The December and January off peak season is an extremely busy time for many businesses, especially those in retail because it is also the holiday season. However, for many companies in the business-to-business (B2B) sector, its their off peak season. During this time, business can get very quiet. Small business owners can make effective use of this period by strategising and preparing for the year ahead. From dreaming up new and innovative ideas to scrutinising every aspect of the website including its web hosting – you can make the most of the festive holiday slowdown.

In this article, we zone in on three proactive actions small business owners can take right now to hit the ground running in 2025.

Action 1: Set SMART Goals For 2025 During The Off Peak Season

Every business, big or small, needs some definitive goals for the year ahead. That’s how progress is made. By following the ‘SMART’ framework when setting up goals for your business, you can ensure that they don’t just become pie in the sky ‘nice-to-haves’ but actual plans of action you can implement.

The ‘SMART’ approach means:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

Apart from steering the business forward on the road to long-term success, goals are also beneficial because they help to:

• Prioritise tasks and allocate resources effectively.
• Inspire your team to stay committed and productive to a shared purpose.
• Evaluate your business’s performance throughout the year.
• Track milestones and identify what’s working and what needs adjustment.

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7 Goals To Consider For 2025

To help you get started with your own set of goals for 2025, we share some of the most relevant goals worth pursuing in the year ahead.

1. Build stronger customer relationships

It’s always a good idea to invest time and money to build stronger relationships with your customers. Improving their experience with your brand also enhances what they think of you, boost trust and encourages them to return.

Ideas to get it right:

• Engage with your current customers through personalised emails or social media.
• Collect feedback and use it to improve your products or services.
• Partner with local businesses for shared events or campaigns.
• Commit to improving customer service by offering faster responses and improved solutions.
• Reward loyal customers with discounts, exclusive offers, or loyalty programs.

2. Invest in the skills of your people

It doesn’t matter in which industry you are, if you have unmotivated, unskilled or lazy employees – it will show. Make sure you hire and attain the best as this will give your business a super power that will shine from the inside out.

Consider the following:

• Train employees in new skills or improve their expertise.
• Explore workshops or online courses to enhance their knowledge.
• Work on creating a supportive and inclusive work environment.
• Celebrate employee achievements to boost morale.

3. Focus on the financial health of your business

We all know money talks. But for a small businesses money and profits are essential. You have to prioritise the health of your finances.

Do this by:

• Reviewing your budget and cutting unnecessary expenses.
• Planning for taxes, saving for emergencies, or allocating funds for growth.
• Exploring new revenue streams, such as offering complementary products or services.

4. Innovate: Bring new ideas to the party

Henry Ford said: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” You need to innovate, adapt and evolve if you are expecting new, bigger and greater things for your business.

Some ideas:

• Develop prototypes for new products or services.
• Collaborate with other small businesses for cross-promotions.

• Identify opportunities for expansion, such as new markets or partnerships.
• Research trends in your industry and position your business accordingly.
• Explore subscription-based offerings or bundles for consistent income.

5. Embrace Technology

Are you or your employees spending a lot of time on things that can be accomplished quicker? UseArtificial Intelligence (AI) and automation software to help you do mundane tasks quickly and error-free, and spend the time on more important things.

Explore:

• Investing in tools or software to automate repetitive tasks (e.g., invoicing or inventory management).
• Digital marketing strategies like email automation or paid advertising.
• Using analytics tools to make data-driven decisions.
• Implementing customer relationship management (CRM) systems to streamline client interactions and improve communication tracking.
• AI-powered chatbots for customer support and reduce response times.

6. Ramp Up Marketing

Marketing is the bridge between your offerings and potential customers. A strategic and dynamic marketing approach can set your business apart, attract new customers, and build lasting brand recognition.

Ideas to consider:

• Develop a comprehensive marketing plan with clear, measurable objectives.

• Audit your current marketing channels and identify areas for improvement.

• Create a consistent brand message across all platforms.

• Experiment with different marketing tactics and track their effectiveness.

