Ten New Year’s Resolutions for Business Success

 The world didn’t end in 2012 and we have successfully made it into 2013! But is it just me, or is 2013 a bit of a sorry sounding year? For starters, it is in the shadow of the mammoth diamond-jubileeing-Olympic-extravaganza year before it. And ‘13’ is famously unlucky for some. Let’s change this pessimistic outlook with 10 new year’s resolutions, to make 2013 a huge success for your business.

1. Go Mobile. Over 20% of all searches on Google today are from a mobile device, and in two years time, more people will access the web through mobile devices than through computers. So how well are you catering to this mobile population? Mobile search has grown by 400% in the past year and is continuing to grow, but 79% of large online advertisers still do not have a mobile site! Make 2013 the year you optimise your marketing and website to focus on this growing mobile community.

2. Go Local. These mobile users are constantly interacting with things and places that physically surround them. Microsoft reported that 53% of mobile searches on Bing have a local intent. The online world has become an essential place for businesses to connect with their local community. Make sure your business has a local listing on key search engines.

3. Learn How to Delegate and Do More of it. When you’re just starting out and times are tough, it’s natural to tighten your wallet. However, consider what you could gain by handing over certain tasks to contractors, virtual assistants or full-time employees. By relinquishing control of administrative tasks or company blog updates, you’ll free up time for what’s ultimately going to keep you in business: bringing in revenue. Remember, time is money!

4. Refresh Your Website – In the race to master new social media tools, don’t overlook your own website. After all, social media efforts like Twitter campaigns end up driving traffic somewhere, right? It doesn’t make any sense to build a beautiful and savvy Facebook presence that funnels people to a boring, inaccurate, and out-of-date website. Keep it current and engaging!

5. Get Your Books Ready for Tax Time Early. Are you notorious for waiting until the last minute to organise and file your taxes? Do you find yourself wading through emails, or scrounging through your car to find stray business receipts? Don’t wait until April to start on your tax forms. Start fresh in 2013 by organising your books from day one (and call us!).

6. Stop Multi-tasking. Let’s face the fact that multi-tasking causes you to be less productive, not more. Your brain can only do one thing at a time and multi-tasking just allows it to switch back and forth quickly. Turn off everything that distracts you in your office for at least part of the day.

7. Have No More Than 50 Emails in Your Inbox. Look at each email once and deal with it by deleting it, acting on it or filing it in a folder. Sifting through old emails repeatedly wastes time.

8. Get Dirty Work Done First. Do the thing you hate the most first. This is not new, but easily forgotten — or pushed out of mind. There are many other important items that come along that can easily take unnecessary priority over the dreaded task you are avoiding. It can be anything from a complex proposal to an unpleasant phone call, but in reality, the longer you put it off, the larger it grows and the more stressful it becomes. The sooner it gets done, the sooner you’ll get back to productive work.

9. Take MORE Time for Yourself. You’re only human, you can’t do it all. New Year’s Resolutions are an opportunity to add even more to our proverbial plates, but the result is often higher stress, increasing levels of dysfunction, and burnout. Add a resolution to your to-do list to look for things to take off it! Find ways to make more time for yourself this year.

10. Set Realistic Goals and FOCUS. Now you’ve read through these ten resolutions, be realistic. Eliminate 5 which do not appeal to you or are simply unachievable, and hit the ground running with the others. We hope you have a successful year!