Top Business Changes to Make in 2019

Whether you’re looking to cut costs, hire new people, expand your business or make more money, the new year is a time for a change. There are many small changes you could make in your business which could be very beneficial for you in the long run and as you don’t just want to repeat what you’ve done before, but build on it, then it’s time to do things slightly differently.
Learn from 2018
Every business owner makes mistakes, and that is the best way to learn. It's how you deal with those mistakes that's important and what will ultimately determine your success. Don’t dwell on these mistakes and carry them into the New Year, move on, put them behind you and learn from them. You will have achieved a lot of good things in the last year too so take them forward with you and build on them.
Widen your network
Get in touch with someone you admire or look up to, invite them out to lunch or just a quick coffee and pick their brain. Reach out to someone you would like to do business with and share ideas about how you could work together. The more people you meet and get to know, the more extensive your connections of other business people and professionals become and the more you can speak to people for advice or to bounce ideas off.
Raise your profile
If you’re a small business owner, then you are your best marketing tool. Make the most of opportunities to contribute to the community by speaking or chairing panels at conferences or adding to others’ blogs. Look at sponsoring local events or getting involved with local charities.
Create an inclusive culture
Mastering leadership skills are necessary to succeed in this new competitive business world. The culture in your place of work is very important and a place which encourages equality, diversity and inclusion is likely to succeed over somewhere that doesn’t promote this culture. Who is driving your culture? By adopting a diverse and inclusive culture into the workplace, the benefits are endless; they include an 81% increase in performance and productivity; an 84% increase in motivation; an 86% increase in innovation and creativity; 79% more collaboration; and 81% greater engagement and loyalty. Diversity has become part of everyday life and a top priority when it comes to recruitment as organizations see the value in having a diverse workforce. However, that value can never be realized truly without a culture of inclusion. The role of an inclusive leader is not just about focussing on protected characteristics, and it’s much more than that. It’s about appreciating that everyone is an individual with differing needs and opinions. A great, inclusive leader is one that celebrates this, creating an environment where everyone feels able to be themselves; comfortable, included, listened to and supported, no matter who they are.
Improve your digital presence
There are always rooms for improvement and especially when it comes to digital. Search engines love you if you keep updating your content and if your website is mobile friendly. Keep your web presence up and make it a priority for 2019, it will likely help you see an increase in sales the more visible you are to people. There’s plenty of information online about how you can get the most out of your site, learn about keywords, SEO and rankings and with a few tweaks, you’ll see a big difference.
Get active on social
If you’ve been putting off social media, then it’s time to get with it. Start having a look to see which is the best platform for your business. There is so much happening in the world of social media that you don’t want to miss out. Do you have a business blog? If not, it’s time to start one, and it’s the perfect new year's resolution.
Charge more
It happens to the best of us, but if you’ve spent a lot of the last year feeling underpaid and undervalued, then you need to start charging more and feeling confident in your worth. Make sure you are marketing to the right audience, revamp your strategy and increase your prices to accommodate the value you bring to your clients.
Grow your team and delegate more
If you don’t have enough time to focus on growing your business, then you’re just going to end up standing still. You need to delegate more and get others to pick up the slack, so you have time to concentrate on other things.
Update your technology
Take advantage of deals on technology around this time of year. It could be software updates or new devices, but if it is going to help you and your team to do business more effectively, then it’s worth looking into and getting the most out of the sales.
Go out of your comfort zone
Try something new and something that challenges you. It might be public speaking or running a marathon but pushing yourself in your personal life as well as your working life will translate and give you more confidence in your business, too.
Switch providers
You do it in your home; you shop around when it comes to your mortgage and your insurance, so why not do it with your business accounts too. According to the SmallBusinessPro business electricity page, you could make substantial savings from renewal quotes offered by your current energy supplier. It’s worth having a look to see as you have nothing to lose but everything to gain.
Share the load
Don’t take everything on yourself; no one can “do it all”  so think about what you can delegate, whether it is to employees or independent contractors, and do it.
Take care of yourself
If you don’t take care of yourself, your business will suffer too. Just by making small changes can help, a little bit of extra sleep, a little bit of exercise and eating a little bit healthier will make all the difference.