The holidays can be such a wonderful time – getting together with family, the excitement of the children awaiting Santa and looking forward to the new year. As a small business owner the year is winding down and as you are planning for the new year there are a few items on the To Do List that can get done in the few days of down time between Christmas and New Years.
Small Business Holiday “To Do” List
1. Inbox. Delete and rid your email of the thousands and thousands of sent and deleted items that have accumulated this year. It is always nice to start the year off with empty deleted and set boxes.
2. Phone. Review all the numbers and delete the ones that have been inactive for the past year. Keep them in your electronic address book, but remove hem from the phone. New ones will replace the old.3. Email List. Remove bad addresses, update ones that need to be updated or fixed. This is so that your list is clean and ready to be added to in Jan or an email deployed for let’s say an event or the newsletter.4. Social Media Profiles. Search for each profile you have and check on them all. I am sure there are ones you set up and have not touched in a while. Revisit it and all the offerings If it is still not something for you, then consider deleting it, making it inactive, something to make it not visible to the public.5. Thank You Cards. Handwritten thank you cards to those that are regular commentors on your blog, those have helped you throughout the year. Take the time to prepare a special note for them.6. Publications. The pile of the newspapers and magazines that you swear you will read or refer back to … send them off to the recycle bin.7. Desk. Toss those pens that you have to scribble over and over on paper before they write, check under the calendar/blotter for any papers that you have no idea why you kept them and file any lose end papers that seem to get moved from each side of the desk.8. Blogging. If you have not started, get some articles written and post them. If you are blogging already keep em coming during the holidays. Many stop or take a much needed break, resist the urge. Keep on blogging to let new people to find you while their favorites are not blogging.
The week between Christmas and New Years is slower for many so it is time to tackle these projects that get set aside throughout the year and start the new year off fresh!
What else can we do to get ready for 2010?
photo credit: boboroshi