Hasn’t this year flown? Suddenly we’re on the brink of a shiny new year, with all the blank-page
promise that holds – new beginnings, maybe a health kick, and the opportunity to be better at the
things you promised yourself you’d nail in 2017 but didn’t quite get around to …
We’re here to help! So grab yourself a fresh new notebook and take a look at our tips for getting
your new business in order for 2018.

 
Make the numbers add up
There’s nothing worse than losing track of your numbers, so if you don’t already have one, why not look at an online accounts package?
Xero and Quickbooks both provide systems suitable for small businesses which are quick and easy to use. Not only do you not need an accountancy degree to operate them, but you can get up-to- the-minute reports on all kinds of financial indicators, from your current profit and loss status to which clients take the longest to pay and what your VAT bill is likely to be this quarter.

 

Polish up your profile
January will be the perfect time to give your LinkedIn profile a once-over. Check things like:
– Is your profile picture professional and recent? If you meet people who say “I would never have recognised you!” now is probably the time for a new photo
– Can you ask for recommendations from recent clients? If you don’t ask, you don’t get, as the saying goes. It’s simple to view a client’s profile, click More next to the message button, then choose Request a recommendation
– Have you posted any articles recently? LinkedIn works best when you are sharing knowledge. Plan to write a few articles with helpful information for your contacts? Try taking inspiration from something in the news or a recent project

 

Shiny new systems
Whether yours is a business of one or you have an office full of people you are bound to need systems. Think about the things you struggled to get on top of in 2017 and prioritise a solution or those.

Maybe you need to better plan your time – try a bullet journal (try this tongue-in- cheek article for a quick explanation) or make scheduling meetings faster with Doodle, a quick way to gather everyone’s availability and choose the most suitable date without a million emails going back an forth.
If you should really stay in touch with clients more or keep forgetting to follow up those leads, maybe a CRM system is what you need. There is a HUGE range to choose from, but Tech Radar helpfully compiled their top 10 for small businesses.

It can be tough to manage the work of a busy team but guess what? There’s an app for that too! Try Trello for easy allocation of tasks or Slack for avoiding an in-box full of internal emails. For more inspiration, here’s a quick round up of collaboration tools from Time Doctor.

 

Is your spare room still the right space?
If you’ve been weighing up whether to move your business out of your spare room, dining table or garden shed, why not try our co-working space as your first foot into an office door?

With packages starting from £45 a month you get a desk, high speed internet and use of our address for your mail, as well as our friendly reception service and use of the garden room. If you think an office is for you, we have a variety of spaces starting at £100 a month with no lengthy contracts.

Give one of the team a call on 01422 413035 to book a visit.