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2018! We’re a month into the new year and we’re wondering how your New Year’s resolutions are going? No, don’t tell us about your resolutions to exercise more (unless you really want to). We want to know your resolutions for your business.

If you haven’t set resolutions for your business, it’s not too late! Let’s get the year off to a stellar start. While January doesn’t clear the slate for your business (if only!), a new year is a great excuse to shake things up. New habits and tools are just what your business needs to rocket into a year of success. So, start 2018 with a commitment to working smarter, not harder. Focusing on a few resolutions can help you get on the right track!

Not sure where to begin? Here are 3 resolutions to help grow your startup or small business.

 

Upgrade Your Tools

Resolve to upgrade your tools.

Are you still using a spreadsheet and spending precious time answering emails from your staff? While every business is unique, most have common needs regarding product, sales, and marketing. Take advantage of the great and cost-efficient tools available to automate your time-consuming admin tasks, such as employee rostering and calculating expenses.

Get the best people  and money apps so you can focus on what really matters. Cloud-based tools stay up-to-date, go where you go, and integrate with each other so you can spend more time focusing on the next steps for your business. Most premium apps offer a free trial so you can test a new system, risk-free. We want to help you run a more streamlined business, so we created a marketplace of apps that are intuitive and easy to learn. We want to make sure you don’t waste any time this year trying to learn complicated software.

When you have the best apps and tools at your fingertips, you can zoom down the road to growth, instead of getting caught in an endless roundabout.

 

Take Control of Your Marketing

Resolve to stay in touch. You created your company to provide new solutions. This year, make sure people know about your innovations! Now is the time to connect with your customers.

Update your website. Regularly. You’re working hard to grow fast, and telling the story of your business is part of that growth. If you don’t have a website, building one is easy with WixWeebly or Shopify. These tools also make maintaining your website a breeze. Once your website is live (or you’ve performed a regular update), connect Google Analytics so you can track your website traffic and goal conversions.

The New Year is also a great time to send out an email marketing campaign. MailChimp and Campaign Monitor both have easy to customise templates. Plus, with MailChimp, marketing automation is free!

Resolutions are easier to stick to if you schedule tasks in advance, so set up marketing check-in points throughout the year. Updating your website, social media and email marketing is only one half of taking control of your marketing. The other half is monitoring your marketing efforts. This step is all about ensuring that your activities are attracting potential customers and keeping your growing base excited about your work. Track your campaign performance, social following and website goal conversions so you can adapt quickly to what is working and what isn’t.

 

Check in on your KPIs everyday

Ok, this is a two-part’er. The first step is to set yourKPIs for the year. Then, the next step is to check in on your KPIs and related metrics every day.

Setting KPIs  can seem like an overwhelming task, but it’s just a matter of asking yourself “what do I really want for my business?” and providing a measurable, concise answer. Maybe you want more customers? More revenue?  Reduced overhead costs? It’s simple to pick your key performance indicators when you define what you really want. For a few more tips on settingKPIs, read our guide here.

But who has time to check on their KPIs  every day? You do.

It’s time to build this good habit. One of the best ways to stick to a new habit is to make a plan and keep it easy. You already defined your KPIs, which is step 1. Now, let 9 Spokes help with the follow through. We created the 9 Spokes data dashboardto make it easy to monitor your KPIs and related metrics every day. The 9 Spokes dashboard integrates with all your favourite cloud-based apps to provide you with relevant data visualizations based on your business activities—no data entry required. For example, if one of your KPIs is increased business growth,9 Spokes makes it easy to see a visual representation of the financial strength of your business by displaying an easy- to-read graph of the % change of revenue and expense figures.

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Get your cup of tea or coffee and start your day by visiting your 9 Spokes dashboard. Then, your KPIs and related metrics can guide your day. 9 Spokes displays everything you need to know about your KPIs on one page. Whether you’re in front of your computer or commuting with your mobile in hand, you can check in on the metrics that matter.

This year, save time and focus on growth. Make 2018 your best business year ever and let 9 Spokes help you get there. Join 9 Spokes for free, today!