February is here, and with it come chocolates, roses and declarations of love. If you’re a small business owner, there’s no better time to show your business some love – and give it the TLC it deserves.

Here are a couple of ideas that are even better for business than a chocolate sampler.

Trust in the processes (and review them)

Sure, business processes aren’t the most romantic thing in your playbook. But they’re what you need to stay efficient and optimized.

Start by mapping your current processes – those used to create your products or services. Are there any problems, delays, quality issues or areas of friction? Consult with your team and try to determine where these issues came from – and what to do about them.

Now watch these processes in action. Are they working the way that they should? If there are deviations, make note of them and consider how they can be addressed – for example through training or knowledge-building.

If changes need to happen, start identifying possible changes and their impact. Get input to see whether your staff agree, then start designing the new process. When embarking upon a redesign, always bear in mind your overall business strategy. Are these new processes a good fit? Will they serve your business in the long-term?

Document your new processes, communicate them to the relevant team members, then implement them! Once they’re in play, it’s up to you to measure and review them to ensure that they’re working the way that they should. With luck, you’ll start seeing greater efficiencies. If not, it’s time to tweak and adjust until you do!

Tip: there’s plenty of free software out there to help map your business processes. Try LucidChart, Heflo or Gliffy for at-a-glance visual mapping.

Stop juggling, start doing: hire that VA!

Feeling all alone in the office? It might be time to reach out to a virtual assistant or “VA”.

VAs are life-savers for small businesses. They bridge the gap between being a sole trader and hiring someone full-time: you can have a VA help out for just a few hours a week, or for the duration of a project.

VAs are typically trained up on basic office admin skills, and often have other expertise in their wheelhouse – communications, social media, customer service, graphic design and project management are common ones.

While they’ll need some business-specific onboarding, they’re much easier (and quicker) to get up and running than a full-time staff member, and the usual HR hiring red tape doesn’t apply. And, since they’ll be working off-site, you won’t have to worry about finding a larger office space for them to work in.

If you’ve got big plans for the year or if you’re already drowning under your workload, a VA just may be the way to go. Hire one – or more! – to quickly shore up your team during the busy season, throughout a project, or for day-to-day help. With help from a VA you’ll free up your schedule to work on your business, not in it.

Give your business its tune-up!

Regular tune-ups are a must if you want to keep your car running in tip-top shape. And they’re no less essential for small businesses. Show your business the same love you’d give your car. This February, take some time to make sure it’s ticking along the way it should – and that you’re not missing anything important.

If you’re not sure where to start, try with SWOT. A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis helps you determine where your business stands in the market, giving you an overview of your strategic and competitive positioning. Your strengths and weaknesses refer to internal factors, while opportunities and threats are those that present externally. Map these against each other to figure out where you can improve – or whether there’s an opportunity you should try to take advantage of.

Also take some time to review your business plan, your sales strategy, market positioning, management strategy and overall operations. Identify your initiatives, performance goals, accomplishments and priorities. How do these fare in the face of the competition? Are the right people in charge? Are you on track to meet your targets? What needs to be addressed or improved?

It’s vital not just to think about these things, but to put actionable, measurable plans in place. Try measuring your efforts 30 days, 60 days and 90 days out. What improvements are you seeing? What still needs to be addressed?

Tip: don’t set yourself too many goals or too many activities to achieve them. Limiting your goals and actions will keep you focused and on target.

Being a small business owner is all about passion. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t love what you do. This February, make sure that your business knows how much it means to you. Set aside some quality time and start planning an unforgettable future!

And if you’re ready to bring on a Virtual Assistant, let’s talk!