New Year’s Goals for Small Business Success
It's the start of a New Year, and there's no better time to reflect on the past year while making new business goals for the next 52 weeks.
If you’re keen to find new ways to succeed, here are 5 business-related goals consider. Whether you set out to accomplish one or many, use this list to jumpstart a prosperous 2019!
1. Become comfortable with delegating
As a small business owner, it’s tempting to do everything on your own. With so many things to do, it feels easier to knock it all off your to-do list without asking for help.
But, delegating can be a game-changer. Getting extra help will help you ramp up productivity, improve work-life balance, and so much more. If you’re just getting started with delegating, try outsourcing administrative tasks first.
You can hire employees directly or work with a partner like Intelligent Office (IO). Here at IO, we offer a wide variety of virtual business services ranging from phone answering to virtual assistants. It’s an affordable and flexible way to get the help you need.
2. Market your business consistently
When things get busy and urgent projects pile up, it’s tempting to move proactive marketing to the backburner. But, if you want to attract new customers and grow revenue, you need to do some marketing.
Whether you hire a full-time marketing expert, use third-party contractors, or a mix, here are some resources you can use to keep your marketing on track all year long:
- 6 Key Components of A Marketing Plan
- Update Your Digital Marketing Strategy with These 10 Tips
- 4 Ideas for Marketing to Your Existing Customers
- Top Four Low Cost Marketing Strategies
- How to Use Data-Driven Marketing to Get More Customers
3. Secure your business’s important data
Technology becomes more powerful (and more complicated) every year. However, many small businesses neglect the most important part of their IT environment: security. This year, resolve to improve your data security practices to keep important information safe.
To get started, use this 3-step roadmap to data security. You’ll notice that password security is at the top of the list, so don’t forget to subscribe to a secure password manager while you’re at it.
4. Network more (preferably in-person)
Connecting with other business owners helps spark creativity while you make new connections. Getting out of the office to meet face-to-face is even better.
If you need some networking ideas, try these 5 Ways to Build or Expand your Business Networks, then learn about Using Networking Events to Grow Your Business Leads.
Small business owners who work from coworking spaces have a built-in networking advantage, too.
5. Give back to your community
It’s easy to get caught up in the daily minutia of running a business, but try to keep the bigger picture in mind: How are you giving back to the community?
Think of corporate social responsibility, or CSR, as fancy-speak for business practices that benefit society and the environment. There are countless ways to give back, including:
- Offering employees paid time off to volunteer each year.
- Participating in local charity events.
- Sponsoring local organizations and events.
- Organizing company-wide volunteer initiatives.
- Participating in food and toy drives throughout the year.
You can probably think of even more ideas to add to this list, too. No matter what you choose to do, community involvement is an excellent addition to your yearly business goals.
