Happy New Year. On behalf of myself and all the team at MAP, I wish each and everyone of you a healthy, peaceful and of course profitable, 2025.
Like many of your staff, I am sure you have either set or at least thought about some New Year resolutions, but as the business owner I have learned that it is not wise to mix resolutions with the goals that I have for my business this year.
New Year’s resolutions often don’t work for businesses for a variety of reasons, many of which stem from fundamental differences between personal goals and business objectives.
Here are my thoughts as to why:
Lack of Strategic Alignment
New Year’s resolutions are often impulsive or short-term commitments, whereas businesses require long-term planning and strategic goals. A business thrives on well-thought-out strategies that are aligned with its mission, vision, and core values. Resolutions might not be rooted in this broader strategic framework, making them misaligned with the business’s real priorities.
Vague or Unrealistic Goals
Just like with personal resolutions, business resolutions can often be too vague (e.g., “increase profits”) or overly ambitious (e.g., “double revenue in six months”) without a clear plan for achieving them. Businesses need “SMART goals” (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound), and resolutions tend to lack this structure.
Insufficient Planning and Resources
Businesses require detailed action plans and resource allocation to achieve goals. Resolutions are often made without the necessary financial, human, or time resources in place. If a resolution isn’t backed by sufficient planning (e.g., creating budgets, hiring staff, or accelerating technology), it becomes impossible to implement effectively.
Short-Term Motivation vs. Long-Term Discipline
Resolutions are usually driven by short-term motivation and excitement at the beginning of the year, but they often lack the sustainability needed to keep them going. Businesses should operate on long-term discipline, requiring sustained effort, review cycles, and the ability to adapt to changing market conditions. The fleeting enthusiasm behind New Year’s resolutions quickly wanes.
Changing Priorities
Your business needs to be flexible and adaptive, especially in the Agency sector we serve. New Year’s resolutions set at the beginning of the year may not hold relevance as market conditions, consumer demands, or your internal priorities shift. All businesses must continuously reassess their goals, whereas resolutions often assume a static environment.
Cultural and Operational Disconnect
Resolutions are typically personal, whereas businesses require collective buy-in from employees, managers, and stakeholders. If a New Year’s resolution isn’t integrated into the company culture or operational workflows, it’s unlikely to be embraced by the entire organisation or effectively implemented.
Lack of Accountability and Metrics
Personal resolutions often fail due to a lack of accountability. The best businesses succeed because they use clear accountability and tracking systems to ensure goals are met. Without KPIs (key performance indicators), monitoring, and regular check-ins, a business resolution can easily fade into the background.
Focus on Trends vs. Business Needs
New Year’s resolutions can sometimes reflect fleeting trends (like adopting the latest business fad) rather than focusing on the core needs of the business. As the business owner, you need to make decisions based on your specific challenges, market position, and long-term objectives, not what’s temporarily fashionable.
Reactive vs. Proactive Approach
New Year’s resolutions are often reactive (“We didn’t hit our targets last year, so let’s aim higher”) rather than proactive, focusing on preventing problems or identifying opportunities in advance. Businesses thrive on proactive, forward-thinking planning rather than reactive decision-making.
Lack of Follow Up
Businesses that make resolutions may fail to establish a follow up process. Without structured review points, feedback loops, or course corrections, the resolutions are often forgotten within months. Businesses succeed through ongoing iteration and improvement, not one-time declarations.
The reality is, your business needs well-structured, strategic, and adaptable plans, whereas New Year’s resolutions tend to be short-term, vague, and often misaligned with what your business needs. Instead of relying on a one-time resolution, businesses succeed by setting clear, measurable objectives integrated into their overall strategy and regularly adjusting them based on performance and market conditions.