Here's a quick checklist for small businesses in advance of any holiday: 

• Decorate your business for the holiday
• Clearly advertise your holiday operating hours at your store and on your website
• Stock up on products and supplies
• Create holiday sales pricing for products that are not moving well
• Staff up if open on the holidays as more people are off and may come your way
• Take time to prep for higher traffic volumes - straighten shelves, move inventory to the floor, and find other ways to prepare for busier times ahead
• Make displays of products that may be used during the holidays - e.g. cooking utensils, decorations, fun things, and consider craft and hobby items as people have more time to indulge

Thinking in advance can help you take advantage of the holidays, increase your sales volume, and have a more enjoyable experience as you help your customers. 

Whether you are just starting out or have been in business for a year or two it is important to look to the future, imagine what your business will look like in a few years. Will it have grown, have added products and services? 

There are a lot of opportunities for you to prepare your business today to meet future growth. 

1. Educate yourself - Whether you are a service or product based business, now is the time to begin learning more about how to operate your business, and new innovations in your product or service line. Adding skills to your personal business inventory will prepare you to grow your business. Consider other areas of your business such as accounting practices, supervision/management, marketing, or learning new skills to make you more productive and efficient. 

2. Look for opportunities to upgrade - Do you have a production machine that is nearing it's productive life cycle, or have business technologies that are nearing the time for replacement? Consider an upgrade that will help you improve your business rather than replacing with the same equipment/technology. Having the infrastructure already in place will help you meet business growth with little effort. 

3. Build capital - When you start seeing profits, put some away for a rainy day and for when you are ready to expand your business. We call these funds our "Fall Back, Fall Forward" money. Having the necessary capital without having to borrow is a safer, not to mention a less stressful way to invest in your business. Building capital, business savings, will help you in so many ways. Also, investing in your business before you grow can provide some interesting economics for your business. Consider taking on new product lines without having a large upfront investment because you already prepared for it. 

4. Be mindful of "pop-up" opportunities - Depending on your business, there may be opportunities that just materialize. Maybe a competing consulting service is going out of business, or a local retail competitor. This may the opportunity your business needs to grow. Some call it environmental scanning. Take a few hours to scan your business environment to identify opportunities, and of course risks so you can plan accordingly. You might be able to take on clients from failed or closing businesses, or buy up supplies from a competitor to help you grow your product line. 

Overall, practice, "Think Now for Tomorrow" - As you navigate the business world, thinking about what you are doing today, as compared to what you will need to do tomorrow, will allow you to make strategic planning decisions. 

For example: One of our clients who had been in business for about a year ask us to review their existing technology and business infrastructure to determine what it would look like when their business expanded. We provided a picture of what it would look like. As service contracts expired, they upgraded, they invested more in their marketing, and technology. We assisted in developing company policies, mapping key processes, employee training programs, and procedures that would accommodate growth. Eighteen months later their business did grow exponentially and they were prepared. One employee that had been with the company since the beginning commented, "It's really hard to remember what it was like the first year we started because we always new it would be like it is today."

We think the key to their growth was their vision that they would in fact grow their business even when they were small. They never considered they would not. Keeping your vision on the future while keeping an eye on what you can do today to prepare is a great way to grow. 

You have decided that you are going to start your own small business. It's an exciting time and there is a lot to do. One of the critical "To-Do's" that should be on your list is your website and office technology needs. Why?

First, understand that your website is only a small part of your company's technology needs. Your email addresses, color schemes, logo and back office functions are interconnected to your company's web page. The minute you decide you are going to launch your own business is the day you need to begin creating and implementing your company technology needs.

​Must haves from day one: 

• Company email addresses - email addresses that use the company email web address are a must (ex. Jane@mybusiness.com) It looks professional, and will help you keep all of your company communications organized. No switching between email accounts. Also, consider that it is difficult for many people to switch to a new email address. Email programs remember the last used email address and will often revert to the one you used. 
• Office functions - having your email, document storage, forms, and other functions that use technology need to be in place as you begin your business. This keeps your organized as well as motivated!
• Branding - critical to any business is branding. Branding let's your customers know they are doing business with you. Pick your color schemes, design your logo as soon as possible in the start-up process and begin using them right away. This starts the process of building brand recognition among your customers and others you will do business with. 

Second, avoid these: 

• "Under Construction" - Nothing more disappointing than completing a web search only to find an empty web page. Cute graphics saying your business is coming soon are no consolation.  You know what your business is, and going to be, say it through a company website. You can withhold payment and ordering methods while you get your business started. Having your web site in place with as much information as possible also helps the search engines to begin learning about your business, making searching easier for customers in the future. Work with your technology provider to hold specific pages not ready for customer viewing until you launch the business. 
• "Free websites" - Avoid creating a website using free website construction options that are branded with their logo. These may signal to customers that you are not serious about your business. Start with a clean, professional website. It is the window in to your business and many of your customers will visit your site prior to coming in or giving you a call. 
• Inconsistency - We always talk about how important consistency is in many areas of operating a small business. It's important as your customers want a positive, and consistent experience. So begin early in the business development phase with your company messaging, branding, and reflect it all in your website, email addresses, and company communications. 

Again, think of your company website as only one small part of your business technology. It should tie in to your email, forms, and other communications related to your business. Starting it early in the business development and launch process will pay you dividends in the long run. Profit in your pocket!!!