The beginning of the year tends to come with a list of New Year resolutions that so many of us tend to make in one form or another, for example; I’m finally going to join the gym or I’m going to get my diet right or I’m gonna read more books this year.‘ All too often things start out strong, but the best laid plans seem to go by the wayside after a while as other priorities take over.
The same goes with business and as an entrepreneur, here are my personal 5 New Year resolutions that I hope you’ll also find useful:
1. Revisit your business plan
Remember what got you into your passion? Remember what drive you to start and [keep] running your business last year? Have you fulfilled even a fraction of that in the previous year? I know I haven’t which means I’m going back to the drawing board. This doesn’t necessarily mean I’ve failed, it means life happened and as much as life happened, my business has to stay on track.
So, whether you’ve just drafted it last month or it’s been a couple of years, go back to your business plan and see where you’ve succeeded, where you haven’t, and re-draft it to reflect your current situation.
2. Network network network
When I got into this business, even when I was under someone, networking was a must-do in every meeting/event I went to. What I learnt is networking isn’t just about handshaking and sharing business cards, as much as having and giving out business cards is key, how do you expect someone to remember you if you don’t building an authentic relationship with this person? How will they remember who you are if you don’t strike a conversation that enriches their profession? Find a common ground, form valuable relationships and see your business grow.
3. Set time limits and stick to them.
One of the biggest challenges as a self-employed individual is pushing yourself. You think, ‘I have time to finish the project/proposal/campaign’ then chill till the last minute because who’s watching you work? You’re your own boss so no one is going to push you to deliver and no one is following up on KPIs other than yourself. Set time limits and squeeze out the value from that set time and see the productivity jump out of this sacrifice!
4. Learn something new
As children we were encouraged to learn something new every day. We did experiments at school, took part in extra-curricular activities, and joined cultural and activist groups during our college years.
Then something happened:
Adulthood.
And we forgot that just like other muscles, you have to exercise the brain by learning new things.
Take time of, be it 2 or 3 hours a day to learn something that will be beneficial to your business or something you’ve always loved that is outside the comfort zone of your business. There are so many free courses on the internet you can take. Here is a list of free courses you can check out and start enrollment.
5. Make time for your peace and quiet
Entrepreneurs hustle hard. We hustle hard to the point where we sometimes forget to eat or relax because we’re chasing deadlines and clients and sometimes payments. It gets to the end of the year and we don’t want to go out on holiday because, with what money?
In 2018, I learnt that as much as I have to work to eat, I can’t work if my body isn’t properly functioning. This meant finding time to breathe and reconnect with myself. It also meant finding an outlet to keep my mental health in check; this can be done via exercise such as yoga, swimming or even going to the gym. Don’t lose yourself in the hustle boo!
