The new year is here and so many possibilities have arrived with it! Numerous people feel motivated to make more healthy lifestyle decisions or to break bad habits with this fresh start. However much inspiration people find to make a change, only 8% of people actually stick to their resolutions. Don’t let your business suffer from this fallout! Whether the turn of the calendar prompted you to set off into a new career or to shoot for new heights with your existing business, this article will give you some tips for success! Maybe it’s time to venture into new waters or to get your company in better shape. New year, new business!
Mind-blowing achievements aren’t made by tiny goals. Shoot for the stars. Dream big. Here are some practical things you can do to increase your chance of success with your new resolutions:
- Dream big but be realistic- Dreaming big and being realistic are not enemies. The stereotypical dreamer’s and doer’s seem to always have a harsh disdain for each other, but the fact is that they need each other. Without the dreamer, the doer would be working on only the most certain and safe task; they would hardly progress. Without the doer, the dreamer’s magnificent ideas would remain just that- ideas with no follow-through. To attain your goal you must be realistic about the assets you will need to acquire. You must also be realistic about the amount of time and effort you will have to spend to accomplish it.
With that said, whenever faced with challenges you must be an optimist. Getting your business up and running is never easy. It will take a toll on you mentally, so staying positive in the face of trials can be the difference between you just giving up and laying on the couch, or tackling the task head on! Be a realistic optimist!
- Start with baby steps- “The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.” “Every long journey starts by simply putting one foot in front of the other.” Gigantic dreams can sometimes be intimidating or seem impossible. Breaking them into small, more manageable, tasks can keep you from feeling overwhelmed. You’re more likely to muster up the willpower to handle more feasible tasks.
- Make it measurable. The most achievable goals are measurable. To make it even more effective, each of the small steps should be measurable as well. For example, A goal to be profitable in the first quarter is obviously measured by dollar amounts. To go a step further then you know that you need to make (x) amount of sales a week to make that ultimate goal of turning a profit.
You need some way of tracking your progress. Not only does this keep you on track with where you’re at, it also can be a confidence booster to see how far you’ve come. Dollars made in one week, Hours spent actively promoting on social media (not scrolling), a quota of cold calls you need to make each day. These are all good measurements that can keep moving toward your goal.
- Make a plan- Business goals can involve many types of plans. Daily schedules, to-do lists, marketing plans, budgets, overall business plans, etc. Any of these may be useful for attaining your goal. This is a very applicable step that brings together the other three aspects we’ve discussed. A plan maps out where you want to go, how you want to get there, and what steps are needed to make it. Make a plan to realistically tackle your big goal. The plan should map out each of the smaller steps along the way and how progress will be measured. This can also help you more clearly define just exactly what true success looks like in the end.
More fitness tips:
Make a budget and stick to it- Knowing where your money is coming from and where it is going is incredibly important. Unfortunately, it is a step that many start up’s skip right over. Poor budgeting is actually the downfall of over 80% of businesses each year. If you don’t have one, get one. If you don’t know how, Here are 4 Steps to Creating a Budget.
Keep up with your receipts- One of the best ways to keep up with your finances is to organize your receipts. If you are self-employed then receipts are how you prove the tax write-offs. This task has never been easier with software like Quickbooks apps like Expensify or Nexonia. The best organizational apps actually integrate with your accounting software. So you simply upload a file or scan your physical receipt and the itemized information that you need is stored exactly where you need it. No more keeping up with a physical folder and a mountain of paper receipts!
Delegate or Outsource-
If you’re a sole-proprietor then the health and wellness of your business is on you. The fact is that you cannot do it all. You trying to micromanage every single aspect of your business will stunt the growth of your company and leave you exhausted and burnt out with no work/life balance. To grow your business you will have to delegate or outsource some tasks. If you manage it correctly then the shop in your garage should eventually need more space and extra hands on deck so that you can focus on more crucial matters. Hiring a company like Omnis to handle your bookkeeping or to implement systems that help your business run more smoothly can be a game changer for an exhausted entrepreneur.
Hopefully you are more prepared to set off on a new fitness journey for your company. One last thing to add. Find accountability- whether it’s a partner, a friend, or a co-worker. You will have days when you want to fall off the wagon and ease back into your old habits. Ultimately it will be your perseverance and work ethic that help you reach your goals. Let us help you along the way. We would love the opportunity to help you get back to your dream job! Finally, we wish you much happiness and success this year!
With your new lense of realistic optimism, in the comment section below, tell us what one fantastic aim will mean ultimate success for you, in 2022, when you achieve it?
