Unbreakable New Year’s Resolutions
Almost everyone makes, and breaks, New Year’s resolutions. We highlight some of the top “promises” that financial and business experts say small business owners should be making…and hopefully not breaking…for 2017.
Tip: Resolve to become easier to do business with—to walk in customers’ shoes through every interaction, every touchpoint.
- BOOST retirement savings 1%…every year. “Divert the money before you see it: Sign up for automatic payroll deductions so the money never reaches your checking account.”
Source: Money Talks News
- Find your SENSE OF HUMOR and hold on to it. “Far from trivializing situations, humor can dissolve disputes, create perspective, and give us more energy. All the better to face 2017.”
Source: Forbes
- Resolve to become easier to do business with—“to WALK IN CUSTOMERS’ SHOES through every interaction, every touchpoint, and make it easier for them to work with us, find what they want, and navigate.”
Source: Thomas Stewart, author, “Woo, Wow, and Win.”
- BUSINESS PLANNING helps you “take stock of what worked and what didn’t work, and helps you set new directions or adjust old goals. So why do it just once a year or quarter? Set aside time each week to review, adjust, and look forward.”
Source: Small Business Information
- New year, NEW WEBSITE. “If your website hasn’t been updated in awhile, now is the time to take another look. Think about its usability and design, meaning your logo, colors, images, copy, content, and layouts. Does it look fresh? Is it easy to navigate? Can consumers find your website easily?”
Source: NASDAQ
- ENSURE ACCESSIBILITY. “It’s been over 25 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act passed. Especially with the available annual tax credit, if a wheelchair can’t easily get through your front door, or other architectural barriers exist, this should be a priority for your business.”
Source: findlaw.com
- FOLLOW THE MONEY. “Almost half the workforce is now made up of millennials. Survey after survey shows they favor time, flexibility, and freedom in many cases over compensation.”
Source: Foxbusiness.com
- DON’T LOWER PRICES. Tell yourself, “’I will not lower prices to substitute a real marketing strategy.’ Have confidence in what you sell not to lower prices in an effort to win business. Focus on prospects that value the pain you solve for them. Leave the price wars to competitors.”
Source: American Express Small Business Forum
- LET GO of a problem employee. “When you allow him or her to hang around, it depletes your confidence as a leader. Co-workers get frustrated, and dancing around the issue won’t make the problem go away. Remember, it’s never worth losing a good employee because a bad one pushes them out.”
Source: Smallbiztrends
- Spend time preparing a CASH FLOW PROJECTION. “It can help you identify potential cash shortfalls. To keep your projections on track, create a rolling 12-month plan that you can update at the end of each month.”
Source: Entrepreneur magazine
Have you made any new year’s resolutions for your business? If so, how are you executing those plans to make sure they live longer than balloons on New Years Eve? Please share and join in the Facebook conversation here.
Erinn Morgan
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