Bear with me…I know this doesn’t sound like a very exciting post, but spreadsheets are SO versatile and I absolutely LOVE them!
You don’t have to be a formula whizz, there are plenty of things you can use a spreadsheet for without being a mathematical genius.
Here are my Top 8…
1 Content Calendar
Mapping out a content calendar for your social media or website can be done using a spreadsheet! Use Google Sheets to share with other members of your team.
2 Accounting
If you don’t use accounting software, spreadsheets are a great way to keep on top of your accounts, create budget plans, forecasts, etc. You will even find some ready made templates in Microsoft Excel.
3 Inventory Tracking
Again, using simple formulae, you can set up an inventory tracker to help you to stay organised.
4 To Do Lists
I am a sucker for a To Do list…I have a notepad on which I write the next day’s To Do list every evening, as well as three different project management platforms that I use!
But sometimes, it is easier just to do it on a spreadsheet.
This week I have created my Christmas Shopping To Do list, with a different tab for each recipient, tick boxes and links to every present I want to buy. And it only took a couple of minutes to set it up!
5 Calculator
If you have to do the same calculations over and over again for your business, you can simply save your formula in to a spreadsheet and every time you need to run the calculation, just enter your figures!
6 Time Log
A lot of virtual services rely on time logs – spreadsheets are a great way to do this. There are lots of time tracking apps out there, but spreadsheets are free!
7 Mailing List
Spreadsheets can be great for keeping on top of your mailing list, especially if you use an email marketing platform like Mailchimp or Mailerlite.
If you do use these platforms, subscribers will often sign up directly from your website or social media, but what about those people who want to join your mailing list another way?
Simply pop them on your spreadsheet, then upload the sheet weekly to your mail provider.
That way, your mailing list will be up to date without you having to keep going in and entering new subscribers manually.
8 CRM
This is only really suitable if you only have a handful of clients. You can easily create a simply CRM to stay on top of your clients using a spreadsheet. But, if you’re dealing with larger numbers, I’d recommend using a pre-built CRM system or app.
