10 New Year’s Resolutions for Small Businesses
It’s that time of year again! Pop the champagne, stay up until midnight with Dick Clark, get melancholy about the past year, and make some resolutions for the one coming up. 2009 is sure to be an exciting/interesting time for small business owners, so I have a few suggestions for some New Year’s Resolutions that will keep you moving onward and upward as the months go by.
1. Keep Your Chin Up
This is one of those ‘harder than it sounds’ resolutions. Let’s face it: things are looking gloomy for a lot of businesses during the current recession, and if you have a small business, you may be holding on for dear life right now. But the reality is that no matter how hard it gets, being discouraged and panicking will only make it worse. In fact, you can literally sabotage yourself by worrying so much that you end up manifesting your fears. Instead, resolve to stay positive and keep yourself from dwelling on the ‘what ifs’.
2. Invest in your continuing education
Many of us become so engrossed in running our businesses that we may forget how important it is to continue educating ourselves in order to stay competitive. Make a commitment to periodically enroll in training, seminars, and classes that can keep you up-to-date on the rapidly changing practices and technologies in the marketplace. It may mean setting aside some time and spending a little money, but in the end it really is an investment in your business.
3. Take care of yourself
You simply cannot ignore your physical, emotional, and spiritual needs and expect to be successful. Granted, hard work and dedication are essential to making a small business work, but it must also be tempered with rest and relaxation; exercise, nutrition and sleep; nurturing relationships and taking time to enjoy your family. If you find yourself unbalanced more often than not, sit down and evaluate how you can reprioritize your time to better take care of YOU.
4. Set specific, attainable goals
Goal setting is one of the most basic of business practices; but the key to reaching your goals is making sure they are both specific and attainable. Having small weekly, monthly and quarterly goals is a great way to keep yourself moving forward toward your larger annual goals; and it keeps you from being overwhelmed by the idea of attacking the big goals all at one time.
5. Celebrate Your Successes
Reaching your goals is great, but to really make them count it’s important to take the time to acknowledge and celebrate them, too. Share your successes with friends, family and employees. Reward yourself in small ways—perhaps going to dinner or taking the afternoon off to play golf—as a way to recognize your own hard work.
6. Read a New Book Each Month
One of the most common characteristics of successful people is that they continually stimulate their minds and spend their free time reading about ways to improve themselves. This year, make a resolution to read a new book each month. Short books can be finished with less than ten minutes of reading a day—and you’ll find yourself mulling over the new ideas you’re reading about while sitting in traffic or waiting in line. There are plenty of free ebooks online that you can download and enjoy, too!
7. Start a blog
If you have a business, and you don’t have a blog, you need to get one. Blogging has never been more popular or easier, and it doesn’t have to be a complicated process. A simple blog to announce new products, let people know about special promotions, or just relay industry information to your clientele is absolutely invaluable. A blog is free, easy to maintain, and will give you additional visibility on the internet which will only help your business grow.
8. Remember Your Mission!
One of the first things you probably did when you started up your business is write a mission statement. You should say your mission statement out loud every single day. Staying focused on the purpose of your business and your higher goals is what will guide you as you make day-to-day decisions.
9. Take a Vacation.
Some people literally go years without taking a vacation. That is no way to live. Your business will only benefit if you are rejuvenated and refreshed on a regular basis. Taking a vacation means spending time away from your work. If you are like me, you will want to have access to emails, that is totally fine to check them periodically. Whether you sit in your back yard and read cheesy novels, or take a two week hike through the Brazilian rain forest; take time off from work and let yourself remember the reasons you started your business in the first place.
10. Have Fun.
Starting up and running a business is hard work, but if you are miserable, there’s no point to it. Learn to enjoy your challenges, and have fun with your work. Make a resolution to smile and laugh at your work. Your enthusiasm will attract new clients, and will carry you through the difficult days when you are struggling to make things work.
Starting up and running a business is an everyday adventure. As the New Year dawns use some of my suggested resolutions, or make your own. We’d love to hear about your plans for 2009. Leave a comment and let us know what you are planning to accomplish!
