New Year's resolutions for your business

Putting in the effort now, at the start of year, will pay off big-time… and you might even make your personal life a little easier and more enjoyable along the way, too.


Here are five ideas to get you started:

1. Give Your Business A Face-Lift

It’s time to look at all your sales and marketing collateral in a new light. After the Christmas and New Year break, try to walk into the office and look around you with new eyes. Are those posters and banner stands looking a little dog-eared? Could those brochures and point of sale signs do with updating? Refreshing all your business’s printed materials has an immediate visual effect and gives your clients the nudge that you’re ready to tackle the New Year and everything it holds with gusto.

2. Get Networking

Go through that stack of business cards and LinkedIn connections—really think about the new contacts that you made last year. Now imagine what could happen if you took the time to truly interact with those people, and to spread your net even wider. You could consider joining a local business networking group, make a new commitment to spending a certain amount of time each week using social networks, or simply reach out to the people you haven’t been in touch with for a while.

3. Give Something Back

It’s proven that doing things to help others makes us feel happier, so boost your business’s feel-good factor by doing something to help your community. Find a charity that matters to you and your business—ask your staff what they think. It doesn’t have to be monetary donations, although you could donate a percentage of profits from a certain product to a charity that’s close to your heart. You could simply take steps to become more sustainable, or dedicate time to pro bono work to a worthy cause.

4. Set Some Targets

This is an obvious one, but may business owners find themselves halfway through the year without any goals… and therefore no feeling of accomplishment. Set yourself up for success by drafting some aims early on, whether it’s sales targets or simple tasks around the office. And make sure they’re SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.

5. Out With The Old…

The brutal light of the New Year is the best time for being honest with yourself. And if you can’t do it, give your staff a “thought amnesty” period, during which they can name what’s working and what’s not without judgement. Think about everything that should get the boot in your business—practices, office furniture, décor, out-of-date technology…

Good luck and Happy New Year!