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.
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