New Year's Resolutions for Small Businesses
Even though the majority of us make them, actually only 8% of us stick to our New Years Resolutions, whether that be personal or professional. But how will you get to where you want to be if you don’t make a plan and keep working at it?
We have put together just 5 potential New Year’s Resolutions for Small Businesses, as we know that when you are running a small business you need all the help and support you can get!
1. Set Concrete Goals
Failure to plan is planning to fail. We all know that. Yet so many business owners still bumble along doing whatever tasks just present themselves in a day, without any structure, without any planning and commitment to the plan. That gets them no where.
Suggested actions
Write down your goals for the month, quarter and year
Put your goals into SMART actions (Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, Timely) to make sure they are achievable and you are more likely to stick to them
Set these into a weekly spreadsheet of bitesize actions and review them regularly
2. Make Better use of Social Media and Content
Everyone knows social media is taking over and should now be a big part of any businesses marketing plan. It’s targeted, cheap and relatively easy to do if you keep abreast of current trends. Blogging is also something you should look to start this year if you have never tried it before. If you haven’t seen much previous success in your social media efforts then it’s time to ramp it up
Suggested actions
Write at least one blog per month
Daily posting and engagement on Twitter (or relevant platform of your choice)
Learn how Facebook ads work and leverage them
3. Ask for Help
Like most small business owners you might feel like a ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ as you are forced to wear hats for HR, marketing, accounts, customer service etc But being honest about your skill set, where could you improve? What areas need attention or could be done better if you hired expert help?
Suggested Actions
Hire a book keeper
Attend a marketing workshop
Do some local networking and set up a ‘trade’ with a social media expert
4. Get More Organised
Especially so if your business has grown substantially over the last year, it’s essential to be organised so you can carry on making money efficiently and serving your customers attentively. Not to mention keeping a happy and productive workforce!
Suggested Actions
Set up a Dropbox account to help sharing of files with staff or clients
Use a project team management tool such as Asana or Wrike
Use a tool such as Basecamp to track time spent on client projects
5. Delegate X Percent of Work
If your business is your baby then you are likely to be a massive control freak like most of us business owners! But you simply can’t do it all. And if you are bogged down doing the everyday tasks rather than working on the bigger picture, you will never achieve growth.
Suggested Actions
Hire an assistant to take on small tasks like email and phone
Create training manuals to ‘automate’ systems
Hold one training session per quarter to impart knowledge on a certain subject on your current staff which will help when delegating future projects/tasks
Good luck!
