10 Steps to Getting Your Business in Shape for the New Year
10 Steps to Getting Your Business in Shape for the New Year
Interestingly enough, to get your business into shape involves much of the same discipline as a strict exercise regimen to get the body fit. I’ve created a list of helpful suggestions to help you shape up your business for the New Year. By following these ideas, we can get you well on your way to creating a life of fulfillment.
1) Commit to “Letting go and Enjoying Life” more. Tell yourself that you are going to “Let Go” a little more this year. You will no longer accept the “no pain, no gain” belief about your business. When you can change the way you see your business, you change the way you run your business. Choose to see your work as your passion that brings more pleasure to your life. A vital business is not the end game, a vital life is! A business should give you greater life and freedom, not less.
2) Create a business and life plan involving goals and direction that you will stick to for the year. Take time out to focus on your business and personal goals for the year. Direction and clarity can help alleviate a lot of the pain.
3) Spend more time in strategic planning and less in day to day operations. As part of your business plan this year, remember part of the goal is to make your business “systems” dependent and not “owner” dependent. Don’t buy into the belief that you are so irreplaceable that a solid system can’t take care of things while you are away.
4) Hire a business/life coach to hold you accountable for implementing your business plan and personal goals throughout the year. It’s amazing how many people have a plan that they develop and then don’t follow. This is because no one is there to hold them accountable!
5) Develop a good referral marketing system. Asking for referrals is the most cost‐effective way to grow your business and nurture valued relationships. Most small business owners have no marketing system in place for their business so they don’t continuously ask for referrals. Remember your clients want to give you referrals. You simply have to show them how and why to refer you and offer some incentive for doing so: find a way to help them where they really need it.
6) Replace the word marketing in regard to your business with the word “educating.” You educate clients and prospects about what you do. It’s through education that you end up marketing yourself. The word educate also carries more credibility. As an “educator”, first they must get to know you, like you and trust you. Then, they will refer you. That’s the ultimate marketer’s goal!
7) Detoxify your business by getting rid of toxic employees that have become liabilities to your organization. Emotionally disengaged employees with bad attitudes are like “cancer” in your company. You need to get rid of them before they destroy the culture of the entire organization.
8) Listen deeply to upset employees or clients to find out where your business could possibly use improvement. Paying close attention to where the pain is coming from inside and outside your organization will go a long way to building a positive workplace and vital company.
9) Plan sufficient breaks from your business to recharge your passion and energy. Working too many hours leads to “burnout” and poor productivity. A little contrast in your life is great for coming back and gaining some perspective on your business.
10) Remember you are not your business. Do not let your entire self‐esteem get tied to the business – or have it fluctuate with your company’s success – you will never be able to downshift, get away, or sell. Real wealth is physical/mental health, emotional connections, loving relationships, spiritual well‐being, and to know that you matter to others.
The greatest thing about the marking of a new year is that we give ourselves the chance to reinvent ourselves. We can wipe our imaginary slates clean and start again new hoping to be more effective and gain greater clarity about our lives and companies. Hope, however, is an illusory belief in action. Write your plan and be more accountable to it.
As a fellow business owner, I understand the desire to earn more, work less and enjoy life more. I also understand that for a business in to get in shape, the owner’s attitude has to shape up first. To do this, we have to take ongoing and consistent mental inventory for the New Year. Observe when negative self‐talk makes its way into your business mindset. Rid yourself of the old beliefs that are no longer serving the best interest of you or your company. Seek support and be patient, but diligent in your aspirations.
10 Steps to Getting Your Business in Shape for the New Year - To learn more about this author, visit Jonathan Goldhill's Website.
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Did you make a new years resolution that involves getting into shape? This is probably one of the most common areas in which people set their goals. As a business owner, you may also be thinking about getting your business in shape for the New Year?
Interestingly enough, to get your business into shape involves much of the same discipline as a strict exercise regimen to get the body fit. I’ve created a list of helpful suggestions to help you shape up your business for the New Year. By following these ideas, we can get you well on your way to creating a life of fulfillment.
1) Commit to “Letting go and Enjoying Life” more. Tell yourself that you are going to “Let Go” a little more this year. You will no longer accept the “no pain, no gain” belief about your business. When you can change the way you see your business, you change the way you run your business. Choose to see your work as your passion that brings more pleasure to your life. A vital business is not the end game, a vital life is! A business should give you greater life and freedom, not less.
2) Create a business and life plan involving goals and direction that you will stick to for the year. Take time out to focus on your business and personal goals for the year. Direction and clarity can help alleviate a lot of the pain.
3) Spend more time in strategic planning and less in day to day operations. As part of your business plan this year, remember part of the goal is to make your business “systems” dependent and not “owner” dependent. Don’t buy into the belief that you are so irreplaceable that a solid system can’t take care of things while you are away.
4) Hire a business/life coach to hold you accountable for implementing your business plan and personal goals throughout the year. It’s amazing how many people have a plan that they develop and then don’t follow. This is because no one is there to hold them accountable!
5) Develop a good referral marketing system. Asking for referrals is the most cost‐effective way to grow your business and nurture valued relationships. Most small business owners have no marketing system in place for their business so they don’t continuously ask for referrals. Remember your clients want to give you referrals. You simply have to show them how and why to refer you and offer some incentive for doing so: find a way to help them where they really need it.
6) Replace the word marketing in regard to your business with the word “educating.” You educate clients and prospects about what you do. It’s through education that you end up marketing yourself. The word educate also carries more credibility. As an “educator”, first they must get to know you, like you and trust you. Then, they will refer you. That’s the ultimate marketer’s goal!
7) Detoxify your business by getting rid of toxic employees that have become liabilities to your organization. Emotionally disengaged employees with bad attitudes are like “cancer” in your company. You need to get rid of them before they destroy the culture of the entire organization.
8) Listen deeply to upset employees or clients to find out where your business could possibly use improvement. Paying close attention to where the pain is coming from inside and outside your organization will go a long way to building a positive workplace and vital company.
9) Plan sufficient breaks from your business to recharge your passion and energy. Working too many hours leads to “burnout” and poor productivity. A little contrast in your life is great for coming back and gaining some perspective on your business.
10) Remember you are not your business. Do not let your entire self‐esteem get tied to the business – or have it fluctuate with your company’s success – you will never be able to downshift, get away, or sell. Real wealth is physical/mental health, emotional connections, loving relationships, spiritual well‐being, and to know that you matter to others.
The greatest thing about the marking of a new year is that we give ourselves the chance to reinvent ourselves. We can wipe our imaginary slates clean and start again new hoping to be more effective and gain greater clarity about our lives and companies. Hope, however, is an illusory belief in action. Write your plan and be more accountable to it.
As a fellow business owner, I understand the desire to earn more, work less and enjoy life more. I also understand that for a business in to get in shape, the owner’s attitude has to shape up first. To do this, we have to take ongoing and consistent mental inventory for the New Year. Observe when negative self‐talk makes its way into your business mindset. Rid yourself of the old beliefs that are no longer serving the best interest of you or your company. Seek support and be patient, but diligent in your aspirations.
10 Steps to Getting Your Business in Shape for the New Year - To learn more about this author, visit Jonathan Goldhill's Website.
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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