Every time Earth finishes a lap of 940 million kilometres, people greet each other to celebrate it. They create a long list of resolutions to enjoy the next lap peacefully.

Some resolve to stay fit, some want to grow in wisdom and intellect, while others wish to find peace.

And then there are people with deep-rooted passion for devising solutions to bugging problems and bring about positive transformation in the process. The world acknowledges these people as entrepreneurs. They are always thinking and thriving on a proactive approach. They love accepting challenges, solve real problems, wish to grow at lightning speed and build things from scratch.

“If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins,” said Benjamin Franklin.

While unbridled passion must be the driving force, the passion would yield wonders if harnessed by dedicated resolve to organize the work and plan reasonable strategies for greater productivity in a more relaxed and enjoyable work environment. Here are a few points you can take cues from.

Smarter Marketing, not Larger

Smart business sense is to look after the pennies. With unknown economic territories ahead of us, this has now become more important than ever. One area of business where thousands could be wasted when hundreds could take you further is marketing. Social media is the most cost-effective way to drive brand awareness.

Invest in consultants and training sessions to help you cover the basics. It’s important to learn about the efficiency of micro-targeting. Focus the spending purely into targeting where your audience digests content and news. Don’t look to reach large numbers, look to reach relevant numbers.

Inspiration comes from Workplace

It might sound simple; it might sound unimportant. But neither is true. Your work environment has a huge impact on your energy, motivation and inspiration – three characteristics you’ll need in abundance to launch a startup. Walk into any office in the country and you’ll see loads of unnecessary papers, overcrowded desks and a general mess. Take action and declutter your office by trying to take your work online. With the rise of cloud-based services such as Google Docs, sharing working documents has never been easier. What’s more, the cloud has been utilised across industries and some services even allow you to take your accounting spreadsheets and numbers purely within the cloud.

 Focus On the Employees

Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group said, “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”

His words have proven right time and again. Companies with amazing employment policies are known to have better productivity and growth rate. People need appreciation for their work. Keeping employees motivated and appreciating them for their efforts is important. It makes them want to do better.

Be open to sharing authority

While the birth of an idea may happen in individual minds, the growth of the idea depends on the co-operation of a collection of minds that believe in that idea. So, rather than being a one-person army, involve others in the discussion and work together.

Make Business Planning a Weekly Event

Planning is vital for a healthy, growing business. Business planning lets you take stock of what worked and what didn’t and helps set new directions or adjust old goals. Reserve time each week to review, adjust, and look forward—or even better, make business planning a part of each day. Not only will this help avoid costly mistakes, but you’ll feel more focused and relaxed as well.

Give Back to the Community

There are all kinds of worthy organizations that make a difference to the community. Those who give are most prone to receive. Resolve to find a cause that matters to you and give what you can. Make this the year to serve the community. Be a mentor, volunteer, or make donations to the groups trying to make the place you live better.

 

By: Ayaan Hazarika