The New Year means 365 days of potential improvement for both yourself and your business. How do you make this your year of disrupting the system? Disrupt your own business!
Take the opportunity and the energy of a brand new year to shake some things up and get in the position to reach your full potential. Below are a few ideas to get your business (and you) thriving in 2016.
Attack your inbox. “Email Zero” is our phrase for a completely clean empty email inbox. Make it a mantra and try to obtain Email Zero within the first month of the year.. Unsubscribe from email lists, clean out correspondence that is no longer productive and schedule specific times to address your email during the day, otherwise shut it down. Email can be a huge productivity killer.Spend this first part of the year creating a system for how you attack your email, and then stick to it.
Review your business budget, and cut the fat. The New Year is a great time to sit down and work out what your actual overhead is and identify where you can cut unnecessary expenses Many services utilize a monthly “pay as you go” style of billing for a product you only need once or twice a year, which will free up under-utilized monthly subscription fees. See if there is anything you can cut so that you can decrease your expenses, create space in your budget and increase your bottom line.
Set some business goals. Whether it is to develop a certain segment of your business or to increase overall revenue, set some specific business goals and then strategize how you will reach them. Setting goals matters, and shouldn’t be confined to just your personal life! The right goals will motivate you and your employees. Write them down, post them in front of you and get to work!
Start your taxes! No one likes to deal with taxes, but for many small businesses getting ahead of the tax game early can help you minimize your tax burden by providing you ample time to fund IRAs, if necessary, or to start stocking up money for the tax payment you know you will have to make in April. Start now so that you can enjoy the first flowers of Spring instead of worrying about writing a check to the IRS. When it comes to taxes, procrastination is one of the worst strategies.
Stop eating at your desk. Instead, use your lunch hour for lunches with colleagues, friends or other people that can help you network and get the word out about your business. No one knows what you do if no one knows who you are. Plus, a good networking lunch can energize you for the rest of the day. Take advantage of this opportunity instead of staring at a computer screen.
Tinker with your weekly schedule. Productivity ebbs and flows throughout the week. Try to schedule your big projects around the parts of the week you have more energy, while scheduling meetings around the days you aren’t typically as productive. For many people mornings are the most productive times of the day, so push meetings and phone calls to the afternoon and take advantage of the early morning energy. If you work better certain times of the week, make note and take advantage of it. Embracing your own productivity will propel you forward faster than fighting it.
Add some exercise into your schedule. Even if it is only a thirty minute walk, being active either before, or during, the workday can boost your productivity, reduce stress and increase your late afternoon energy levels. Skip the coffee break and go for a walk!
Got ideas for getting your business off to the right start? Let us know by tweeting @StarterNoise and using the hashtag #2016BizTips
Jeff Mohrmann is the founder and managing attorney of Rogue Mountain Law, LLC, a Colorado law firm that focuses on business law, bankruptcy and estate planning. When Jeff isn’t helping new businesses launch with success he can be found on the trails and slopes of Colorado. An avid cyclist, runner and snowboarder, he has competed throughout the country in a variety of running races and organizes everything from fundraising fun runs to beer marathons in his home town.