5 New Year’s Resolutions for Your Small Business

With each new January, millions of people resolve to make changes in their lives. Lose weight. Stop smoking. Save money. You, no doubt, are familiar with the drill. And if you’re like most people, you’ve at least thought about a few things you might want to change.

But what about your small business? The end of the year is a good time to take a closer look at your business, customers, suppliers, marketing (among other things) and plan how you might make a few changes for the better. Not sure where to start? Here are a few ideas to get you started on setting a New Year’s Resolution for your small business:

#1. Test Something and Improve It.
If you’ve been in business for a while (or even if you’re just starting out), it’s time to take a look at your marketing, your website, your email program, or even the way you interact with your customers in person and test a few changes to see if you can make it more effective. If you use Google or Bing for search marketing, try a new ad approach or change up your landing page. Try new headlines, new offers, even simple color changes to see if your marketing could be more effective. And once you discover a way to improve, implement the change and start testing the next thing.

#2 Get Your Taxes Ready Now
As a small business owner, you’re so busy you don’t have time for stuff like tax preparation—at least not before they’re due. But that’s a mistake. By waiting until the last minute, you may not give yourself (or your accountant) the time needed to get things right. Gather up receipts, bank statements, and employee records. Take some time now (you’ve only got two more months anyway) to get things in order and reach out to your tax preparer. And get your books in order for the new year, so you don’t have to worry about a mad rush next year either.

#3 Learn Something New
Wish you could create your own websites and apps? There’s never been a better time to learn a programming language (see Code Academy, for example). Want to learn online marketing? There are lots of free and inexpensive resources for improving your skills (like Certified Knowledge). You can learn a language, accounting, or even how to improve your health. There’s never been a better time to learn—and use your skills to improve your small business.

#4 Support Other Small Businesses
You’re a small business owner, but how many small businesses do you support? Do you use a small community bank or a large multi-national? Do you use a large corporate payroll processor, or one of the many local competitors? Do you treat your team to lunch at a local eatery or a restaurant chain? You know how hard it is to find new customers, so why not give your support to others who are in the same boat? Who knows, they may reciprocate and you’ll gain a new customer.

#5 Give Something Back
We’re big believers in sharing success and admire the many businesses both large and small that share a part of their profits with worthy causes. Last year we supported Charity:Water to raise money for wells in Ethiopia. (If you want to help, there’s still time to donate here). Whether you share your success with a local homeless shelter, food kitchen, cancer hospital, or another worthy cause, it can make an enormous difference in your community. Give something back and see what happens.
Photo credit: life is good (pete) via photopin cc