2 New Year’s Resolutions to Boost Your Small Business in 2021

As we put away all the holiday gifts and start to look forward to the new year, it’s a great opportunity to start thinking about the kind of small business owner you want to be in 2021. When people talk about new year’s resolutions, we tend to hear a lot of goals having to do with their personal lives, such as losing weight, or spending more quality time with the kids. Those are all great, but what about your business goals? Where do you want your business to be this time next year, and what habits and practices do you need to put in place in order to get there?

Let’s take a look at a couple of the top new year’s resolutions you can put in place to grow your small business in the year to come.

Create/Revise Your Marketing Plan

Creating and sticking to a marketing plan is one of the best things you can do for your business. No one can buy from you if they don’t know you exist, so you need to identify your target audience, find out where they hang out, and start spending time in those spaces so you can make sure your message is getting in front of the right people.

If you don’t already have a marketing plan for your small business, make a resolution to create one in 2021 – preferably earlier in the year so you have time to implement the plan and 

start seeing results from it. If you already have a marketing plan, the beginning of a new year is a great chance to review that plan and see if it’s getting the results you need. What worked in 2020 and what didn’t? What can you adjust to make for a more successful marketing strategy in 2021?

Resolve to Work on Your Business

As small business owners, sometimes it’s all we can do just to get through the week when we have clients to serve, marketing and networking to do, and family obligations. Taking some time to step back and work on our business instead of in our business can feel like something we just don’t have time for, but it’s actually a super valuable practice you should put in place if you haven’t already done so.

Taking some time, at least once a month (preferably once a week) to work on your business and strategize for the week/month ahead can actually save you time in the long run as you figure out what works and what doesn’t. That way you can spend more time focusing on the tasks that help you grow your business and ditch the busywork that’s not serving you.

If you have yet to come up with a strategy for your business, my book, Be Strategic, Be Intentional, Be Successful is a great place to start. It leads you through every step of the journey, from creating a mission statement to determining the best marketing strategy for your business. If spending more time working on your business instead of in your business is one of your new year’s resolutions, this book is a great resource to show you the best way to do just that.