This article was written by Reckon Team
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Getting back into the swing of things after a low season of gluttony and sloth can be a challenge. More so if you have your own business to run and rely heavily on the income at the beginning of the year to keep the cogs moving. Let’s have a look at a few ways to kick start the engine and get your business humming into 2019.
1) All the small things need to go
Clutter time. Scrape up all of those little annoying tasks you may have left hanging before Christmas or the rest that have accumulated since. All of your throttled inboxes need to be cleared and replied to. Invoices need to be either chased or paid. Stock needs ordering. Staff needs checking in on. Social sites need updating with fresh content. Blogs need writing and advertising needs to be reignited. You can’t think properly with a full plate so clean it up quickly before it’s suddenly June.
2) Review and reflect
It’s never the most exciting task but oh so necessary if you want to succeed. First you must look backward and look at your previous year in the cold stark light of day. Get out your accounting app and check on your sales, outgoings, revenue, and compare to your budget and business plan. What happened? Did you overestimate sales, underestimate costs or have a cracker of a year? Find out why by consulting your records and historical data.
3) Time for a new plan
Take your lumps and learn your lessons from the review, now put them to good use. Fuel your new strategy from the skeleton of your old one. Maintain that which works and heartily abandon processes or channels that are slowing you down in terms of time, expense and revenue. Now record your new findings in a revised business plan and budget for the new year.
4) Fresher is better
Don’t get stale, it’s revamp time. Snap out of a rut and get excited again by shaking up your marketing efforts. Ask yourself:
- Does my branding need a refresh?
- Do my social channels need a new look or content approach?
- Do I need to use some different methods and channels to market my business?
- Does my list of services or products need to be renewed?
- How old is my website?
Take some time to look into easy and cheap ways you can revive your brand, your marketing and keep it modern. Not only will it assist your sales, it will get you into a more motivated state of mind and will help keep your energy high through the year.
