3 Tips for Ending Your Business Year Strong

Tis the season to be jolly!

Unless, of course, you’re a business owner with a laundry list of tasks and projects you’ve either put off or not had time to tackle and you’re unsure where to even begin! Now is a good time to buckle up and buckle down. Here are three tips on what you can do to finish the year strong:

Tip #1 – Plan Early and Elaborately

Perhaps you are already in the habit of writing down and setting goals, but what if you get a jump start on 2022 by setting your 2022 goals before 2021 is even over? Write down all the things you’ll need to start, all the projects in the back of your mind, all the little tasks that keep you up at night. Then, list everything you will need to address each one: What tools and equipment will you need? How much time are you going to devote? What steps are you going to need to take? Who do you need to collaborate with? What information do you need?

Answering these questions on paper, or an excel sheet, are great starting points for setting up an effective strategy and creating a roadmap to tackle them. This will save you all the pressure and prevent you spending half of January getting started.

Also, who says you have to wait until the clock strikes midnight on January 1st to start next year’s objectives? If you’ve already got a plan set up, start doing it! By the time everyone’s beginning to list their goals, you can be well on your way to getting yours accomplished!

Tip #2 – Terminate All Unfinished Business

Is the approaching of the end of the year putting you in a state of anxiety because of so many things pending? Are you worried that something is late or has slipped off the list? The place to combat anxiety or procrastination is in your self-talk. Next time you think about doing something you’ve been putting off, notice what you say to yourself about it (I suspect it’s either I don’t have time to do that right now, or I can get to that later). Revise your self-talk by reminding yourself of the benefits of doing the thing, e.g., If I do this now I won’t have to think about it anymore, or What a load off my mind it will be to have this thing done.

“I have to call a handyman to fix the leaking faucet in the kitchen” – you tell yourself every time you go to grab a coffee. Whenever you sit behind the wheel the same thought pops up: “I should get that light checked and fixed.” Removing small annoyances is a great way to end the year strong and prepare for a successful start of the new one. Because little things like this suck up our mental bandwidth and unfinished businesses drain our energy. Over the next days, when you see minor annoyances like this, take a few minutes to do something about them. Or make a list of all the procrastinated tasks, prioritize them and get some of them off your plate. Even just researching ways to tackle them, or putting them in the planner, will make you feel a sense of relief.

Tip #3 – Risk-proof the Year Ahead

Remove any obstacles that may come your way. A business’s obstacles often come in the form of inefficiency, unawareness of risks and opportunities, lack of resources, or undertrained employees.

Review your current work processes: is it providing the quickest, most effective results? Of course, employees can only be as productive as their resources allow them. Perhaps you need to hire some extra hands for the end-of-year rush, or you need to tap into any excess budget provide your employees with whatever tools they need to work more efficiently. Miscommunication is an expensive obstacle in business. Make sure everyone is on the same page and understands the goal the team is striving towards.

Unawareness of risks and opportunities is a business owner’s nightmare. When operating a business you often find yourself with more questions than answers. Because our goal is to empower our clients with confidence, we provide on going support and answers to many Business Owner’s toughest questions. By partnering with THE Human Resources Law Firm, you know that of all the tasks and questions you may have in your business, are answered because you have someone who is walking alongside you in this journey of protecting your business. Take one more thing off your list and leave the legal protection of your business to San Gabriel Valley Law!

We hope we inspired you to finish the year strong and get ready to start fresh in 2022! Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and a warm Happy Holidays from the San Gabriel Valley Law team.