Don’t underestimate the value of an organised file management system.

If you know me, you know that I emphasise the importance of the right tools and structures, keeping track of everything including profit and referrals and having a sound file-naming convention. When you have multiple clients and you work on multiple projects, it’s crucial to build an organized framework which helps you effortlessly access all the resources and projects you’ve done.

Let’s take emdash’s OneDrive as an example. This folder is shared with the entire team, all of whom work from it. It is organised as follows:

• In the Accounts and Finance folder, we store:

  • Invoices received, broken down as consultants and software / subscriptions

  • Invoices raised — PDF copy of all invoices that are e-signed.

  • Tax-related documents — TDS challans, GST calculations, letters, notifications etc.

• In the Admin folder, we have all the company-related details.

  • ID proofs, address proofs, contracts etc.

• In the Business Development folder,

  • Brand assets like logo, fonts, letter head, business card designs etc.

  • Introductory decks

  • Proposals and Letters of Agreement etc.

• In the People folder, we keep,

  • Contractor and employee agreements

  • Internship certificates

  • Any other documents collected from or given to the team.

• In the Resources folder,

  • Templates

  • downloaded stock photos

  • I also store presentations sent to us here — by agencies who pitched to us, for instance.

• Client Work is the repository of every single project we’ve completed for every client we have.

  • Each client gets their own folder. Within in, there are two main folders — resources and work-in-progress. All the information sent by the client go into the former, all the work we do into the latter. (File names help with version control)

  • Each year, the timely bits are archived and new folders take their place

If you’re thinking this sound too complex, talk to my team, which shares the OneDrive folder — they know exactly what to find where and I didn’t even have to show them. 🙂