2017 is well on the way, and if you’re like many business owners, you may be thinking about how you can improve the way thinks run, and grow your business net year.

Here are some ways you can improve your business next year:

Know what you want

We all want our businesses to grow, but unfortunately that’s not a goal by itself. Goals should be able to easily be defined and must also be actionable. How much growth are you hoping to achieve from your business? What exactly do you mean by growth- are you hoping for more profit, or would you prefer to have more people onboard?

Next, you need an action plan so you’ll know exactly how you’ll make this growth happen. It’s hugely important that your goals are clear, and everyone in your team knows what it is you’re hoping to achieve, how it will happen, and which milestones you want to hit on the way.

Focus on Effective Marketing

Is your content marketing doing the work it should? Does your website have a company blog? And if it does, are you using it to share relevant, interesting, and helpful information with your customers, or are you just tooting your own horn?

Spend an hour taking a good hard look at your website, and make a list of where you see room for improvement.

Can customers easily tell who you are and what it is you can do for them as soon as they land on your website? And do you have copy that intrigues and converts?

If you have an email list, this is one of the best possible ways to reach out to customers, so you should ideally be sending marketing emails that connect with current and potential customers as well.

Hire Smart

We all know that a business is only as good as its people, but it’s easy to forget this when you need to quickly fill a vacant spot or you simply don’t have enough time to find the best candidate for the job.

In order to hire smart, you need to be proactive when it comes to searching for and employing the best possible people, and you also need to encourage your staff to be upfront about their goals within your business, and to be transparent if they’re thinking about moving on- so you’ll have enough time to hire the best person to replace them.

Use the Right Tools

Without the best tools, it’s impossible for your business to function correctly. Consider using the Australian Bookkeepers Network, which saves you money as you can use a range of business tools that have been directly tailored for bookkeepers- allowing your business to both grow and run as smoothly as possible, and saving you time.

You’ll also find that you can expand your business model and earn extra revenue by offering more to your clients and strengthening relationships at the same time.