5 reasons your small business should go paperless

Still using paper in your business? If you’ve been running your business for a while, chances are you have taken a hybrid approach, meaning that you have a mixture of digital and paper processes. As a self-confessed list maker, I know the appeal of a fresh new notepad and finding the perfect pen. But did you know that using paper to run your business could be holding you back?

I’m not saying you can never have a notebook at your side ever again. I’m just saying that there may be a better way to get things done. And it’s all about digitising your processes. If you’re on the fence about going paperless in your business, read on to learn the top 5 reasons it makes sense to make the switch.

Improve security

When you need to keep customer records, paper makes you more vulnerable to loss. When you store company information on the cloud, you’ll have the added reassurance of knowing that you’ll always be able to access your files. And storing sensitive information in the cloud means that you can take data security a lot more seriously. 

If there is a break-in at your office or home, leaving sensitive information lying around could put your customers at risk. But when you choose to go digital, you’ll enjoy added protection. 

If you’re accident-prone, going digital will also remove the risk that something as simple as a spilt cup of tea could wipe out your records.

Limit your environmental impact

Many businesses are thinking about ways they can limit their environmental impact, and reducing your reliance on virgin wood is an excellent way to do this. Printing triplicate copies of long documents just to keep them in your files is a surefire way to damage your eco-credentials.

This isn’t to say that digital storage is without its environmental problems. You’ll still need to make sure you are keeping a close eye on your storage use and regularly spring cleaning your files to avoid wasting energy on cloud computing.

Speed up processes

Picture this: you’re onboarding a new client. You send a proposal in the mail and wait for their approval. Next, you send over a copy of the contracts and await their return. Relying on paper copies and snail mail is only going to slow down your business.

When you commit to going paperless, you’ll soon discover that there are faster ways to complete a lot of the everyday tasks that we take for granted. You may even be able to automate these processes and free up time to focus on other areas of your business.

Make it easier to ask for help

If you’re ever in a position where you need to ask for help (from a VA, for example) you’ll find the handover process far easier if your business is all digital. You’ll also be able to hire someone to help you from anywhere in the world. This can be incredibly freeing as it means that you’re able to hire a virtual assistant rather than a personal assistant or admin assistant. 

And if you need to work on something when you aren’t at your desk, you’ll also be able to make the most of the fact that your whole business is accessible from anywhere in the world. This means you can work in the place that makes you feel most productive and you’ll no longer be tied to your desk. Win!

Save money

There’s also the simple fact that paper is another expense for your business that you don’t really need. And it isn’t only the physical paper you need to think about. If you aren’t paperless, chances are you also have an expensive printer that uses expensive ink. Perhaps this printer is a leased item that costs you a monthly subscription fee.

There’s also the added burden of storing all of that paper. If you keep digital records, these files will only continue to grow as your business grows. You could soon find you need a bigger office just to be able to keep up with the increasing demand for filing space. But with digital files, you can simply expand your cloud storage for a small monthly fee. And if you decide to move to a new office, the moving costs will also be significantly lower.

If you’re thinking of going paperless and need help digitising your systems and backing up your paper files, it sounds like you could use the help of a virtual assistant. Get in touch to learn how my retainer packages could help you to say goodbye to paper in your business for good.