This is from a recent article published by TurboTax. It gave readers advice to, among other things, reach your fitness resolutions for the year. I think these tips apply to your business’s financial fitness as well. Here is what they said:
Kick-off Fitness that Fitness Regime in Just Five Steps:
1. Have a goal or vision, make it as real as possible: Cynthia Miranda, program manager for MedFit, says if weight loss is your goal, imagine and visualize yourself at that ideal weight. Clip pictures of someone at a fitness level you aspire toward, and stick it to the fridge. If you want to run a 5K, spend 5 minutes each day imaging yourself finishing the race.
2. Create a plan and date your goals: Create a weekly goal at first. For example, Miranda says if your goal is weigh loss, the first week’s goal might be to spend time meal planning and week two you’ll make it a goal to eat three fruits per day.
3. Work with a professional: Through classes, workshops, or with a personal trainer, you’ll be able to quickly benefit from years of experience and knowledge that is hard to gain on your own otherwise.
4. Be open to fun and different activities: If you are used to strength training, try hiking; if you only run, bounce into a spinning class. Bike with your children, take a family hike, try yoga or meditation, get on a boogie board. Make being active the fun part of your day.
5. Recruit your friends and family: It’s no fun being alone all the time when you’re working out. Meet a friend for a lunch class, schedule time for strength training with a co-worker, or cook with friends who like to eat healthy.
via 5 Ways to Shape up Your Food, Flab, & Finances | The TurboTax Blog.
Here is what I say:
1. Have a goal or vision. Your goals need to be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant & Timely. Sit down and put together a list of goals for your company this year.
2. Create a plan. Once you know where you want to go, then you need to figure out how you are going to get there. This is when you start strategizing and seeing what different tasks you can do will help you along your path.
3. Work with a professional. If you don’t have a Finance professional in your company, consider hiring one (part-time if you can’t afford more). They can help you measure where you are and how you are progressing towards those goals. They can also give you some awesome insight and advice on things you can be doing to run your company more effectively.
4. Be open to fun and different things. There is no one right answer on how to get where you want to go. Try different things, but make sure to measure their effectiveness. You aren’t going to get anywhere without a little bit of humility. Something you try might not work out, but now you know not to try it again!
5.Recruit your friends and family. Change this to your network and employees. Have an open dialogue with people about your struggles and ask them to help keep you on track. Maybe you even want to create a small group of people that all support each other. You can also explore new platforms in social media – like twitter or blogs to find people that are in similar situations as yourself.
