Dec
25

7 Business New Year's Resolutions to make 2020 a year to remember

Before 2019 ends, you may want to look to the future year, 2020 to be the year to remember for your business, now is the time to make some New Year's Resolutions. By focusing on how the past year has gone, what direction you want your company to go in 2020 and beyond, and coming up with some ideas on how you can get there, you will have a much better chance of moving your business in that direction. But don't just make vague plans. Serious resolutions that make sense for your business are the way to go. Consider resolutions in these areas:

1. 2020 Goals and Beyond.

You can't make good resolutions for your business if you don't know what goals your company really has. You need a clear, concrete plan and one of the ways to get there is to be sure that your business is focused on the goals that matter, SMART Goals. By making specific goals like increasing revenue, reducing expenses, hiring more people, expanding into a new product or service areas, increasing customer satisfaction or anything that you want your business to do, by making those goals a priority for 2020.

2. Consider How to Help Your Customers.

If your customers aren't getting what they need from you, they won't keep coming back. They may give you a second or even a third chance, but that's about it. Eventually, they'll get enough of being disappointed, so they won't return. They'll also tell people they were not happy with the product or service they received from you, so that can stop you from getting more customers through the door, too. Don't let that happen to your business. Instead, look at the ways you can keep your customers happy and bring in new ones, too. Using a review service, like Google review on google business page can help you connect with customers and identify areas in need of improvement. Be sure to always respond to your customer reviews, both positive and negatives one. Often you can turn a negative review into an opportunity.

3. Think About Location, Storage, and More.

If your business isn't easy to get to, it may be time to consider relocation. That can also be true if you need a bigger space, but it depends on how that space will be used. If you need more room for customers, you need a bigger store. If you need more room for inventory, you could consider renting storage units. By working with a self storage facility, you can find a unit that is the right size and offers proper protection for anything you want to store in it. Then you can move into the new year with better preparation for your customers and your employees.

4. Update Your Marketing to be More Efficient.

Marketing is one of the keys to getting and keeping customers, and how you handle your business' advertising matters. Your marketing efforts should be very efficient, so you can spend the least amount of money and time for the largest result. That will help your business save money, and still make sure people know what you have to offer to them. However, if your online presence is minimal, then you will want to optimize your website and SEO for local search. It is no secret that many customers search the internet for local businesses, often from their mobile devices. It will make sense to also optimize for mobile search. By having multiple way for customers to find and reach you, will help generate new business. Starting a blog for your website providing useful information geared to your business as well as connecting with your customers in ways they will respond to, getting them interested and keeping them engaged will keep your business top of mind and interested in your business

5. Focus on Proper Delegation of Duties.

You need to delegate a lot of the duties of your business, so you aren't trying to do everything all the time. If you don't delegate, you'll be running yourself ragged and won't have time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Don't let that happen, when you have employees who can help you avoid that problem. Of course, delegating things the right way is also very important. You have to be sure that employees know what they need to do and that they take their jobs seriously, before you give them new duties to perform. Other times, you may need to delegate duties outside your workforce. In today’s freelance society, you can find someone to do just about anything you need on a per job cost basis.

6. Resolve to Learn a New Skill.

Each year, you should learn something new that you can use to help your business. It can be a skill, an idea, or anything that you didn't know before and can put into practice. By doing that, you'll be more likely to help your business expand and prosper. You can also teach your employees more things, so they can do their jobs better, take on more duties, and develop interests that can help the company and themselves. By investing in your employees, you will reap rewards beyond the expense. Happy employees are productive employees, so be sure to keep that in mind when you learn new skills and pass them along to your employees in the new year.

7. Take Time to Recharge.

As business owners or managers we tend to work all the time, not just when at the office or store. However, this can lead to burnout, fatigue and loss of creativity. It is very important for you as well as your employees to take the time to recharge. Taking time off whether a vacation or just a few days off can help you and your employees be more productive, get the creative juices flowing again and has mental and physical health benefits as well.

Each new year brings new opportunities to grow, not just in business but personally as well. Let 2020 be the year that brings you improved efficiencies in your organization, prosperity, personal growth and better work-life balance to you and your employees. Happy New Year!

By: Lee Preston
Lee is the Director of Marketing and Promotion for EZstorit.com. When she is not working with our storage facilities partners, she is writing about topics that affect our daily lives.