8 business ideas and tips to make 2016 your best year ever.

We all need help thinking up new business ideas, but we also need to take stock of our current processes.

As we all go into the new financial year, I know I will face new challenges as I continue to grow my business. I know with careful planning and prioritising, they will all be overcome, and not overwhelm me.

While I can’t control everything put before me from the weather, the economic climate  or government policy, I will take personal responsibility for my attitude, my business ideas and how I will make this the best year ever and continue on my journey roughly north.

From time to time, we need to give ourselves a kick in the pants, as an advisor I had an Ah Ha moment, after guiding a client to grow his business, i reflected on my own advice and realised that I too was starting to do the same thing I was advising my client not to do and took immediate action to fix it, and would you believe it resulted in a new contract the next week.

As I’m sitting here reflecting on my business ideas, strategy, milestones and goals for the new financial year, thinking and planning the steps I need to take to make it  my personal best year ever, I thought I would share so insights that might help you as you plan your year ahead.

Grab the new year between your teeth and tear into it.

Look back at the 2014 / 2015 financial year, celebrate your successes and take the time to look at what business ideas that didn’t quite work and how you could have done them differently. Don’t think of them as failures, as unlike a lot of your friends, you had the courage to have a go. As the saying goes, “you only fail when you don’t try.

Map what you have learned from both and think about what changes you want to make in order to grow in the year ahead. Be bold, clearly define what success looks like for the new year, setting audacious and achievable goals, get a coach to guide you if you feel the need.

Visualize what you want the year to look like, literally. Write a list by month, or build a dream board, but don’t go into 2015/16 without knowing what you want success to look like.

Your Values are your biggest Asset.

Take time to re-assess your values, why you started on your business journey and what’s important to you on a personal level. Put your values to work daily throughout the year ahead. If it feels like we’re walking away from the founding values this country was successfully built on do what Gandhi advised and, “be the change you want to see in the world.” Decide what you really care about and the role you can play in helping make a positive change in the world.

Don’t sweat the small stuff!

Like all of you, my time is valuable and I am constantly being drawn upon to help someone to do something or other and my to do list grows by the hour so it is easy to waste time on small, insignificant, time-draining stuff that will not help me achieve my goals.

Each day I make a list of the things I need to get done, rather than prioritizing straight away, I look at what is really going to add value, and then cross out the things that if not done, won’t result in the sky falling in.

Money is not the motivator, it is the measure of the value you add

Every business is obsessed with making a profit and there is nothing wrong with that, but you need to be more focused and ask yourself “What value am I adding to my customer that they will happily reward me with the price I am asking?”

Making a profit critical if you wish to stay in business for the long haul, and Price is the direct measure of the value you add and by having a clearly defined solution to your clients pain or problem.

Just be you, be true to who you are and what your values are.

Don’t be a sheep, you created your business because you identified an opportunity in the market. You created a business that suited your personality, on the weekend I caught up with a friend in retail and after a bit of soul searching identified that it was his approach to his business that brought in the sales not just the product he sold and not price.

For the new 2015 / 2016 what steps will you take to define your brand’s personality, take some time to revisit your values and who you are, what makes you tick, and why you get out of bed every day. Don’t just follow the crowd, be courageous and most of all, no matter what happens be proud of what you have achieved.

Surround yourself with people that can add value to your life and business.

Hang around with the wrong crowd and sooner or later they start to rub off on your behaviour. So the opposite has to be true, surround yourself around intelligent people and both you and your business will benefit. Take a successful business person out to lunch and ask questions about how they achieved their success, I would be surprised if no one took you up on your offer.

You only have a limited amount of time to spend each day so invest it wisely

Time is like money, it is not unlimited and once you spend it, it is gone. Dont look back with regret, plan your day and make the most of every hour available to you to invest in things that either make you a better person to be around or add value to the thing you are doing, both in your personal life and business.

Be Entrepreneurial, do something new, take yourself out of your comfort zone and back your ability.

Allocate some ME TIME every week, Learn to surf, ride a horse, run a marathon,write a book, or play the Didgeridoo. There’s nothing like the excitement and sense of accomplishment that is earnt from doing something completely new for the first time.

And a bonus tip.

Do stuff you will be proud to tell a crowded room some day.

I often get invited to be a keynote speaker at networking events and universities, I love to tell my story and share insights to the audience. I’ve made some mistakes and achieved a lot of cool things and I am proud to share my journey with those prepared to listen.

Make sure on your journey Roughly North, you do stuff that you can write about or share with an audience, you will be the better for it, that I can guarantee. 

Tim Stannage is an entrepreneurial Growth strategist who mentors and helps identify marketing growth strategies for businesses of all sizes. If you feel you need some honest straight forward advice feel free to reach out and call Tim at Your Business Help Desk on 0409 002 892 or 1300 946 227.

www.yourbusinesshelpdesk.com.au,  www,workslocal.com.au