Do you have an optimistic outlook for the year or has the uncertainty caused you to stop in your tracks. Even in a period of uncertainty, it is important to keep moving forward. Use these tips to ensure you are making forward progress this year.

Sometimes there are causes your business supports without much effort. For me, it’s supporting women-owned businesses. It naturally occurred as my business grew. So when I learned of the TheWMarketplace which serves women-owned businesses to sell their goods and services, it was obvious I needed to get involved.

As the business owner, you can decide the culture you want for your company. You simply need to be deliberate about identifying and reinforcing the behaviors and experiences you want for your business.

If someone asked you what it would take to double your revenue, would you have an answer? The question was posed to me and it caught me off-guard. I’ve pulled together key questions to ask as you build your plan to achieve significant growth.

Having a budget creates a mechanism for understanding where you are spending the business’ money and for monitoring if you are on track to achieve your profit goals. Building a budget does not need to be overwhelming. Here are 4 steps to help you get started as you prepare for the new year.

You may be shocked to hear me say it, but it is okay to work on holidays. The caveat is you need to not be working other times of the week. In preparation for a holiday, read to determine if working on the holiday is right for you.

You are not going to get everything on your to-do list done this week. If you are preparing for some time off, that is even more unrealistic. Instead of overwhelming yourself with an incredibly long list, it is time to differentiate the Need-to-do’s from the Want-to-do’s.

Take a listen to me geeking-out on running a business on the Stop the Noise Podcast

Star charts were an incredible tool for motivating us to do our chores when we were kids. As adults, we no longer need a chart to remind us to do the dishes and go to work. But perhaps a star chart would be a helpful tool in our professional lives.

It is easy to let emotions take hold and prevent you from moving forward. Having a dog that runs anxiety induced circles has taught me that breaking the cycle of our emotions requires a lot of effort and different techniques. It is important to take the steps when you find yourself running in circles if you want to keep moving forward.

As the early-release week wrapped up, we were exhausted, but had survived. However, I was disappointed, feeling as if I had failed to move the need or meet my expectations for the week. It was a good reminder that we need to calibrate expectations to reality.

Some say if your business is not growing, it’s dying. But growth can also kill a business owner. You didn’t go into business to lose the life you were living or hurt your health. There are steps you can take to move your business in a direction that will be personally sustainable.

As we enter a new year and plan for the future, don’t forget to assess what go you to where you are today. Two years into a pandemic and you’re still standing. That’s got to be worth something.

It is easy to assume that what you have tried in the past will not work in the present. But preferences and needs evolve and what you tried previously that did not work out the way you had planned may be exactly what you need in this phase of your business. Sometimes we need to give things a second chance.

As yearend approaches, you do not need to return to the frenetic pace of 2019. It is time to blend your 2019 and pandemic paces to create the new way to enjoy the end of the year.

The budget planning process has many of the same benefits for business as it does for car buying. As business owners, it is imperative to understand how changes to your spend impact the bottom line. Unfortunately, many small business owners do not create a budget and lack clarity on how much they can shift their financial resources during the year.

It is easy to get frustrated when things slowdown in your business. You know what needs to be done to deliver on your commitments. But you can only move as fast as the slowest piece of your process. As the business owner, are you unknowingly creating bottlenecks?

When you have reached the state of overwhelm hit the pause button. Continuing to go in the vicious circle never solved anything and will heighten your emotional reaction with each spin.

What metrics do you use to assess your productivity each day? The number of tasks you crossed off your to-do list? The speed with which you completed the tasks? Your level of satisfaction with the items you crossed off your list? How much closer you are to achieving your goals?

Delegation is challenging. Whether you struggle with losing control or enjoy the task you know you need to hand over, delegating requires letting go. You and your business will benefit when others take on different activities. As you plot out what needs to be removed from your plate, walk through these four steps to feel grounded and confident that it is the best move for everyone involved.