What do you want to accomplish in 2018? What did you leave unfinished in 2017? We have put together some tips to boost your business growth in 2018. You don’t have to implement everything all at once — in fact I recommend you take it one at a time. Test. Measure. Repeat!
Boost Your Business Growth In 2018
What is your business? No, really what is it? Who is your ideal client? What is your core competency? So many business owners get fractured in their businesses and spread themselves too thin and after a point, they aren’t certain who they are or what their business is.
Get back to basics. What brought you your initial success? Do you have clients who have been with you since the beginning? Get back to basics and make sure you are taking care of those individuals who have been with you.
Cultivate multiple streams of income. While you don’t want to spread your business message too thin, you also want to have other streams of income to fall back on. What is your core business and how can you make multiple streams of income from it?
Who is your target market? Are you reaching out to them? Where do they congregate online and are you there with your business as well?
If you are a multi-passionate entrepreneur write down your passions but pursue them one at a time.
Know your budget and work within it. Don’t spend money you don’t have. Start small, grow from there when you have the funds to do so.
If you’re jumping into business ownership this year, make certain you have a business plan in place and understand the strategies you will take to make your business a success. Your business plan should have your mission, your vision, your ideal client, what you will be charging and how you will measure your success.
Need help with your entrepreneurial idea but aren’t sure where to begin? Reach out. We can help.
What are your small business resolutions for 2018? While I am not an advocate of making wholesale, sweeping changes simply because the calendar has flipped to a new month, there are some steps that entrepreneurs can take to set themselves up for success in the new year. Here are a few that I have undertaken myself and talk with my coaching clients about.
Small Business Resolutions For 2018
Work with a good accountant. Accounting and tax laws are full of moving parts. If you work with a good accountant, you can focus on your business and let the trained professional focus on your numbers and the financial aspects of your operation.
Hone your focus. Many entrepreneurs are scattered in that they try to do too many things at once and don’t keep their eye on what is the most important aspect of their business — the core competency that brought them there in the first place. Delegate tasks to others that you don’t have to be fully involved in.
Organize your workspace. Take time to organize the office, contain the clutter and set up file systems. Go through any stacks of paper on your desk or in your file drawers and ask, “Do I need this?” Toss it if you don’t, file it for future reference if you need it. Ask your accountant how long you need to keep financial records.
Put yourself on a “digital diet.” By this I mean, unsubscribe from newsletters that no longer serve a function in your business or that clutter your inbox but remain unread. There’s no reason to clutter your inbox (and your thoughts) with unnecessary items.
Automation is your friend. Look for ways in which to automate your processes. What are you currently doing manually that can more easily be done automatically?
Get off the launchpad and just LAUNCH. Today is the day that you need to launch items that you’ve been talking about and thinking about but haven’t pulled the trigger. Done is better than perfect. You can tweak after the launch.
What do you resolve to do this year? What do you need help with? Let me know!
Employee or entrepreneur, making use of your time in the most efficient and effective manner just makes sense. If you’re looking for time-saving success tips for 2018, look first to the way in which you perform your tasks. If you’re looking for a way to get more productive (so you have more time for your leisure activties and family) or if you want to be more organized in the new year, here are my top success tips:
Time-Saving Success Tips For 2018
Clean out your email inbox. Many people I’ve spoken with will take the drastic measure to simply empty the inbox and start from scratch. They feel that if the messages had gone unread for weeks or months, then they likely can be discarded. They also feel that if something is important, the individual will reach back out to them. Whether you take such a drastic measure to get your inbox back to zero is a highly personal choice. What I like to do is choose a “set point” for my emails. For example I will say “as of January 1, 2018” my inbox is at zero and I will work to keep it at zero at the end of each day. Set aside a chunk of time, daily and address all of the emails. If you “touch it” you need to act upon it. If it helps, move all of the previously unread and unacted upon messages into a folder and chip away at them during the new year.
What can you delegate? How many items are on your to-do list that you could delegate to someone else? If you’re not certain whether it’s “worth it,” calculate your hourly rate and determine how long it takes you to do a specific task that doesn’t require your input and then see if you would be better off delegating. Choose tasks that may not be as complicated as they appeared at first blush — delegate it. What tasks need to be done, but aren’t making you any money? Delegate those.
