It seems like every year I have read articles (now blogs) condemning the practice of making New Year’s Resolutions. The critics charge that efforts to change for the better should not be reserved for one day on the calendar, but rather should be an ongoing effort throughout the year.
Personally, I like the New Year’s Resolution habit. While I embrace ongoing change, I’ve always welcomed the blank space in which to reflect and make renewed commitment. In no endeavor is this more necessary than in business.
With that in mind, I submit the following Resolutions for your consideration:
- Arrive at a new focus on brand discipline. Farrah Fawcett, Steve Jobs, and the Lessons of Apple…in 2 minutes
- Use the time over the holidays to write your higher level strategy planning time into your 2012 calendar. Note that I did not say “pencil” it in. Use a Scripto. The Importance of the One Night Stand
- Scrap your annual review process and find a better way to coax the best out of your people. Employment Law’s Dirty Little Secret
- Personally visit every single one of your customers in 2012…no exceptions. Do Your Clients Still Know You?
- Look at your most important forms – contracts, purchase orders, etc. – and make sure they actually say what you think they say and that they actually protect you the way you think they do. How to Document a Transaction
- Make sure your company has locked down its streams of income through enforceable restrictive covenants like Non-Compete Agreements. What Thomas’s English Muffins Can Teach You About Non-Complete Agreements and Why You Need a Non-Compete, Non-Solicitation, or Confidentiality Agreement for EVERY Key Employee
- Pay attention to the little things that could make or break your contracts.Contracting Basics: Why Boring Things Like Venture and Jurisdiction Matter
- Get better at basic small business financial management. Basic Small Business Financial Management
- Make your company a little bit more embezzlement proof. 5 Ways to Prevent Fraud and Embezzlement
- Make sure your company follows >Rule Number 1
- Don’t just learn the Lessons of My Father, commit to putting them into practice.
Please accept our best wishes for every personal and professional success in 2012.
Do you have any other suggestions for small business owners?