5 Business Resolutions for the Ambitious Entrepreneur

By: Blakely Fraasch, Content Creator Intern

“New year, new you” – isn’t that how it’s supposed to go? The life of a business professional can be strenuous and hectic. There is no doubt that 2016 has taken a toll on overworked professionals, and the holidays rarely help to alleviate stress for the upcoming year. 2016 may have been a year of climbing the corporate ladder or a year where you were just learning the ropes. Either way, a New Year will always bring new beginnings and new possibilities. It is crucial to take advantage of 2017 and start off on the right foot. For a little boost, here are five business resolutions to think about as you take 2017 by storm!

1. Solidify your Audience

Aspiring entrepreneurs will have various goals for 2017, but it is important to remember the significance consumers hold to the success of your socially conscious venture. The new year is bound to bring about various changes in the eyes of consumers; therefore, solidifying your relationships and re-evaluating your consumers’ needs will be vital. This year, make attempts to:

Develop a digital marketing strategy to check in with consumers via social media, email, and surveys to strengthen and build consumer and investor relationships.

Initiate conversations with the target market/community you most want to impact. What are they frustrated by? How can your product/service help them? What do they think you should improve on in 2017?
Refine your product/service accordingly to your target market’s needs.

Evolving from year to year and benchmarking your success in 2016 is a great way to grow your venture in 2017! Your customers are the meat and potatoes of your business, so a great relationship is non-negotiable. Never get comfortable in your social impact pursuit and continue to solidify your audience through networking in the New Year.

2. Set Actionable Goals

A New Year is all about setting goals and designing a plan for the year ahead. Setting actionable goals means identifying objectives that you will actively pursue and work towards. Setting measurable goals is also incredibly important, and this can be done by applying deadlines and being specific about what you want to achieve for the future. Whether it’s growing your sales by a percentage or adding another 0 to your revenues, setting specific and measurable goals helps you stay on track throughout the year and detect room for improvement in the future.

While making measurable and achievable goals, never be afraid to DREAM BIG in 2017. SEED SPOT’s CEO, Courtney Klein, has infused this into SEED SPOT’s brand and we bring the idea to our ventures as well. At SEED SPOT no idea is unreachable and we admire our limitless dreamers. When setting your goals this year, aim towards a big dream you possibly shied away from in 2016 and reap the benefits of challenging yourself in 2017. Read more about goal-setting in our recent blog post.

3. Re-Organize

Feeling cluttered and claustrophobic? It may still be winter time, but it’s never too early for spring cleaning! The New Year is all about reorganization. Pamela Rutledge, Director of the Media Psychology Research Center in Newport Beach says that “a clean desk or desktop can be like taking a deep breath, allowing you to focus”. It could be challenging to capture the new energy of 2017 when your desk is a mess, so let’s get started:

Clean the unnecessary clutter from around your workspace: old invitations, holiday décor, and old memos and meeting info.

Organize your computer’s desktop by creating new folders for documents: “2016 Projects” – you will thank yourself for this later.

Start a fresh “to-do” list by your desk for note-taking throughout the day. A written list provides more satisfaction when crossing out completed tasks.
Create a process for you to avoid procrastination. Whether it’s buying a new 2017 calendar, a new filing cabinet, or scheduling phone reminders, make productivity a HABIT, not just a resolution.

For more organizational tips from working professionals click here, and for some tips on organizing your computer desktop by Pamela Rutledge click here.

4. Recharge your Work Ethic

The end of a tiring year combined with holiday season stress will undoubtedly affect your work ethic. Winter blues are sure to have kicked in and it may be time to recharge and refocus.

Refocus on the small things. This New Year, try to focus on being punctual, dressing for success, and setting daily priorities. These smaller steps to success can help get each day off to a stress-free start.

Recharge by maintaining a positive attitude. Developing a socially conscious venture may never be easy or simple, but having a positive mindset going into work each day can bring about more energy for a long day’s work.
Recharge by remembering your purpose. Think about how far you have come since the beginning of 2016 and where you want to go moving forward. By remembering your purpose, you will gain the motivation you need to work your hardest in 2017.

5. Find One Hobby that Alleviates Stress

The New Year is a time to bounce back and rejuvenate from a year of stress, deadlines, and declining motivation. In other words, these “burnouts” explains the mental and physical exhaustion one experiences when the demands of work consistently exceed the amount of energy you have. An article by The Harvard Business Review explains that these burnouts are becoming an epidemic; far more business professionals are succumbing today than they were just ten years ago. In order to avoid burning out in 2017, it is essential to set aside a few hours each week to do something for yourself.

Find a hobby that you enjoy and let your mind focus solely on that. Whether it is going for a jog, catching up on some reading, or cooking new recipes, let your mind re-calibrate and alleviate your anxiety and stress.

The New Year is about focusing on making improvements to not only your professional career, but also your personal life. Finding a hobby that keeps you grounded will help to create a balance between your professional career and your own mental well-being.