A new year means a fresh start. With 2020 in our rearview mirror, it’s time to reflect on all the things we have learned and to start fresh for planning for the future. Let’s be grateful for how we have grown as people and as business owners over the past year. There’s no doubt we have learned a whole lot and we are stronger for it. Now is the time to take what we have learned and create a fresh start.
With all this madness ending on the horizon, our futures look bright. It’s time to hit the ground running. Innovation is at an all time high and the art of pivoting has never been more pronounced. The world has changed rapidly and has forced many companies to rethink how they do business as well as how we as business owners and entrepreneurs live our lives. Are you living your best life?
Important lessons we have learned is how important our health and our families are, the art of multitasking, and the agility to roll with the punches. It has also forced us to take a step back and evaluate our processes. Is our process working for our customers? Is it working for us? How is it affecting our loved ones? How do we create fresh starts and become a healthier and happier entrepreneur in 2021?
Prioritize Health
As entrepreneurs we have the opportunity to lead by example, not just by earning money but by prioritizing our health and wellbeing as well as the health of our employees. As driven individuals, some entrepreneurs tend to give up some quality of life to grow their business. Living in the mountain town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, our team is well aware of stepping outside for some fresh air as well as busting our asses in the office but there has to be balance. We try to lead by example by getting out of the office to hike, bike, run, ski, or take a quick jont in the woods. While we have always prioritized outdoor activity and our health, we will be more conscious of it going forward.
Practice Good Karma
Photo credit: Yampa Valley Community Foundation
The world is full of great people that truly care about our community and give back and our hometown of Steamboat Springs is no exception. Our quaint, mountain town raised $1.1 million dollars on Yampa Valley Gives Day, beating out last year’s number even during a particular tough financial year. It’s a real town with real people that care about others. Giving back is one of the most gratifying things you can do. Practicing empathy is satisfying and reminds you of why you became an entrepreneur in the first place.
Learn Something New
Most if not all business owners were forced to at least change something about the way they do business in the last year. It forced us to think outside of the box and truly understand our customers wants and needs during a rapidly changing year. One of the best ways to prepare yourself for a pivot is to challenge yourself to learn something new. Learning something new changes your brain activity to think outside of the box.. The greatest threat to your business is complacency. Doing the same thing over and over again the same way may have worked in the past but it is not guaranteed to work in the future. Some good examples of learning something new are, learning a new language, teaching yourself a new business skill set such as Google Analytics, or taking up a new sport. The process will positively translate into your business.
Make a plan
The best way to achieve goals and create a fresh start for yourself and your business is to make a tangible plan. Start by writing down the large goals and work your way backwards on the tangible steps to achieve those goals. You may have a goal to acquire 5 new customers in Q1. While this is a great, tangible goal, what detailed steps will you take to achieve it? What potential obstacles could you run into and how will you overcome them? The more detailed of a plan, the better chance you will have to carry it out. Like accounting, seeing the actual numbers helps us have full clarity of our progress. It’s hard to make a revenue goal without running the numbers of what it will take to get there such as expenses, costs of goods sold, and ultimately profit.
The main thing to remember is that you are not in this alone. Not only does Singletrack Accounting provide excellent accounting and bookkeeping services but we are with you every step of the journey. When you succeed, we succeed. We also offer small business consulting services. Getting a fresh perspective is a crucial part of setting fresh goals. Reach out for a free consultation to our team of experts.
You Might Like:
How Small Businesses Can Compete With Big Brands
Recent news has been calling out big tech such as Facebook for it’s ethical choices in the face of a whistleblower who ousted the company for repeatedly choosing profit over people and buying out [...]
Disaster Prep Your Business
Fires, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and extreme weather are threats we are experiencing more regularly due to climate change. This is getting close to home. We have been watching the Caldor fire ravage through California [...]
Celebrate the Wins!
We constantly talk about how businesses and entrepreneurs can be better. This includes how to run your business better, how to run your accounting better, how to have more motivation, and more. We rarely [...]
The Startup End Game
The hardest part about starting a business is starting. We have talked a lot about how to make the leap into entrepreneurship but we rarely talk about the end game. If you haven't also [...]
How Biden’s Proposed Tax Bill Will Affect Small Businesses
The new presidential administration has proposed a large new tax bill to offset other priorities such as improving infrastructure, funding the American Rescue Plan, combating employment inequality and tackling climate change. These are expected [...]
Q&A With A Founder
At Singletrack Accounting, we love hearing from happy small business owners that our team has saved time, headaches, and the stress of the dreaded tax filing season. In addition, as entrepreneurs ourselves, we enjoy [...]