The holiday season is usually a relaxing and joyous time for families and friends while providing an opportunity to take a much-needed break from the year-long toil of work and personal responsibilities. As a small business owner, the time off associated with the holidays may be limited, given the need to stay on top of a never-ending to-do list, close the books on the prior year, and plan ahead for another set of challenges as you turn the calendar page to January.
If your business involves running a lot of machinery & equipment, it might make sense to review annual usage and maintenance for your assets and compare with previous periods as well as what was budgeted for the year. Possibly consider making some reinvestments in your older machines or upgrading those that might have new options available, such as computer controls or more efficient process components.
Are you planning to grow the business or make any major internal investments? Consider an accredited equipment appraisal to allow you to leverage the equity available and obtain much-needed capital to get these projects off the ground.
Perhaps you are thinking about bringing in new investors, buying out existing partners, or even considering selling all or a portion of your business. Begin to look at key consultants who can assist in the efforts and provide an independent, unbiased, assessment of the company’s value, and its underlying assets.
Meet with your key employees to bounce ideas off one another based on their own experiences and perspectives, so you can obtain a well-rounded, thoughtful set of suggestions that might make sense to consider in the immediate future.
Every year brings a mix of both excitement and trepidation for most small business owners as they continue to work hard every day to make the most out of their niche in the marketplace and create additional value-added that can separate them from the competition. The earlier you begin to think about and ultimately implement your plans, the better chance you will have of a successful and desirable outcome.