Now that you’re a few weeks past those New Year’s resolutions you set at the start of 2015, how are you doing with keeping up with them? Have they already flown out the window, or are you still diligently working toward those goals for your business.
Sometimes the best ways for us to improve our businesses and ourselves aren’t through direct goal setting, but through focusing on four key areas that we can all stand to develop. Put a little energy toward each of these this year, and I guarantee you’ll end the year happy.
Learn
My mantra is to never stop learning. Just when I think I’ve mastered my industry, something game changing happens, and I’ve got more to absorb. But you need to learn more than just the latest trends in your own industry. You need to stay on top of skills that pertain to running your business, like marketing, technology, sales, and strategy. It’s also a good idea to round out your skills with some personal development knowledge, like how to meditate (cuts down on stress; trust me!) or how to care for your body.
The key here is: just keep learning. Find things that interest you and formats that appeal to you. You have so many choices these days: webinars online, local workshops, blogs, books, magazines, forums. Our world is filled with knowledge, so get yourself a cup and drink from it.
Grow
An extension of that learning is growth. Everything you take in will help you grow your business this year. Consider where you’d like it to be by year’s end. Do you want more clients? Greater sales? Maybe more employees or bigger office space?
Set your intention for the kind of growth you want, then make it happen. Create a plan of action for how you’ll hit those goals, get your team on board, and make that growth a reality.
Connect
Other entrepreneurs, employees, clients, and contacts can be hugely instrumental in helping you take your business to the next level. That means you’ve got to get out and meet people! Schedule a few networking events on your calendar each month, and drag yourself, if you have to, to meet others in your industry. Guess what? You just might get a little “learning” thrown in with this as well!
Build
Building is about the big picture. Ensure that your business’s foundation is strong enough to support everything you do in the coming years.
Would you like to hand down your business to your kids when you retire? Grow it to the point of being able to sell it for a handsome sum in a few years? These are all big picture goals that you need to keep in mind now to ensure that you’re doing what you need to in order to accomplish them when the time comes.
My point here is: you’ve got to take your business’s success into your own hands. Everything you do in the next few months will set the course for your company. Don’t you want it to thrive?