Business Success - Six New Year's Resolutions for Business Owners

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Six New Year's Resolutions for Business Owners

Cliff Ennico

Yes, you read it right -- it's late August or early September right now, there's not a drop of snow on the ground right now, and while some of my local retail outlets are showing Halloween merchandise, there's no Santa Clauses or menorahs in sight. But now is a great time to make some resolutions for your business, regardless of the weather.

My practice is always very busy in late August and early September. I think it's because people are back from their vacations, after spending some "down time" thinking about ways they can improve their businesses or careers, and have done some creative dreaming, perhaps with the assistance of margaritas or pina coladas. In any event, they're relaxed and ready to start taking some action. When I was a kid, I always loved this time of year -- I enjoyed school, and the beginning of the new school year, new teachers, new classes and so forth were all incredibly stimulating to me. So it is, I think, for a lot of my fellow entrepreneurs.

Anyway, here are six resolutions you should consider putting in place now, before the leaves start to fall and the cold winds blow.

1. Pay off your credit cards. Now is not a good time to be carrying credit card or consumer debt of any kind. If you've been reading the papers at all lately, you know it's only a matter of time before our dear government raises taxes sharply to start paying for all the stimulus, bailout and other programs it's been putting in place, to say nothing of the health care, energy and environmental programs it's thinking about putting in place.

If you have been financing your business with credit card balances, now is the time to stop. Once your taxes go "through the roof," unless you experience exponential growth, you won't have a whole lot of leftover cash to pay more than the minimum monthly credit card payment, and you know what that will do to your credit. Put a payment plan in place, stick to it and stop using your cards for future expenses.

2. Get your taxes right. Our dear government is also sending some pretty strong signals that it will be cracking down ruthlessly on tax cheats -- just look at how they're going after people with Swiss bank accounts. While you may not have much sympathy for those folks (I sure don't), there's a good chance you may be doing something wrong with your tax calculations. As the government pushes hard to close the "tax gap" between what it collects each year and what it should be collecting, there's a greater chance that even small mistakes will lead to painful audits. Here are some tips:

If you make money from a sideline business (such as selling on eBay), be sure you are accurately reporting every penny of income you earn.

Do not take deductions unless you have good backup documentation for them.

If you are paying estimated taxes but find yourself making a "cleanup" payment on April 15 each year, work harder to get the calculations right and pay all this year's taxes by Jan. 15.

3. Get your body in shape. With the government's new emphasis on "wellness" and preventive medicine, it's time to start building the body that will take you into old age. Get rid of bad habits like smoking and binge drinking, start taking long walks each day, eat more fruits and vegetables and less meat, start lifting weights in your basement, and learn stress-reduction techniques such as yoga or meditation.

4. Grow your network every day. Your success in business depends on "whom you know" more than it does "what you know." Every day, make it a point either to introduce yourself to a new person, or touch bases with an old friend or colleague. It takes only a few minutes. Go to www.classmates.com and join your high school, college and graduate school class lists -- I'll bet you a lot of old friends are wondering whatever happened to you, and some of these folks are in pretty influential positions.

5. Start building a "portfolio career." If you are doing only one thing to make money, there's a risk you will starve or go broke if people stop buying that thing. Start "hedging your bets" by engaging in multiple revenue-producing activities. That way, if one activity loses its luster, the other ones will keep you paying your bills on time.

6. Improve your mental discipline. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is," saith the Good Book. Too many of us have too much nonsense bouncing around in our heads. Do a little "head cleaning," focus on what's really important at all times, replace your fears and worries with concrete action plans and don't let anyone else's baloney take up space in your brain. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Cliff Ennico (cennico@legalcareer.com) is a syndicated columnist, author and former host of the PBS television series "Money Hunt." This column is no substitute for legal, tax or financial advice, which can be furnished only by a qualified professional licensed in your state. To find out more about Cliff Ennico and other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit our Web page at www.creators.com.

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Copyright 2009 Creators Syndicate Inc.

This news arrived on: 08/25/2009

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