Five ways to prepare your business for the new year

Is your business prepared for 2016?

With the new year just around the corner, now is the perfect time to take stock and start making plans for 2016. Here are five ways you can whip your business into shape.

1. Rework your business strategy

Every small business needs a strong business strategy if it wants to thrive, but how long has it been since you last sat down and looked at yours? A strong, relevant strategy can yield great growth for small businesses, while out-of-date and irrelevant ones can lead to false starts and wasted opportunities.

Tip: Spend some time examining your existing strategy and work out whether it's still in line with your current business goals and challenges.

2. Recruit strong players

To find the kind of talent that can help your small business succeed in the coming year, you need to make sure you're taking full advantage of your advertising options. Strong candidates can be hard to recruit, so if you want to reach the right market in 2016, you need to start planning your advertising options now.

Tip: Create a cohesive job description to use across all channels to target the kind of talent your business needs.

3. Examine innovations

In a world where technology is constantly evolving, it's worth setting aside a little time to assess the innovations out there. For all you know, the latest, greatest time-saver could be just around the corner and if it is, you want your business to be the early adopter that has it.

Tip: Investigate new apps, hardware and connected devices that could make a real difference to the way you do businesses.

4. Look back, then forward

There's no time like the present, so take a moment to evaluate your business and its recent successes and failures. Where have you gone wrong during the last 12 months? Are there any areas you've excelled in? Look carefully at your figures and turn your good and bad experiences into learning aids for the future.

Tip: Revisit all the challenges you faced last year and use them to help you avoid potential pitfalls in the coming 12 months.

5. Revitalise your website

Keep clients engaged and give them something new to look at by meeting the new year with a revitalised business website. You should already be regularly checking your site for dead links and out-of-date information, but now is the perfect time to dig a little deeper and give your site a refresh that will drive more business.

Tip: Create a new colour scheme, add new images, look at seasonal deals and offers, and refresh your online content to ensure it's the best it can be.

Ready to improve your website for 2016? Contact your local Snap Centre.