Here’s hoping you’ve had a great year and 2017 has yielded lots of positive results.  No doubt you’ve experienced challenges too, but ones that have given you the opportunity to learn and develop as an individual and as a business.  What does the future have in store?  Here are our top 5 tips for planning ahead:

1. Refresh your business plan
   Set some time aside to dig out your 2017 plan, review it and reflect on what went well, what can be improved and how you can move forward with fresh goals for the New Year.  Making notes of what has been achieved is a great way of measuring your success; quite often you’ll be surprised at just how much you’ve done without realising it.
2. Plan your resource
   Review the team around you; employees, partners, suppliers.  Are they working effectively?  Are there areas for improvement?  Have a review meeting and outline what went well and what can be improved, in much the same way as you review your business plan.  Give praise where it’s due and say, ‘thank you’ for contributing to the success of your business.  Identify if there are any skills gaps in your team that need to be filled, either by recruiting or outsourcing.
3. Ask your customers
   Keep in touch with your customers regularly so you can gauge their feedback on the product or service you provide and understand what’s happening in the market.  As a result, quite naturally, this activity will generate referrals, repeat business and the opportunity to upsell whilst developing a positive and mutually beneficial partnership.
4. Make your marketing stand out
   With GDPR shaking up how we communicate with our target audiences from May, you really need to focus on making your business stand out from the crowd, which in turn will help you generate contacts who opt in to receiving your content.  Starting the process now will ensure you’re prepared for the changes taking place.
5. Get out and about
   Think about where you can meet potential new customers and research online.  Networking, exhibitions, award ceremonies, seminars and events are all great ways of integrating with your local business network and engaging in face-to-face conversation.  You’ll become recognised for what you do the more people you speak with, in turn generating new leads and relevant referrals.

Careful planning is essential to sustained business success. Whatever plans or targets you set yourself for 2018, we’re here to support you.  Contact us today to discuss your plans and how we can help you achieve them.