According to The Harvard Business Review, to get your team to a good start for the new year, it is important to focus on progress. This is called "the progress phenomenon." This progress phenomenon can be any contribution, because when people feel they are contributing they are highly engaged employees. The best way to measure this progress is through an "End of the Year Review." This is the way to "close out one year and start another prepared and strong."

Did you know that people with written goals are 50 percent more likely to achieve them than people without written goals? Successful business people, athletes and all those who have achieved highly in their fields did so because they set goals. According to Inc.com, “More than 80 percent of the 300 small business owners surveyed in the recent 4th Annual Staples National Small Business Survey said that they don't keep track of their business goals, and 77 percent have yet to achieve their vision for their company.

As small business owners, we need to be aware of new laws and legislation that may affect us. Small business owners are the major source of job creation in our economy. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA) 64 percent of businesses are considered small businesses and they make up 99.7 percent of firms with employees in the United States. With this in mind, our concern as small business owners is to support reforms that can lower taxes on our businesses and promote growth.

Take the Lead Women, Gloria Feldt's organization promoting leadership for women, has an interesting blog post, Are You Really an Entrepreneur? that includes nine key questions to ask yourself about your comfort level with important leadership and management skills and personality traits. It also offers some encouraging facts about women-founded businesses and tips for getting started if you've decided that becoming an entrepreneur is the right next move for you.

Hatchbuck, which makes sales and marketing software for small business, has a nice roundup of "21 Great Small Business Blogs" that is worth a look. There are several intriguing-sounding ones we're not yet familiar with but will definitely check out soon, as well as stalwarts like Duct Tape Marketing and Copyblogger.