The transition from holiday season to “back to the old grind” always seems to happen extremely fast. It seemed even faster this year. Monday was a holiday, Tuesday it was back to work and start the new year!
As we head into Spring, here is a quick list of items it is great to accomplish early on in the year. Those super cold days are great times to cuddle up with your favorite hot beverage and ponder your business, but that can also seem intimidating because there is so much to do. Here are some of our recommendations on what you can be doing for your business during the early part of the year.
Updates
Do you use a computer, tablet, or smart phone for your business operations? If so, you probably get pinged every now and then to update the system you’re functioning on. Most of us probably continue to hit “later” or “tomorrow” until it just becomes a part of our days. Now is a great time, however, to go ahead and run through all of those updates. Yes, it can be scary. Sometimes updating an operating system can have some burps involved, and sometimes it can seem like your phone gets tied up forever. However, knowing that you’re going into the year with everything up to snuff is rewarding and well worth it. Go ahead and get this done.
The Marketing Plan
There is a school of thought out there that marketing works best when it’s “organic” and in the moment. That may work for some businesses, but the reality is that marketing works much more effectively if you have a plan not just for what you’re going to do but why you’re going to do it and how you’re going to measure your success. While marketing activity might bring you success if you execute them by the seat of your pants, you may not even realize just how successful they were without objectives and measurement.
Introduce Yourself
Introduce yourself? Perhaps you’ve been around for 50 years or more. Why do you need to introduce yourself? Most businesses owners feel like everyone must know what they do because, after all, THEY are immersed in it every day. The reality, however, is that new people move into Marietta every year, and they do not know all of the businesses here. Moreover, there are always new visitors in the spring and summer you can reach out to over the course of the year. Whether you decide to have an open house or a special sale (or both), think of ways to extend a handshake to new potential customers.
The Business Plan
Finally, now is the perfect time to evaluate your business and determine the following for the coming months:
How much do you want to grow in terms of in-store traffic and profit?
Do you want to hire some new faces? If so, what would they do, and how would you rationalize those hires?
Do you have a contingency plan in case you have to close up the shop for a few days due to weather or illness?
What else have you traditionally worked on early in the year to make sure your business has a better year than last year? We would love to hear your ideas!
