New Year’s Resolutions

Many people make New Year’s resolutions at the end of a year in hopes of making the next year their best ever. Sadly, most resolutions get side tracked by the end of January leaving the person making the resolution in the same old rut. Personally, I want to see some tangible successes in 2025 and so I got thinking of how I can make that happen. Then, I figured it would be something good to write about so that other business owners can be motivated to make changes in their life, however small.

As business owners we have two lives (although they are, unfortunately, often intertwined): Personal and Business. I have decided to put my thoughts into these two categories in hopes of making real changes in the two important parts of my life. I hope that these ideas will inspire you to make some changes in 2025 and make it Your Best Year Yet!

Business Resolutions

Running a business is hard and tiring work no matter what industry you are in. Some of my thoughts for improving 2025 involve tangible ideas while others are intangible. See if any of these concepts might resonate with you and perhaps be a fit with your business.

1. Get your bookkeeping up to date and accurate. You know I was going to talk about bookkeeping. Hey, it’s what I do. Without reliable data, you simply cannot make sound business decisions. Further, being behind in your obligations costs money in the form of penalties and interest. It doesn’t matter if you do it yourself or hire a qualified practitioner to do it for you; just do it!
2. Meet with your accountant. You should be having a conversation with your accountant at least once a year when your corporate tax return is complete. Accountants have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to running your business, tax compliance, estate planning and much more! Your accountant is an invaluable part of your financial team. Side note: yes, every business needs a financial team even if it only consists of you!
3. Review those financial statements. If you are not reviewing your statements at least quarterly, how do you know how you’re doing, where you’ve been and where you’re going? Quite simply, you don’t! I see so many business owners (pardon the analogy) flying by the seat of their pants when it comes to running their business. By reviewing your statements you get a sound knowledge of where things are at because, let me tell you, all may not be as it seems. For instance, money in the bank doesn’t mean you are making a profit.
4. Revisit your Vision and Mission statements and define what success is to you. Then, align your goals and habits to make that success happen.
5. Share your goals and motivate your employees. If you have employees, they are your most valuable asset! And if you want to succeed, you must also help them succeed in their personal and career goals. It really is a team effort to catapult your business to where you want it to be.

Personal Resolutions

Frankly, you can’t take care of your business or other obligations if you don’t take care of yourself. Here are some of my ideas on how to make this the best year for you personally.

1. Eat right. Not eating nutritious meals is detrimental to both your health and your mind. You need energy to run all those important areas of your life!
2. Exercise. It’s as important as eating right. Even a 30 minute walk 3 times a week will keep you limber and your mind clear.
3. Practice self care. What ever self care means to you, do it! Whether it’s getting a mani/pedi, a relaxing massage or a hot bubble bath, take care of your needs so you can take care of others. You can’t water a plant with an empty can. Personally, I love the mani/pedi! I always feel put together with neatly manicured and polished nails.
4. Organize yourself. Messy environments breed a messy mindset. Organize your home, life and business in ways that keep your personal and business goals front of mind.
5. Learn a new skill. Whether taking a course at the local college/university or just learning to paint, keep your mind active. Currently, I am enrolled in a program at Western University which will award me with a Professional Certificate in Business Management. It involves 8 courses of which 4 are complete. I’m proud to say that I have a 91% average! I love learning new material!
6. Travel. As much as you can. Travel opens up new worlds that we didn’t know existed. This helps to widen our perspectives and allow new ideas to infiltrate into our brains.
7. Believe it and dream it. This will help you manifest the abundance and growth that you desire both personally and in your business.

Finally

You don’t need to make a lot of changes. Choose just a few. Small steps lead to big changes.

Making resolutions is easy. Keeping them is difficult. I suggest using a journal. You can use the old fashion pen and paper type or there are plenty of free online ones if you prefer to work in the digital world. One I like is DayOne. You can use it on your PC or mobile device and it syncs between them. Even just making the commitment to journal every day will make a difference.

I wish all of you the very best in your efforts to make 2025 your best year yet!