End of the year checklist for business owners.

First off - Congratulations! You've made it to the end of yet another challenging year in business. Are you already thinking of all the things you need to do before the clock strikes midnight on Dec 31, and dreaming of what diving into 2023 looks like?

I've compiled a checklist of things for you to consider doing before the year's end in hopes that they'll encourage you to take action and reap the benefits of starting the year strong.

Set up a meeting with your accountant to do some end-of-the-year tax planning. Ask about opportunities and strategies that you should be leveraging in your business. A rockstar accountant or tax specialist will keep up to date on things like tax breaks, deduction opportunities and financial incentives to be ready to educate their clients. Lean on them to help you make decisions on tax moves that simply need to happen before the calendar changes. I don't want you to miss an opportunity at keeping more of your hard-earned cash in your pocket.

Check-in with your team. Not just the ones you have on payroll. Clients, customers, users, members, contractors, students, partners, tenants, collaborators, colleagues, wholesalers, suppliers, subcontractors, employees, etc. No matter what they may be to you, now is a great time to see if there may be any new opportunities to explore. Do they need additional support from you, or vice-versa? Are things working with ease for both parties? What are they working on these days? Are they struggling and need support? Nurturing these business type relationships is key to sustaining and maintaining them.

Acknowledge and recognize your accomplishments from yet another challenging year in business. Evaluate how far you’ve come and take inventory of your wins (I bet there is a lot worth celebrating). You’ve likely come a long way!

Set your holiday schedule or book your next vacay. If you're heading into peak season and time off isn't in the cards before the year's end, look ahead and block your downtime for some much-needed r&r or an adventure with some of your favourite people. Your clients will expect it, and giving them ample notice of your plans can help you set their expectations for your availability. This will also make for a more stress-free vacation.

Last but certainly not least, look ahead and examine your business needs. This includes updating your goals, cleaning up your website (don’t forget to check those links), polishing up your onboarding process, decluttering your filing system and strategizing your game plan for the upcoming year.

These back-end business tasks keep things running smoothly—and growing steadily. Whether you're ready to strategize the year ahead or looking to make big changes to your business identity, book a call to begin exploring how our team of experts can get you in tip-top shape so that you can start the year with a splash.

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