How to Be Organized as an Entrepreneur

I was looking for a way to create organization to my seemingly thousands of pages I have floating around my informal office area. I thought I would provide my insight in four (inexpensive) ways to be organized as an entrepreneur. I hope it helps you if you are in need of organization

Organization Model 1: Expando File
Purchase a 31 section expando file (although at 20+ one will do) Create two pockets at the beginning for your business plan draft and final. You may also want a second for important components like your marketing plan. Then each section of your business plan becomes one section on the expando file. This allows you to do competitor research and print out a single page or perhaps multiple pages from their website or say Hoovers. This method can really grow as you grow your business. This method has the downside of possibly wasting paper–but I don’t think its excessive.

Organization Model 2: Binder Clips (or paper clips or folder paper)
This method is same as expando file, but less expensive and less organized. Each binder clip performs the same function as the sections of the expando file. You can even have a table of contents which provides some semblance of order. This ultimately is still quite precarious. At best its a stop gap measure until you get an expando file.

Organizational Model 3: Google Spreadsheets or Excel
This is for those of you who are excel pros. I am not an excel pro, so more traditional paper and pen models are slightly more appealing for this task. But if you can do it, more power to you.

Organizational Model 4: Delicious and Google Docs (or some other social media platform with tagging like a blog)
The social bookmarking tool delicious is fantastic for allows you to tag particular pages on the web (say your competitors or your pain point and you can use those exact words-or if you need to be more covert I’m sure developing a letter code can easily solve your problems). Google Docs can help by allowing you to cut and paste any extra relevant info and keep a document to track your progress. If you are planning on showing your idea to potential collaborators virtually this may be the best option for you.

Both of the later two are clearly more green friendly ways to be organized as an entrepreneur (and probably even less costly–as you save between $12 and $24 in prints and an expando file).

Feel free to leave your best ideas about organization, productivity, and workplace efficiency below in the comments section. Thanks.