• Allocate budget for targeted advertising and promotional campaigns.

RELATED: Social Media Tips For Startups

7. Prioritise Sustainability

Your customers care about the environment, and they want to see your business care too. By integrating sustainability strategies into your business model, you can not only contribute to positive change but also attract conscientious customers and differentiate your brand in the marketplace.

Starting strategies:

• Explore eco-friendly alternatives in your product or service delivery.

• Develop partnerships with local environmental or social organizations.

• Implement sustainable practices in your day-to-day operations.

• Communicate your sustainability efforts transparently to your customers and stakeholders.

Action 2: Use The Off Season To Scrutinise & Optimise Your Website

Your business’s website is one of your company’s most valuable assets. It brings in new and returning customers. When last have you given your site a good sprucing up?

Doing so will help you address unknown issues, improve functionality, enhance first impressions, and boost its search engine ranking.

All you need to do is take the time to really judge every page and picture, test the loading speeds of your web hosting and update and improve its functionality and content.

4 Website Tasks To Do Right Now

1. Conduct a thorough website audit to identify areas for improvement.

By systematically examining every aspect of your website, you can uncover hidden issues, potential bottlenecks, and untapped opportunities for growth. This process goes beyond a casual glance—it’s a strategic review that can reveal technical problems, content gaps, and user experience challenges that may be holding your business back from reaching its full online potential.

Some tips:

• Use free tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and PageSpeed Insights to gather comprehensive data.
• Check for broken links, outdated content, and inconsistent branding across all pages.
• Review your website’s navigation structure and user flow for simplified browsing.
• Analyse your current conversion rates and identify potential improvement areas.
• Document all findings in a clear, actionable report.

RELATED: Importance of Tracking Your Website Average Session Duration

2. Optimise your website for user experience and SEO to attract more traffic.

Search engine optimization (SEO) and user experience are two sides of the same coin in digital marketing. A well-optimised website not only ranks higher in search results but also provides visitors with a seamless, engaging browsing experience.

Ideas:

• Conduct keyword research specific to your industry and target market.
• Optimise meta titles, descriptions, and header tags across your website.
• Ensure your content is high-quality, relevant, and provides genuine value to readers.
• Implement internal linking to help users and search engines navigate your site.
• Create a clear, compelling call-to-action on each page.

RELATED: Ticking The Technical SEO Box

3. Update your design to ensure its mobile-friendly and aligned with your brand.

Is your web design modern and responsive? The it is time for refresh! A cohesive, mobile-friendly design can significantly improve user engagement and build trust with your audience.

Where to start:

• Use responsive design principles to ensure your site looks great on smartphones, tablets, and desktops.
• Review and update your colour palette, typography, and visual elements to reflect current branding.
• Simplify navigation and reduce unnecessary design elements that might confuse users.
• Ensure images and graphics are high-quality and optimised for quick loading.
• Consider user testimonials or case studies to build credibility.
• Test website speed and functionality to eliminate slow load times or glitches.

Website performance can make or break user experience. Users will simply click away if your website’s hosting seems lacking. Are you with the right host and on the correct package? Perhaps it is time to migrate or upgrade?

Choosing the right hosting package is far more than a technical decision—it’s a strategic investment in your business’s online performance and reputation.

Think about the following:

• Assess your current website’s traffic, storage, and performance needs.
• If your host doesn’t provide robust uptime guarantees (99.9% or higher) look for a host that does.
• Consider hosting providers with strong security features and regular backups.
• Evaluate scalability options to support future business growth.

RELATED: How To Improve The Security Of Your Website

4. Research and compile briefs for new content, such as blog posts or promotional pages.

Content is a powerful tool for attracting, engaging, and converting potential customers. Use the holiday slowdown to research trending topics, understand your audience’s needs, and create detailed content briefs.

Where to start:

• Use tools like Google Trends, BuzzSumo, and industry forums to identify trending topics.
• Analyse your competitors’ content and identify gaps you can fill.
• Create detailed content briefs that outline key points, target keywords, and desired outcomes.
• Develop a content calendar to ensure consistent publishing.
• Consider various content formats like how-to guides, industry insights, and case studies.

