New Year’s Resolutions for Business Owners in 2020

The new year is the perfect time to take stock and set goals for the year ahead. You may have plans to improve your health, exercise more frequently, or finally take that trip to Hawaii you’ve been dreaming about forever. For business owners, making new year’s resolutions can help align and focus their efforts and energy. Here are a few of our favorite new year’s resolutions for business owners in 2020.

1. Find a buddy

There’s a reason why runners often train with a group or freelance workers find a coworking space. It helps to have someone keep you accountable and motivated to hit your goals and get things done.

The American Society of Training and Development did a study on accountability. They found people are 65% likely to meet a goal after committing to another person. That’s a pretty good increase. However, that chance of success increases to 95% when they build in ongoing meetings with their partners to check in on their progress. That’s a huge difference!

Like most of these new year’s resolutions for business owners, this one doesn’t cost anything.

Bottom line: write down your goals, find a buddy, and then make sure you regularly meet or check in with them. You’ll be crossing those items off your list faster than ever!

2. Communicate Better

Essentially, turn your focus to quality over quantity. You can blast out 10 Facebook posts every day and retweet all night long, but there are ways you can connect with your current and potential clients better by doing less. Instead, focus on posting interesting, timely information that encourages your audience to interact with you or share your content.

Quick ways to do this:

• Respond to comments on your posts.
• Leave comments and like content on other pages.
• Include personal notes on pictures or posts that you share.

Take the time to make a few real connections every day and you’ll see your relationships strengthen.

3. Extend a Hand

Think back to when you were first starting out in your career. You were probably excited and hopeful while simultaneously feeling nervous and unsure. Did you have support, or could you have used more?

One of the best new year’s resolutions for business owners is to pay it forward. Reach out to someone in your industry just starting out and who could use mentoring or a sounding board for advice. Your generosity will not go unnoticed, and you will be seen as both an expert in your field and as a person people want to work with.

Not sure how to find someone? LinkedIn has a great feature called Career Advice. Answer a couple quick questions and they’ll match you with someone based on your preferences.

4. Think Ahead

As you think about your new year’s resolutions for 2020, consider this year and beyond. Just the idea of this task can seem daunting, so start by making a list or marking up a calendar. Oftentimes, just seeing your list on paper can make it feel more manageable.

It doesn’t matter how you want to manage your list. You can use the tried and true paper and pen and use a planner. If you prefer to keep things digital, check out some of these apps to keep you organized.

Write out what you’d like to see your business become. Include goals both personal and professional you’d like to achieve. Think about what steps you can take to make those dreams a reality. Use this plan as a motivator to stay on track with goals throughout 2020.

Interested in digging into improving your project management? Check out these tips from a pro.

5. Prioritize Balance

The workday for a small business owner doesn’t always end at 5 pm on a Friday and start again at 9 am on Monday. For example, a real estate agent may have busier weekends and slower weekdays. A health and wellness professional may see a spike in business on holidays when other businesses quiet down. All of this burning the candle at both ends means burnout is on the rise. Burnout affects both your mental and physical health, so it’s important to make sure you take the time you need to recharge.

Here are some tangible ways to work in balance:

• Exercise as often as you can. Take a phone call while you go for a short walk.
• Spend time with people you care about. Set a monthly lunch or schedule a weekly call with someone who is important to you.
• Get some sleep at night. Staying off your phone/tablets for an hour before bed will help you sleep easier.
• Carve out time for yourself. Watch a movie, knit a scarf, do a crossword puzzle, whatever will help you relax and recharge your batteries.

Shifting even a small percentage of your free time to yourself will have big benefits. With your mind refreshed and your body energized, your personal success will benefit. Who knows? You may even end up inspiring people around you to do the same. The domino effect of happier and healthier people in your life will be profound.

6. Consider Delegation

Small business owners and entrepreneurs are used to doing everything, but should they? Shifting work to someone else can be difficult, especially for those who are accustomed to wearing every hat needed to run a business. However, delegation can open you up to focusing on what you love and what you do best.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. What do you dread doing?
2. What overwhelms you?
3. Can someone else do this in minutes and it takes me hours?

The answers to these questions may lead you to a list of tasks that you can and should delegate to someone else.

If delegating marketing is one of your new year’s resolutions for your business, let OutboundEngine’s automated marketing help. Click here to set up a live walkthrough and find out how we can help you succeed in the new year. Cheers to a successful new year!