Set your business on the path to success for 2021
We’ve said goodbye to 2020 and had a good laugh at all the New Year’s Eve ‘good riddance’ memes, but the reality is we’re still operating in a changing world.
So how do you set your business up for success, when you don’t know what the future holds?
While we may not have a crystal ball, we’ve pulled advice from the experts to bring you our top 5 tips on planning for your business to not only survive, but thrive, in 2021.
- Look back to move forward
If you want to set goals to take your business to the next level, a great place to start is reflecting on what didn’t work so well in the past. Take time to sit down and go over your 2020 experiences. Ask yourself what worked well, and what didn’t. What products or services are most in demand with your customers and how can you build on this? What are your biggest expenses, and can you find ways to become more efficient?
- Make a plan
As the saying goes – if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. Now you’ve done your business review and pinpointed your areas of strength and weakness, come up with some goals (a mix of short, medium and long-term works well) – and a plan for how you think you’ll work towards achieving them. Make sure it’s a SMART one – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
- Be adaptable
So now you have your shiny new plan and your goals – but if 2020’s anything to go by, we know even the best laid plans can be derailed (thanks for that, COVID19!). Have enough flexibility in your approach and budgets so that you can adapt to sudden changes (like business closures or change in operation, and WFH conditions).
- Put yourself out there
No matter what kind of business you run, you’ll struggle to grow if people don’t know about you.
One of the keys to promoting yourself is visibility. Can your customers find you easily? That goes for your online presence as well as your physical presence. Do they also know about your range of products and services? Getting your message and branding out there in as many forms as possible helps position your business front and centre in customers’ minds.
(If you’re unsure where to start with this, come talk to us about our branding services. We offer so much more than general printing, including apparel and uniforms, packaging and creative design and branding packages).
- Make time to check in
Having a plan and goals won’t help you unless you’re checking in regularly to keep track of your next steps. Plan to review your approach every month or two. Review what you’ve done and what you still need to do – and whether your goals are still the right approach for your business, or whether there are new opportunities for growth that you’ve identified.