We know 2020 was quite the year, and there was a lot of business disruption as all of us learned how to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Are you (like us) not exactly sad to see 2020 go? Let’s make 2021 a great year for business with these ten tips.

1. Review stats for 2020

Ugh, 2020 again! But making a year-end review part of your business routine can help you see where you’ve done well and what could have gone better. You’re already looking at your typical revenue, profits, and ROI numbers. 

Here are some additional data points that can help you spot issues to fix or improve in the coming year.

• Customer attrition rate
• New customers
• Social media posts: what types gave you the most engagement (not just likes?)
• Emails/newsletters: which ones provided you the most clicks?
• Ads: $ per click

2. Update your website

Search engines prefer updated websites. If you are posting to your own website regularly in the form of blog posts (like we do!), that automatically counts as an update.

In addition, at the end of the year you should also look at your website as a whole to see if there’s anything you need to change. If you pivoted this year due to coronavirus, your messaging may not be current. Also, look to see if there are any outdated graphics or cluttered areas on your site.

3. Make sure workers (including you!) are ergonomically correct

If anyone’s working at a computer, make sure they have an ergonomic setup. Also, it’s important to avoid sitting all day, so consider a sit-stand setup. If you stand to work, make sure the surface is high enough for you to work comfortably. Reaching too far or too high can cause strains, so gather supplies within easy reach. 

4. Consider what class or course you can take to shore up weak spots

Even before the pandemic, there was plenty of opportunity to learn online. There’s even more now. Once you’ve reviewed your stats and your business, you should have a good idea of your weak spots. 

Continuous learning isn’t just good for your business, it’s good for your brain too! Map out your learning calendar in advance and make sure you actually take the classes.

5. Clean out your workspace

Greet the new year with a clean office. File away your 2020 paperwork and get ready for 2021. If you haven’t organized your online space, you can do so now. 

Make sure you have your documents automatically backed up (which generally happens when you save to the cloud, as in Google Docs or Microsoft OneDrive.) Don’t let your computer screen be littered with icons; save in folders that make sense to you.

6. Get back in touch

Staying in contact with your network is vital! Email newsletters are great, as are social media posts, but even better is reaching out individually. Who haven’t you spoken to in the last year?

You might want to set a goal of talking to one person from your network every week or every day.

7. Organize your marketing calendar

Be intentional with all your messages! Emails, newsletters, social media posts, blog posts, you name it. Want to run promotions during the holiday seasons? Schedule them in. If you want to reward your best customers during a slow time of the business, make sure you set aside the time for it.

Knowing what you want to post and when to support your sales and marketing efforts makes your life a whole lot easier when business gets busy!

8. Review your budget

It’s true that 2020 may be a little tricky and more of an anomaly than previous years. But you may still find that you have found some savings, or conversely that you need to spend more on one area, given the new circumstances we all find ourselves in.

If there are services or subscriptions that you no longer need, cancel them. Monthly charges have a way of sticking, so make sure you are only paying for things that you use.

9. Embrace (or review) technology

How much of your marketing and other processes are still done manually? There are a lot of online tools, many of the free, that help you streamline your business. Yes, you can use spreadsheets for a lot of work, but automated tools can help you make sure you don’t miss out on any follow up.

This year here at LiftYourTable we implemented an inventory management application instead of trying to manage everything through spreadsheets. Game-changer! Inventory management can be tedious. Once we learned the system we freed up so much time to work on important tasks.

10. Eat the frog

In other words, face your fear. Is there something that you know could make a difference in your business but you’ve been afraid to try it? Commit to working on it this year. You could end up with huge gains just by eating that frog and getting it over with.

Happy new year, everyone! 

Our store for folding table risers is open all year long so check out your options for making 2021 a safe and productive year in your business!