A new decade dawning. Does it feel newer than a regular old middle-of-the-decade new year? Probably not. But why not use it for what it is – a beginning — the start of a calendar year. And as good a time as any to think about how you can jumpstart your business.
Based on our combined 50+ years in business, we offer the following 20 ideas for making 2020 your best year yet:
- Focus on focusing. Don’t try and accomplish more than you can reasonably accomplish. Better to do a few things really well than a bunch of things half-assed.
- If you make a mistake, move on. If you’re lucky enough to be in business long enough, you’ll make lots. That’s how we learn!
- Surround yourself with smart people.
- LEARN from the smart people around you.
- Hire people with the skills you don’t have. So you can focus on what you do best.
- Learn to network. If you already know how, finesse your skills.
- Master a new skill. Or a few. Podcasting. Speaking gigs. Seminars. Blogging. All meant to increase your visibility and put you in front of new audiences (and potential clients).
- Ask for help. No one knows everything there is to know about an industry. Learn from people who know what you don’t.
- Think about mentoring someone. You will get back at least as much as you give.
- Take vacations. You need a business break now and then. Working a 7-day week will not make your business better. It WILL make you burn out faster.
- Volunteer. Get out of your own head and share your time to help others — local community organizations, homeless shelters, rescue organizations, foodbanks….the list is endless.
- Read. A lot. Not just business books but all kinds of books. The more you read, the better you write. And the easier it is to solve problems.
- Exercise. A little every day if you can. Not necessarily lifting weights or running. Walking works too. Anything that gets you up and moving and not thinking about work problems.
- Get more sleep. We’re not going to quote all the studies but you KNOW that you operate better on a decent night’s sleep.
- Take some risks. If you want to grow, you need to step out of that safe circle. There’d be no inventions if the inventors hadn’t decided to find a better way.
- Be pro-active. The last decade has seen far too many businesses suffer because new technology made their products or services obsolete (thanks, Amazon). Don’t ever get too comfortable.
- Treat your employees like the critical business assets they are. And if they’re not, let them go.
- If you don’t have a solid email program, stop wasting your database and make this the year you nurture your soft connections.
- If you’ve avoided social media (yep, we’ve seen companies that are still waiting to see if it works!), time to jump in. Be smart. Learn one platform well and then add others. Or hire someone who knows how to do it.
- If your budget allows, bring in experts to do the things you can’t do, don’t want to do or need help with.
If you only implement a few of these 20 ideas, you’re bound to see some success.
And if you need help with anything web, digital or marketing-related, give us a call. We’re looking to grow your business too.