We’re always keen to make New Year’s Resolutions in our personal lives. We plan them out in advance, tell everyone we know about them and go in all guns blazing when the new year kicks off. Whether it’s cutting out the sweet treats, making a pact to start a new hobby or vowing to go jogging at least once a week, we’re all for it.
Admittedly, they don’t always last as long as they should, but the notion that we’re willing and motivated to improve ourselves and our personal lives are what’s most important.
So, why doesn’t that same notion translate to our businesses?
More often than not, we hop from one business year to the next with the same processes and procedures, the same mindset and usually, the same issues.
Coming up with some New Year’s Resolutions for your business could be the answer – give these a go!
New Year’s Resolutions for your Business
We’ve popped together a list of common issues business face, along with solutions for sorting those issues for good as you make your way through 2023. Try implementing a few that align with where your business is currently at – you’ll be surprised by how much of a difference just a few small changes can make!
1. Vow to Keep on Top of Credit Control
We know. Credit control is the bane of your existence. Let’s be honest; nobody likes chasing late payments – calls are awkward, emails get lost in the inbox of doom, and your bank suffers. It’s no wonder so many businesses put it off.
If you’re guilty of being a credit control procrastinator, you’ll know that avoiding it only leads to issues further down the line. The longer a payment remains late, the harder it is to obtain. And then you’ve got the issue of aged debt that you can’t clear. Then you’re panicking, and the whole thing spirals into something unmanageable.
That’s why the first Business New Year’s Resolution on your list should be to keep on top of your credit control.
Make sure invoices are raised and sent out on time with 100% correct details. Ensure you’re keeping track of who’s paid and who hasn’t. Send out polite payment reminders to avoid any latecomers, and be sure to chase up payments as soon as they become late.
Doing so will ensure your bank account remains healthy, issues are resolved quickly, and, most importantly, your credit control stress levels will be reduced dramatically!
2. Make a Pact to Push on Content Creation
Similarly, to credit control, content creation is often one of those things that get pushed to the sidelines. It’s not the most urgent thing in the world, and it, therefore, lingers at the bottom of your to-do list for weeks on end, feeling sorry for itself and hoping someone might remember it exists someday soon.
Content creation isn’t the be-all and end-all, but it is essential if you want to expand the reach and exposure of your business.
Going into the new year, set yourself some content goals. Perhaps you could commit to posting on your social media channels three times a week, or you might want to start sending out weekly emails to clients. Even posting on your business blog once a month could be an excellent starting point.
Whatever your content goals are, whether they’re big or small, make an effort to set them in stone and stick to them throughout the year. You might find yourself some new leads along the way!
3. Learn to Say No
This is a big one for those flying solo on your business journey – learn to say no!
When you’re an entrepreneur or running a start-up business by yourself, it can be tempting to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. To begin with, this is a brilliant way to get yourself and your business out there and ensure you’re getting the exposure you deserve.
However, as your business grows, you may have started to find that saying yes to everything often means taking on more than you can manage.
If you’re finding your workload a little overwhelming or you’re saying yes to things that don’t always align with your values or goals, learn that it’s okay to decline.
This is your business journey – consider the opportunities that will hold the most value for your business and say no to everything else. This way, you’ll be able to make the most of those more important opportunities without worrying about those that, in the end, you wish you hadn’t said yes to at all.
4. Promise to be Proactive with Admin
The Great Admin Avoidance. We’re all guilty of it. We’ve all got emails in our inboxes that have been left unread for longer than we’d care to mention. We’ve all been faced with a stack of paperwork tall enough to topple, thought ‘not today, and left it to grow for another week. It’s hard to keep on top of admin, and doing so isn’t fun at the best of times.
But, to stop yourself from drowning in an admin abyss, make a resolution to wrestle it into shape this year!
Now, this doesn’t mean going back through every piece of paperwork you’ve ever received, filing it alphabetically in colour co-ordinated folders and labelling it with a fancy label gun (unless you want to!). It simply means staying on top of things from now on.
For example, when you get an email, file it in the correct folder. You don’t have to read it immediately. But when you do have time, you won’t have to go swimming through a sea of unread messages just to get to the one you’re looking for.
If it’s paperwork you struggle to keep on top of, invest in a few trays for your desk and pop any paperwork you receive into the correct tray, ready to be dealt with when you’ve got time. If you already know what needs to be done with it, pop a post-it note on it, so you don’t have to remind yourself later on.
Doing so will ensure your admin feels a bit more organised and you feel a bit more in control. You can then schedule in blocked time to work through any admin bits that need sorting. Do this a few times a week, and you’ll feel far better for it – we promise!
Business Support from a Virtual Assistant
Making New Year’s Resolutions for your business is one thing but seeing them through is an entirely different ball game.
Here at The Edwards Company, we help you put solutions in place to help your business run smoothly throughout the entire year and beyond. We can support you with credit control, help with content creation, or share the admin workload.
Whatever your business New Year’s Resolutions are, our Virtual Assistance team can help you achieve them.
For more information, please do not hesitate to get in touch.