As the New Year approaches quickly, it's a great time to look toward the future - both personally and with regard to your business. Take some time to reflect on your business's progress over this past year and determine how you would like your business to develop in the coming year. It can be as simple as asking yourself if you want to increase your success, or do you want the opportunity to enjoy the success you have already achieved.

If you are a small business owner, the lines between your business life and your personal life often are blurry. Striking a work/life balance is a concept we all struggle with. The New Year provides everyone the opportunity to improve on their business operations and change their future! Here are seven plans of action every entrepreneur and business owner must make for their business. By taking some time to consider these Resolutions for Business Success, you can achieve a truly satisfying success in 2012.

Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action - Benjamin Disraeli

1. Business Plan and Strategy

Planning is vital if you want a healthy growing business and it all starts with a Business Plan. You won't get where you're going unless you know where you want to be. The end of the year is a great time to take stock of what worked and what didn't work. This helps you set new directions or adjust old goals.

2. Promote your Business consistently

Too often the task of promoting a small business falls to the bottom of your to-do list. You can't execute one marketing effort each year and expect your business to grow. If you want to attract new customers, you have to make promotion a priority. Consider hiring a marketing expert or take the time to plan marketing efforts quarterly or monthly and plan time for follow through and results tracking.

3. Create an Action Plan

This should be part of your Strategic Business Plan and should be created for every employee. An Action Plan helps your Business Plan be successful. Set aside time each month to review, adjust and look forward. This way you are sure every employee knows how their job relates to the company's overall vision and that each has individual objectives and goals with measurable standards and timetables. This will help you stay on track, feel more focused and relaxed.

 4. Learn Something New

Learning something new will add to your skills and add a new dimension of interest to your life. This is an important part of that work - life balance. What you choose to learn may be directly related to your business or completely unrelated. You may meet new and interesting people who may become customers, colleagues or friends

5. Get a Coach, Mentor or join a Business Organization

Build accountability into your personal planning by asking others to help you realize your dreams. There is nothing like talking to other business people for sparking new ideas, refining old ones and making contacts. Enlist people who you can trust to give you objective feedback and create deadlines for your planned success. Making an effort to connect with others or be part of a group will revitalize you and your business.

6. Schedule time on your Calendar for YOU

It is important for your business success to recharge and refresh yourself. A healthy work/life balance demands time out and, without this down time, you've got a recipe for mental and physical disaster. Stick with this commitment, because investing in you gives others a great example to follow.

7. Give Something Back to your Community

There are many worthy organizations that make a difference in your community. Find a cause that matters to you and give what you can. Make 2012 the year that you become a mentor, volunteer or in some way try to make the place you live a better place in this coming year. Remember, those that give also get! Giving back to your community is the best way to plant seeds and grow goodwill for you and your business.

I wish you a very healthy and happy New Year and look forward to connecting with you in 2012. Thanks so much for being a part of the Transcription Plus, LLC community.

Happy New Year!

Mary Goehring

Owner/CEO

Transcription Plus, LLC

860-583-2818

mary@transcriptionplus.net

www.transcriptionplus.net

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