2018 is well and truly underway, making it a great time to reflect on your business’s goals, actions and results from 2017. There will surely be many wins that your business has achieved over the year and that you are proud to celebrate, but there may also be some areas that you feel need a little bit more improvement.
The start of a new year is often the time to start establishing new goals and even create new resolutions for your business as it prepares to power through the year ahead. But there is a new kind of list that you should also consider.
The “To Don’t List”
Reviewing some of their own business decisions and experiences, these small business owners open up and share some of the things they will be doing differently during 2018 with what’s on their ” To Don’t List for 2018″.
Susie Campbell from Little Black Book Marketing says…
- Do not try to follow your competitors or others in business – it results in a muddled brand, spending unnecessarily and disappointment when things don’t appear to work as well as it did for them. If you are always looking elsewhere, who has eyes and the creative development eyes on your own business? You will always be one step behind.
- Do not spend unless you have considered the ROI
- Do not automatically consider online marketing the only option – real connections with customers and clients is important and customer experience is key in 2018!
Robin Foster from Carpet Cleaning Experts says…
- I won’t repeat old mistakes
This is not an easy task, but it will save me a lot of troubles. It is time to learn my lesson and start learning from mistakes instead of repeating them. - I won’t be afraid to try new things
Markets and industries are always changing. Everybody needs to keep up just to stay in business. Playing it safe is not a bad thing but sometimes to take the challenge and try new things is the better option and the way to success. - I won’t rush into new projects without thorough planning and research.
An idea may look great, but things are not always what they look like. I believe that with good planning and enough data every idea can be turned into a successful project.
Marama Carmichael from eSense says…
Stop trying to be all things to all people
Now more than ever it’s really important to know who your customers are so you can reach them effectively.
There is so much potential out there for your business and also so much noise, that unless you can cut through and really connect with YOUR customers in a way they respond to on a personal level-you won’t stand out.
The world is changing – it’s coming full circle in a way and people are wanting more of that “old-fashioned” connection, where the shopkeeper knew your name and who your kids were etc. Obviously, we have more ways to reach more people today than we did in the olden days.
The world is a much smaller place. But people are craving those genuine connections. So decide who you are and what you stand for. Decide who you want to work for. And then be that thing and your customers will be able to find you.
Sarah Carman from Sponge Education says…
- Email: I don’t check them all the time. I have fixed times during the day that I spend on answering email questions, and I don’t apologise for it.
- Calls: If it’s a number I don’t recognise, I don’t answer it. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message and I will be able to respond when I’m not in the middle of a task.
- Requests/collaborations: I am very selective about what I take on. If someone hasn’t taken the time to tailor a message to me about what they are after, I don’t respond.
- Hours: I don’t work all the time. I don’t have fixed hours because as a small business owner it’s just not practical. But I have the occasional morning off and don’t cram every day with a mountain of different jobs like I used to. I am finding now that I actually get more done by saying no to things. Getting on the ‘no’ train is empowering! It helps me to get clear with my direction and staying focused. I would recommend it to anyone.
Jane Wilson from Fantastic Cleaners says…
As a business manager in the services field, there are many things I wish I didn’t do in 2017.
One of them is not getting enough sleep, unfortunately….
But on a more serious note, my “don’t” list for 2018 would include things like:
- Don’t ignore your missed calls
- Don’t underestimate negative customer feedback, try to improve their opinion instead.
- Don’t dream too big– Putting some great, but unreachable goals in front of you won’t help you develop your business, but it can cause you depression, low self-esteem and the feeling that you can’t get anything done right. Putting too much pressure on yourself often has a negative comeback.
Nic Blair from Search Factory says…
Don’t:
- Get Distracted
Not to be confused with innovating and improving the business, I’ve found myself in a number of situations where we’ve strayed from doing what we do best and become distracted by developing products that are too far from the scope of what we do best. 2018 needs to remain focused on continuing to improve upon the things we do well for our clients and the business. - Stop Learning
In the early years of starting and growing a business, I found myself investing a significant amount of time into self-development. As the business grows, this becomes more difficult to do. I consider this important for any entrepreneur or business owner and will be making a conscious effort to ensure that I focus on self-development in numerous areas throughout 2018. - Forget to Network
Like self-development, I consider networking essential for any successful business owner. Meeting with other business owners and high-level managers has always provided a benefit in many ways, yet I found myself struggling to make time for it across 2017. 2018 is a year where I need to focus on doing this again. It means going out and grabbing a coffee with all those I’m connected with and who knows what can come from these conversations?
We hope these insights will help guide your small business goals in the right direction for 2018. Have you got a 2018 “To Don’t List” for your business? Feel free to share in the comments section!
“The opinions expressed by BizWitty Contributors are their own, not those of BizCover and should not be relied upon in place of appropriate professional advice. Please read our full disclaimer."
