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RESOLUTIONS continued RESOLUTIONS continued
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1. Learn to Delegate.There are so many
things to do when you’re running a small
business, it’s easy to delude ourselves that we
need to do all of them. Then we wonder why
we’re so tired and frazzled and have no time to
do anything else. Let someone else do some of
the tasks for a change. Delegation is the key to a
healthy work-life balance.
2. Promote Your Business. Too often the
task of promoting a small business slips to the
bottom of the to-do list in the press of urgent
tasks. If you want to attract new customers, then
you must make promotion a priority. Explore
hiring a marketing expert or take the time to
create a marketing plan on your own and follow
through.
3. Make Business Planning a Weekly
Event. Planning is vital if you want a healthy,
growing business. Business planning lets you
take stock of what worked and what didn’t work,
and helps you set new directions or adjust old
goals. So why do it just once a year or once a
quarter? Set aside time each week to review,
adjust, and look forward—or even better, make
business planning a part of each day. Not only
will you avoid costly mistakes and stay on track,
but you’ll feel more focused and relaxed.
4. Learn Something New. What you
choose to learn may be directly related or
completely unrelated to your business. Learning
something new will add to your skills and add a
new dimension of interest to your life—another
important part of achieving a healthy work-life
balance and increasing your business success.
Business consultants, trainers, and business
coaches can help set you on a path to adopting
new skills. How will you find the time to learn
something new? Delegation.
5. Join a New Business Organization
or Networking Group. There’s nothing like
talking to other business people for sparking
new ideas, refining old ones, and making
contacts. Whether it’s a group specifically
designed for networking or an organization
dedicated to business, making the effort to be
a part of a group will revitalize you and your
business. Approaching networking events with
a strategy will make your next time out a more
successful experience. Don’t just attend an
event and assume that it will turn into clients.
You must have a plan.
6. Give Back to Your Community. There
are all kinds of worthy organizations that make
a difference in your community. Those who
give get. Nothing will seed and grow goodwill
for you and your business better than giving
back to your community. Make it one of your
top New Year’s resolutions to find a cause that
matters to you and give what you can. Make
this the year that you serve on a committee, be
a mentor, volunteer, or make regular donations
to the groups in your community who try to
make the place you live better. There are plenty
of opportunities around Moore County to serve.
7. Put Time for Yourself on Your Calendar.
It’s so important to take the time to recharge and
refresh yourself; a healthy work-life balance and
your small business’s success demand time out.
All work and no play are a recipe for mental and
physical disaster. If you have trouble freeing
up time to do the things you enjoy, write time
regularly into your schedule to “meet with
yourself” and stick to that commitment. If you
won’t invest in yourself, who will?
8. Set Realistic Goals. Goal setting is a
valuable habit if the goals lead to success rather
than distress. Resolve that the goals you set
will be achievable, rather than unrealistic pipe
dreams that are so far out of reach they only
lead to frustration. If you have trouble setting
realistic goals, then there are ways to map out a
formula that makes sense for you.
9. Don’t Just Make Do; Get a New One. Is
there a piece of equipment in your office that’s
interfering with your success or something that
you lack that’s making your working life harder?
Whether it’s an old computer or the need for a
new employee to lighten your workload, stop
putting off getting what you need. The irritation
of making do just isn’t worth it.
10. Drop What’s Not Working and Move
On. All products aren’t going to be super sellers,
all sales methods aren’t going to work for
everyone, and all suppliers or contractors aren’t
going to be ideally suited to your business. If a
technique, product, or business relationship
isn’t working for you, stop using it. Don’t invest a
lot of energy into trying to make the unworkable
workable. Move on. Something better will turn up.
Achieving a healthy work-life balance is like
maintaining a good relationship; you have to
keep working on it. But if you apply these top
New Year’s resolutions throughout the year, then
you’ll not only feel better, but you’ll have more
energy to put into your business and make it the
success you deserve. ☐ Source: The Balance Small
Business: part of the Dotdash publishing family.
RESOLUTIONS con't from FRONT PAGE
Linda Parsons,
Moore County
Chamber
of
Commerce.
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p.10 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. No. 133