6 Business Practices So You’re Set Up for Success in 2025

This is the year for your business. You’ve got the passion for change, ideas for growth, and “We Will Rock You” playing on repeat.

The thing is, building new business practices—and breaking old ones—can feel like climbing a mountain without a map. It’s easy to slip right back into the same old bad routine and mindset if you don’t have a plan.

And it’s not just you—most people struggle to follow through on the changes they want. In fact, just a month into 2024, 41% of people who made New Year’s resolutions had let some or all of them slide.¹

So, how do you make sure you’re set up for success? Start with these six simple moves to lay a strong foundation for your business this year—and keep your momentum going.

1. Clear Your Desk

It sounds small, but this is huge. Take everything off your desk and rethink what really belongs there. File or scan what you need, toss what you don’t, and clear the clutter.

Whether you’re channeling Marie Kondo’s joy-sparking magic or eliminating what doesn’t serve you like a true minimalist, a clean workspace equals a clear mind. And a clear mind? That’s where focus and progress happen.

Bottom line: Clear your desk, start fresh every day, and get stuff done.

2. Set Your Goals

If you haven’t set goals yet, start now. Seriously. No “I’m just too busy” excuses. Your first order of business this week: Write down your goals.

Keep in mind, for goals to work, they need to:

• Be specific
• Be measurable
• Have a time limit
• Be yours (they need to matter to you)
• Be in writing

Goals aren’t just for your business either. To stay balanced and successful, set goals in each of these key areas:

• Career
• Financial
• Spiritual
• Physical
• Intellectual
• Family
• Social

3. Make a Calendar

If it’s not on your calendar, it won’t happen—plain and simple. But to make sure you’re prioritizing the right things, use the time management quadrant. Then, block out time for all your key areas.

Want another powerful scheduling hack? Start each day by writing down the top three actions you need to tackle before you wrap up your work. Maybe it’s giving an approval, reviewing a budget, and having a hard conversation. Whatever your daily top three to-dos are, knocking them out will keep you moving toward your goals.

When you start telling your time where to go instead of wondering where it went, you’ll take control of your day—and your life.

Related article: 11 Productivity Tips for Small-Business Owners

4. Get Out of the Office

While you’re blocking time, schedule a full day away with your key leaders for strategic planning.

• Why a whole day of planning? Because hitting goals doesn’t happen by accident. To win in business, you need a focused statement that guides your business practices, defining objectives to help you achieve them, and key results that show what winning in each area looks like.

• Why get away? Because dedicated time away—especially with no phones or email—limits distractions and helps creativity flow.

Once everyone knows the plan and their part in it, staying aligned and holding your team accountable is much easier.

Related article: How to Lead an Effective Strategic Planning Meeting

5. Plan for New Hires

Now that you have your game plan, ask yourself if you have the right team in place to make your goals happen. If not, who do you need to add to your team? Take your time in hiring to get the right people on the right seats of the bus. (Hint: Great hiring takes months, not days.)

You probably thought running a business sounded fun—until you realized it would actually run you. Discover the EntreLeadership System—the small-business road map that takes the guesswork out of growth.

Resist the urge to put butts in seats. It’s worth the wait to build a team—and a company culture—of talented, driven thoroughbreds and to keep the donkeys out.

6. Grow as a Leader

Here’s the truth: Your business can’t grow if you don’t. Developing as a leader takes focus and smart strategies like these:

• Always be learning. Listen to top business podcasts and read great books.
• Spend time with other leaders. Attend leadership and industry conferences to expand your network and get inspired.
• Get coaching. Join a mastermind group or work with a leadership coach to help you become a better version of you.
• Invest in your team. Build your leadership bench so your team grows with you—and your business scales too.

Need tools, training and a community to help you be a leader your team wants to follow? EntreLeadership Elite is an online platform that gives you resources to grow personally—and align everyone to your goals.