Strauss: Think automation, small business owners

Q: I really wish that I would be able to take some time off this summer, but I don't see how. I run a one-person business and if I don't work, I don't get paid. – JT

(Part 2 of 2)

Yes, it's true that it is very difficult for many small business owners to get away for a week, let alone to even just take a little extra time off. But, that said, it can be done. Other small business owners have figured it out and you can too.

Did you ever see the movie,

The Edge

? In it, Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin play two men who crash land in the Alaskan outback and are stalked by a bear. Armed with no weapons and little more than a survival book that Hopkins has with him, either they kill the bear or the bear kills them.

They killed the bear.

How? As Hopkins says, and makes Baldwin believe, "What one man can do, another can do." The little book had a section on killing bears and after the requisite miscues and failures, they eventually spear it, much to Baldwin's amazement.

Which of course begs the question: How have other small business owners killed the proverbial no-vacation bear?

One way is through automation.

Last week I suggested that hiring additional help will make it possible for you to take some time off. Hiring help doesn't cost, it pays. Well, this week I am telling you that technological solutions can be just as useful, maybe more so.

As I am wont to say, we are living in a most amazing time for small business, and a main reason is that we have tools available to us that heretofore have only been the purview of big business. Technology, software and apps now offer the typical small business incredible options and power, if only we would take advantage of them.

Let me give you an example. I recently had a conversation with the good folks at Manta. You may know Manta as a company that lists your small business in its huge, searchable online directory; that's how I remembered them. But times have changed. Yes, they still do that, but today they do a lot more for small business, beyond helping a business get listed online.

Knowing that small businesses are their teammates, Manta recently launched a new suite of automated marketing tools that make it really easy to create ads, market your business, and get more customers -- all without having to be a hands-on marketing wizard. This is the type of thing I am talking about when I say that 1) There are some great tools out there if you look and take the time to learn them, and 2) Automation can both help you run your business while also allowing you to take some time off.

In the case of Manta, they have a few new tools that can really help any small business, such as:

■ Manta Priority Search delivers clicks and calls from Google searches for local products an services. We all know that clicks from Google searches are marketing gold. This product helps you get them.

■ Manta Listing Manager: With a single business profile and a performance dashboard, this tool helps small businesses manage their online brand presence across more than 50 different sites.

As John Swanciger, CEO of Manta, told me, "Manta is well aware of the pain points small business owners face, from big business competition to simply finding the time they need to run and grow their businesses. Our new marketing tools are designed to allow small businesses to quickly and efficiently monitor brand reputation in one stop."

So that's the idea. By automating processes like digital marketing and advertising, you not only free yourself up to take some time off, but you will very likely find that your marketing will be more effective as a result.

The same idea can be true with your social media. If you automate it, you can step away, not only from your computer, but hopefully from the office altogether. Tools like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck allow you to schedule social media posts. No, you won't be able to do the conversational interaction that works so well on sites like Facebook and Twitter, but you still can be effective by scheduling your other social media posts ahead of time – things like promotional tweets, Facebook specials, humorous articles and the like.

So go ahead, slay the bear. What one man can do, another can do.

And now, if you will excuse me, it's time to practice what I preach. I have a plane to catch!

Steve Strauss, @Steve Strauss on Twitter, is a lawyer specializing in small business and entrepreneurship and has been writing for USATODAY.com for 20 years. E-mail: sstrauss@mrallbiz.com. Website: TheSelfEmployed.