I know you've been busy, but if you want a less stressful start to the New Year, now is the perfect time to prepare your business.
Unfortunately, at this time of year, we have a tendency to delay making changes or taking action. We focus on satisfying client deadlines and customer orders, and push our businesses and ourselves to the back of the queue.
It might not feel like it right now, but it is possible to avoid dragging the baggage of the past 12 months into the promising New Year.
The reality is, if we don't make changes as the end of year approaches, we'll carry forward unnecessary obligations and inefficiencies.
I'm guilty of it. For years I pushed aside actions I should have completed for the health of my business or my own wellbeing. I assured myself I'd address them in January…when I would have more time!
I postponed revenue generation, operational improvements and making my life easier, personally and professionally. And the "more time" didn't miraculously appear!
This year is different. I challenged myself to start the year prepared and ready at the gates, not hobbling to the starting line trying to do up my shoelaces!
What I've already discovered is that by planning, researching and working on my business now, processes will be streamlined and business objectives clarified.
Does that sounds pretty good to you too?
To work towards achieving this goal, I committed to completing the following actions before Christmas.
Don't worry if Christmas has passed by the time you read this, you still gain all the benefits. The key is to take action now and not postpone for the mythical "more time".
Make an Objective Assessment – What products/services generate the best return for your time, effort and/or investment? I also applied this question personally to commitments, relationships, finances, holidays and different aspects of my life that warranted attention.
Financial Review – Were the products/services offered by my business still profitable or viable? Was there growth potential? Did I resent or resist working on a specific part of my business? Understanding these key factors meant I could assess the opportunity to scale back, niche, outsource and/or clarify my business objectives.
Social Media Review – Use and assess social media the same way I would any other marketing tool. Just because it may be free, doesn't mean there isn't a cost. Investigate the numbers and identify the outlet that is most effective in customer conversion. The key with social media is to test and then eliminate.
Website Traffic Review – Tap into the wealth of information that is being captured in the background via Google Analytics. Discover how people are using my website. What makes them leave the site? Which content holds their attention? Are they finding the information they are looking for?
Website Functionality Test – Check all pages, links, forms, downloads etc. are working. Just because it was working when it was set up, doesn't mean it's functioning now; IT can be a fickle beast!
Leave last year in the past.
That is my main goal. I will strive to retain the lessons learnt, apply the knowledge and leave any negative thoughts associated with them behind.
By applying the time, effort and investment question to my business, I will be in a better position to achieve my main goal.
Wishing you a more relaxed New Year and if you need help reviewing your website traffic, reach out and I can help you.