Just say “no…” and “yes.” There is power in “yes and no” you just know how to wield the power to your best interest. When you’re asked to take on a new task or project or to become a volunteer, ask yourself if this will enhance your life or your career — if it will then give an enthusiastic “yes,” if it won’t or if it will cause you undue stress then say, “thanks but no thanks.” If you’re uncertain as to what your answer should be, don’t be pressured into making a snap decision, simply say, “I might be interested, let me give it some thought.” Then go back to your office and weigh the pros and cons.
Here’s wishing you a happy, prosperous and more efficient and effective 2018! Take charge of your success; as an employee you need to be a valuable part of the team without taking on so much that you burn out.
In the midst of the holiday rush it is easy to stay focsed and energized, but once the holidays are over and the relatives have gone and you’re back to work it might be hard to stay that way — especially if you live in an area of the country that is blanketed with snow, ice and seemingly endless gray days. I live in Arizona where we are blessed with almost year round sunshine and it is easy to feel the sun on your face and get out and get moving; other areas of the country aren’t so blessed — or sunny.
It is natural to feel a bit deflated after the holiday hustle and bustle is over and that week between Christmas and New Years allowed you to coast. Now, though you’re looking at the new year and limited sunlight. It is easy to get in the doldrums. What can you do?
Be realistic. Many people look at January 1 as the time they HAVE to set goals, make resolutions and essentially start over.
Be physically active. Simply getting up from your desk and moving around is better than sitting all day. Standing at your desk is better than sitting. Be healthy. Eat healthy foods and kick processed foods to the curb. Do short bursts of exercise in your office. Take the stairs. Take a parking space that isn’t right by the doro. Eat fruits and vegetables more frequently and consume fewer salty or sugary snacks. When it comes to resolving to be more healthy, think about where you live. If you are “resolving to” walk 10,000 steps a day and you live where it’s sub zero temperatures, unless you commit to going to a gym or buying home workout equipment you are likely setting yourself up for failure. Choose a goal that coincides with the weather. Although if you are committed and want to make the most of the season you’re in, dress warmly, invest in snow shoes and have at it! Set detailed and above all, realistic goals and you will have a fighting chance of sticking with them. Did you know, most people break their resolutions before January is even over?
Be mindful. Take a deep breath. Focus on relaxing your shoulders – I’ll bet they are up around your ears as you’re reading this. I am an advocate of self-care. There are several times throughout the workday when I walk away from my desk and find a quiet spot to sit and breathe. I focus my energies inward. I get more done when I take breaks because I find that getting away from my desk and focusing on my breath and my health makes me more energized and invigorated to work with my clients.
Are you making resolutions this year? Are they realistic? Have you set measurable resolutions? For example, rather than saying you want to “lose weight” or “exercise more” you should quantify that with “lose 10 pounds by April” or “walk 5,000 steps per day” you can’t celebrate what you don’t measure! Let us know what your resolutions are if you need help staying accountable to them and to yourself.
Is it time to rest on your laurels if you’ve met your business goals. It is also not the time of year to throw up your hands, give up and think that you can just try to “do better” next year. There are some things that entrpreneurs can do to give their business an end of the year revenue boost. Some of them may not be able to be put into practice before year’s end, but others can.
End Of The Year Revenue Boost
Do you have unused office space? Consider renting out a room in your office. If you have extra office space or a conference room that is only used occasionally, consider a co-working option and rent the room by the hour or day to another entrepreneur who doesn’t need a full time office space but wants a place to meet clients on occasion.
What expenses can you cut? Look at the subscriptions and programs that you pay for and make note of any that are duplicates. Is there one service that can perform the task another is? Stop paying for one and combine what you need to get done with one subscription. Also, are you paying for phone lines or email addresses or other “invisible” costs about which you are unaware until the bill comes.
This is the time of year to focus on the upsell. “If you buy three months I’ll give you the fourth for free” or “if you invest in this product we can bundle it with these other products and you will save.” What makes sense as an upsell for your business. Offer an end of the year upsell campaign to kick off the new year with revenue streams.
Is it time to up your prices before the new year? If you have clients who have been with you, offer them the services at their same rate IF they re-up with you before the end of the year. If they don’t opt to do that, then let them know how much they can save if they make the commitment now.
Ask current clients for referrals. If they offer you a referral who signs on with you, give the referring client a bonus — one free month of the service they are currently receiving, for example.
If you’re using ads, make certain you have a strategy for the ad spend. Don’t just run an ad “because everyone else is.” If you don’t have a strategy behind the spend, you are throwing your money away.
What have you done in the past to amp up your earnings at the end of the year?
