It's Time To Start Winding Down & Planning Ahead

It’s hard to believe that the end of the year is almost here.

>Sigh>

I know it went by really fast and hopefully you had a productive year. Right now is a good time to start planning ahead for your business.

In the last blog post I talked about how you could take steps to make sure you stay healthy. This time around we need to take at look at how to make sure your business stays in shape. Check out this awesome end of the year checklist and get busy.

Don’t procrastinate.

We all know that once Halloween has come and gone the holiday madness will begin so start planning how you will wrap up this year strong and start fresh for 2019.

Keep It Sunny!

Are You On Track For Success In Your Business?

January is in the record books and February is here.

How is your business doing?

Do you have your goals written down and created a system to reach them?

Are your financial records in order so you can take care of your tax obligations on time?

If not don't worry. There is still time to take a step back and put a plan in place. This month we will focus on business operations and making sure everything is set up to run smoothly. In the meantime check out this post I wrote about how to create more peace in your business. This will get you in the right frame of mind to be the amazing entrepreneur that you are meant to be.

Keep It Sunny!

IS IT TIME FOR A BUSINESS CHECKUP?

We all get busy and if you are a team of one then it can get increasingly hectic to make sure your business is going in the direction you want. You might have a few sleepless nights wondering if your bookkeeping is in order or how to get the shoebox of receipts into your QuickBooks account.

What about writing out a future plan to grow your business? That probably fell by the waste side as you got focused on resolving a client issue. You might have thought about creating some sort of standard operating procedures for your business but got busy wearing your marketing hat. I get it.

Check out a previous post I wrote on this topic that pinpoints some areas to zone in on.  And share some of your administrative challenges in the comments below so we can collectively learn from each other.

KEEP IT SUNNY!

STAY PRODUCTIVE IN YOUR BUSINESS WITH THIS CHEAT SHEET

Business Planning Checklist For 2015

Photo Courtesy of Stuart Miles|Freedigitalphotos.net

Merry Xmas Everyone! Santa has his list for getting the goodies for the kids, but do you have a business plan checklist for 2015? If not, here are 4 areas to take a look at to get you started:

• Tax Planning: Now is a good time to meet with your CPA to chart out next year's financial goals & to ensure that you are not due for overpayment come tax time.

• Expiring & Renewals of Subscriptions or Lease Agreements: Do you have a list of all the online tools, trade publications or rent lease agreements that you have? Now would be a good time to gather all those items and go through them with a fine tooth comb to make sure you still want them in place, dump them or renegotiate new terms.

• Annual filings: Take time to peruse your state, local and federal requirements for your business. This will ensure that you are in complete compliance with all applicable laws.

• Marketing Goals & Outcomes: If you are using social media, blog post, SEO or traditional marketing to reach your clients or customers, now is a good time to do a once over to make sure that you have the proper monthly goals in place that will drive traffic to your business so that you can make sales.

Taking an hour or two to brainstorm on these topics will go a long way to ensuring that you are on the right track for 2015. What are some of your business planning checklist ideas? Share them with me in the comments below!

The Future Is Very Bright For Small Business In 2015

photo courtesy of iosphere|freedigitalphotos.net

I love the idea & reality of being a small business owner. There is no feeling better in the world than being able to take your idea or thoughts and put them into action. I am optimistic that the small business industry as a whole will continue to go on an upswing. I am not alone. According to an article on smallbiztrends.com "Fifty-eight percent of small business owners expect growth in 2015". So are you doing all that you can to ride into the sunset with other small business owners? Here is a short checklist to ponder and put into action:

Have your team in place: Make sure you have your core partners in place such as a CPA, lawyer & business office operations manager.

Make sure your paperwork is up to date: This includes any applicable licenses, certifications or governmental regulatory paperwork that needs to be submitted on a regular basis.

Make sure your skills are up to date: You are only able to deliver world-class service to your clients if you are staying abreast of the latest trends & tools in your industry.

This is a very short list, but a great starting point to make sure your business is a success in 2015. In the meantime, here are some note taking software tools to keep your thoughts organized in one place.  Next post I will talk about what other items should be on your "to do" list before 2014 comes to a close.

Keep It Sunny!