New year's resolutions for micro business owners

New Year's resolutions Peter Crocker Okay, so they’re easy to make and virtually impossible to keep, but with every New Year comes resolutions. At Flying Solo we put our heads together and came up with these 11 ½ practical New Year's resolutions for micro business owners.

Go and put the kettle on and get set to make some big promises.

1. Get ruthless about distractions. Set aside uninterruptible blocks of time each day for your most important tasks. Be sure to switch off phones AND email.

2. Take back your inbox. The inbox is not a workspace – when a message arrives, delete it, file it or defer it. Deal with it once. Check email at set times during the day and turn off automatic alerts.

3. Outsource more. Identify the repetitive low-value tasks in your business and outsource them. Focus your time where you can add real value to your business and customers.

4. Surround yourself with positivity. Stop reading negative press about the economy. Don’t listen to moaners. Focus on what you can control. Measure and report on what’s actually happening in your business, particularly financials.

5. Give more stuff away. Share your expertise freely and get up to speed with the real business value of generosity. Embrace the philosophy of abundance.

6. Stop talking, start listening. Don’t tell people about your business, ask open ended questions about their business and industry. Interested is interesting.

7. Stop marketing, start attracting. Get in touch with your opinions and rattle some cages. Demonstrate thought leadership in your industry rather than telling people about your expertise.

8. Express yourself clearly. The problem is often not the content, but the delivery. You may well have a great product or service, but you need to invest the time in speaking, presenting and writing about it eloquently.

9. Plant a seed every day. Do something, no matter how small, each and every day to feed your network and grow relationships. Send a thank you card. Make a social call.

10. Working less works. Get out and walk, run, swim or stretch. Great ideas rarely come when you're tied to your desk or tools. Do something each week that is 100% for you. Your business, and those around you, will thank you for it.

11. Communicate more. Most client problems arise from a lack of communication. Embrace the power of progress reports, update emails, follow-ups, quick phone calls and general customer hand-holding.

11½. Stop boiling the kettle and then not making tea.

What New Year’s resolutions have you made for your business? Please share your resolutions or comments with the rest of us.

Here’s to a fun, positive and successful year ahead!

Love your work,

Peter Crocker is a director of Flying Solo responsible for the areas of marketing and advertising. He is a business copywriter specialising in websites, videos and marketing communications.

06 Jan 09

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Thank you Peter - great suggestions, particularly about ignoring bad press about the economy.
"If you build it, he (they) will come." Field of Dreams (movie 1989)
re 11½. Stop boiling the kettle and then not making tea. How did you know?
Must go and put the kettle on! KarenC from NSW
Did you read the "4 Hour Work Week" over your vacation? Some very similar ideas...putting them into practice is somewhat more difficult. I'm trying to master 1 and 2 on your list with some difficulty and it's only day two! Louise Gorrie from Sydney | Read my articles
Hi Peter - also guilty re 11.5 AND still eating al desko - gotta learn! Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
I'm going to reduce the number of unfinished tasks by finishing something every day!
And not starting a new project until I have finished two others. Ray Wales from Adelaide, South Australia
If we focus on only one of these each month, it will only take one year to learn and implement each new skill. Then, we have the rest of our life to use them. And the 12th month is left to have a cup of tea over Christmas! Brian Matthews from Brisbane
Hi Peter
Congratulations on a winning title for this one, making a click through very easy. And great content.
Going to send to current client, he's in NZ but may sign up!
Have a great 2009
bests
Lorraine Lorraine Binnington from Moving around, currently Bunbury WA

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