Another year is almost over and its time to prepare for the next. For small business owners this is an important time to reflect, organize, and strategize for the months ahead. This checklist will help to guide you through a productive year-end and be ready for the new year.
Summarize your year
Leverage Word, Canva, and spreadsheets to snapshot your year. Review your goals, achievements and challenges. Did you pivot? Adapt? Celebrate milestones reached and lessons learned. Assess the progress made toward your goals to provide clarity on your business's trajectory.
Review customer feedback
Analyze customer reviews and surveys to help identify the resonating aspects about your business and areas for improvement. Ensure efficient capture of this information by utilizing your website for internal surveys or a Google profile to publicly capture and respond to external feedback.
Contact List Audit
Sort your contact list ruthlessly. Consolidate all entries onto a single spreadsheet, focusing on key data points for targeted outreach. A clean list streamlines communication and boosts marketing efforts. 20% off of digital business cards with code SBSS from our affiliate partner Popl offers a way to easily add in person contacts to avoid collecting business cards from networking events. Adding an e-mail capture on your website can help you to build a list of e-mail subscribers to use now or later.
Social Media Analysis
Analyze your social media engagement metrics. Does your content resonate? Identify platforms lagging behind and strategize for better higher numbers in the new year. Curate your visuals, revamp bios, and schedule engaging content for a social media in January. Consider if social media support is something that your business needs in the new year.
We can help in designing cover photos for your social media profile or designing your posts custom. Our affiliate partern SQL Creative Strategy offers The Social Media Vault as a DIY solution for staying organized with your social posts each month.
Workspace declutter
Take the time to declutter your physical workspace. Add plants. Scan and shred papework. Clear anything from your desk surface that you are not using to help and create a focused and organized environment.
Update your business plan
Define SMART goals for the upcoming year. Set Specific, Measurable, Achieveable Relevant and Time-bound goals to keep yourself accountable and motivated. Dream big but plan strategically by breaking down your goals into actionable steps and milestones. Contact the SBDC to help you organize your business plan for free.
Website TLC and brand aspirations
As you reflect on your goals, consider if your wesbite effectively reflects your brand and aspirations for the new year. Is it visually appealing? Easy to navigate? Does it clearly communicate your value proposition? If not, schedule some website TLC in your new year plan. Update visuals, refine copy and ensure your site is mobile-friendly to capture every potential customer.
Workflow Optimization: Enhancing Business Processes
Analyze your current business processes. Are there bottlenecks to streamline? Can automation ease repeatitive tasks? Optimize your workflow for efficiency and free up your time for creatie endeavors. Project management solutions like Asana can help to
Digital Organization: Structuring Your Virtual Space
Create a clear file naming system, back up data regularly and in multiple places, and consider cloud storage solutions for accessibility and peace of mind. Clean up your website files, your Canva designs, your content and photos. Create folders and tag your information so that you can search and find it easily. Set up processes online to make managing your business easier such as adding website functionality to reduce manual processes.
Financial Management
Dont't let year end accounting overwhelm you. Schedule time to reconcile your accounts, finalize financial statements, and file necessary reports. If you need help, consider collaborating with a qualified accountant to ensure accuracy and peace of mind. Consider leveraging our affiliate partner, Novo, for financial organization. They provide free checking accounts for small businesses and offer features like reserve accounts, invoicing and other perks for entrepreneurs. Review your pricing strategy and payment methods. Utilize a website as a centralized hub for collecting payments, to sync purchases from your online sales with QuickBooks.
Get ready to make this the year that you set yourself up for sucess. Shop our online store to make things easier and let us know if we can help you with website design, or online marketing for your business by scheduling a free 15-minute consultation.
Raise a toast to a year well-spent. Let's get organized, strategize and conquer the new year, one well planned step at a time!
