With 2017 just getting going, it’s important to focus on attainable goals and begin the New Year with new goals and habits in place by transforming our ideas into realities. Whether you're looking to grow your business or taking a leap with a new start-up, reflect on your business progress over the past year and research how comparable successful businesses have developed. Take into account your own strengths and weaknesses. The most successful businesses outsource business coaching. Business coaches are able to see what is missing and accurately identify blind spots.

Keeping track of what is new in technology can be near impossible for small businesses; but is a task that must not be overlooked. With advancements in technology, there is heightened customer expectation of accessibility 24/7. It's important to stay on top of things to meet customer expectations, but few people launching or running a business have the time or expertise to spare. This lack of technological knowledge by small business owners is often due to limited time /resources, fear of the unknown, and little to no experience with technology. It can lead to costly mistakes such as:

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.