For many of you, the new year brings new opportunities, new trends, new marketing ideas and new business. It is a great time to reflect on what worked in 2017 and jot down new ideas for 2018. And whilst New Year’s Resolutions may be cliched it is still a good idea to write down your goals, ideas and plans for 2018.
For a Business Owner, this list of resolutions may be the key to success. Here are 8 resolutions you can apply to your business in 2018.
#1 Be Proactive
Many of you are busy jotting down your to-do lists for 2018, doing research on new trends, new marketing tactics and working out what created sales in 2017. But are you thinking of 2019? 2021?
This is where we stress on the importance of your 1,3,5 goals. These are going to be split into personal and business for a 1 year, a 3 year and a 5-year timeframe. We call this climbing your Everest.
Write down all the goals you can think of first. Just make a list. Don’t think too hard…just let the ideas flow. When you’re done creating at least 60 goals, go back and split them into business or personal, and when they will be achieved, either 1,3 or 5 years. As with all planning, remember to begin with the End in Mind.
#2 Focus
As a business owner, you often find yourself getting pulled in all different directions. And whilst that may be a normal, usual part of your day, its how you manage it that counts. If you are constantly approached by your partners, your staff, your suppliers, chances are you aren’t getting much done. You are not ticking things off your to-do list.
One of your resolutions for this year should be to focus and manage your time effectively. Chalk out some time in your day for tasks using default diaries. Try going digital-free for an hour each day and use that time to work ON your business. Write! Chalk out a plan! Scribble on your ideas board! Focus!
#3 Automate
Imagine how much time you would save if you automate some of your tasks. Whilst some of it requires a small investment it is a gift that keeps on giving. Make a list of your daily, weekly and monthly tasks and start automating them. You will save so much more time to focus on your business, your team and generating more income.
Some of things you can automate:
- Payroll – you can use online services like Quickbooks
- Email Campaigns – start using CRM’s like Infusionsoft or Salesforce to automate your emails
- Social Media Posts – you can automate what you post on your Social Media using Meet Edgar or Hootsuite
#4 Develop a Marketing Plan
Marketing is an essential part of any business. Get your marketing right and you will kick your lead generation goals and your sales will increase as a result. It is important to chalk out your Marketing Plan and write down your strategies. If you used the test and measure approach in 2017, write down the strategies that generated leads and sales first. Implement them in 2018.
Do some research on the trends that are coming up in 2018 and create a strategy for your business.
#5 Educate yourself
“If you’re not growing, you’re dying” – are you ready for that?
As a business owner, one of your major goals should be to educate yourself and stay ahead of the game. There is always something new to learn. There are always changing trends and what you did last year or the year before, may not work this year. Don’t be afraid to try new strategies and test and measure results. If it didn’t work, accept failure and move on.
The one thing I highly recommend is listening to “podcasts” – a resolution you should keep for a long, long time. If you listen to 2-3 podcasts a week and you are already doing more than most business owners do to learn more.
#6 Delegate
One of the most common things we hear from our business owners is that there aren’t enough hours in the day. One of the ways to become more efficient is to start training your team with tasks you don’t need to do. To start with, make a list of things that are daily tasks, tasks you are not good at and tasks that are repetitive. Once you have done that, look at your staff and see who you can delegate each task to. If you don’t have a team, or you only have a few people in your team, you can outsource a freelancer.
Whatever the case may be, find someone else to do it for you. This frees up your time to focus on your business. A great way to start the year.
#7 Value your Workforce
It is so important to surround yourself with a superstar team, a team that you can rely on, trust and depend on to make your business a well-oiled machine. Employees who feel appreciated add more value to your business. Do little things that make big difference – something as simple as saying THANK YOU. Ensure your team is constantly challenged and given new opportunities to expand their knowledge bank.
#8 Don’t keep planning – launch
So many business owners fall into the rut of planning, planning and more planning. And whilst planning is one of the most important things for your business, you cannot keep planning. Once you have created your business plan and your marketing plan – it’s time for action. Launch your strategies, start your marketing and test and measure the results.
