Have You Pressed The Reset Button On Your Small Business?

❌ Snapping at clients or customers when they asked for the impossible to be 'done before June 30'.

This meant you were thinking 'Why does lack of planning on your part create an emergency for me?'.

❌ Ultimately falling out of love with your business which isn't good.

So instead of coming to work in July with positivity and new energy because it's a NEW YEAR and an opportunity to start again, I wonder if you're like most people who simply plunged themselves straight into catchup and firefighter mode rather than strategy and 'on the business' mode?

👉 And if this is you, then unfortunately you're concentrating on completing multiple tasks at once and being 'so busy' that you're not able to focus on what's truly important which leads to frustration, confusion and overwhelm.

Which means if this keeps up, it's going to be a very long and exhausting run up to Christmas.

And haven't you had enough of them?

💡 What if instead, you stopped to determine what you don't want to bring from the past year into a new one?

By doing this, you'll end 2025 with clarity, results and fun rather than you and your staff feeling frustrated, overwhelmed and rundown.

👉 So please take a few moments to write down what happened last financial year including the wins and lessons learnt. This will help you determine what worked, what didn't and what you'll do differently with the benefit of hindsight.

With this list in mind, here's three simple strategies to help you RESET your business so you start this new financial year with a Bang!

Why?

Because they don't like dealing with conflict and they hope, by ignoring issues, they'll go away. But they don't.

❓ So which behaviours, attitudes and frustrations (that with the best of intentions, you've inadvertently turned a blind eye to), don't you want appearing this year?

These often include arriving to work late, not meeting deadlines, not keeping the kitchen clean, not following procedures, disrespecting colleagues etc.

Write these down and then have a staff meeting to:

✅ Own your part in not addressing these things sooner

✅ Outline the behaviours and expectations which need to stop and the new habits to start building

✅ Share the help you'll provide to make this happen eg training, support, documented systems

✅ Gain agreement and commitment to these new boundaries and expectations

✅ Outline the consequences for not embracing the new boundaries and expectations

✅ Provide staff with a written summary of what's been agreed.

💡 When clients engage me to reset their small business and teams, I provide staff with laminated copies of visual 'start and stop' reminders.

This simple system shows you're committed to changes and also addresses the 'I forgot' excuse.

By sharing the old and new boundaries and expectations NOW with your staff, it provides them with the clarity (and the reminders) they need so they don't fall back into old habits.

It will also quickly show you who's really on your Team Train and who isn't.

👉 REVISE     Review or Write Your 1 Page 2025 Business Intent

💡 It's time to plan tomorrow TODAY so if you haven't already, start reviewing 2025 Annual Business Intent NOW to see what targets and priorities need to be revised between now and Christmas.

And if you don't have one, then write your 6 month 2025 Business Intent.

This one page template I develop with my clients is called a Business Intent and not a Business Plan.

The reason I changed the name is because we can Plan to do anything but often don't achieve it.

However, by changing the language to Intent, it shifts us cognitively and increases the likelihood of achievement.

In addition, by having everything succinctly on one page; it provides clarity, focus and simplicity which owners, management and staff can embrace.

👉 RE-ENERGISE   Write Your 'Not Negotiable' 2025 To Do List

As we operate in a world where To Do Lists only get longer instead of shorter, it's time to recognise the impact a never ending To Do List has on anyone's mental health and wellbeing.

If your days constantly feel like 2 steps forward, 8 back, then it's no wonder you're feeling frustrated, confused and overwhelmed.

💡 So now is the time to review that list to determine what's realistically possible between now and Christmas.

Your To Do List should ONLY include the tasks which MUST be done, based on the CURRENT CAPACITY and CAPABILITY of you and your team because you don't want to set anyone up to fail.

✅ Remember, these are targeted, realistic and mission critical tasks which cannot (or you don't want to) be completed any later than Christmas.

These not-negotiable tasks then become everyone's focus for the next six months.

It's also a good idea to include some BONUS Tasks which can be completed if you have a great run.

You'll be amazed at what's achieved with a smaller focused list simply because you've given people permission to park what can actually wait or isn't really a priority.