The new year signifies new possibilities and opportunities for your business, making it the perfect time to set some new goals. Hesitant about what to aim for? Read on as Circle Hub shares some New Year’s resolutions that you can make for your business to ensure its success in 2025.
Do More Networking
Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no getting away from the fact that networking leads to more opportunities. This is how 85% of jobs are filled, showing just how significant your professional network can be.
If the thought of stuffy networking seminars and formal events puts you off, explore some of your other options. Sign up for a coworking space, like Circle Hub, and you’ll be exposed to an abundance of networking opportunities. Spend some time in one of our common areas and you’ll be able to meet people from a wide array of backgrounds and industries. You could even attend one of our casual events to really expand on your connections.
Other than that, make an effort to attend more trade shows and exhibitions that are related to your business. Social media can be a very useful way to expand your network too.
Make Time to Learn
Want to know what all successful business owners have in common? They’re always willing to learn. They have an innate need to consistently expand their skillset, and this is something that will always serve a business well.
If you want to lead your business to success in the new year, think about how you could add more value to your existing set of skills. Whether this involves conquering a new language so that you can reach overseas clients, getting to grips with a new software that’ll help you save some time, or anything else, aim for learning to be a priority in 2025.
Prioritize Your Work/Life Balance
Establishing a healthy work/life balance is something that many business owners struggle with. It can be oh-so-tempting to try to squeeze in as many hours as possible behind your desk in an attempt to get ahead, yet this only means that other aspects of your life will start to suffer. It also won’t be long before you start to experience burnout, which will soon affect your productivity.
So, what do you need to do to achieve a healthy work/life balance? Here are a few tips:
- Start each day with a plan – one that you can realistically stick to.
- Take regular breaks throughout the day. This has been proven to improve productivity.
- Make time in your schedule for your hobbies and interests.
- Minimize distractions. If you work from a coworking space that has private offices for hire, make use of these when needed.
- Say no to extra work that you know you’ll struggle to handle.
- Try implementing the 8-8-8 rule. This consists of 8 hours for work, 8 hours for sleep, and 8 hours for your personal interests.
Get Tidier
If clutter and mess seem to be regulars in your life, make an effort to change your ways in the new year. Why? Because disorganization will be affecting your business in several ways. Getting more organized will help to improve your focus, productivity, and time management while also decreasing stress. As you can imagine, all of this can really help to push a business forward!
Work from a coworking space and staying tidy and organized becomes a little easier. In shared workspaces, known as Hot Spots at Circle Hub, you’ll need to leave your desk as you found it, meaning free of clutter and personal belongings. This will help you to set good habits that you can then follow through with in other aspects of your life.
Embrace Technology
Technology is constantly evolving in ways that can really help a business to succeed. However, while this may be the case, many business owners aren’t fully embracing all that this new tech has to offer. If you can relate, spending some time in the new year bringing more technology into your fold could make a huge difference.
This is particularly the case when it comes to automation. Businesses often waste so much time on repetitive tasks, which is something that technology excels at. From production and inventory planning to customer relations and human resources, the right software could save you so much valuable time while also eliminating the chances of human errors that your business would then have to waste more time trying to rectify.
Get Better at Delegating
Many business owners find it difficult to delegate, which is understandable. You’ve put so much time, sweat, and money into building a business so it only makes sense that you want to be in full control over everything that goes on.
However, there are only so many hours in the day. Trying to take everything on yourself will not only be stressful but will also impact how well you’re able to do all of those tasks. It will influence your work/life balance too, which can have far-reaching consequences.
So, how do you start delegating if this is something that you haven’t previously been good at? Begin by making a list of all of the various tasks you currently do yourself. Then, highlight the tasks that could potentially be done by someone else. Pick someone else to do some of those tasks but spend some time showing them the ropes first. You’ll still be around to oversee their results but, as you grow accustomed to sharing your workload, you’ll soon find it much easier to trust in their proficiency.
Increase Your Online Presence
While some businesses choose to remain traditional and avoid the internet like a plague, the majority are fully aware of just how important it is to establish an online presence. Just about every aspect of modern-day life is now online and your business should ideally be included in this.
What can you do to increase your online presence?
Start with your website. Make sure that your SEO is up to scratch – this will have a huge impact on how visible your business is online. Of course, your website should also be engaging and user-friendly too. Make it as easy as possible for people to navigate your website and find out more about what your business has to offer.
Social media can also really boost online presence. Use it consistently in the new year, in a way that will appeal to your target audience. You’ll be able to communicate directly with consumers, market your business, and provide helpful content that will help establish your business as an authority figure.
Show More Gratitude
Has your business experienced any successes this year? Hopefully, that answer is yes, and you’ll also be aware of the other people who helped to contribute to that success. After all, success is very rarely earned alone. It usually requires some sort of joint effort.
The end of the year is the perfect time to reflect on this. If you want your success to continue into the new year, spend some time showing some gratitude for those who have helped you on your journey. A quick but genuine “thank you”, whether through an email, a note, a phone call, or anything else, will go a long way in cementing future relationships.
Work on Your Ethics
Consumers are increasingly prioritizing ethical transparency when it comes to deciding whether or not to hand over their hard-earned cash to a business. If you want your business to succeed in the new year, then this is something that you’ll need to prioritize too.
How can you demonstrate your business ethics? Here are a few ideas:
- Start implementing more eco-friendly practices wherever possible.
- Ensure that your business is being as sustainable as possible. This may come at a cost but it’s one that consumers are likely to be happy to pay.
- Support charitable causes that relate to your business in some way.
- Show support for local events and fundraising efforts. Integrate your business into your local community.
Invest in Your Team
While this won’t apply if you run your business on your own, those of you who have a team to work with could see increasing success in the new year if you spend some time and money investing in your team. This means focusing on both their professional development as well as their personal well-being.
To do this, think about various training programs that you could implement for different members of your team. As we mentioned earlier, learning can really push productivity and general happiness! Establishing mentors for each team member can help too. Of course, just like we advised that you should do for yourself, encouraging your team to develop a healthy work/life balance will result in a more positive work culture with employees that are engaged, productive, and happy to be there!
Make All of Your Goals SMART Goals
After reading through the above, you probably have a few ideas as to which goals you want to set for your business in the new year. However, it’s important to ensure that the goals that you pick are SMART goals. This means that your goals should be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
For example, rather than simply aiming to improve your online presence, you can turn this into a SMART goal by deciding that you’ll aim to increase your website’s SEO by 30% in three months. By elaborating on your goals in this way, you’ll be much more likely to meet them!
Setting Business Goals for the New Year
There’s no better time than the new year to set some new business goals. Ideally, make your plans known to your team as this way, you’ll all be able to work toward them and can hold each other accountable. With determination and consistency, you’ll undoubtedly be able to achieve your new goals and propel your business to success in 2025!
Click here to find out more about the coworking spaces available from Circle Hub.