7 New Year’s Resolutions for Entrepreneurs
The end of the year is a time to reflect on all you’ve accomplished and how your business has progressed over the last year. It’s also an excellent time to plan for the year ahead. In order to truly grow from your previous year, it’s crucial to reflect, re-evaluate your goals and objectives, and meditate on what actionable steps you must take to be more successful in the coming year at home and at work. If you want to strike a better work-life balance and increase your business success in the new year, these tips may help you.
Set Realistic Goals
Goal setting can be a valuable habit, especially if the goals lead to more success than stress. Resolve that the goals you set will be achievable, rather than unrealistic goals that will lead to frustration. If you have trouble setting realistic goals, there are ways to map out a formula that makes sense for you. Also, it’s important to keep in mind, that adaptability is key to being successful in business. So, yes, of course, you should plan ahead and stay organized, but remember that your plans may change when certain opportunities arise. It’s up to you how you handle those changes and respond to them.
Don’t Be Afraid to Delegate
You don’t have to do everything. Running a small business is a team effort, and you don’t have to do this alone. Nor should you. Delegation is key to a healthy work-life balance, and it improves teamwork and the overall success of your business. Even if you’re a one-woman operation, there are ways to get support and the extra help you need. You may even consider hiring an intern, assistant, or independent contractor. Having a support system and a trustworthy team really can make a world of difference.
Self-Promote Regularly & Consistently
If you want to attract new customers, promoting is essential. However, with the never-ending to-do list, we business owners have, promoting your company can easily fall to the wayside. This New Year, make promotion your priority and hire a marketing expert to help you put your business on the map and stay there. A marketing expert can help you create a marketing plan, or you can develop one yourself. There are tons of low-cost, low-maintenance ways to promote your business, so no more excuses ladies! You got this.
Learn Something New
Learning something new will not only add to your skillset, but it will also add a new dimension of interest and excitement to your life. Attend or host a seminar, conference, workshop, or event related to your industry. Connect with business consultants, trainers, and coaches who can help you adopt new skills and integrate them into your company. Not to mention, you may meet a lot of interesting and inspiring people along the way.
Get Connected
Join a new business organization or networking group to make contacts and get inspired by new ideas. Doing this will revitalize you and your business. If you attend a networking event, develop a strategy that will make for a successful experience. For example, you can set a goal of exchanging contact information with at least three different people at the event. You may also consider joining a social group for fellow entrepreneurs and business owners, serving on a community committee, attending local seminars, and donating or volunteering at your favorite charity. Find events and organizations that matter to you.
Stay on Track
Business planning is vital for your business’s growth. Business planning allows you to figure out what worked and what didn’t work over the past year, so you can set new directions and adjust your goals. Set aside time each week or month to review, evaluate, adjust, and look forward. This may seem tedious, but overall it will help you stay on track and avoid costly mistakes, which will help you feel much more relaxed and focused.
Make Meetings With Yourself…and Keep Them!
And by meetings, we mean, give yourself some time to recharge and refresh. Most importantly, stick to your commitment to having that much needed time to yourself. Without this time to rest and refocus, business and home life become much more overwhelming and difficult to handle. So, go ahead and plan for days that you can spend time taking care of yourself and resting.
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is hard work that requires consistency. But if you apply these top New Year's resolutions throughout the year, you'll not only feel better, you'll also have more energy to make your business more successful.
This year has been incredible for women in business, and we know next year will be even better! At the Long Island Center for Business and Professional Women, we believe in helping women achieve their goals through networking opportunities with fellow business and professional women and the larger community. Communication and building relationships are key to achieving and maintaining success, and our members have the unique opportunity to connect with and learn from fellow professionals in a wide variety of industries.