4 SUPER SIMPLE BUSINESS TASKS FOR CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS IN JANUARY
January is here, and with it comes a fresh slate for your business. But before you dive into executing your grand goals, let’s first make sure you have the foundations in place. Start the year out right with these four small business tasks every entrepreneur must do. Let’s call this your entrepreneur to-do list for January.
TRACK KEY BUSINESS METRICS
Start by logging into your social media accounts to track key business metrics like the number of fans, followers, and engagement. This is important to log so you can track your growth over the next year. For example, if you're a content creator, checking your YouTube views or Instagram engagement is essential. Track these metrics at the start of the year to evaluate your audience growth over time.
Here is a list of key metrics to write down:
Subscribers on your email list
Website, blog, or portfolio visits
Video/vlog views
Followers on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok
NOTE & TRACK YOUR MILEAGE
Another important metric to track is your mileage—because who doesn’t love a good tax write-off, right? This is especially important if you use your personal vehicle for business activities and plan to expense your business miles.
Remember, you cannot expense trips to your studio or office, but all other business-related travel should be logged. Always refer to a professional tax accountant to understand the write-offs that apply to your business.
PLAN YOUR BUSINESS YEAR
The third task is to plan your year by adding important dates to your calendar. You can keep it simple or make it as detailed as you prefer. Below is a list of possible ideas to include as you map out the next 12 months.
Goal check-in dates (quarterly is ideal)
Grant and exhibition deadlines
Important business expense renewals
Sales events and milestones
Annual events you participate in
Business expense subscription renewal dates (important for managing your finances)
Administration dates
Digital marketing and content planning
UPDATE YOUR WEBSITE FOR SUCCESS
While it’s important to keep your website dynamic and up-to-date, this task is a bit different.
One task that is often overlooked is updating the copyright date on your blog, site, or shop. While you always own the copyright to your work (official registration or not) what’s important about updating this is demonstrating that you are paying attention, maintaining your site, and are active online.
A bonus task is making sure that all updates—such as plugins, templates, and apps—are current. Let me explain. If you use plugins, templates, and apps from 3rd party sources on your website, hackers and spammers can easily access your site when you do not update your site. They can enter through bugs and loopholes that updates often fix. Spend time making sure everything is at its most current operating system or version.
What’s one simple business task you tackle every January to set your year up for success? Share it in the comments below, and let’s make 2025 our best year yet!
