A List of One

Happy 2017! I wish everyone a year of good health, great family memories, and success with your small business.

Each year as the calendar turns, people often feel pressured to make some dramatic and life altering changes to their lives. Common “resolutions” include losing weight, exercising more, eating healthier, to quit smoking/drinking, and saving more and spending less. For those of you focused on one of these, best of luck to you.

​​I do not participate in the “resolution” game, however, I do take this time to reflect. What did I accomplish (personal and professional) in the past 12 months? Is there something I wanted to do but did not, and why? What can I improve on? What are my options moving forward? I find this reflection to be very helpful – We often overlook our many small accomplishments and focus on one or two failures.
 
I also use this time of year to plan. And in my reflection/planning world, that plan can be as simple as one thing… Be a better husband, update my website, improve at being “on time,” take the dog to the park more often, and so on. I find the more specific and shorter my list, the more successful I am in accomplishing items on it.
 
As you start the new year, find ONE “marketing thing” you want to accomplish for your small business in 2017. Write it down, put it somewhere you can see it, and get at it. Trying to collect more emails, increasing new customers by 15%, learning more about SEO, or finally starting that blog you wanted are all great examples. And, once you finish one, feel free to start another.
 
While every business needs a professionally developed plan from year to year, creating your own “One Item Check List” for items you have chosen to give priority to is a simple and effective way to start out the new year.