Have you made a New Year’s Resolution in the past?  How long have you stuck with it?   A google search of this topic retrieved over 69,000,000 results.  I am sure you will agree that is a lot of noise about resolutions.  Many times we think of New Year’s resolutions in regards to personal goals such as getting in shape or losing weight.  I believe that businesses need New Year’s Resolutions as well.

Research conducted by psychologists at the University of Scranton indicates that the percentage of people who maintain New Year’s resolutions falls sharply as the weeks go by. 

The following indicates how many resolutions are maintained as time goes on:

-          past the first week: 75%

-          past two weeks: 71%

-          after one month: 64%

-          after 6 months: 46%

As we can see a lot of people who make new years resolutions do break them, but it also shows that making resolutions is useful. People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don't.  So if you did make a New Year’s resolution I applaud you.  If not that is okay. Don’t beat yourself up because it is never too late.  You can set objectives for yourself at any time, and you should do the same for your business, because it is important for all businesses to have a written vision and plan of action.    

Over the next several months I will be writing articles to help businesses focus on “Making their entrepreneurial dream a reality.”  An Entrepreneur is defined as a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.  For many it starts as a “dream” of a better work life, a healthier work environment, being your own boss, more money, etc.  Unfortunately, without the proper structure in place to support your desires, an entrepreneur can quickly become overwhelmed with all the details and responsibilities they never knew existed. 

The first critical step of any business involves having a clear picture of what you want to accomplish; your personal mission & vision, your business objectives and how you want to impact your community.  This process is a dynamic one which requires uninterrupted time and commitment to work through completion.  I find that it is also the hardest thing to get business owners to do and where I meet the biggest resistance.  However, I know that without this foundational work, you cannot hope to build a business that can thrive in a competitive market place and weather the economic conditions of our global economy.  I know this may sound complicated and time consuming, but it is a truly liberating process which allows you to experience freedom in what is truly important in your business and life.

The Ignited Purpose Workshop is available to business owners who would like to expand on their New Year’s resolution or would like to begin a process of intention and purpose for their business.