The Water Trough: Harnessing New Year Energy for Your Business

Episode Transcript

(00:10):
Welcome to The Water Trough,where we can't make you drink,
but we will make you think.
My name is Ed Drost of The SmallBusiness Doctor, and I'm really
excited you chose to join mehere as we discuss topics that
are important for small businessfolks just like you.
If you're looking for ideas,inspiration, and possibility,
you've come to the right place.
Join us as we take steps to helpyou create the healthy business
that you've always wanted.

Microphone (Yeti Stereo (00:43):
Welcome back to the water trough.
This is Ed Draws to the smallbusiness doctor.
And let me start off by sayinghappy holidays to everyone
during this time of year.
We, of course, are caught up inso many things., suffice to say,
we all have a busy agenda atthis time of year.
And so I'm wishing for you andyour families camaraderie and

(01:06):
friendship I hope these thingswill come together for you in a
very, very positive way.
So speaking of this time of yearthe end of one and the beginning
of another year, quite a year,it's been 2024.
We have a, variety of thingsthat are taking place.
We've got a new.
Presidential administrationcoming in, in 2025,

Microphone (Yeti Stereo Mi (01:31):
That will certainly usher in changes
that will impact us as smallbusiness people as well as the
average person at large.

Microphone (Yeti Stereo (01:38):
Looking forward to the Upcoming year.
I would just like to share acouple of thoughts that always
go through my head at this timeof year I am forever being
inundated, what New Year'sresolutions and the things that
I'm going to do in the new yearand that I'm going to accomplish
that.
I don't seem to haveaccomplished before.

(01:59):
I'm going to do X, Y and Z and Imight get it.
Partway through X and dabble ofY and never got around to Z.
It's always been curious to me.
We focus on this time of year tobe attentive to, our goals.
Those of us in business andsmall business, particularly the

(02:20):
idea of having goals and beingable to.
Continuously monitor them andassess them for practicality
functionality and viability isvery important.

Microphone (Yeti Stereo Mic (02:34):
The key point here is that goals can
be established at any time theycan be established at the end of
a year, the beginning of thenext year or whatever.
And certainly those of us insmall business often do create
goals for the upcoming year.
It's a convenient period of timeto look at.

(02:55):
It's a measurable and definableperiod of time.
And so we compare it to previousyears performance and trying to
gauge.
What the next year will looklike, but the most important
element to keep in mind is thatwe continuously monitor and
assess these goals.
Not so much with our personalgoals, our New Year's

(03:17):
resolutions, for example, thosethings certainly are things that
we're desirous of and don't getme wrong.
Not me, but some of us are quitecapable of getting things done.
We set those goals and we reallyrely upon that time of year to,
to get us in shape and to get uson track.
And for those who can achievethose things, that's fantastic.

(03:39):
But broadly speaking inbusiness, it's an ongoing
process.
It doesn't begin.
At the end of the year and stop,perhaps at the end of the month
of January or things of thatsort.
Our process is an ongoingprocess, constant, continual
monitoring for effectiveness andefficiency with the goals that

(04:02):
we've established.
Small business is dynamic andthe operations within the
company, as well as therealities of the environment.
Thank you very much.
External to us are foreverchanging.
And so we must be very diligentto ensure that things are going
in the manner that we wish thatthey will go using this time of

(04:25):
year as an opportunity to clearout the cobwebs in our head, our
individual heads, and to developa greater sense of clarity is
probably a pretty good use of abusiness owner's time.
The idea of the personal NewYear's resolution is good for
that, an opportunity to gainfurther focus, to develop

(04:50):
greater clarity around what ourgoals and intention for the
business will be in the yearthat follows.
Needless to say, losing, 10pounds might be a great personal
goal, but at the same time itdoes tend to draw us into a
state of focus and being able totake that personal focus and

(05:11):
apply it to our business goalsas well is a pretty decent side
effect of the new year'sresolution activity.
I think it's fair to say thatmost of us to some degree have
Use the New Year's resolution asa tool to at least give us a
chance to get back on track.

(05:32):
And I propose strongly that thatclarity that we do develop
around a New Year's resolutionis something that we should
bring forward into our businessoperations, our business goal
planning at the beginning of anew year.
Now this is not to say that wecan't do these things at other

(05:53):
times, and certainly everyonehas their own preferred time
stamp on when goals are set,when measurements are made, and
so on and so forth.

Microphone (Yeti Stereo M (06:05):
Blah, blah, blah.
So, the idea of New Year'sresolutions, this time of year,
and all the things that gothrough our heads.
Why not make use of thatopportunity to put a little bit
more clarity into your businessgoals as well.
Really what I'm saying is takeadvantage of that mindset that

(06:27):
you would like to do things foryourself, and the clarity that
results from that, the effortand the energy that is developed
from those goals.
Goal setting processes issomething that might also impact
your business.
What have you got to lose?
It's an opportunity.

(06:48):
Give it a go.
That's it for this episode ofthe water trough.
It is the holiday season.
We're all running short on time,so I'll keep this thing quite
brief.
I want to wish you and yourfamilies happy holidays.
And I want to wish you a veryhappy, healthy and prosperous

(07:09):
2025.
From the Watertroft, this is EdDrozda, the Small Business
Doctor.
Until we meet again, I want towish you a healthy business.