Do You Know the 20 Lists You Should Be Keeping?

Entrepreneur recently posted an article about the to-do lists and people lists that business owners should keep. These are mainly lists of resources and projects that could mean the difference between success and failure.

The People Lists:

1. Existing investors' and advisers' skill sets. Knowledge is powerful, and knowing who to ask for which favor can be important.
2. Potential investors. Even if you're nowhere near the stage of taking on investors, it can't hurt to be prepared.
3. Existing partners. Maintaining communication with your partners becomes much easier when you keep track of important information about their particulars (birthdays, family, etc.)
4. Potential partners. Teaming up with another company in the future could be feasible if you're keeping a list now. Keep track of information now that could be valuable when that day comes.
5. Potential acquirers. It's never too early to be prepared—log any conversation notes with potential acquirers now.
6. Journalists you know. Keep an updated list so you can contact them when you need some PR.
7. Journalists you want to know. Commenting on their tweet posts could change their status from “want to know” to “know”.
8. CEO friends. These people can be great assets.
9. Awesome talent you know. Don't just collect those business cards, keep in touch with these people and be ready and willing to offer them opportunities and referrals.
10. “People to update”. These are the people you would email blast with important updates about your company.

The To-Do Lists:

1. Short-term CEO tasks. Things you need to do in the next few days.
2. Long-term CEO projects. Things you need to do “eventually”.
3. Short-term product tasks. Things your product team is currently working on.
4. Product backlog. Features that you hope to “eventually” build.
5. Pending conversation agendas. Talking points for your upcoming weekly team and/or individual meetings.
6. Your email inbox. Correspondence that requires action.
7. Blog posts to write. Add to this list whenever an idea for an article you'd like to write pops into your head.
8. Marketing ideas. Ideas for slogans, giveaways, contests, promotional videos, email blasts, or any other marketing activities you'd like to explore in the future.
9. Books to read. Besides keeping a list of books that might help you become a better entrepreneur, record the person who gave you the recommendation so you can thank them once you read it.
10. Future business ideas. Write down any ideas for companies you might want to start one day. Even if the idea needs developing, you'll at least have somewhere to start.

Lists aren’t always the most exciting things, but some lists are worth keeping.  There’s nothing better than having the right information at the right time.