While our personal goals of hitting the gym may get put on the backburner by spring, now is a great time to use the resources you have to achieve your business goals. Instead of waiting for inspiration to strike, create your own game-changing ideas with a little focus.

One of the easiest things to do is step out of your normal schedule. Switch employees around, try your hand at tasks you usually leave to the staff or be a customer for a day. Allowing yourself to see your business from a different perspective can help you understand how your customers feel and bring areas of improvement to the forefront.

It is also essential to back up and give yourself some room to think. The everyday grind gets salon owners so closely involved with the details of the business that they may be missing the bigger picture. Keep your focus on the salon, but give yourself some space from it so that you can think more broadly about what you could do to make things better.

As you brainstorm, don’t quit when you think you’re out of creative juice. Once the ideas stop flowing readily, it means you’ve hit the edge of your “box” – now it’s time to think outside of it! The best ideas are ones that take you beyond what you would normally think of or do.

Don’t forget to look to the past for inspiration. The tanning industry has been around for decades, which means there a lot of people to learn from. Reach out to tanning industry veterans to better understand where the industry has been before you try to move onto the next big thing.

While the possibilities of improvement seem endless, it’s much easier to focus on changing problem areas first. Once you’ve gotten out of your routine and brainstormed, you’ll probably begin to notice the things that could use improving in the business. Allotting more of your time and focus to things you have control over and can actually fix means less wasted time now and less disappointment in the long run.

The best part is that you don’t have to do it alone! Utilize your team and brainstorm together – having the right people help you can add much-needed diversity to your thought process. Reach out to customers, too – and not just the regulars. You never know where that golden piece of insight will come from. Rely on your staff to help take responsibility for these changes so you’re not stuck doing all the work by yourself.

One of the most common mistakes businesses make is waiting. Once you have decided on the changes that are best for your salon, implement them in a timely manner. Mistakes are bound to happen and it’s likely that you’ll have to tweak things once they are up and running, but failure has to be welcome in a learning environment. Remind yourself and employees that things might not be perfect the first time around. It’s better to know sooner than later that something needs more time and attention.

Once your game-changing ideas are in full effect, continue to plan and manage. Account for variables, try to measure success, and clarify any new expectations you have for your staff. Openly communicating with staff and customers about how these changes will affect them only helps to shorten the adjustment period.

With these few suggestions, you’re well on your way to making great strides in 2021, so make it count!