Analyse what worked (and what didn`t work) last year
Maybe you started offering a particularly service for the first time last year. Maybe you changed your business hours. Now is a good time to take stock of the results. It could be that you’ll be able to trace an increase in revenue or your own satisfaction as a direct result of the change – or you may see that you’ve made less revenue or more work for yourself.
Whichever way it went, the results aren’t as important as your reaction to them. If last year’s strategy worked well, celebrate! If not, don’t give yourself a hard time; take it as a learning experience and move on.

Plan ahead for the year
This is where a calendar (whether it’s your Google or Outlook calendar, the calendar function of planning software such as Asana, ClickUp or Trello, or even a good old fashioned paper diary) comes into play.
Map out times of the year where you know you’ll be busier than usual (e.g. weekends during the wedding season, Christmas party season, etc.) to ensure you’ll be able to anticipate and plan for any additional resources you might need during these times.
Also think about quieter periods and come up with strategies to combat the lower business levels – maybe you want to offer some special offers or promotions to drum up some additional business, or use this time to work behind the scenes on your business.

Work smarter - not harder
Easier said than done, right? It really depends on the nature of your business, and what your personal pressure points are, but there might be more efficient ways of doing things, so take this time to figure out what that might look like for you.
Maybe it’s taking the time to set up an appointment booking function on your website, so that your clients can book online – more convenient for them, and less interruptions for you whilst you’re in the middle of serving other clients. Or it could be outsourcing your accounts or admin to a freelancer, freeing you up to spend less time working behind the scenes and more time with your clients – or your family!
Whatever it looks like for you, always keep an open mind to new ways of streamlining your workload.

Invest in your business AND yourself
Think about growth opportunities. Not just increasing your revenue, although that is often a big part of the strategy, but also opportunities for you to love what you do even more.

For instance, maybe you’ve always wanted to offer a particular service, and it would be hugely popular with your target market, but you need to take a training course to be able to offer it, and you haven’t gotten around to doing this due to time constraints or the expense.
Start planning now, budget your time and finances, and make it a reality. Remember that in the long term, the investment will be worth it, because you’ll be developing your business as well as your individual skills.

Ditch overworking!
Ah overworking. All too familiar a phenomenon for most small business owners. Of course, our business is our baby and it’s REALLY tough to set healthy boundaries because of that.
But, in order for your business to be sustainable and successful in the long term, you need to ensure that you’re maintaining a good work life balance.
Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup. Take time to recharge so that you have the energy and enthusiasm to make 2022 the best year yet for your beauty business!