Welcome to 2015; hopefully you haven’t given up on your New Years Resolutions just yet. Popular resolutions typically revolve around personal goals such as to lose weight, quit smoking, or save money. New Years Resolutions don’t always work; maybe it’s the time of year or maybe it’s the pressure of the calendar that leads to setting unrealistic goals. The fact remains that as mere mortals we set New Years Resolutions.
It’s also a good time of year to reflect on and adjust not just personal goals but your business and professional goals. This year, consider setting business resolutions in addition to (or maybe instead of) personal resolutions that are likely to be forgotten by the end of the month.
Here are some business-oriented goals that every individual or business can easily implement and which will grow your business in 2015 and beyond:
1. Promote your business on a consistent basis
Out of sight, out of mind. Todays marketing tools – including, but not limited to, social media channels – provide opportunities for businesses of all sizes to promote themselves on a regular basis. Your customers are engaged on social media channels; your customers are on consumer generated content sites; and your customers look to chamber-of-commerce websites for relevant business directories to meet their needs and do their due diligence. Resolve to use these cost effective tools in 2015 to promote your business on a consistent basis and leverage your professional networks to extend your reach.
2. Speaking of networking: network, network, network
A key component to business success and personal growth is who you know. Many jobs are not being advertised in traditional ways in our increasingly tight labor market (3.5% unemployment in September based on state of Colorado figures) and an increasingly difficult market for employers looking for employees in skilled trades). Networking increases your professional reach and increases the awareness of your business operation, especially for those in business-to-business, professional service industries.
3. Welcome a newcomer
What came first, the chicken or the egg? Transient communities such as ours present a unique challenge; do we wait for someone to establish themselves in our community before we extend a warm welcome? Or do we welcome them immediate to help with their transition? Research done by the Partnership shows that one major hurdle within our business community is the hesitancy to embrace newcomers; a positive resolution for 2015 would be to provide a warm welcome to someone to help integrate them into our mountain community.
4. Learn something new and apply it to your organization
Don’t buy into the old saying that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. Regardless of your tenure or experience, opportunities abound to continue to learn. We are blessed with learning opportunities including Colorado Mountain College courses, TEDxVail events, Vail Symposium programming and a variety of professional seminars and events hosted by Vail Valley Partnership and local chamber groups. Attend these events, learn from experts in their fields, and apply these lessons to grow your business.
5. Embrace the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships
We are fortunate to play host to the World from February 2-15, 2015. The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Vail and Beaver Creek will mark the third time that the Vail Valley has played host to this prestigious international event, along with the 1989 and 1999 events. Combined with the 1950 World Championships in Aspen, the 2015 event will also signify only the fourth Alpine Championships ever held in the United States, all of them in Colorado. It’s a big deal for our community, and a great opportunity to experience the best that ski racing has to offer. As an added bonus, we can cheer on our hometown heroes in our backyard. Make a point to enjoy the races, enjoy the festivities and embrace our visitors – you only get one chance to make a first impression and with the extended television coverage, our first impression will extend not just to the visitors attending the event but will extend to viewers from around the World.
It’s not too late to set a few (realistic) New Years Resolutions for your business or your career. Consider the above options as they are easily accessible and will have a positive impact on your operations in 2015 and beyond. And remember, the Vail Valley Partnership serves as an avenue to many of the options listed above, so let us help make sure your business resolutions don’t fall through the cracks.