Make small changes now for real benefits in 2019

Many see the period between Christmas and the New Year as a time for recovery. Half the country is on extended leave, nursing hangovers or counting the days ‘til the kids go back to school. The other half – workers in healthcare, retail and the service sector – grab the odd day’s leave and wait for things to get back to normal.

Where are you in all this? Are you in the office, holding the fort? Are you dealing with a tenant’s crisis, trying to find someone to repair a boiler that’s on the blink? Or are you too, enjoying a bit of downtime? After a year of hard work, we don’t blame you. It’s natural that as the needles drop from the Christmas trees, our energy levels decline. But without going too crazy, you can do a little bit to set you up for more success in 2019.

While everyone else is sluggish, you can get ready to hit the New Year running. Use the time to take stock of where you are and allow yourself the liberty of imagining where you’d like to be in twelve months’ time.  At this stage, you don’t need a detailed plan of how to get there – that can wait. A few ideas to make a start will suffice because when you begin the new year with a new attitude – even if it’s just a focus on improving one small aspect of your operation – the positive approach ripples through and you feel re-energised.

We’re not talking about making cast-in-stone resolutions for wholesale change. This is the real world and those things often fall at the first hurdle. We’re talking about modest changes that are achievable, and that you can build on. As a simple example, look at one component of your business costs and work out if you could get a better deal. When that’s sorted, move onto the next component. The benefits compound.

After the Christmas spending, cash flow is often tight, but don’t bury your head in the sand. Instead of waiting for problems to arise, tackle the issue. Speak to those who owe you money, talk to those tenants who may be struggling, or make plans to keep your own creditors sweet. Use your knowledge to prevent issues spiralling and build stronger relationships with your suppliers and customers. It may just be a couple of phone calls that are needed to keep everything on track.

If it’s quiet in the office, use the time to follow up leads. Use the time to nosey at your competitors. Use the time to sort a database or for brainstorming ideas. If you want better relationships with your tenants or landlords, call them to wish them all the best for 2019. Just use the time proactively to make small improvements that will keep on paying dividends. If you wait until business is in full swing in the new year, you might be too busy to implement changes, and there’s nothing worse than starting a new year feeling like it’s all going to be more of the same. And if you want to make real progress in 2019, do call us for a chat. You’ll find we’ve got lots of bright ideas.

One last message, from me, Sim Sekhon, and from all the team at LegalforLandlords – have a very Happy New Year.