3 Steps to Make 2022 More Profitable

Although retailers have been promoting the holiday season since September, all of us know that we are now “down to the wire,” and in my opinion, it’s not a moment too soon.

I’m eagerly awaiting the New Year. What about you?

Many people were thrown a vicious curveball this past year, and the opportunity to “start over” looms large.

Still, there are no guarantees that your business will automatically “soar” and without a doubt, action steps must be taken. Here are three to consider:

1. Take a long hard look at your business and assess the following in your business:

• Staffing
• Productivity
• Quality of work product
• Competition
• Pricing
• Marketing and branding
• Sales

This endeavor is not for the weak of heart. It can be time-consuming, but only when you know your current situation can you make plans for the future.

Many businesspeople find that it is beneficial to work with a business coach for this process as they can help you stay on point and are completely unbiased.

Once you know where you are you can address where you want to be and develop the strategies and tactics to get you there.

2. Network deeper and more strategically. 2021 was the year that brought about Zoom fatigue, and because many of us were working from home we jumped on calls morning, noon, and night. But networking takes time and relationships must be built before you can see a return on your time. Many people didn’t take this into account and didn’t expend the time to nurture a relationship with the people they met on the Zoom calls. Moving forward, plan for how and where you are going to network in 2022. The cliché “less is more” might be appropriate!

3. It’s important to accept that you may have to re-engineer your business considering what transpired in 2021. Think about bringing in outside resources to help you execute the creation of new marketing materials, refining your brand, developing new sales strategies, developing content, or any of the other parts of business development in which you may not be an expert. Many owners of micro and small businesses try to do everything themselves, and that can be a mistake.

This is the time to take stock of the different parts of your business and make the necessary adjustments to scale your company in the New Year. It doesn’t happen by itsel