The new year is an opportunity to make positive changes. That’s why January often brings a surge of gym memberships and diet foods. While it’s great to develop your personal life, shouldn’t you be making New Year’s resolutions for your business too? After all, the end of the year is the perfect time to reflect on your business’ progress over the last 12 months. It’s a chance to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, set goals, and devise a business development plan. So, we’ve listed six of our favourite New Year’s resolutions for business owners, starting with some quick pointers on how to keep them going when the initial enthusiasm wears off.
Making resolutions that stick
Most people struggle to maintain their New Year’s resolutions beyond February, so here are some tried and tested ways to help you stick to your business goals.
Stay accountable
Make your resolutions public. The expectations of others will add momentum to your business goals, making them more likely to succeed. Also, sharing your goals publicly creates shared accountability and encourages shared ideas – this is important if reaching your goals will require a team effort.
Remind yourself why you’re doing this
Every project and every team will go through tough periods, when reaching your goal seems further away than ever. To combat this, regularly remind yourself and your team WHY you are trying to achieve it. Doing so will keep you focussed and motivated.
Base your ideas in reality
Avoid setting yourself up for failure with unrealistic goals. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day. The most successful projects are realised through a succession of manageable goals, which leave you positioned to make larger changes. Don’t try to run before you can walk. Which brings us onto our next point…
Break it down
Your goal may have a lot of complex components. If so, break it down into manageable steps. Set a clear plan with clearly defined stages and milestones, and focus on one step at a time. This will help you track your progress, adapt to any changes, and prevent your team becoming overwhelmed. It also means you can celebrate each milestone along the way, helping to keep everyone’s enthusiasm stoked up.
New Year’s resolutions for businesses
So, which New Year’s resolutions should you make to enjoy business success in 2020? Here are six of our favourites.
1. Make time for yourself
When you run a business, it’s hard to prioritise yourself. Many small business owners feel overwhelmed by trying to do ALL. OF. THE. THINGS. And, when it comes to a choice between personal time and work, the former always loses out. However, as any mental health professional will tell you, an unhealthy work-life balance will eventually take its toll. If you don’t make time to rest and recharge, your energy levels, productivity, and health will suffer in the long term. Stephen Covey once said, “don’t prioritise your schedule, schedule your priorities”, and that’s what you need to do. Prioritise “you” time by writing it into your schedule. Make YOU the priority, because if you don’t, no one else will.
2. Start a business blog
Anyone who tells you that blogging is dead is lying to you. Creating original content on a business blog remains a fantastic way to engage with consumers, build your brand, and grow your business. Blogging gives businesses the chance to share their expertise and passion, and showcase their products or services. What’s more, all that original content can be broken down and used in social media posts, email campaigns, and marketing material. It’s also a great way to improve your SEO and keep the Google bots happy.
3. Out with the old, in with the new
If something isn’t working, change it. Is there a piece of equipment that’s interfering with your productivity? Replace it. Likewise, if your business lacks a particular skill set, now is the time to address this. That may involve taking on a new employee, or buying in the expertise of an external company. It could even be that the information on your website, social media, or marketing material is tired and out of date, and no longer reflects your key business message. Indeed, many of our newest customers at Wordsmiths are small businesses who want to boost their brand by re-vamping their written content. Whatever you need to change, let 2020 be the year that you stop making do. The financial outlay will be worth every penny when you realise your business goals.
4. Be a community player
There is no better way to build goodwill for your business than giving back to your local community. Even if you run an online business with a far-flung customer base, there will be many organisations in your local community who could benefit from your help and support. That support could take the form of donating your products or expertise, or it may just be a simple matter of giving a little time and supporting fundraising drives. So, find a local group whose mission matters to you, and get stuck in.
5. Communicate more effectively
Through customer service, digital media, and keeping staff informed of new developments, effective communication underpins business success. Conversely, poor communication can undermine consumer confidence and damage your brand’s reputation. Just imagine how your business would be affected if you didn’t reply to customer queries, or had a website full of typos and outdated information. For things to run smoothly, all of your stakeholders – staff, consumers, and suppliers – need to receive the right information at the right time.
6. Delegate more things, more often
As we mentioned earlier, small business owners are often used to doing everything by themselves, but that leads to a negative work-life balance. Delegation – whether internal or outsourcing – is fundamental to restoring this balance. Admittedly, handing the reigns to someone else can be difficult, especially if you’re a micro-manager. But remember, delegation can benefit your business. It gives you the chance to focus on your areas of strength, as well as bringing in fresh ideas from other people. If you’re struggling to decide which tasks to delegate, ask yourself these questions:
- Which tasks overwhelm you?
- Are there any tasks that you dread?
- Could any tasks be done more quickly by someone else?
The answers will give you clear picture of which jobs you should hand over.
And finally…
If your business New Year’s resolutions include outsourcing editing, updating your written digital content, or starting that business blog – contact Wordsmiths. We work with print and digital media, offering everything from a final check for accuracy to a comprehensive rewriting service. If you want to read more from us, follow Wordsmiths on Instagram and Facebook, or subscribe to via email to receive our latest news and blogs first.