The start of the year is busy for every business, but taking time to re-evaluate your goals and business can make all the difference to your success.
We’ve compiled a short list of tips for your business to action, to get your 2024 off to the right start.
Review 2023 Goals & Set New Ones
To set new 2024 revenue goals, you’ll first need to review the previous year’s objectives. Looking back on goals is important as they can influence your new goals, or how these are actioned and met.
Additionally, set yourself up for success by splitting your goals into each quarter – to make them easier to reach, and allowing you to track your progress in bitesize chunks to realign where needed.
Backup Your Computers and Software
If you’re using Google Workspace then you may not have to do this step as all of your important documents are saved on the cloud. However, if you regularly save files to your computer, you’ll want to back these up either to the cloud or a hard drive.
Don’t forget to regularly backup important documents such as accounts, business critical information and employee records, as well as client/customer contracts.
Also, don’t forget to backup your smartphone regularly – this can be one of the biggest headaches if not done!
You should also backup your passwords or keep them somewhere safe, a great way to do this is by using a Password Manager.
Consolidate Software
In addition to backing up files, you may want to consolidate any software or programs that you use, to organise your structure and make it easier to find data when needed.
You may also choose to set up new software to streamline tasks within your business, or start to use project management tools to see where time is lost within the business and how this can become more efficient.
Utilise Current Tools
Learning to optimise the tools that you already have access to in your business is a great way to improve your workflow whilst maintaining a sense of control over how many tools you use.
If you use Google Workspace, there are hundreds of features which can help you in every aspect of your business – from organising your inbox, having pre-written email templates and managing calendars, to sharing documents and drives team-wide.
Tips on managing your Google Workspace for productivity.
Update Payroll Information
Use this opportunity to update any employee information – such as contact phone number and emergency contact details – and update any access that they have for computer systems.
Now is also a great time to evaluate whether you need to hire, looking at your goals and aligning them with your current team, and identifying any skill gaps that you want to fill.
Audit Company Website
Kick off the new year the right way by auditing your website and identifying areas of improvement. Your website should align with your goals, so if you have outdated products, services, or pages, you’ll want to remove them. You’ll also need to think about your target audience and ideal customer – have they changed since this time last year? – in which case you’ll need to tweak your website and customer journey to reflect this.
Recognise that you need a new website, but having a hard time convincing your team/manager? Here are our top tips.
Consider Marketing Plans
Now is the time to assess your marketing plans for 2024, taking into account your focus for the year ahead and using customer data from the previous period to inform your decisions. You should review your current online presence and see where improvements could be made. Need help? We can help you succeed – find out more here.
Record Accomplishments
Whilst it’s important to look ahead to propel your business to success, it’s important to take time throughout the year to look back and reflect on your accomplishments. Create a document that you can fill out throughout the year to log business accomplishments, and share it with your team so that they can see the business growth too.
A brand new year can often feel overwhelming due to the sheer size of a to-do list, but by evaluating goals early and identifying ways to reach these, it can make it far less intimidating.
- Review 2023 Goals & Set New Ones
- Backup Your Computers and Software
- Consolidate Software
- Utilise Current Tools
- Update Payroll Information
- Audit Company Website
- Consider Marketing Plans
- Record Accomplishments
