Well 2009 is here and we all face the year ahead with some trepidation. Who really knows what it will bring in terms of financial pressure, challenges and of course opportunities? One thing I do know for certain is that we all need to be going into this year with a very proactive attitude. I feel that there are three priorities for every business owner in 2009.

The first is that we all need to get out of our comfort zones and get back into the a business development state of mind. This means we need to be marketing aggressively, looking for opportunities for new customers, enlisting the support of our family, friends and suppliers to help us find more customers and we need to get this message through to everyone that works in our business.

Secondly we need to make sure that we really look after our existing customers. Is our service as good as it should be? Have we been too busy to really give our current customers the attention that they have deserved in the past few years? We need to remember that our competitors will be on the hunt for new customers as well and the best place to find them is in a business that doesn’t value them.

Last but not least, as business owners we need to keep everyone involved in our businesses motivated. I know that this is a tough call, but the owner is the business barometer. If they are running around crying about how tough business is,  staff will soon be doing the same and the customers will be looking for somewhere else to shop. No matter how hard it is, now is the time to be upbeat, positive and enthusiastic about the future of your business.

I will be giving lots of ideas and tips on how to get more customers and how to keep your existing ones in my Business Bullets in the next few months. I think that with the right attitude, some hard work and focusing on the basics of running a successful business we will get through just fine.