The first part of the research, conducted late last year, found a quarter (24%) of small business bosses became tied up in administration and non essential tasks rather than driving the company forward. Almost half a year on, barely one in ten business bosses prioritise administration or back office tasks above a focus on growth.
In the end, results speak for themselves. The research uncovered that bosses who spend half of their time (or more) “at the helm,” are 30% more likely to be experiencing growth than those who don’t.
There are still key lessons to be learnt, however, such as delegation and effective time management. The average SME boss spends almost two working weeks every year dealing with multiple suppliers across areas such as IT support, telecoms and payroll (nine working days), while a further seven working weeks is spent on clerical and administrative issues (35 days), according to Vodafone UK’s research.
Rob Shardlow, sales director for small and medium businesses at Vodafone UK, commented: “It’s encouraging to see that small business bosses now recognise the need to return to the helm to focus on growth. To do this it’s crucial they partner with suppliers they can rely on to support the vital behind the scenes operations of the business, freeing up their time and energy while helping their business drive cost savings and efficiency.
“Vodafone UK is partnering with British businesses, offering them integrated fixed and mobile communications solutions that mean bosses spend less time dealing with multiple communications suppliers and have more time to drive their business forward. This means bosses and their staff can work where and when they can best serve their customers, ultimately benefiting the bottom line of the business.”