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.

Post from: Small Business Boomers

Image:sxc.hu

My dad and a friend built it and the friend managed the business.  When he had a heart attack, Mother (a former school teacher, who had no storekeeping experience) decided she would operate it.  So during my last year of high school and my college years, I spend weekends and vacations working at the store and on the farm my father owned.

Mother didn’t make a fortune.  In fact, she generally lost money because she was so kindhearted and trusting.  However, she did affect her customers’ lives because so many wrote me after she died, telling me how much she meant to them.

I need to find time to compile her notes and snippets of information, along with photos, into a journal or scrapbook, chronicling her years as a country storekeeper.  This would be an interesting item to have for our family heritage.

Why not journal your business?  Start where your are, then write down the beginnings as you recall them.  If you’re just starting a small business, keep a daily log.  It doesn’t have to be much, but will be a good business information journal and something of interest to family in years to come.

Post from: Small Business Boomers