Most businesses don’t realize that success in January starts long before the first of the New Year. It takes plenty of work and planning to set your year up right. Here are several items you should start checking off your list starting today. Don’t miss these 10 Ways to Usher Your Small Business Into the New Year.
1. Set Your Business Resolutions
New Year’s resolutions are not all about losing weight. It is beneficial to lay out what you want for your business in the coming 12 months. Be specific, so you can actually measure results and see whether you accomplished them by year’s end.
2. Revisit Your Business Plan
If it has been a while since you examined this critical document, now’s the time to get to it. Review it to ensure it’s still aligned with your current company goals. Change what needs changing. And if you never had one, use www.enloop.com to develop one online for free.
3. Build a Promotions Calendar
Sit down with a calendar and start looking at all the holidays or events you want to build promotions around. This will give you ample time to plan your social media updates, blog posts, advertising campaigns, etc.
4. Consider Your Hiring Needs
If your business is getting increasingly too busy for you to run with a skeleton crew, start planning your hiring strategy for 2015. Consider temps, freelancers, virtual assistants, and part-timers as alternatives to full-time employees if your budget is tight.
5. Invest in Technology
If you’ve been putting off that computer or software purchase, now’s the time to go ahead with it. You’ll be more efficient, if you have a computer that doesn’t take an hour to load. Also, if you want to reduce your taxable income, you need to spend money before 2014 rolls away.
6. Create a Conference Plan
Attending conferences and industry trade shows can be so beneficial for you as a business owner. Not only can you meet others in your field (or potential customers) but you also learn from leading experts. Do some digging to see what’s available to attend in 2015, and put them on your calendar.
7. Reassess Your Online Brand
Google yourself! Is it time for a new headshot or website refresh? What worked for you in terms of marketing this year? This is a great time to tweak your online strategy so that you identify the tools that helped your business grow, and cut back on those that don’t.
8. Refresh Your Employees’ Skills
If you do have staff, now’s a fantastic time to offer supplementary training to refresh their skills or give them new ones. Maybe they’re not all using your customer relationship management software. That’s the perfect topic for training.
9. Get Smarter
Your employees aren’t the only ones who could learn more. If the end of the year is quiet for you, build in reading time. Read industry blogs, books, magazines, and anything else you can get your hands on to be on top of the trends in your industry.
10. Get Organized
If you’re like a lot of business owners, your desk is cluttered, and so is your desktop. Spend a few hours throwing away and shredding things you don’t need and organizing your computer files by year, i.e. Contracts 2015. It will make things easier to find. I guarantee you’ll feel more together come January.
If starting a new business or reinventing one is on your resolution list, pre-order my new book, Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, 2nd Edition. It will be the best holiday gift you can give yourself.
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“Graphs On The Hands Of Businesswomen” courtesy of SOMMAI / www.freedigitalphotos.net
Melinda, great post! It is true however, planning well before the New Year will definitely see your returns on investment higher than you would by planning in January! There’s a few things that businesses should consider in 2015: Technology>Devices>Internet. The internet has been a huge game changer which has been complimented by the development of smart phones and tablets. There is a huge market for any sized business to reach out to potential sales/enquiries on the wonderful world wide web! If you are thinking of a great strategy to have your name carved in the solid market you work in….trade show stands could be a huge lead generation method!