I love small business owners. I love their drive, their enthusiasm and their ingenuity. I also know how lonely it can get and how burnt out they can become.

They work so hard in their business they sometimes forget to look at the big picture.

So I reckon the start of new year should be when small business owners stop for a second, catch their breath and think of a couple of New Year Resolutions for them and their business.

No doubt there are plenty of ways you can improve the way you do business. Now is the time to take a step back and look at how you have fared this past year. Then make some realistic, well thought out goals for the year ahead.

It’s important to be constantly setting goals for your business, short term and long term. There’s no better time than with a fresh calendar to go over your SME and target the ways it could improve.

1. GET OUT OF THE OFFICE

There’s nothing more important this summer than taking some time off to recharge and re-energize. Unfortunately 30% of small business owners haven’t taken any holidays this year. And over 60% have had just one week. Of course the biggest reason was that the business could not afford it. But a short holiday will do wonders for your approach to your work, and your personal life.

2. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

34% of small business owners have suffered from some sort of business-related illness or health problem in the past year. Stress and overworking are serious issues, particularly if it means your business is left in the lurch.

On a daily basis make sure you are managing your working life in a way that minimizes stress and anxiety. Regular exercise, breaks, personal time and an organised, uncluttered workspace are all key to staying on top of things.

3. SPRING CLEAN YOUR BUSINESS

With a fresh year you should do your best to have a fresh start. That means cleaning out your inbox, ridding yourself of old messages taking up space. It means physically cleaning up the office. A chaotic mess of a workplace is unproductive and causes problems. Get the business finances in order. Do the superannuation and get tax affairs in order.

4. GET IN-HOUSE FEEDBACK

This time of the year is a great opportunity to sit down with your staff and discuss the state of the business. Include them in the planning for the next year, or few years. Get their ideas and feedback. Good communication with your employees is key to knowing what is going on inside your business and what opportunities may lie ahead. Your staff may have some new ideas for customers, products, business processes, anything. You only have to ask.

5. MAKE FRESH PLANS

Over the New Year period take some time to sit down with your business plan and assess how you’ve tracked this year. If it’s time to update the business plan then get onto it. This is a great time to look at where your business is, against where it should be. Then coming up with strategies to move it forward.

6. SIMPLIFY YOUR JOB

After a year of working at a hectic pace you can feel under pressure, as if the whole business is relying on you. If this happens, it more than likely means you are wasting time on mundane jobs rather than focusing on where you can add real value to the business.

Learn to delegate some of the responsibilities you’ve shouldered to others. Learn to prioritise, schedule well and block out distractions. Outsource what you can, so you can focus on keeping your best customers happy. Don’t forget that you’re the captain of the ship, so you shouldn’t be mopping the decks. You need to be navigating the path.

Spend time developing the skills of your staff so they can potentially shoulder some of your responsibilities.

Never underestimate the significance of setting goals, and regularly taking a step back to see your business as a whole.

And of course, don’t forget to celebrate.