Are you 2020-ready?
Is your
ready for 2020?
As we come to a new year, posts are starting to appear online touting a ‘new year, new me’. Resolutions, promises, goals, diets, and all that jazz.
Why should January 1st be any better than any other day to start being the best you?
That’s not the point of this post though. It’s a not a Victor Meldrew-esque rant, but a reminder of some of the other things you may want to ensure are in good shape for the start of a new decade (though I recognise this is also a topic for debate since, if the first year was 1, then the second decade starting in year 11…. follow the logic and the ‘new decade’ starts next year. Procrastinators rejoice! You can be a lazy slob for another year and roll out the new you for the start of the decade in 12 months time – thank me later). I’m not really into the whole new year resolution thing (can you tell?) but maybe if I was, it should be to stay more focussed mid-post. Or even just mid-sentence, or mid- what were we talking about again?
Is your Computer or Laptop 2020-ready?
They get slower with age. Computers that is. As they accumulate all that data and knowledge that you have gleaned over time, things slow down a little. The little man inside your computer says “ah, he likes this website so I’ll keep some information on here so he can find it easily next time”, which is all well and good but it happens every time. And then there’s the software you no longer use and the bank statement that you downloaded ten times, and the photos you stored in three different places….
You take your car for a service and MOT every year, right? Maybe clear the loft out occasionally (or at least rearrange the Christmas decs when putting them back)? Why not your PC or Laptop? It needs a HealthCheck every so often, removing the rubbish so that there’s more space (and hopefully speed) for the things that matter to you.
The other thing about Computers is that they do stop working one day. It’s inevitable. The hard drive may stop working, or the memory may fail. Prevention is better than cure, so check our tips of 20 things to get your PC 2020-ready.
Is your Website or Web Presence 2020-ready?
More and more people are looking for a website to validate a businesses before using them. Our most popular web service in 2019 was single-page sites that give an opportunity to show what you do, without the cost of a full-blown website. Many of the businesses had no great desire to build a site, or just couldn’t justify the cost at the early stages of the business, but these have been setup to grow with the business, and it’s been exciting to see some of these businesses really take off and want to add in more pages and more information.
Several of the sites are automatically pulling in information from other sources to help keep them fresh. So as customers leave reviews on Google or Facebook, or the business owner adds pictures of their latest work on Facebook, that information is automatically added to their site.
We’ve made some massive improvements to our hosting over the last couple of months: it’s ready to grow with your business throughout 2020, and we’d love to be part of your online journey. You can find out about the updates here.
It’s not all about websites though. Making sure your business, charity or community group has a strong online presence is increasingly important. There are lots of simple things you can do to help ensure that you can be easily found online. Check out our top 20 tips for a 2020-ready online presence, or schedule a call to discuss options.
Is your Networking 2020-ready?
Do you attend any networking events? Networking can massively help your business, and could be just what you need to make 2020 even more successful. There are lots of different types of networking events out there, and some may suit you more than others. That’s OK. We’re all different, and all like to do things differently.
This February it will be three years since the Lakeside Lunch networking group launched. I think I’ve missed three of the fortnightly events in that time, but have made friends, found customers and found other local businesses that I can rely upon. I now help run three different networking events locally (Lakeside, Billericay and Ongar) as part of the UK’s only joined-up networking organisation…. which itself celebrates 14 years in February.
There’s no 20 tips for 2020 this time. Instead, look out for a new networking tip every fortnight, or get in touch and we’ll help you find some local opportunities to talk about your business and grow your network.
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