At the beginning of 2015, we challenged you to grow your business this year by writing a better future. By evaluating your progress in 2014 and being honest about your challenges, we handed you the pen to create your story for the New Year.


So how is that going?


The first quarter of 2015 is already over! Time is flying by and, as they say, there’s no time like the present. Don’t let yourself fall into summer without having made significant improvements to your business. You can learn from your experience and there’s still plenty of time to make 2015 the best year yet. Here are five tips to get you on the right track:


Evaluate the Past: Take an honest look at the last 12 to 24 months as it pertains to your business and your life. What’s working and what’s not working? Are there problems or issues you’ve refused to face? How about decisions you put off or refused to make? What things would you like to change about your business or personal life, what would it be? And what’s holding you back?


Focus on Owning the Business: One of the easiest traps for business owners to fall into is becoming the most important person in the company. They are the main technician, the answer for all the questions, and the heart and soul of the business. Can you take a month off work and come back to a business? If you’re spending every waking hour RUNNING your business instead of OWNING your business, it’s time to focus on becoming less important. Learn to delegate jobs, train staff members and trust your team to do what’s best for your business.


Implement Team Huddles: It’s crucial to take time to meet with your managers and employees throughout the week. Try having 15-minute team huddles two or three times a week to discuss the goals, challenges and accomplishments of the week. Having everyone on the same page will provide the whole team with clarity and empowerment.


Focus on Marketing and Selling: Even the very best technician can’t run a successful business without marketing and product/service selling. What are you doing to best market your business? Consider what affordable marketing strategies you can implement. Here are a few low cost ideas to get you started:http://growthcoachblog.com/2013/02/28/5-low-cost-marketing-strategies/.


De-Clutter: Take a look at your business AND your life. It’s important to clear your office and business of useless clutter, but it’s also important to de-clutter your schedule. Are you focusing on unimportant tasks? Are you unable to say “no” to people and tasks that aren’t important to you or your business? Is that holding your business back? Figure out what tasks you need to focus upon and which you need to delegate to someone else.


– President of The Growth Coach Nathan Owens