By Aimee Woodley

And just like that, it’s 2020.

Hopefully, that means we’ll be able to see and achieve our business goals clearly and with focus, right? Or what else do they say? New year, new you? Well, whatever the cliché is, what better time of year is there to take a fresh look at your business?

Whether it’s starting from scratch, trying some fresh ideas for your existing business, or recovering from a hard time, the new year is a great time to experiment and move forward.

Use the freshness of the new year as an excuse to take the pulse of your business. See where your strengths lie and consider expanding and perfecting those aspects. Are your strengths in your customer care? That’s the personalized touch you bring to the transaction or extra value that you provide your customers. Or perhaps your product is what brings people coming back for more. But just because things are going well, it doesn’t mean you should just sit back and take a break. Look into strengthening and growing those special things about your business that stand out.

In essence, how can you move even further ahead?

Unfortunately, almost all businesses have weaknesses. Rather than dwelling on those weaknesses and wallowing in them, it is better to evaluate them so that you can learn and grow. What problems have plagued your businesses? Look at the big and the small. Are those problems the actual problem or are they symptoms of a bigger, deeper, more complex issue? Rather than looking at the short-term fix that creates a temporary band-aid that will just need fixing again in the long run, work backward and dig deep to find the root of the issue.

The holidays may be over, but that doesn’t make it any less important to remember the things you love about your business. Sometimes simply taking stock of things and looking at what it is with clear 20/20 vision helps us remember why we started the whole thing in the first place and where we want to go from here.