Top 5 Business Resolutions for 2020

It’s that time of year, a beginning of a year that sparks the need or inspiration to improve yourself or business for the upcoming months. Some take serious introspection and time to evaluate the previous year to determine their new resolutions or expand on old ones. Others roll over the same resolutions from the previous year. This practice doesn’t only include personal resolutions but also resolutions for businesses. Business owners are also guilty of repeating the same goals over and over, year after year, with little progress.

This made us at IMS curious on two different fronts: 1.) what were the most common resolutions of businesses and 2.) how can IMS help business owners keep their resolutions for the New Year? After some research, we discovered the top five business resolutions:

1.) Online presence.
This resolution for businesses, especially small businesses is to update and increase their online presence. Online presence seems a little vague but in this context, it includes everything from updating their website and taking a serious look at their SEO standings to social media to emailing services. IMS Barter has specialists in our network that can help you upgrade your website and give you the tools to up your social media game to keep up with the Millennials.

2.) Improve Health
This speaks to the health of the employees of your business. Let’s be honest, not all businesses can afford to provide their employees with complete health benefits. This is where IMS Barter can help. Supplementing health and employee benefits through barter is easy to implement. IMS offers: doctors, chiropractors, personal trainers, optometrists, nutrition specialists, dentists, health club and fitness centers, and many additional health and medical services. Make these available to your employees.

3.) Manage Cash Flow More Effectively
If you feel like your business’ cash is flowing out of your company like a bad oil leak, we can help stop that spillage. With the IMS Barter network, your business has over 16,000 member businesses to conduct business-to-business trading for goods and services outside of your normal markets. Through these transactions, opportunities to purchase goods and services for your business using trade dollars, instead of cash are prevalent. Save cash on normal business expenses like printing, repairs and improvements, professional services, travel, office equipment, corporate gifts, company meetings, and much more. And, because you are earning trade dollars on your goods and services at normal everyday selling prices, you are able to turn those earnings around to purchase items at your wholesale cost!

4.) Grow Team and/or Delegate More
This could really be two resolutions but they go hand in hand. Some businesses are ready to grow their team but can’t due to financial situations. Others have a dedicated work force but aren’t specialized in certain areas (like SEO or website development for example). IMS Barter can help your business delegate tasks or operations to other members in the IMS network. Need your website updated - we know who you can call. Need brochures and banners printed – we know a printer who can do all that for you and more. Need someone to design the brochures and banners you need printed – we have you covered.

5.) Give back to the community
Let’s say your business is thriving and you’re finally in a place where you can give back to the community. In 2018, our wonderful members donated over $580,000 to 90 different charities, including: Shriners Hospitals for Children, Missing & Exploited Children, Special Olympics, Easter Seals, CURE Childhood Cancer Association, United Way, March of Dimes, and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. There are many opportunities year-round to help these organizations save their vital cash by giving them the gift of IMS trade dollars. To see all of the charities we support, visit our Charitable Contributions page.

Now that you know that IMS is here to support your business, consider your resolutions and goals for the year ahead. How can IMS Barter help your business keep resolutions this year?