How to Make Your Small Business Paperless: A Success Story

30.04.2011
When I started teaching viola and violin years ago, I brought all the books my students used along with me, just in case the kids forgot theirs. Then the kids became more advanced, and I had to carry more books. I also sent them each home with a practice chart for the week. The studio grew, and I printed out more and more weekly charts.

I was carrying pounds of books in addition to two instruments, and printing more than 40 practice charts every week. My shoulder complained. On top of that was the paper clutter that comes with the business: registrations, signed policies, invoices, receipts, checks, recital lists, schedules, and schedule changes.

The pursuit of the paperless office has been a , with . Here's how I moved away from paper, with ideas for eliminating the paper clutter in your own small business.

1. Move Your Business Management to Software

Digitizing the business was the easy part, and the first step in my journey to ditching paper. I found a Website that does most of the back-end management for me. It's specifically geared to the needs of the music teacher, with billing tied to recurring events on the calendar. All of my students now register online, moving that pile of paper into my e-mail and a nice online database.

The trick is finding those tools for your industry. Just as most small businesses grow from word of mouth, so do these niche Web management services. For example, Curve Dental provides Web-based software for dentist offices, and AutoSoft Online is designed for car mechanics. I found the site I use on a violin Web forum.