If you've never worked on business process improvement, it's easy to think it's not worth your time or that it's too hard.
Process improvements do not have to be hard and it doesn't have to be for large or corporate companies with multiple warehouse and/or locations.
Even small businesses can benefit with simple improvements.
Simple and Easy improvements
Condense your sales cycle: At a small swim shop I worked at, we had a process for supplier labels and inventory sheets that technically worked, but we had done it so many times on autopilot that nobody stopped to ask if it could be better. A few simple changes: consolidating the labels, updating and organizing the sheet: cut down the time spent on something we were doing repeatedly. Sometimes the process that works is still worth a second look.
Excel and Google Sheets automations: Beyond filtering, functions like VLOOKUP and index matching can combine datasets automatically instead of manually cross-referencing and printing things out. If you're regularly pulling data from two sources and comparing them, that's a good candidate for automation. Less paper, less manual entry, fewer errors.
Checklists: I kept quarterly and monthly checklists for SEO tasks and competitor analysis. Repetitive work like that is easy to let slip or do out of order without a list keeping you on track. It doesn't have to be complicated: even a simple Google Sheet with checkboxes gets the job done.
Larger scale: PIM integration: A PIM (Product Information Management) system is essentially a central database for large product data sets. Instead of managing product details across multiple spreadsheets and systems, everything lives in one place and can be pulled from there. Even with a PIM in place, the day-to-day still involved importing, exporting, filtering, and working in batches: but having that single source of truth made the whole process cleaner and more consistent.
I'm a big believer that Adventure doesn't have to be those escapes to Maldives or all exclusive resorts. They are nice and no hate to them, but realistically it's not for everyone.
It's all in what you make of your current surroundings.
I often hear from people I know, “You go to all these cool places” or “You’re always doing something”. I still have down time, a full-time career, this website takes time, and I’m working on some side hustles. So keep in mind that what you see in the internet isn’t always as it seems. Again, it’s not 100% reality and as people we tend to forget that.
The Ten Adventure Tips
Tip One - Start locally and expand from there.
There are so many people that live in an area but they simply never go out and that is mind boggling to me. Take for instance, the Metro Atlanta area. There are so many things to see in and around Atlanta to do that range from yearly festivals to one-time events.
Unless you live in the middle of nowhere I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t want to go out and see what is beyond their four walls.
Tip Two - Timing - Take a half day and go to local festival. In my area, they typically have a Summer Concerts on Friday Nights and Thursday Movie Nights at the downtown amphitheater.
Tip Three - Do something you haven't done before as an indoor activity. Try a painting or pottery class. If that's not your thing, try axe throwing. I went with a group and it ended up being one of the more fun nights out. You don't know until you try.
Tip Four - Do something you haven't done before as an outdoor activity. One of the things on my list is a twilight hike at Sweetwater Park. I wrote this in 2019 and it's still on my list. Some things just stay on the list until they don't. The point is to keep adding to it.
Tip Five -Take mini-vacations instead of long ones throughout the year. If you're up for a weekend excursion, take an overnight trip to a local city. I'm located in the Atlanta Metro Area and my choices would be Chattanooga, TN or Asheville, NC. Up for a longer trip, take a Friday and/or Monday off. Use Google Flights or your favorite airline for cities that are just a tad farther. For me a recent trip to New Orleans was a much needed extended weekend.
Tip Six - Get creative with your money. Being adventurous, may sometimes require you to be creative with your money beforehand. I'm not talking about getting a side hustle or anything like that. If you have unlimited amounts of funds good for you, but if your funds are limited, you can still do the little things that add up. Some people car camp when they go places while others may meal prep when they are not adventuring. These are some things that allow you to have more cash to go visit places. Plus it's a good thing for your wallet anyways.
Tip Seven - You've got to be open-minded. Don't have your idea of your adventures are going be all blue skies. Expect the unexpected and when it occurs, roll with it and make the most of it. After all, anything that happens is part of the adventure.
It's the journey and not the destination.
Tip Eight - Use social media to your advantage. There are plenty Facebook Groups that are local to your city, surrounding counties or state and by interest. Some of them might be more active than others, but once you find them you'll be able to network with others and expand your adventure friends and adventure list.
Tip Nine - Be aware of your surroundings and trust your gut. There have been several times I had plans to go somewhere and something just didn't sit right, so I didn't go. That instinct is worth listening to. Do your research beforehand and play it smart.
Tip Ten - Be flexible and be prepared. Things happen: a campsite falls through, plans change, the weather turns. Keep your options open and pack for the unexpected. A small poncho takes up almost no space and the one time you leave it behind is exactly when a popup shower shows up. But when things do go sideways, roll with it. That's part of the adventure. Some of the best moments come from the plans that didn't work out.
None of this requires a big budget or a packed schedule. Start with what's around you, say yes to something new, and go from there. The rest takes care of itself.
The same framework in these tips -- start where you are, take small steps, track what is working -- is how I approach marketing strategy. Here is what that looks like in practice.
Cathy Gray is an eCommerce and digital marketing specialist based in Atlanta, GA, with nearly a decade of experience helping B2B businesses sell more online. Outside of work she's chasing waterfalls, kayaking rivers, and finding dark skies to camp under. Her dog Sam is officially retired from adventures but still supervises from the couch. None of it happens without coffee.
