Whether it dragged for you or flew by, the first 12 months of COVID are over and we can (try) to move forward and make the most out of the 12 months ahead. In the last 12 months, it is likely that at least 1 thing you planned to do, such as a holiday or win a big contract, has fallen by the wayside. Now the dust as settled, hopefully we can breathe a new lease of life into the commercial world.

With gyms closed and sporting activity limited to professionals only, the belt is likely feeling a little tight. April however can be a great time for entrepreneurs to work on the less important things on our to-do lists, waiting in anticipation for the boom of customer enquiries and sales! 

We know that the last 12 months were not what anyone had hoped for, that’s why we have given you our top tips on making this year much better!

Reflection

Last year was not great, for anyone. We all got flipped on a dime when COVID struck and whilst people have adapted to the new social and working norms, a lot of the plans we made for 2020 went out the window! It is a good idea to try and bring the positives from the year to the forefront of our minds and work on ways to further these, rather than dwell on what didn’t go so well. Use this time to focus on the successful activities of the previous year and plan our next moves to be in a better position than we are today this time next year.

Celebration

April is usually a good time to take stock of the last 12 months. Try finding cause to celebrate and look forward to for years to come between you and your colleagues to keep motivation and inspiration at a high level and to bring these along with you for the rest of year! Think about the great things the business did over the last year and celebrate them! Did you grow, earn recognition in your industry or carry out plenty of training and accreditation during lockdown? If so, celebrate it! Even if this is just a ceremony/party in the office! 

Engagement

Lots of us make New Years Resolutions in January and tell everyone how we are going to achieve something this year or be a better person in the coming months. You can do the same as a business and the best way to work out what your goals should be can come from your own colleagues and your customers. Perhaps ask them to complete and survey and find out what the world wants from you, you can then bring this feedback to the centre of your goals and let your colleagues and clients know that you take their comments seriously and want to work with them.

Development

The New Year gives everyone a chance to reflect on the previous 12 months and a lot of wishing to make the next year better for them and their loved ones and this could entail looking for new job! January is great time when things are not as hectic for the business to connect with your Employees as to their aspirations and hopes. It can be enough that a simple discussion with your team can make all the different. Working together can be beneficial for everyone in the business, including your customers!

Back to Basics

It’s easy to start the new business year with a “new you” and in 2020 you may have formulated a new system for working smarter, be it with your filing systems, client catch ups or meetings with the rest of the team, but a lot of that may have been lost in the rush of last year, perhaps even before lockdown! Now is the best time to re-approach these practices and try to keep them up through 2021. This could involve deleting old emails, upgrading your operating systems, booking one-to-ones with your co-workers, checking your fire safety policies and insurance (we can help) or making repairs to buildings and resources.

Do some good!

The New Year is the time where we go on fad diets or join a gym, only to go twice in a hopes that we can get fit, healthy and feel good, but why not try and do some good for the wider community this April? Support a local charity with a sponsored work event, which could be sports or health related (best of both worlds). Volunteer to work with a Charity or just get outdoors and clear up your local area. All of these can incorporate team building, brand recognition and doing some good in the world!
Here are Fuelled we’ve launched our Eco-Fuelled campaign this year, which will see us plant over 10,000 trees!

Whatever happens, we hope you enjoy the next 12 months a little more than the last 12 months!

Team Fuelled.