5 Things Every Business Should Do Before December

​Now that it is June we thought a great blog might be how to close out the rest of your year strong.

Here are 5 things to ensure that your next 6 months are the best of the whole year!

#1 Goal Review

Now is a great time to reflect on those 2016 goals that you set out to do and see which ones are still relevant? Completed? Unfinished? Started? Be mindful that when you created these goals you did not have a crystal ball and so where you are today in your business may render some of your goals irrelevant now and there also might be some goals that need to be changed, updated, or added.

#2 Identify 2 “Musts”

Since you have taken the time to do your careful goal review and identified where you are on that road map for 2016, look at two things that MUST get done this year. You might want to pick medium to large “to-do’s”, (hire an administrative assistant, rebuild website, create new online client program). By having these two things identified you have a clear picture of how to prioritize your spending, time management, and resources. You can also check in on these in September and identify that moving into the holiday season you should at least have one must out of the way so that your timeline is manageable. This way when you end your year you can feel accomplished when you have your two big musts completed.

#3 Check your Budget

By creating an annual budget it is a great “diet” for your company. It also helps make decisions about expenditures a lot less stressful when you have an outline to look at and simply see that “yes we have that in the budget” or “not this year but 2017 we should make that a priority”. This helps greatly with planning and goal tracking. If you do not regularly check your accounts and spending, begin to make this more a habit as you can see month over month where the cash flow is and where return on investments come from marketing efforts, clients, and products.

#4 Take a Vacation

Have you taken a vacation yet? Well now that you have completed the budget review you know that you can afford one! Finding the work life balance is something that most professionals struggle with. Even if it is not next week or even next month or whether is it 3 days or 3 weeks, schedule some you time to get away from the office and clear your mind and re-energize. This can be critical in gearing up for a productive and profitable end of your year.

#5 Schedule Training for your Team

This could be an off site team building opportunity or an in office topic that is interesting to the entire team. The point is to take a moment to break away from the everyday and invest in some team experiential learning time. Learn about communication, networking, go to a ropes course, hire a team building consultant ;-) any activity or workshop that you think would benefit your team. This is the same as a vacation for an individual. It can reinvigorate your team, increase morale, and motivate productivity as well as decrease turnover in many cases.