Presenting 8 simple must-do's to make 2016 more fulfilling and successful for your business. "Well begun is half done," said Aristotle. So what better time to get started than the first EntrepreneurMonday of 2016.

1. Revisit, Update Or Create A Business Plan
In the New Year, revisit your original business plan and recall the founding spirit of your venture. So often we lose track of our vision when we are preoccupied with day-to-day business challenges. Going back to your original business plan and either restating or recasting it, will give you the opportunity to realign your daily activities with what you want to achieve. This is also the perfect time to update your business plan.

If you haven’t formally documented your business plan, then create one! A business plan presents the road map for your enterprise. It defines your business concept, business goals and how you hope to achieve them. Writing a business plan will help entrepreneurs systematically articulate their core business idea and convey their vision to potential investors, team members and customers.

2. Energise & Motivate Your Team
It’s imperative to make your employees feel energised and motivated as the New Year begins. Employees are the building blocks of an enterprise. There are obvious positives to keeping employees enthused, stimulated and motivated at work. Contented workers are likely to be productive ones. As an entrepreneur, think of innovative ways to increase team productivity in the New Year, while providing each individual with the drive they need to perform to the best of their ability.

3.  Improve Your Business' Online Presence
Review your online presence across Owned Media (your website, blog, emails and lists etc.), Earned Media (social media properties - Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and others) and Paid Media (Ads and Search Key Word bids). Increase your presence where required and helpful.  Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has the potential to be always improved upon, whether you're a startup or one of the biggest retailers in the country. Since Google is continually making updates to its algorithm, SEO is a constant work in progress. In the New Year, make SEO a top business priority.

4. Expand Your Business Network
In the words of Adam Small, “Networking is the single most powerful marketing tactic to accelerate and sustain success for any individual or organisation!”

To succeed in business, one must continually network with new businesses, people, cultivate relationships and leverage one’s business network. Make the most of networking opportunities by leveraging the Network module on GlobalLinker.

5. Make ‘Streamline’ & ‘Simplify’ Your Productivity Mantra In 2016
This year, think of ways to simplify and streamline your work to reduce time, expense and waste. Leverage smart gadgets at your workplace that will simplify your tasks, revolutionise the way you work and will also make work more interesting. Moreover, you can leverage the universal 80/20 rule to streamline your business and enhance productivity by understanding that more often than not, 20% of our effort has an 80% impact. The 80/20 formula is a great prioritising tool that helps you sift through tasks and classify them accordingly. 

6. Identify Inspiring Books To Read
Entrepreneurs are typically very busy people, dealing with the daily challenges of running a business. If you’re a business owner, it’s important to read the right books to find a better approach to your business, absorbing insightful ideas and perspectives along the way. The New Year offers the perfect opportunity to broaden your knowledge base with some relevant business books. Promise yourself to read some inspiring books this year!

7. Adopt A Flexible & Innovative Approach To Business
If you’re a small or medium-sized business, your needs are quite different from those of larger multinational or national level businesses with greater resources and deeper pockets. Often, you are in competition with such businesses and you need to beat them to the customer’s wallet by using all your agility, ingenuity and speed of doing business. Jugaad Innovation offers an innovative, flexible & frugal approach to business that is ideal for SMEs that have limited resources but unlimited passion & ingenuity!

8. Aim For Work-Life Balance
Most entrepreneurs love what they do but struggle to strike the elusive work-life balance. After all, being a business owner often entails that you are mentally, if not physically, on the job 24x7. Therefore, it is vital for your health and wellness to consciously work towards achieving a work-life balance in the New Year.

The New Year beckons with new business opportunities—for networking, team building, success and growth. Share with us what inspires you, reignites your passion and keeps you motivated as you step into a new year.