The new year often brings a renewed focus on fresh starts and improved efficiency. Many of us are wondering how we might earn more, be more productive, and enjoy a better work/life balance. But as you’re committing to goals for the new year, consider that what your business may need is some decluttering. It’s time to channel your inner Marie Kondo and tackle not just physical spaces, but also digital files, outdated processes, and even stagnant strategies.
Just like a cluttered home can lead to stress and lost productivity, a cluttered business environment can hinder growth and innovation. Here's how you can embrace decluttering for a more successful year:
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Whether you are starting your own business or reporting to someone else, you can be the leader you want to be with just a few changes to your weekly routine. All it takes is a little awareness.
Before we get into the routines you can incorporate into your week, it’s important to understand that it may feel difficult to implement these changes if you’re really struggling in your professional life. You may feel like you need to concentrate on the basics before you can take on the “fluffy” feel-good leadership tasks. But if you don’t make time for these (even a few minutes of focus will help), you will find yourself struggling between wanting to be a better leader and achieving it. Even if it means concentrating on some of these ideas while you’re in the shower or driving to work (instead of listening to music), make the time. You’ll notice a difference in what you see meaning in. We know you're an incredibly busy business owner. It's easy to get caught up in the daily tasks and operation of your business. But if you're only doing what must be done, and never making time for innovation, you will fall behind.
But how do you make time to innovate? For the busy business professional, being told to make time to innovate is like someone critiquing your swimming stroke when you feel like you're drowning. To innovate you must have (or feel like you have) your business under control and very few business owners feel that way. Something is always coming up that demands time and energy and so innovation takes a back seat to the business’ immediate needs. It's likely you've heard that AI can streamline your tasks and make you more efficient. While that's true and a lot of businesses are using AI in administrative ways, it can do so much more. However, even as good as AI is, it cannot oversee your strategic planning and innovation. As the leader of your company, you need to be the one to take that on. With AI you can get several hours back in your week and that extra time can be used to innovate and strategize. Here's how: AI is one of the most efficient tools we’ve seen since the advent of the computer. But if you’re using it to generate content and then just copying and pasting, you’re missing out. And that kind of “laziness” could be costing you customers.
Here’s how a couple of quick edits can bring your AI-generated content from meh to aaaamazing. First, we’re going to assume you can write a good solid prompt. Telling AI what role you want it to have (you are a brilliant small business owner, for example), who your audience is, what kind of content you’re looking for, and what tone you want, is essential to getting a solid first draft. Here’s what you do from there to create non-robot-like narratives and articles. The market is volatile. No, we’re not talking about stocks. The needs and desires of your audience are evolving, and your business marketing needs to follow suit. If you’re not practicing agile marketing, you’re going to fall behind.
Agile marketing is one of the most crucial aspects of marketing for businesses today. It offers significant advantages in an ever-changing marketplace. And the public’s expectations surrounding it (bet you didn’t know they already expect agility in marketing) can mean a potentially costly mistake for businesses that aren’t implementing it. You have a great business. You offer items/services everyone needs, yet you’re struggling to get people in the door. What can you do?
You need traffic to increase sales, whether that’s online or in-person. If your business is struggling to bring in customers, you know that has to change if you’re going to survive. While there are many ways to improve your online traffic (search engine optimization, user experience, etc.), your physical business’ traffic is all about location. But before you go and pack up your stuff to find a better location, let’s go over a few things you can do to increase your daily visitors. Business ownership is often romanticized as a thrilling combo ride of passion, innovation, and drive where one can wear a hoodie and hang out playing video games all day while money magically flows into your bank account. But anyone in business knows the idea of the effortless hustle or business is about as untrue as being discovered on a street corner in Hollywood and becoming a blockbuster star the very next day.
Does it happen? Occasionally. But there are more stories of struggle and strife than instant riches. The reality for many business owners is a less glamorous one that can take a significant toll on mental health. A study by the University of California, Berkeley, found that a staggering 72% of entrepreneurs report experiencing mental health concerns, with 30% reporting lifetime depression. The weight of this statistic underscores the importance of addressing the mental health challenges faced by those at the helm of our businesses. And that begins by looking in the mirror. Social media is becoming more and more frustrating, right? If you have used it to connect with your audience for ten years or so, you undoubtedly have seen crazy changes in your reach. If you’re new to the social media for business scene, reaching 2% of your audience probably feels pretty normal.
But if you’re not reaching your audience, how are they going to know who you are and all the wonderful things your business can bring them? When it comes to building a loyal following, there are several things you can do. Ultimately, reach is still dependent on the platform’s algorithm, but every social media channel claims to respond to value. To reach more people, you need them to see you as providing valuable content they want to interact with. Here’s how you can start doing that. If you’re like many of us, you may have decided that watching the news is not in your mental health’s best interest. From angry rants to misinformation, it’s difficult to understand the benefits these days. That’s why focusing on positivity and feel-good stories can help your business stand out and create a sense of connection with your audience.
But what kind of “feel good” content can you provide? If you’re like most businesspeople, finding ways to get names on your emailing list can be exhausting. We all want tons of fans and followers. There’s value behind a list of people who are interested in what you offer. Most businesses start their list with people they know. But if you want to turn your email list into marketing gold, you need to get strangers (who will become potential customers) interested in you. That’s no easy task.
It’s the kind of activity that most of us avoid because the thought of it seems so overwhelming. |
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