Proudly CanadianA Smart New Year Checklist for Your Business (That Actually Moves the Needle)
Use this practical New Year checklist to strengthen your operations, marketing, and online presence in ways that will pay off all year long.
The start of a new year is the perfect time to reset—not just personally, but as a business or organization. While big transformations sound exciting, real progress often comes from a handful of smart, focused improvements that reduce risk, save time, and prepare your business for what’s next.
1. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for All Accounts
If there’s one item on this list you shouldn’t skip, it’s this one.
Passwords alone are no longer enough. Phishing attacks, data breaches, and credential leaks are now everyday risks—especially for email, hosting, social media, banking, and admin accounts.
What to do this year
- Enable MFA or 2FA anywhere it’s available
- Prioritize email, website admin logins, cloud services, and financial tools
- Use an authenticator app instead of SMS whenever possible
Why MFA matters
MFA blocks the vast majority of account takeover attempts. It’s a small setup task that can prevent massive headaches, downtime, and reputational damage.
If you do nothing else this month, do this.
2. Find One Thing You Can Automate
Automation doesn’t mean replacing people—it means removing repetitive work so your team can focus on higher-value tasks.
You don’t need to overhaul your entire business. Just start with one process.
Good automation candidates include
- Appointment booking and confirmations
- Invoicing and payment reminders
- Lead follow-up emails
- Internal task handoffs
- Simple reporting or data syncing
Why automation matters
Automation reduces human error, speeds up response times, and frees mental bandwidth. Even saving 15-30 minutes a day adds up fast over a year.
Start small. Automate one thing. Build momentum from there.
3. Ask for Google Reviews (Consistently)
Online reviews are one of the most powerful (and underused) marketing tools for small and mid-sized businesses.
If you’re delivering good work but not actively asking for reviews, you’re leaving trust and visibility on the table.
Make asking for reviews part of your process
- Ask satisfied clients right after a successful project or purchase
- Send a simple link to your Google Business Profile
- Use a short, friendly message (no pressure, no gimmicks)
Why business reviews matter
- Improve local visibility in Google search results
- Build trust instantly with new prospects
- Act as social proof 24/7
The new year is a great time to normalize asking. One ask per happy customer can dramatically change how your business looks online by year’s end.
4. Get Rid of Email Forwarding
Email forwarding feels convenient but often creates security risks, delivery issues, and compliance problems.
Why email forwarding can create cybersecurity risks
- Bypass spam and phishing protections
- Break audit trails
- Create confusion about where data actually lives
- Increase the risk of sensitive information leaks
A better and more modern approach
- Use shared inboxes or delegated access
- Give team members their own accounts
- Use proper role-based permissions
Why a modern approach to collaboration matters
Modern email platforms are designed for collaboration without forwarding. Cleaning this up improves security, clarity, and accountability (and makes MFA much more effective).
If your email setup hasn’t changed in years, this is a great time to modernize it.
5. Get Your Website or Online Store Ready for AI
AI is no longer “coming soon”—it’s already shaping how people search, shop, and discover businesses.
Your website doesn’t need to be flashy or AI-powered itself, but it does need to be AI-friendly.
Key areas of your website to focus on
- Clear, well-structured content
- Fast load times and mobile performance
- Descriptive headings and plain-language explanations
- Up-to-date product, service, and FAQ pages
Why having an AI-ready website matters
AI-driven search tools and assistants rely on clean, accurate, well-organized websites. If your content is outdated, vague, or hard to parse, you’ll be harder to surface—for both humans and machines.
A site that’s good for users is increasingly good for AI, too. Think of this as future-proofing.
6. Engage in Social Media More (or Less!)
Social media is one of those areas where more effort isn’t always better. For some businesses, the right move this year is showing up more consistently. For others, it’s pulling back and focusing only on what actually works.
The key is being intentional.
Questions to ask yourself
- Which platforms actually drive leads, sales, or meaningful conversations?
- Are you posting with a purpose or just posting out of obligation?
- Would fewer, higher-quality posts perform better than daily noise?
How can you engage more on social media?
- Commit to a realistic schedule you can maintain
- Respond to comments and messages promptly
- Share helpful, behind-the-scenes, and educational content—not just promotions
How can you engage less on social media?
- Drop platforms that don’t serve your audience
- Reduce frequency and increase quality
- Reclaim time for channels you control, like your website, email list, or SEO
Why revisiting your use of social media matters
Social media should support your business—not drain it. The new year is the perfect time to reassess where your attention goes and adjust your presence so it aligns with real results, not vanity metrics.
More isn’t always better. Better is better.
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