Home
>
Small Business
>
Top Ten Resolves for Building Your Business in 2005

Top Ten Resolves for Building Your Business in 2005

1. Resolve to build a consistent network system.

Since referrals are easier to sell, are often more loyal, comparison shop less, spend more and frequently refer others, it makes good sense to develop a solid system for getting referral business. Join a successful networking club in your area or on the internet and give plenty of introductions to other members. Ask your current clients for referrals, make getting referrals a condition of doing new business, give out your business card frequently, develop a networking mindset. It is part of being successful.

2. Resolve to make a plan for developing your business this year.

What worked in 2004? What results would you like to duplicate, modify, eliminate or expand in 2005? Become strategic. Study your competition to identify new trends and compelling advertising phrases or techniques that you could tweak slightly and utilize as well. Then by looking at your budget for the whole year, map out the marketing and advertising activity, on a month-by-month basis, that will support the results you want for 2004.

3. Resolve to develop a customer-driven business.

What we are looking for in business is customers to purchase our product or service, right? It makes sense to have your business focus on the customer and what he wants and yet many businesses fail because they don't ask. If you want a larger market share, let the customers tell you what to produce or provide. Basic market research will help you determine the products and services with the most likelihood of success. There is no other place to look.

4. Resolve to develop new streams of income and strengthen those you already have.

Did you ever think that there may be more streams of income to add to what you already do thereby increasing your bottom line? Perhaps it is a passive income such as selling products on the web or maybe it is packaging your product in a new way. Use your creativity, study other successful businesses and practice thinking "out of the box".

5. Resolve to take control of your business and strengthen your leadership qualities.

One of the best ways to take control of your business is to make sure you have written standards in place for every job. This process of developing standards, policies and procedures for every operation in your business, in addition to being good management, is what provides leverage for you to vacation or sell your business one day. Ray Kroc of McDonalds developed his super business without flipping a single burger because he took the time to set standards for how he wanted the job to be done each and every time. As a result, Kroc hired teenagers to run the business with unparalled success. Setting standards and enforcing them will elevate your leadership skills beyond measure.

6. Resolve to target your ideal market and customer.

Too many small business owners are working with every entity who cares to do business with them even though it may not be cost-effective. In 2005, decide to focus on the market that would best serve your company in the long-run. Increased customer share (having fewer customers spending more money with you) may be more profit making, simple and satisfying than trying to please many diversified customers.

7. Resolve to consistently generate more leads and sales.

Consistent marketing to your target market will produce more overall leads to generate business consistently throughout the year. Eliminate more of the highs and lows of your income by making a commitment to market activity that locates those contacts, appointments and resultant sales, daily and weekly.

8. Resolve to take good care of yourself this year.

Business owners work hard. Sometimes they forget to pay attention to their own health or to their families and everyone loses out in the long run. This year, plan to take some time and be with those you love. Everyone will appreciate this resolve. Learn how to have fun?even.if it is uncomfortable and relax. Maintaining balance between business and personal activity is key to long-term success.

9. Resolve to ask for and use the support of others.

Get in the habit of asking others for support to bounce off an idea, listen to your goals, share in your success. Consider hiring a coach or asking respected colleagues to be part of an advisory board. Regular meetings will help you be accountable for your activity and you may be surprised at the great ideas that will surface.

10. Resolve to increase my net profit by____% in 2005.

Some business owners are afraid to indicate a percentage of growth for fear it may not happen. Consider that it may not happen because you are unwilling to put yourself on the line. Naming a percentage and making a committment to this result will force you to be focused and innovative to discover the solutions that will work. Go for it in 2005?.what's the best that could happen?

Gloria Willis, M.S. is a Business Development Consultant for the Center for Business Mastery, a resource for small business in Northern Colorado. Contact: 970-482-0332 for questions and to set up a free consultation.

Gloria Willis is a Business Development Consultant and owner of Center for Business Mastery. She works with small business owners to identify specific needs and designs a strategic plan for implementing. Gloria Willis, M.S, has proven results in the areas of: leadership development, sales, marketing , business planning. She is a graduate of the University of Utah, B Coach Systems and Coaches Training Institute.

recurring cleaning service Morton Grove ...

In The News:

Michigan's new prison scoring system claims 30% better violence prediction, but Recidiviz says it doesn't actually use AI to classify inmates.

University of Texas at Arlington researchers reveal how AI analyzes public Instagram posts to craft spear phishing emails that feel personal.

VOLTA-AUTODOXER malware uses AI to analyze stolen data and rank victims by potential value, helping criminals target the most profitable accounts.

Daimler Truck's Oregon demos show how a Freightliner Cascadia's automatic emergency braking responds when dummy cars suddenly cross a moving truck's path.

Facebook ads promising to recover stolen funds are targeting scam victims again, and Meta confirmed removing flagged accounts after investigation.

Tesla Cybertruck production is winding down at Gigafactory Texas to make room for Cybercab robotaxi manufacturing, but key questions remain for owners.

Identity theft can hide in phone accounts, medical records and utility bills long before it shows on a credit report. Eight places to check now.

JR East's towering ZIZAI ZX-3 chainsaw robot tackles dangerous branch-cutting along Japan's Koumi Line while a trained operator controls it remotely.

A massive DHS data leak exposed records of over 41,000 employees, revealing links to undercover ICE operations, Palantir tools and AI platforms.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

UCLA's PhoneBot turns old Android phones into the brain of a two-legged humanoid robot that walks, follows people and stands up after falling.

A fake Amazon invoice charging $988.18 for an iPad lists the same customer support phone number three times to steer panicked victims into calling.

A handful of food delivery robots from Uber Eats and other platforms have gotten kicked and knocked over in Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

Data broker opt-out forms may not protect your family. People search sites can still expose your info through a spouse's or parent's profile.

Apple's first touchscreen MacBook Pro starts at $2,899 with a PROLED XDR OLED display, but the non-touch M6 model costs $900 less at $1,999.

Black Friday deals are already drawing scammers who use fake delivery notices and gift card payment requests to steal your personal financial information.

Apple's iPhone Duo reportedly outlasted the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 by over three hours in battery tests, but its weight and repair costs raise concerns.

Florida Polytechnic University's Jetson ONE eVTOL police vehicle named Astro still awaits FAA authorization before officers can fly operational patrols.

OpenAI's new locked chats feature lets you protect ChatGPT conversations with a PIN, Face ID or Touch ID, but there are key privacy limitations.

A phishing email disguised as an Evite fooled a man even after he emailed his friend to verify it, revealing how compromised Gmail accounts aid scams.

Microsoft's AI diagnostic system identified 83% of complex medical cases in a study, more than doubling the 36% accuracy of generalist doctors.

Account takeover threats go beyond stolen passwords as criminals exploit session cookies, SIM swaps and MFA fatigue to bypass your login security.

SpaceX is reportedly pursuing access to 80,000 cell sites to turn Starlink into a major wireless carrier rivaling Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.

Tech advocacy groups warn that foreign nationals at AI companies like OpenAI and Google pose a national security threat amid a lack of federal oversight.

Singapore researchers built the world's first touchscreen woven into clothing, surviving 50 machine washes while displaying images and responding to touch.

Top Ten Resolves for Building Your Business in 2005

Small Business