With the New Year approaching, now is the time to start thinking about resolutions — for yourself and for your business. In this guide, we’re breaking down eleven potential New Year resolutions to help small businesses thrive.
Whether you’re ready to transform your workplace culture, reach new customers with a new marketing plan or incorporate charitable giving into your business model, this guide will help you to get started on whatever business goals you have in mind.
Workplace culture was a lynchpin of hiring and recruitment in 2022 and this trend will likely continue into 2023. According to 2022 surveys:
Kiolbassa Smoked Meats in San Antonio, TX is an excellent example of a brand with a commitment to positive workplace culture. Not only do they offer competitive pay and benefits, but they also prove their commitment to cultivating their employee’s overall well-being by offering a health and wellness programme and work-life balance tools for their staff.
If you’re a business owner looking to retain top talent and recruit fresh faces in 2023, it’s time to re-evaluate your workplace culture—an all-important factor for hiring in the coming year and for growing positive employee engagement.
How do you enhance workplace culture? Ask your employees what they want. Consider gathering anonymous feedback about:
Use the information gathered to make tangible, employee-supported changes to your workplace.
Technology is constantly changing, but when was the last time you overhaulled your office hardware? As you ring in the New Year, it may be time to take inventory of your tech assets, eliminate redundancies, make updates and invest in new equipment. Why?
After you evaluate the devices and software you’re currently using, establish a budget for updates and research which tech assets could help to grow your business.
As you make changes in the New Year, remember that employee buy-in is crucial to the success of systemic, organisational, product, or staffing changes. By asking for your employees’ buy-in, you’re showing them that their work is important to your business, which will motivate them to be more engaged and contribute their ideas.
Justin Goodbread, a Forbes Finance Councilmember, recommends a few ways that business owners can increase employee buy-in and bolster the success of their workplace changes:
Holiday marketing ideas were critical to support your business during the holiday season and throughout the past year. However, as you ring in the New Year, consider how a fresh approach to your marketing could increase your sales, brand awareness and overall company success. As you revisit your marketing strategy, consider:
Speaking of harnessing new avenues, when is the last time you invested in your business’s online presence? Don’t underestimate the power of the Internet to connect potential clients with your products, services and unique value propositions.
Whether your business is already social media-savvy or you’re looking for a simple entry into the digital marketing space, creating a Nextdoor Business Page is an excellent way to spread the word about your business. Nextdoor offers powerful tools for business owners, like:
With a Nextdoor Business Page, you can amp up your brand awareness in your own backyard.
Your company simply couldn’t succeed without the community around you. Whether you run a small landscaping company or a massive manufacturing facility, support from your neighbours helps keep your business afloat.
Not only does giving back increase positive brand awareness for your business, but showing your investment in your community also helps build relationships and trust. For an example of community outreach in action, check out Oelrich Construction in Jonesville, FL. Their STEAM Grant Programme covers the costs for public school students to visit nearby science, technology, and innovation museums. This investment benefitting students shows that they are a business that prioritises the overall well-being of their community.
You could follow in their footsteps by creating a fund for community or youth activities in your area, organising events or offering educational opportunities to people throughout your city.
If your business simply doesn’t have the time to organise a programme, you could still inject some philanthropy into your business model by contributing to existing charitable organisations.
But with so many worthy organisations out there, how do you choose the right one? Look for an organisation (or several) that:
When in search of a worthy cause, don’t be afraid to ask your staff for recommendations to get the whole team involved.
If you’re looking for a fresh start in 2023, why not focus on the place where the magic happens—your office, workshop, or facility? After all, a clean workspace has a variety of benefits. An organised space allows employees to focus on their tasks and find the things they need to complete them. As a result, employees may experience less stress, leading to an overall happier work environment.
While there’s something to be said for spring cleaning, you can celebrate early with a deep cleaning of your office. And, if you don’t currently have one, consider creating a plan that can help to keep the building clean year-round. Consider:
Your staff is a vital part of your business. As the new year approaches, consider investing in them—their skills, efficiency, confidence or team identity. Upskilling your employees sets them up for success and helps them work their way up into new roles. This, in turn, increases employee satisfaction and morale.
You can equip your employees with new skills this year by:
Between holiday stress and the last-minute push to end Q4 on a high note, you may have had your head down recently. But with a New Year comes new opportunities to pop the bubble you’ve been working in—and perhaps it’s time to expand your business’s professional network.
Networking will allow you to meet other business professionals who may identify new trends, opportunities or insights that you might not have thought of yourself.
While there are countless ways to pad out your contact list, here are a few sure-fire methods:
No list of business New Year resolutions would be complete without mentioning customer service—the backbone of any successful brand. In a 2022 survey, an overwhelming 95% of consumers reported that customer service was essential for their brand loyalty—and 60% said that they switched brands in search of better customer service.
In the New Year, think about how you can give special attention to your customers (especially the ones looking for product or service support). Consider:
If you want to continue to attract customers, there’s no better time to invest in revamping your customer service.
The eleven business New Year resolutions above can help you ring in the next year with enthusiasm, commitment and growth in mind. From giving back to your community to making your office squeaky clean for the New Year, you have plenty of opportunities to welcome a new chapter in your business’s story.
At Nextdoor, helping businesses connect with nearby customers is what we’re all about. With a free Nextdoor Business Page, you can establish an online presence, connect with your neighbours one-on-one, share promotions and exciting company updates, and increase your brand awareness in your own backyard.
Your neighbours are ready to support local businesses like yours—connect with them by claiming your Nextdoor Business Page today.