Minutes Matter: Tony McLaughlin
This week in Minutes Matter I’m delighted to introduce Tony McLaughlin who is the founder of YNot Business Solutions. I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with Tony a number of times at local networking events. Here’s what he has to say on all things time…
Can you briefly introduce yourself and your family.
I have 3 kids, Aidan 22, Kai 18 and Sara 13. My partner Catherine and I have been together for 4 years and her son Jamie is 17.
Can you briefly introduce your business? What inspired you to start your own business?
My business is YnoT Business Solutions and I supply the Dojo Card Payment System and Dojo Bookings System for Restaurants. I stumbled upon this opportunity without knowing anything about the industry. Previously I was in corporate management (Area Manager and Regional Manager) in the betting industry with Coral and Ladbrokes. After 30 years in the industry I finished up there in July 2021.
How do you typically structure your workday?
It’s a bit choatic and random if I’m honest. A lot of my business opportunities and customer needs can be a bit reactive and instant. I aim to have appointments in my diary and a good day of appointments can leave no time for admin/planning so on those days I have to play catch up. As my geographical spread is big I try to plan appointments around the geography but it's not always easy. Because I don't have any full time employees working for me yet I have to do everything and therefore this makes having a structure really different. I do aim to be finished work and home by 5pm and spend evening time with the family as in my previous career I was working away and on call etc.
How do you typically structure your working week?
After 30 years of working Saturdays as a regular day and Sundays too (once a month) I do love my Monday to Friday routine now. I don't do any early morning appointments or networking on Wednesday's or Thursday's as I want to be there for my daughter leaving for school. Friday mornings are for BNI Nexus in Giffnock at 6.30am so that helps put a bit of structure into my week. Other than that there is no particular structure other than planning to a 9 to 5 schedule and going where the opportunities take me.
How do you prioritise tasks and decide what to focus on each day?
Prioritise on doing what’s right and supporting those who need it followed by the best commercial use of my time. I treat all my customers as if they are high value customers because you need to have that discipline to be authentic. Yeah, naturally I will prioritise high value prospects when trying to obtain business but the behaviours will be the same to all. I can at times be lead down the urgent path and this leaves me no time for those important but not urgent activities.
Are there any specific tools, apps or time management techniques that you use to manage your time efficiently?
I find the calendar in my phone very useful and I also have a page to view diary that I use every day. In there I schedule meetings and tasks and I also record significant notes - ie new prospect met or called me or existing customer called me needing help. This way I can look back weekly and monthly to make sure that new prospect was followed up with adequately and I can also check in with the existing customer that had an issue to make sure all was ok now. In regards to time management techniques I try to always remember ROTI - Return On Time Invested. That helps me with a lot of things and in particular building relationships with non prospects .... because you never know how good that relationship could be for your business in the long term. I try to structure things I need to do repeatedly. IE First of the month I always aim to do VAT returns. Sometimes I don't get them done that day and it drags on for a couple of days but initiating the task starts on the first. There are also some admin tidying tasks I do that I do on the first of the month. That trigger helps me as a reminder and stops me from ignoring important tasks..
How do you balance the various roles that we often take on as small business owners, e.g. marketing, admin, delivery of product/service?
In bursts. When doing it, I continue on it but then sometimes it falls by the wayside. I have dropped the ball on my social media content recently due to juggling other things where previously I was on it daily. In my previous corporate roles my skills were in strategic thinking, planning and building highly effective teams however those skills are a bit redundant at the moment.
What challenges do you face juggling entrepreneurship with parenthood, and can you share any strategies that you use to help with this?
I do struggle at times but my strategy is kids first and when I know I’m working to that strategy it can alleviate stress from the things that don’t get done. Everyone has their own challenges with parenthood so mines aren't alone but it can be really difficult. I try to think about "being present" is more important than just "being there" if that makes sense. I try to make time with my kids meaningful and if my daughter goes to her pal's I can then maybe catch up on anything needed. I talk to them about my work so they can share in the "why" and I can show them the benefits of what I do and ask them to understand any consequences.
Distractions can be a challenge when working independently; how do you minimise distractions to stay focused?
If it is a non-important distraction I try to deal with it there and then but close it off rather than leaving it in my to do bucket.
How do you handle unexpected challenges or change, that invariably happens when running a business as a parent?
Just deal with it when it comes. However I feel the big risk with unexpected challenges or change is more mood related and I try to be cognisant of this when dealing with change. Sometimes when dealing with difficult personal situations some me-time gets my emotions back on track and I'm not afraid to give myself some me-time over work to get me back to the best version of me. But my family do say that I drop everything when Sara asks for something. Dad's and their wee girls.
What have been your biggest insights when it comes to managing your time as a small business owner?
Sometimes I miss good opportunities and end up working a lot of extra hours. Any spare hours I tend to just work them. One of the things I find a bit strange is that if I look back at last year or last month or any particular timeframe I am happy with the money earned, the amount of hours worked, the particular days and times worked and the fact I was my own boss. However when I'm in the moment I don't enjoy it as I should. When in corporate management I was so confident I would get it right even in the bad times as I stuck to my principles and strategies and done it through my people. It worked even when I wasn't there as I had set the standards. However as self employed I doubt more and can worry more than I logically think I should but can't seem to help myself.
What do you like to do in your free-time?
Spending time with my kids. Socialising with my partner and my friends. Going to football games with my daughter and also playing five a sides.
Is there another local business that you'd like to give a mention to and why?
Michele Brown of Interiors 45. She has helped me a lot with my home redecoration and she is a very talented and hard working business owner who is just starting out in her business. I can see loads of potential for her business. Check her out at Interiors Forty-Five on Facebook.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Time management can hamper us in so many many ways. On one hand we are resourceful and we can get over the obstacles put in our way but on the other hand we don't always acknowledge what we have given up to achieve that. We need to be mindful and holistic in our views of our time and our goals. I hadn't been to the gym much in the last year although I would argue that it was still a goal of mine. Yeah there were more obstacles in the last year compared to the previous year but I could have given up something else rather than the gym. Therefore I challenged myself on how much I really wanted it and this morning I did my first 5K for over a year.