If you are anything like me, you are probably already thinking about what you want to achieve and get out of 2018. The Christmas break allows time to reflect on where you are compared to this time last year, what you have achieved and what you feel perhaps could have gone differently.
This goes for every aspect of your life, particularly your work. Below is a list of things to help prepare you for the year ahead and if followed, will keep stress levels to a minimum, free up your time and boost sales!
Get your paperwork in order
I couldn’t think of anything worse than having messy finances as we enter a new year. Prioritising this, will help highlight areas of the business that are going strong and those that may need a few changes; good to know before you continue going through this list. It’s not only your accounts that may need some attention though, you should also make sure that any licences, permits and insurances are all valid and up to date too.
Declutter
This not only applies to your office but also your mailbox, voicemails, paperwork and even your wardrobe! Clutter causes stress, that’s a fact - it’s distracting and invites chaos. Take control and get organised – I promise you, you will feel ready to take on anything afterwards!
Review your costs and supplier relationships
One way you can boost profits next year before even taking your first order is to review your outgoings. Even the smallest of savings will add up over the year and you never know, you may end up finding a supplier that can offer you something useful that you hadn’t considered before. Tip – start with your broadband package…
Tiny changes to increase sales
Having an online presence is so important and your website is your shop window for the world. Are you really getting the most out of it though? It’s all good and well generating business via your website but are the details you collect accurate? How many potential sales will you lose over the next 12 months because people are still submitting incorrect details? It sounds so simple but validating these details in real-time will ensure that you can capitalise on every web opportunity.
Change one thing which will help improve efficiency and save you time and money
There are an abundance of business tools available and many of them are free to use! For example, do you spend a lot of time on the road out at meetings? Significantly reduce this time by setting up conference calls instead. Also, use virtual numbers so that you can divert all of your business calls to your mobile phone when you are out of the office; you could even use a call answering service to handle your calls for you to ensure every call is answered.
Buy a calendar/diary
Sounds obvious and it is. You plan to be busy right? Well you will need to get this sorted before January arrives. Get all important dates, tax deadlines, marketing opportunities - Valentine’s Day for example, meetings and events in the diary so you don’t miss out on anything and of course, make sure you plan some holiday time during the year to recharge and remain focused.
Refresh and replenish your tool-kit
Your tool-kit could be made up of many things. It is basically anything you need, to do your job on a day to day basis. Stock up your stationary cupboard, run any software updates you need to, clean up your desk/van and replace anything that is on its way out! Going into 2018 armed with everything you need will make life so much easier.
Review your social media activity
Perhaps you have been meaning to get your Twitter page up to date or have a read up on the benefits of Facebook advertising. Whatever it is, the Christmas break is great to set aside some time to do this. You may even be lucky enough to get some help from some of your more social media savvy family members! Check out Hoot Suite too to help manage multiple pages.
Make sure you are covered over Christmas
Finally, before you leave the office on the last working day of the year, make sure you have a plan in place whilst you are closed. You may still get calls so using a call answering service such as Pocket Receptionist who will acknowledge your calls and take messages on your behalf will give you a kick start when you arrive back in January!
