed of their shifts.You can also use the free Homebase communication app to instantly share scheduling changes, post open shifts, and let your team trade shifts, manage their availability, and request time off. Keeping all this information in one easy-to-access location makes it easier to stay on top of all things scheduling. 

Keep your costs down by staying on top of overtime

When not monitored, overtime pay can sneak up on you. It can happen pretty quickly without limits set up to prevent it, and it can be costly when it does happen. While you can approve overtime for your team members, unauthorized overtime occurs when the business owner doesn’t approve the overtime before it happens. And it doesn't have to be intentional; even someone starting their shift 15 minutes early or working through a paid break can cost you overtime.

That’s why it’s essential for you as a business owner to stay on top of how many hours employees work. Homebase helps manage overtime with the time clock and timesheet apps. When an employee approaches overtime, Homebase will send you a notification so you can adjust the schedule if needed. You can also prevent early cock-ins and enable auto clock-out employees when they forget.

Stay organized and compliant with labor laws  

There’s a reason lawyers go through years and years of training to do what they do. Understanding everything that goes into federal and state labor laws as an employer can feel overwhelming. Staying compliant with labor laws is another part of your business that will need some organization to run smoothly.

Reduce the stress that comes with compliance with help from Homebase. Homebase accurately tracks breaks, calculates overtime, and stores timecards to comply with federal, state, and city rules. You can store and manage employee certifications and get alerts when they expire, helping keep your employees working safely. Homebase also keeps you in the know by notifying you when state or federal labor laws change so you can stay compliant no matter what. 

Find tech solutions that work for your business

In our digital age, you’ll likely have a variety of software solutions to help you tackle different aspects of your new business. Finding solutions that integrate is a great way to harmonize how you run your business and optimize your efficiency.

Homebase already combines amazing features in one accessible platform—a messaging app, time clock, payroll, HR and compliance, scheduling, and more are part of the Homebase suite of tools.  Additionally, Homebase integrates with the top payroll, point of sale, job boards, and other applications so your small businesses can get the most out of your business tools. 

Take control of your new business

Having an organized business from day one goes a long way. It makes it easier for you to tackle your daily tasks and saves you time and money. The right business tools can make it easier to get—and stay—organized.

Take the guesswork out of finding an organizational system that works for your business—with Homebase, you can seamlessly manage and organize every aspect of your business. Start your business off on the right foot with Homebase. Get started.