The first quarter of the year is like the blank page of a brand new notebook, full of promise and potential. Both to fail and to succeed! Now is the perfect time to get your act together, plan for success, and set the tone for an awesome year ahead.
Here are five simple business tips to help you kickstart into the new year.
1. Get clear on what you want
You and your business need a goal or objective and a plan to work towards that goal. If you don’t have a goal and a plan, then that is the first thing to put together. Lots of business owners have a mental picture of their goals, but if you want to have a good year, you need to get serious about your plans. Not just to write them down but be able to share them with your team.
Aim for a plan on two levels. A big picture of what your goal is and how you are going to get there. This needs to be clear, concise, and something you wholeheartedly want to happen and believe in. Then you need the detailed version of the plan for the next year.
2. Get honest about your business and yourself
Your plan doesn’t need to be a huge revolutionary change from where you are, but it does need to identify what needs to change to get you towards your goal. Take a good, honest look at your business and yourself. Don’t just ask yourself. Also ask your team, ask your other half, ask your customers:
- Where are your business processes not working properly?
- Who in your business is not working properly?
- What do you do that is just busy work that doesn’t really move the needle?
- What are your prices and margin like? Good, bad, or indifferent?
- What are the high value services, goods, or tasks you should focus on more?
- Where are your competitors beating you?
If you’re crystal clear about what you want to change, you’ll be more intentional about implementing your plan. And guess what? That clarity makes it way easier to actually follow through. No more vaguely muttering “I’ll make more money this year” without actually making changes.
Need help with your business planning this year? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at [email protected]. We can help you put together a plan that you actually action.
3. Get brutal with your business
Note: this doesn’t mean you start punching or shouting at your team. It means getting brutal about making change! Now you have identified what is wrong and needs to change, you have to push yourself and your team to move out of the comfort zone. Often making change is hard and isn’t welcomed. So no excuses. Make those changes. What’s more, make them quickly. If a process is broken, change it. If you are spending time on the wrong things, recognise that, stop, and start doing the right things.
4. Get apps
AI is a buzzword, and like a lot of trends, some bits of AI are more smoke and mirrors than helpful. But undeniably, software apps and AI can help your business processes to be improved and allow you to work smarter, not just harder. Of course, part of the problem is cutting through the fluff and faff to find the ones that will make a helpful difference for your business.
5. Get busy
A lot of business plans end up being printed out and taking up space in desk drawers or relegated to unread items in your inbox. A plan should have two beneficial impacts. Firstly, the journey of preparing it should be helpful, and secondly, it gives you a list of actions to take. Don’t be full of promises and hot air. Get busy taking the actions and making improvements.
But more than that, prioritise your business actions. Choose high value impact changes first.
Get productive this year
So, there you have it. A five step plan to kickstart your year and start smashing your goals. Got a question about freeing up your work time or focusing on those high value tasks? Get in touch. We’re here to help you work smarter, not harder. Whether it’s business planning, automating your systems, or being your business mentor, we’re happy to help you get there.
