9 Ways to Set Yourself Up for 2018

As they year winds down, a lot of businesses will be quieter over the next few weeks. Take that time to help your business launch right into the new year. Here are a few tips to help you get 2018 started off on the right foot:

• Clean up your email inbox – get caught up on anything that has been sitting in your inbox and get rid of any junk mail. Also, make sure you unsubscribe to any mailing lists you don’t look at or open regularly.
• Take time to celebrate successes – did you accomplish any personal goals this year? Did your business achieve their goals? Do you know someone who received a promotion? Write a note, acknowledge the wins with your team, thank your customers & suppliers. Whatever it is, make sure you take the time to celebrate those successes. It will help keep you motivated and others will appreciate it.
• Update your website, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram pages – start the year off giving your clients and prospects a fresh look, new content and updated information. Social media is crucial in this day and age, but it must be constantly updated and added to in order to stay relevant.
• Google yourself and your business – your reputation is important. As prospective clients are checking you out, make sure you know what they are finding so you can remove or handle anything that is not in line with the impression you hope to make.
• Reorganize your workspace – clear the clutter. Go through the piles and files and trash anything you no longer need. Then give yourself some new inspiration; add some new pictures, post your 2018 goals or hang a few motivational quotes.
• Identify new contacts – make a list of 5-10 people you want to meet (potential clients, influential business people in your community, potential strategic alliances). Then contact them to set up coffee meetings for early January. Most people are focused on ending the year not starting the next one, so they likely don’t have much on their calendars for January yet.
• Have a written plan – do you have a plan for the next year? Make sure you have written out you business and personal goals for the next year and have a strategic, but flexible plan on how to achieve them.
• Invest in self-improvement – identify a skill you want to improve or develop. Take a training class, a seminar, join a club, listen to pod casts, read…whatever make sense for you and will keep you motivated to continue your personal growth.
• Call in an expert – if you are feeling overwhelmed, unsure of where to begin or are continually procrastinating it may be time to call in reinforcement. Hiring a functional expert or a business coach can help you get past your obstacle.

By taking a few small steps now, while most other people are coasting, you can set yourself up for a really strong start to the new year.