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By Peter Wasmer, Founder & CEO of Pure Coastal Technologies Inc.
If your small business feels like it’s in a rut, don’t despair. There are steps you can take to start getting things moving again and it may be time to start to consider making some changes. This can be a scary prospect, but sometimes change is necessary to get your business moving again.
Take a step back to assess the situation
The first step is to take a step back and search for ways to start to assess the situation. There are things you can do to start moving again – and making small changes can sometimes be all that is needed. Take a good look at your business and see where things might be going wrong. Are you not marketing enough online? Are you not reaching your target audience with the right word or words? Are your products or services not up to par? Once you’ve identified the problem areas, you can start taking the right measures to fix them and start to get your small business back on track. Learning is free.
Get creative with quality ideas
Next, it’s time to get creative and start to come up with some new ideas. A fresh perspective will get things moving again. You may just find the inspiration (and word) you need to get your business out of its rut if you search hard enough. If you’re not sure where to start, try brainstorming with your team or talking to other businesses in your industry. Ideas include having a strong online presence that makes it easy for people to search for your company, ensuring quality customer service, providing customers with access to your leadership team, keeping employees in check, listening to what customers need and want, utilizing quality best practices, focusing on many tasks at hand, taking things a day at a time, setting a good example, and taking advantage of access to free community and government resources.
Practice self-care, learn, and set a good example – it’s free
Don’t forget to take care of yourself. By making time for yourself, you can prevent burnout and keep your small business running smoothly. Running a small business can be stressful, so make sure you’re taking time for yourself, both mentally and physically. Exercise, eat well, and get plenty of rest. Sleep is free to access. A healthy mind and body will help you be at your best when it comes to running your small business. There are government programs you can access that will help, if required.
Stay focused on your goals in 2022 and beyond
If you’re a small business owner, you know that it’s important to stay focused on your goals. Stay true to your word. After all, without a clear focus, it’s easy to get sidetracked and end up wasting time and resources. But how do you stay focused when there are so many demands on your time and attention?
Set best practice priorities for your office
One way to stay focused is to keep a list of your top priorities and make sure it is handy to access. This can be a physical list that you keep in your office, or it can be a digital list that you access on your phone or computer. Whenever you feel yourself getting pulled in too many directions, refer to your list and remind yourself of what’s most important to your quality of life and what will help your business be the best it can be.
Work on your updated goals
It can also be helpful to set aside specific best times of day or week for working on your goals. For example, you might need to work on your business plan every Monday morning, or you might set aside an hour each day to work on marketing tasks. By blocking out time in your schedule for goal-related activities, you’re more likely to get them done.
Stay flexible & focus on best quality
It is also important to be flexible and adapt as needed. There will always be unexpected things that come up, and you may need to adjust your plans from time to time. But if you keep your focus on what’s most important, you’ll be on the right track.