EXPERTS LANE n SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Every Day is the Best Day
By Malaya Dantzler-Bryan
Some of this may seem daunting for sure.
I recommend setting a maximum of five
resolutions for your business this year. Be
creative, but realistic. Here are five goals to
get you started, and I must admit that I will
be working on these myself.
1. Improve Your Digital Presence
Make at least one social media post
per day if you don’t already. Take time
to create an email marketing list and
update your website. If your business
doesn’t have an online marketing
plan, it’s time to create one.
New year’s resolutions start with the best
intentions. My business is going to increase
profits by 50% this year or I’m going to
move into a bigger office building. Sadly,
these goals are often abandoned by the
middle of February because we haven’t
seen the progress that we dreamed of.
December comes around and we are in the
same place as we were a year ago. 2. Charge What You are Worth
This one is hard for me. My passion
is helping small businesses grow, so
when I see someone in need of
assistance my first instinct is to give
them everything I have because I want
them to succeed. However, some-
times in doing this I’m not putting
the business first. While providing
great customer service is a key to
your business’ success, keep in mind
that it is a business, and you should
not short change yourself. It may
be time to revaluate your business’
market and raise your rates to
accommodate the value that you
bring to the table.
3. Delegate More
Do you find yourself doing all the
work because you think your employ-
ees can’t handle it? Or maybe you en-
joy wearing every hat in the company.
If you have staff it may be time
to delegate some of your respon-
sibilities. As small business owners,
we are all used to working 80-hour
weeks. But what would happen if
you delegated some of your tasks to
employees and focused more on
being the CEO of your company and
focusing on the big picture?
So how do we get out of the cycle of hope,
failure, and disappointment? We look to
Emerson. Every day is the best day of the year.
Sure, set yearly goals. It’s a perfect place to
start. This is what will drive you personally as
well as professionally. But to accomplish this
we need a plan. As leaders, we must recognize
the fault in not creating milestones towards
our achievements. We must think about
what we’ve done, and how we can be better. 4. Prioritize Work/Life Balance
This goes hand in hand with Reso-
lution Number 3. Be sure to take time
for yourself and family to avoid
burnout. This is a professional and
personal resolution. Plan to go to the
gym more, spend time with friends
and family, and get eight hours of
sleep a night. You will feel fresh and
energized in your personal life which
You don’t have to be a great orator or
outspoken tech giant to be a great leader.
The first step towards being a great leader
is admitting that you can do better. The
second step is identifying how you can
improve both yourself and your business,
and finally the third step involves planning
to improve and following through.
As we move into the new year we all make
resolutions. This is the perfect time for small
business leaders to take stock of where
they are, what they could do better, and
start doing it. The great poet Ralph Waldo
Emerson directed, “Write it on your heart
that every day is the best day in the year.”
As leaders and small business owners we
must realize that it is important to have
lofty goals, but we must also remember
that sometimes a small victory is just as
important as the end goal.
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IBA Success Magazine
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VOL 5, Issue 1
will lead to a refreshed professional
life where ideas will flow. You will find
that you can accomplish more
personally and professionally with
the right balance.
5. Set Aside Time to Prepare
for Each Day
Going back to Emerson, treat each
day as an opportunity to succeed.
Begin each morning by planning
your day. For example: set aside an
hour to check emails, an hour to
return calls, make a social media post
at 1:00, and so forth. Make a plan and
stick to it. This will help you stay
organized so that you can accomplish
all your goals.
Each new year brings hope for a better
tomorrow. As leaders, we recognize where
we need to make improvements and take
action. By making resolutions, having
daily goals, and successful planning you
will be basking in your success come next
Christmas instead of looking back on a
less than productive year. I look forward
to tackling these resolutions myself and
am excited to begin the new year. As we
say goodbye to 2018, I will leave you with
another quote from my favorite poet Ralph
Waldo-Emerson, “Finish each day and be
done with it. You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities no doubt
crept in; forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin
it serenely and with too high a spirit to be
encumbered with your old nonsense.”
Malaya Dantzler-
Bryan is an expert
in small business
development with
over twenty years
experience in
assisting small
and disadvantaged
businesses. Her passion for helping "the
underdog" led her to open her own
business where she champions the rights
of small businesses across the state of
Florida.
Small Business Contracting Source, Inc.
www.sbcsinc.com
S
ome say that leaders are born and
not made. I believe that the innate
quality to lead resides in all of us, but
it needs to be practiced and refined.
Being a great leader doesn’t happen
overnight. It takes time and patience.
Founder of PayPal and Tesla, Elon Musk,
once said, “I think it’s very important to have
a feedback loop, where you’re constantly
thinking about what you’ve done and how
you could be doing it better. I think that’s
the single best piece of advice: constantly
think about how you could be doing things
better and questioning yourself.”