Tips to Get the Working Year off to a Good Start

It’s January and it’s back to work. You’ve had a bit of time off over Christmas and now it’s time to roll up the sleeves and get stuck back into it. While it can be difficult to shift from ‘holiday-mode’ to ‘work-mode,’ here are some great tips to help you get the working year off to a flying start.

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Revisit Your Goals

Your business plan should clearly outline where your business is heading and how it’s going to get there. At the start of the new year, take some time to reacquaint yourself with these goals and make sure you’re on track to achieve them. Perhaps you might want to tweak them a bit to align with new strategies or circumstances. Think of yourself as the captain of a ship; you need to navigate the seas by plotting your position constantly without ever losing sight of your destination.

Review Your Resources

Having the best business plan in the world means very little if you don’t have the right resources to implement it. Perhaps you need to review your staffing arrangements or agreements with external contractors. Do you have the right people for the job and do you have too much or too little work for them? Are there more flexible HR solutions that you could implement to help boost your productivity while keeping your expenses to a minimum? There are plenty of things to think about in this category, so dedicate some time to map out the needs of your business.

Refresh Your Office

Filing is possibly the worst job on the planet, right? We all hate it, but it is vital that we stay on top of it and this is particularly important for businesses, both in terms of productivity and meeting legal requirements. If you feel you’re drowning in paperwork, it’s clearly time to archive. If you don’t have enough room onsite, then take a look into some business storage solutions. Most self storage facilities, such as Fort Knox, provide a range of different sized spaces for temporary and permanent hire. By renting some space and removing office clutter, you can dramatically improve the look and feel of your office for staff and customers. It’s also a well-known fact that well-organised offices foster greater productivity amongst employees.

Look for Opportunities

The new year heralds a new start and, for some businesses, a new era. Are you looking to move your business in a different direction or to expand? Keep yourself open to new opportunities by attending conferences, networking as much as possible, and staying abreast of developments in your industry. Sign yourself up to professional and industry associations. Subscribe to their newsletters and keep your eye out for research findings that could impact your business. You’ll be amazed at how many opportunities arise through informal networks and just how far you can take your business by keeping your finger on the pulse.

As individuals, we set new year’s resolutions to ensure we make the year ahead a good one. Equally so, businesses need to get off to a good start to ensure they remain competitive and profitable. Start by reviewing your business plan and resources, refreshing your office, and staying open to new and exciting business opportunities.