Business Resolutions

Welcome to 2017 everyone! Another year has already begun and at this stage most people are back to the full swing of work. Most business owners will not have ever fully switched off anyway from the work environment as the business is their absolute life. If you are a business owner reading this, I can guarantee your head was swirling with the usual thoughts of business solutions, how-to’s and everything between.

Right now is a great time for you to take a critical look at your business and identify where you need to put most time in. I understand for some who think of change there can be two polar opposite responses:

1. I don’t like/need to change anything
2. I need to change everything immediately

If you fall into one of these categories, STOP! Take a deep breath and let’s take this one step at a time. If you are opposed to change you need to alter your thinking. Nobody is saying you need to change your traditions or main business ethos. However, change is ALWAYS necessary in business in order to move forward. Take a hard look at all areas and see where you could improve. Maybe company morale needs a boost, or your customer experience could be enhanced. Either way it’s not the end of the world that you need to alter a few things. Just be honest with yourself and remember, it’s the little things that can make a huge difference.

For the people who feel like taking on the world and changing everything, STOP! You will run out of wind before the end of the month and your best intentions will leave things in a crazy mess. Nobody needs to change absolutely everything, and certainly can’t do it all at once. Take 3 key areas that you know need an overhaul. Break the year into quarters and tackle one of these 3 things for the first 3 quarters of 2017. For the last quarter of the year take stock of the results from each of these changes. That way you have a blueprint to go on for future reference of what worked and what did not.

Change is good and often times attracts opportunity. Be thorough in looking at the areas you need to develop, be honest in there current situation, be consistent in your implementation. One important step is to plan it out, have clear guidelines and a clear goal. Inform all staff of the changes, how you will achieve them and what they will gain from helping implement them. Have clear markers to indicate when these things are working for the company and reward success. If they are not working after a respectable period and with full commitment, then do not give up. Re-evaluate the situation and find another way to achieve your goal.