More on Journaling Your Business
Image: sxc.hu
I’ve had positive reactions to my post about Journaling Your Small Business, in other words writing down the story of your business, day to day events, business news, etc. As I’ve thought about it, I realized there are and could be many types of journaling, those eminating from the older hand written logs, records and notes to today’s computer journals and records.
For more than nostalgic purposes, keeping logs, appointment calendars, and records often proves important for legal and tax purpose.
Various journals & logs:
- A calendar or planner with appointments and reminders
- A sales log
- A mileage log
- Correspondence
- A notebook with information about customers so you can personalize orders
- Photos of items you make or services
- Log and photos of travels for business
- An appointment & reminder calendar on your computer
- Copies of e-mails pertaining to your business
- A scrapbook of your favorite ads
Midst some of my mom’s memorabilia was an old general store journal, not of her store but of an ancestor’s store. Apparently she acquired it from her father, for journal keeper was one of his cousins. Here were recorded sales, payments and items traded (butter, eggs, etc.) if the customer didn’t pay in cash. It dated from the early 1900s.
You don’t have to keep everything. It could be overwhelming. However, some of this information might provide a story about your business and contribute to your family’s heritage.