PREPARE YOUR BUSINESS FOR 2020

December 23rd 2019 at 8:56pm Published by firstdownadmin

The upcoming year its expected to be full of technology advances and new opportunities.  Its your business ready for 2020?

Being intentional starts with creating a plan, which acts as your roadmap for the new year. It dictates your goals, your choices, and what things you prioritize.

Quick check list:

1. Dream Dump: Write down all the things you want to accomplish. Make this list exhaustive.
2. Action Steps: What do you need to do to make that happen? Think high-level, i.e. Update website or hire new salespeople.
3. The Resource List: What connections and resources do you already have at your disposal that you can leverage? Think about current employees or connections with a certain company.
4. Refine: Now, break your high-level action steps down into smaller, specific steps that you need to take. Update website might become: Set goals for the new website and hire a web designer.
5. Manifest: Focus on what you want to accomplish and move intentionally toward that to manifest it into being in 2020.

Review All Agreements and Contracts

 If you’re reaping the benefits of working with contractors and freelancers, now is the time to make sure that you’re staying within the limits of the laws, which are still vague and difficult to understand as the government figures out how to regulate this area of the workforce.

You can control what an employee does and how they do it, but in the case of a contract worker, to be classified as such, you need to be operating on a project-based, hands-off manner.

If there’s any question, it’s important that you use this time to work with a lawyer who can help you determine the correct classification and update contracts as needed.

Organic SEO and website content are #1

It’s important to prioritize building a strong organic web presence with organic search engine optimization (SEO). While this takes time to do, when done right, it will drive organic traffic for many years to come, unlike paid marketing, which only works when you have money to spend.

The most important aspect of organic SEO is creating high-value, optimized content. 

• Drive more traffic to your site by creating content around keywords that are related to your business.
• Provide value to readers before they become customers. 
• Drive thought leadership and show your expertise in the space. 

Check expenses and cut business costs.

Make a list of all the programs you currently use and then cross-check that with your monthly business credit card statement to get rid of anything you don’t need.

You can also use this time to cancel any accounts or subscriptions you use occasionally, but not enough to warrant paying for it. 

Set Personal Goals

As a business owner, it’s easy to forget about what you need. If you’re not sure where to start, consider:

• Areas of weakness: Where do you consistently fall short?
• Personal passions: What do you love that you want to focus on more?
• Education: What conferences or learning opportunities can you take advantage of?
• Evolving business needs: How do you need to grow to continue servicing the needs of your business?

Don’t forget to focus on you, just as much as your business, in 2020.

Start now don’t wait until January 1st.

When January rolls around, there will be plenty on your plate already. Start now so you have time to think about what you want to achieve and bring intention to your plans as the new year gets closer.