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Can you believe we’re already halfway through 2021? With July right around the corner, it is a great time to check in with the goals or resolutions you may have set for your business back in January. Whether you stuck to your resolutions or never set any resolutions at all, a six-month check-in is always a good idea.
Here are things you can do to Review Your business goals:
Rethink What Drives Your Business’ Value.
No matter how long you have been in business, it is important to identify what it is that resonates best with your clients or customers. What keeps your audience intrigued? What brings back repeat customers? By identifying the driving factors for your audience, you will be able to better market your product and build a brand that keeps customers coming back for more.
Even though it can be easy to use your intuition here, it isn’t a bad idea to back your idea of what works with some actual data. Look back at the last six months. Was there a particularly successful product? Are the majority of your clients making appointments online instead of by phone? Keep a list of all the places you pull data from and don’t forget to review sales, marketing, accounting software and your website.
Assess How You are Spending Your Time.
Next, take a similar approach to your own time. Take time to analyze what your time has been spent on over the last six months. This can show you whether or not you are using your working hours to their fullest potential. Are you filling your schedule with tasks that directly align with your business goals? Are you overscheduling yourself and ultimately developing an unhealthy work-life balance? A personal check-in every six months or so can help you see not only how your productivity has been affecting your business, but how it has been affecting your personal life as well.
Update Your Digital Presence.
Take some time to look over your business’s digital presence. By reviewing your social media content, website and digital marketing materials you can learn a lot about your business and ways it could be adjusted in the future. Everything relating to your business online should be on-brand. Make sure the voice of your brand is consistent online, as well as colors, fonts and logos. Build a game plan to respond to direct messages on social media pages and make sure your website is user-friendly. This will build brand recognition with your customers and will ensure a positive experience when they interact with your business online.
Invest in Yourself.
It can be very easy to make yourself the last priority on the laundry list of tasks relating to your business, especially if your business is a one-woman show. It’s important to remember that the more hats you wear at work, the more important it is to make yourself a priority. While investing in yourself is bound to look different for different people, it is important to identify what it is that you need to care for yourself, and ultimately your business. It could mean setting boundaries such as logging off at a specific time every day so you can make it to the gym before it closes, not scheduling any meetings on Tuesday afternoons so you can focus on your to-do list, or setting aside money to attend a conference or professional development course.
Determine How Your Business Can Give Back.
It is critical that you understand how your business is building revenue, but have you considered how your business can give back for a larger societal good? No matter the size of your business there are ways to give back to your community; sometimes all it takes is a little creativity. While financial contributions are always a great option if your business has the ability, also consider non-financial ways of giving as well. This could be organizing a food drive in your office, planting a tree for every purchase, or taking the time to offer a free seminar at a local shelter or library. When you take the time to consider your business’ values and what it has to offer, there are plenty of ways to use your business as a vessel for giving back to those around you.
Why Review Your Business Practices in July
Checking in allows you to look at your business’ productivity over time to identify ways you can grow your business moving forward. A check-in halfway through the year gives you time to adjust to meet your goals and move forward with confidence in your direction.
