Many business plans in the past year had been derailed or canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting business owners to become more vigilant, agile, and innovative. While the pandemic continues to rage in 2021, the new year sparks hope that the next 365 days will be better.
For many business owners, making resolutions is one way that their business can start anew, as resolutions can help recenter priorities and strategies to achieve goals. However, some resolutions can do more harm than good. When making commitments for the year ahead, avoid doing the following:
Aiming too high or too low
Setting too high a goal can drive you to overwork your staff and create toxicity in the workplace. You may also set yourself up for failure. Instead of shooting blindly for the stars, plant your feet firmly on the ground and analyze previous business data to predict future growth rates. Also, take into consideration current and emerging industry trends, client behavior, vendor relationships, and marketing strategies to deliver accurate forecasts.
Conversely, don’t limit your growth. If you think that a project will bring in more disadvantages than benefits, don’t pursue it. Saying no to these projects can open up your business to better opportunities that push it forward, not hold it back. Learning how to set SMART goals will allow you to make challenging but achievable resolutions.
Foregoing vacation
It’s usual for business owners to resolve to work harder than they did the previous year, but devoting your time and effort to your business shouldn’t compromise your health and well-being. Working continuously without taking days off can take a toll on one’s mental and physical health. While traveling is limited due COVID-19-related restrictions, you can still enjoy your days off at home to rest.
Focusing on work is important, but so is taking care of yourself. Instead of making a resolution to extend working hours, commit to schedule your vacations so you can sustain your energy in the long run and avoid getting burned out.
Starting your resolution on January 1
Part of the reason why resolutions fail is that people force change to happen immediately — specifically, on the first day of the new year. But the world does not magically change when the clock strikes twelve on January 1st: last year’s business concerns will still be there, and you’ll still be the same person.
Change takes time, so don’t expect it to happen overnight. Besides, you don’t have to make resolutions based on a calendar date. Resolutions work best when the foundation for change is ready.
The New Year’s resolution every business owner should make
Make the resolution to partner with reliable organizations that will help you achieve your full potential. Whether you want your profit margin to be 2% higher by Q3, or you want 70% more engagements on your social media posts by March, you don’t have to achieve every goal on your own.
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), in particular, have limited resources that can hold them back from setting and reaching higher goals. While various IT infrastructure and solutions are essential to improve their business processes, IT procurement, maintenance, and upgrades are rarely affordable. This can cause SMBs to compromise their goals. But by partnering with a trusted managed service provider (MSP) like Complete Technology, IT costs can be dramatically reduced, allowing SMBs to enjoy enterprise-grade solutions for a flat monthly fee.
Whether you want to optimize your technology, strengthen your cybersecurity defenses, or improve your data backup and recovery strategy, Complete Technology can help. Start the new year by building a partnership that will support your growth. Send us a message or download our FREE eBook 20 Signs That Your Business is Ready for Managed Services to learn more about how we can complement your business.
