Five ways to refresh your business

The New Year isn't the only time for fresh starts. With students starting their new school years, the end of summer is a terrific time to reassess and refresh right alongside them.1. Dust off your business plan

It’s not unusual for business owners to write a business plan once, get wrapped up in the daily grind, and never look back. Do your best to keep your business plan constantly on the brain. In reality, that’s hard to do, so at least twice a year take a step back to look at the big picture. Pull out your plan and see if you’re on track by asking yourself:

• Not on track? Why not? What has changed?
• On track? Great, but still figure out what has changed. Because things do. For example, have your audience demographics shifted? Are they likely to? How do they affect your plan? Has your competition shifted? Do you handle it differently? Do you need to?

Write it down! Here are more tips for updating your business plan.

2. Build your tribe

Chillier weather moves people inside and they’re less motivated to make plans, creating the perfect opportunity for you to swoop in on their free time and host a get-together to tighten up your community. Try a pizza party game night, a community clean-up, or a potluck picnic in a park. The more your clients become a family, the more likely they’ll recognize your place as its center.

3. Make the best impression

Another thing that easily slips under the radar is the gradual wear and tear on your facility. You might not notice it during your daily duties, but potential new clients sure notice when they walk in the door. Ask a friend to help you assess so you can see your place through fresh eyes. What do they notice when they walk through? And then add a new coat of paint, bring in fresh sweat towels, or swap out guitar strings to give your place the lift it needs.

4. End the year with a bang

A few more months before the New Year is the perfect time to challenge yourself with a new goal. Are you on track to meet your financial targets? Could you increase that dollar amount? If you’ve been pacing at X number of new clients per month, can you stretch to add a few more to that number each month?

5. Never too cool for school

Head back to school! Classes and seminars are always happening:

• Check out your local community college for business management courses.
• Take a look at your social media—Derek Halpern at Social Triggers continuously releases new videos, eBooks, blogs, and emails.

Or learn a new skill. Run a fitness studio? A nutrition class could be the perfect addition to your repertoire to enhance client experience.

photo credit: alexdecarvalho via photopin cc