You’re going to lose 10 pounds, go to the gym every day, start saving for a rainy day and visit your mother-in-law more often. All great goals and resolutions for 2019, but what about the goals for your business? Do you begin each year with a set of initiatives to attack? Like making sure that your off-site employees show up to work? Or to stop losing money on job contracts? How about this one? Reigniting the passion, joy and dreams you had when you started your business? Yes! You can do all of these business goals and more and we can help! We have curated a list of our 8 best blog posts from the recent past that will inspire you, inform you and instigate you to take the action to make 2019 your most awesome year yet! Why 8? Because 8 is the number of new beginnings and that’s what 2019 can be for you. Let’s go!
Go After These Business Goals in 2019
- Let’s start with the aforementioned passion, joy and dreams that appear fuzzy and far off in your rearview mirror. We think that this is so vitally important we recently wrote 2 blogs posts that will help you. 3 Ways to Regain the Crystal Clear Vision You Had for Your Business, well the title is self-explanatory. The next must read is The Small Business Owner’s Key to Work/Life Balance. A renewed vision, finding the keys to work/life balance; can you think of a better way to begin 2019?
- Keep learning. Successful men and women constantly invest in themselves to be the best leaders and business owners. Many will set aside 5-10% of their incomes for books, conferences and training to help stay on top. We address this in Do You Have Time to Be a Student of Your Business? Make time and invest in yourself in 2019. Your employees and your families are counting on you. Oh heck, here’s a bonus read for you on this matter, 3 Mistakes That Will Stunt Your Business Growth.
- Your hopes and dreams of a successful business rest on the shoulders of your employees. They are out in the field doing the work, interfacing with your clients on a regular basis and representing your company. You need to recruit and retain good employees. This should be one of your top business goals in 2019. Our blog post By the Book: How to Keep Good Employees helps explain how you can start 2019 on the right foot. Another bonus post: One Easy Way to Get Better Employee Performance.
- We wrote a series entitled, Avoid These 8 Major Pitfalls to Succeed In Your Business and you should definitely read all 8 articles, but the first one is foundational to the other 7. If you manage off-site hourly employees, this one should be core for your business as well: #1 Business Pitfall to Avoid: Handwritten Timesheets. Running a business with handwritten time cards is like trying to reach your New Year’s resolution to lose 10 pounds by exercising on the treadmill while eating a box of “hot and now” Krispy Kreme doughnuts. You won’t reach your business goals this way.
- Search high, low and everywhere in between (try the sofa cushions, too) to find ways to maximize efficiency (and hence, profits). We offer some suggestions in 5 Ideas to Maximize Efficiency In Your Business.
- Take more vacations. You deserve them and a refreshed you is good for your business. It’s not so hard to do. Here’s how: What Would You do with 78 Extra Hours?
- Implement best business practices to remain compliant on legal issues. Profits aren’t easy to come by. Let’s not squander them on penalties, fines and lawsuits. We have a few articles to help you: #6 Business Pitfall to Avoid: Overtime Lawsuits; from the same series, #7 Business Pitfall to Avoid: Miscalculating California Overtime; well that series was a winner. Here’s another must read from it to stay above board and keep Uncle Sam away: #2 Business Pitfall to Avoid: Not Paying Required Travel Time; and this last one may be very common for service-based businesses: Don’t Misunderstand Independent Contractors v. Employee Classification.
- Finish strong. Wrap up year end stuff so that you are fully focused on the New Year and your 2019 business goals. Here’s how: End of the Year Business Tips and Helps.
Make 2019 your best year yet both personally and professionally. We believe in you. Happy New Year!
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