By no means can you do any or all of these strategies by yourself. Use this time to reflect and put together plans and briefs for your in-house teams as well as the teams you outsource to.

Action 3: Focus On Personal Growth This Low Season

Business owners wear multiple hats every single day. It’s a good idea to focus on your personal growth because without you there would be no business. Your mindset, skills, and habits directly impact your success.

Making time to enhance your skills is beneficial because:

• In developing your leadership skills you can better inspire and motivate your team.
• By improving your communications skills, you’ll be able to provide more clear direction.
• Building resilience means you’ll be able to handle setbacks better and pivot accordingly.

• Continuous learning sharpens critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Exposure to diverse perspectives helps you make informed and innovative decisions.
• Understanding your emotions and those of others improves relationships with employees, customers, and partners.
• By managing your time effectively, you can focus on high-priority tasks and avoid burnout.

• Expanding your knowledge introduces you to new ideas and trends.
• Personal growth inspires creative solutions to improve your products or services.
• Learning stress management and prioritisation techniques leads to better work-life harmony.

10 Powerful Books To Read In 2025 (images for books in folder)

Although they are incredibly beneficial, you don’t always have to attend workshops and networking events, or enrol in courses in order to learn. You can learn new things at home, in your car, on the beach or at the gym by listening to podcasts, reading books or listening to audio books.

Here are a list of 10 books that could be worth your time:

1. The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen

Read this book if…

…you want to learn how to adapt to industry changes and leverage innovation to stay competitive.

This classic explores why successful companies fail when they ignore disruptive innovation.

2. Atomic Habits by James Clear

Read this book if…

… you want to develop consistent behaviours that will drive long-term success and productivity.

Atomic Habits offers practical guidance on building good business habits and breaking bad ones.

3. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Read this book if…

…youneed inspiration and practical insights on resilience, passion, and entrepreneurial creativity.

In this memoir Phil Knight recounts the challenges and triumphs of building Nike.

4. Zero to One by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters

Read this book if…

… if you want to develop your ability to think differently and innovate effectively.

The authoroffers unique perspectives on creating groundbreaking businesses that redefine industries.

5. Mindset by Dr. Carol S. Dweck

Read this book if…

…you are looking for lessons to better embrace challenges and foster innovation.

This book examines the power of a growth mindset for achieving personal and professional success.

6. The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett

Read this book if…

…you are in the mood for relatable lessons and actionable advice for scaling your ventures.

Bartlett shares insights into entrepreneurship, personal growth, and leadership in this popular book.

7. How Big Things Get Done by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner

Read this book if…

…you want to know why certain projects fail and others don’t.

The authors explain why and emphasising practical strategies for efficient execution.

8. Leadership on the Line by Marty Linsky and Ronald A. Heifetz

Read this book if…

…you want to gain tools to lead effectively under pressure.

This book offers guidance on navigating the challenges of leadership while driving change.

9. Buyology by Martin Lindstrom

Read this book if…

…you want to boost marketing and connect with your customers better.

In this book, the author uncovers the subconscious factors influencing consumer behaviour.

10. Financial Intelligence by Karen Berman and Joe Knight

Read this book if…

…you want to make smarter financial decisions and grow their businesses.

This book is a straightforward guide to understanding financial statements and metrics.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• A off peak season is the perfect time for small business owners to strategise, innovate, and prepare their business for a strong start in 2025.
• Set ‘SMART’ goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—to drive progress, prioritise tasks, inspire your team, and track performance effectively.
• Use this off season to set goals for 2025: strengthen customer ties, upskill your team, boost finances, innovate, embrace tech, enhance marketing, and go green.
• Update and optimise your website to improve functionality, boost SEO, and align with your brand for better performance and customer engagement.
• When business is quiet prioritise personal growth to enhance your leadership, resilience, and innovation in the year ahead.

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