Did you know that 35% of people who make New Year's resolutions break them by the end of January and that only 23% who make any follow them through? Of course, making resolutions about how you will operate your business this year is a lot different than resolving to lose 30 pounds .. or is it? As a business coach for women entrepreneurs, I spend the first part of every New Year encouraging them to see a fresh approach to their business, and that means resolving to change business behaviors.

The fact is much of what we do, whether in business or in our personal life, is habit. Yes, how you run your business may be just as bad a habit as eating cookies before bed or being too much of a coach-potato. There are hundreds of books and articles to read in order to motivate yourself into breaking bad habits and replacing them with new ones. But, in business, changing habits and replacing them with new ones is more difficult as the revisions that are necessary often make us feel inadequate as a business owner. However, every entrepreneur must believe that operating a business is not an innate or even taught process but one that is learned by doing. Yes, the best entrepreneurs in the world take lessons learned and build on them.

So, where does a woman entrepreneur begin if she believes she needs to revise her business strategy?

First, all business begins and ends with the customer/client. How involved are you, the owner, with your customer? The less you interact with your business's customers the more likely you are to be making decisions that may not be profitable in the long term. Yes, the customer is right! Why? Because without customers/clients you have no business. If I had a dollar for every time an entrepreneur complained to me (their business coach) about their best customer and then ignored the problem not wanting to create conflict I would be rich (not rich really, but comfortable). In other words, when entrepreneurs give in to customer demands and never address the problems that caused them the relationship starts dissolving. It takes personal courage to resolve conflicts with customers but it moves the relationship forward.

Customers need to be appreciated and companies that demonstrate their true gratefulness for business not only see better profits, but more referrals.

Second, entrepreneurs must trust, rely on and delegate to their team. The biggest complaint I hear from clients is about employees. However, after listening to all the problems one or more employees are causing the issue eventually reverts to one of basic communication between the employee and the employer. People are not mind readers. Even in family businesses or businesses where the partners have been long time friends. Communication is key to business success no matter how many people are on the team. Employees are the frontline of every business and need to be listened to and encouraged by seeing their ideas included in the business strategy. Entrepreneurs, and particularly women entrepreneurs, who have no respect for the input from the team, should look themselves in the mirror and remember why they started their own business in the first place.

Finally, third, entrepreneurs must keep a close eye on their financials. The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to take control over your finances. Consider your books a clean slate. Most likely, you have closed out the previous year on December 31 and started a new ledger. Learn, if you don't already know, about every expense your business incurs and when payment is due for each. Take time to see when revenue is deposited and learn the ebb and flow of your cash. Business strategies are only as good as the finances needed to implement them. You would be surprised at how just watching your money will make it grow. In my experience, entrepreneurs, and most people, spend more than they have when they really don't know what they have and where it comes from. Smart entrepreneurs know where every penny comes from and how to make it grow. They also pay close attention to what services/products are 'cash cows' and 'loss leaders' so they can predict a stable cash flow.

Making new year's business resolutions may sound as tricky as sticking to a new diet but dedicating yourself to a better you physically and/or operationally will make the year ahead the most successful one ever.