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. But don’t avail, you can still be successful! Check out these 10 ways to usher your small business into the New Year by Melinda Emerson.
1. Set Your Business Resolutions
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. Take a look at our promotions blog to see what events you may be forgetting! This plan will help you to have ample time in setting up your social media updates, blog posts, sales, advertising campaigns, etc.
4. Consider Your Hiring Needs
If your business is getting increasingly too busy for you to run, start planning your hiring strategy for 2016. 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 purchasing new computers or software, it’s time to make the investment. You’ll be more efficient if you have a computer that doesn’t take an hour to load.
6. Create a Conference Plan
Attending conferences and industry trade shows can be so beneficial for you as a business owner! Come see us at the NAMA OneShow in April. Not only is it extremely valuable to meet others in your field (or potential customers) but you also learn from leading experts. Take a look at what’s available and start planning now!
7. Reassess Your Online Brand
Google yourself! Is it time for a refresh? What worked for you in terms of marketing last year? This is a great time to tweak your online strategy to identify the tools that helped your business grow, and cut back on those that didn’t. Take a look at our marketing tools blog for some fresh ideas!
8. Refresh Your Employees’ Skills
If you do have staff, now is 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 – a 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 2016. It will make things easier to find. I guarantee you’ll feel more together come January.
Three Square Market 