Whether it is the ”doom & gloom” from the media or rhetoric from politicians of both parties, it is painfully obvious that the economy has not yet recovered.  Did anyone seriously think that things would be fixed so quickly after it took years of neglect and abuse to get it this way? I didn’t.

I usually don’t make new year’s resolutions. However, as a good business practice, I am setting some specific goals for modest growth for my business in 2011. I have to take charge of my destiny. The media and our politicians aren’t going to hand it to me on a silver platter.  To achieve my goals, I will:

1. Practice what I preach. Reviewing, updating and implementing my own plan shouldn’t be the thing on the To Do list that gets shoved to the bottom. It is now at the top.

2. Network. Whether it is face-to-face or online, this is my #1 priority to grow my business.  This is a constant struggle for me as I have been a shy, reserved person my entire life. While I am 100% better at this than I was a few years ago, I still have a long way to go.

3. Expand my education.

• I have been contemplating taking classes and getting an additional degree for two years. I could have been done by now if I had started back then. What am I waiting for?
• Read more. I used to read constantly and voraciously. Not sure how I got off track so much the past few years.  I have a large stack of marketing, pr and advertising books and articles, in addition to thousands of web sites and blogs to explore to spark new ideas.

I urge all small business owners to focus on what you love about your business, get back to basics and explore new options.  Purchase products and services from other small business owners whenever possible. Ultimately, customer service, personal relationships and local support are what will help get our economy back on track.