What are Your New Year�s Resolutions as a Business Owner?

What have you resolved to do better this year? If you have a hard time choosing, pick just one item off this list of new year's resolutions for entrepreneurs and get moving on it, starting at the beginning of the year when you�re back at work. Slow progress is still progress. Move the needle ahead in your business by moving the needle ahead with your personal development.

Small business owners often go into the new year with the goal of strengthening and expanding their business. Like all new year�s resolutions, these plans can be limited when business owners are hit with the day-to-day challenges of life.

However, there are some realistic new year's resolutions that small business owners can set and achieve. Here are five new year's resolutions.

1. Build an Online Presence and Take Advantage of Digital Tools

The pandemic created a need and opportunity to rely more on digital capabilities. The Small Business Roundtable�s annual report said that in 2020 many businesses are using web presence for awareness, customer acquisition, e-commerce capabilities, and digital fulfillment (no touch) where possible. If business owners are assessing whether they have fully implemented digital resources, they should ask themselves if they have a website and ways to receive payments digitally.

2. Create a Caregiving Plan for Your Employees

Covid-19 also highlighted and exacerbated challenges facing working caregivers. Business owners can support employees who are also caregivers by making a plan to adapt their business operations to meet the needs of family caregivers. Incorporate practices like flexible work schedules, phased part-time, and cross-training to back-stop essential duties and prepare for employee absences due to personal illness or caring for children, senior citizens, and/or ill family members.

3. Learn leadership

Leadership is an ongoing learning process. With so many different ways to lead, varied personalities entering the workforce, and evolving work habits, the way leaders effectively bring their organization forward changes constantly.

The same will be true as we enter a new year. This year, more Generation Zers will submit applications for jobs and stake their place in the workforce. This will force leaders to continue to adapt their styles to meet the new demands, expectations, and communication styles of this emerging workforce. If you�re a leader, this is your year to shake things up, get a little uncomfortable, and learn fresh new ways to bring your organization forward.

4. Practice delegation

It�s the standard battle cry of management: delegate, delegate, delegate. Still, it�s harder to do than it should be, it seems. It�s normal to want to ensure your work gets done on time and correctly; handing off responsibility to someone else makes that difficult. What if they drop the ball? What if the quality isn�t up to par? What if something goes wrong? You�ll be the one to blame if the work isn�t done to perfection.

But delegation isn�t a choice�it�s mandatory these days. With work piling up on your desk, it�s critical that you step into the new year with a new mindset about asking for help. Train your team to understand and beat expectations so you can delegate more and produce more in the coming year.

5. Make faster decisions

What decisions have you been sitting on this year? What have you put off doing or deciding on because you�re just not sure of the right approach? Making decisions is hard work. It requires you to choose a path and forge full steam ahead. That�s a scary thing, especially as you start to consider all the potential pros and cons.

But all this deliberation can drive you crazy. More important, it can cause your productivity to plummet. One great business resolution for entrepreneurs is to resolve to make faster and better decisions in the new year by giving yourself a deadline and sticking to it. Promise yourself that whatever you decide on by the due date will be the path you take. You�ll be amazed at how much farther you go because of it.

6. Achieve work-life balance (finally)

It�s easy to get sucked into the drain of work; it�s equally impossible to ignore all the tasks, concerns, and obligations of your home, friends, and family. But this is your year to break free from this constant tug-of-war and finally achieve work-life balance. It�ll only take a little bit of effort from you.

The key to dividing your time appropriately between work and your personal life is to get rigid about your schedule. Make it clear when you�re off work and when you�re available. The better you communicate this to your team, the easier it�ll be to fully step away from work when it�s time, and fully engage with work when you arrive at your office.

Here are some tangible ways to work in balance:

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

7. Harness your resources

Technology today has given us the gift of having resources for just about everything. Have you put these apps and programs to full use yet? If not, now�s the time. Harness your resources by using programs available to you. For example, work faster on payroll by finally investing in more efficient payroll software. Or, spend less time on scheduling by finally implementing a new online scheduling app. Technology is there to make your life easier. Now it�s up to you to implement it.

Get even better at technology. If the past two years have taught us anything, it�s that every business depends on the tech. E-commerce took a giant leap forward � you have to jump with it. And remote work is now the norm. You need to know � or hire people who know � how to best use technology.

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