Time to Keep Your Business New Year's Resolutions

By Carol Tice Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

By Feb. 1, half of all New Year's resolutions are already over. So Staples is trying to help business owners stick with their resolutions by declaring it Motivation Monday -- a day for owners to review and renew their commitment to their business goals for 2010.

How are you doing with your business resolutions? Did you perhaps vow to rev up your marketing, do more in-person networking, have a company retreat, make a key hire? If your priorities for improving your business have slipped onto the back burner, now's the time to rev them up again.

To help owners stay on track with their goals, Staples has set up a site for their Stickk To It Business Challenge. On the site, owners can define their goals and recommit to working on them. You can earn Staples reward points for making progress, so you can not only improve your business, but maybe get yourself a few free office supplies in the deal.

Staples isn't the only place where sticking with business resolutions was being discussed recently. Business consultant and copywriter Chris Marlow interviewed Gary Ryan Blair, The Goals Guy, at the end of January about how to create systems that keep you moving toward your goals.

Why is it so hard to stick to our resolutions? Change-management expert Janel Van Beek says it's a problem of how humans are engineered. We tend to stay in the here and now since that used to be all-important during our species' early development...so planning ahead can be hard. Van Beek suggests setting small rewards for achieving steps along your goal path, and involving your kids or others who will hold you accountable.

Entrepreneurs can tend to be sort of all-over-the-place with the million tasks on their plate, and can have trouble focusing and prioritizing their goals, the 4th Annual Staples National Small Business Survey shows. Conducted by American Consumer Opinion, the study dubs this problem "ping-pong" syndrome, and found 61% of owners were afflicted.

What are your big business goals for 2010, and what's your plan to get them done? How's your progress so far? Leave a comment and let us know.

Carol Tice

Owner of Make a Living Writing

Longtime Seattle business writer Carol Tice has written for Entrepreneur, Forbes, Delta Sky and many more. She writes the award-winning Make a Living Writing blog. Her new ebook for Oberlo is Crowdfunding for Entrepreneurs.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

This Couple Started a Side Hustle to Improve a 'Terribly Made' Bathroom Essential. Now the Business Earns More Than $3 Million a Year.

Michael Fine and Lisa Schulner-Fine launched lifestyle brand Quiet Town in 2016 and have been growing it ever since.

Growing a Business

Founders Are Missing This One Investment — But It Could Be the Most Profitable One You Make

When founders are empowered with support, grounded in their vision and guided along their path, everything flourishes.

Leadership

Here's What It Takes to Evolve From Hands-On Founder to Strategic CEO

Making the leap from founder to CEO requires more than just growth — it demands a shift in mindset.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Social Media

With This LinkedIn Algorithm Change, Your Best Posts Could Reach New Readers for Months

It's one of many new features rolling out on the platform in 2024.

Leadership

Your Employees Need More Than Paychecks and Perks — Here's What They Really Want

In an era where remote and hybrid work arrangements are reshuffling traditional office dynamics, thoughtful, personalized benefits are becoming a powerful differentiator. The bottom line is really simple: If you want to support your employees, address their long-term financial needs.