We are less than a week away from Christmas and it’s almost time to say goodbye to 2014, and hello to 2015. For me, 2014 has been extremely difficult, but very rewarding at the same time. To make sure I carry on the way I have been working over the last 6 months, there are a few things I will need to do. Here is my entrepreneurs guide to 2015 to help you be as successful as possible.

Reflection

Most people don’t take the time to look back on a day, week, month or year and just reflect. Use the following to help you plan for success in 2015;

• 2014 goals

• Things you did well

• Things you didn’t do well

These are three things you need to reflect on to make sure you are starting 2015 the right way.

Security

As annoying as it is, if you run an online business chances are, your passwords might have been compromised at sometime or another. 2015 means that you will need to change your passwords so that you are protected before you get started on working on your success.

The first thing you need to do is turn on your 2-factor authentication via your email account. This is when you need to go through two stages to reactive an online account of yours (email and them mobile). Most entrepreneurs, like me will have other email addresses filtering through their primary address. This means that if you forget your password for any online service, it goes to your Gmail account. If someone gains access to your Gmail, they will ultimately have access to all your other online accounts.

To keep your passwords, safely stored in one place, use Roboform.

Organise

Now your security has been ticked off, its time to get organised. This includes the following;

• Checking credit score

• Organising email, notes and files on your computer

• Backing up files

• Clean up your social networks

• Review expenses

These are all important parts of getting you ready for a successful 2015 as an entrepreneur. For backing up files, use Dropbox and for organising notes, use Evernote.

Plan

Now, its time to start planning.

You need to set your yearly goals. These should include everything from financial, personal, love/relationships to family, friends and health. Once you have set your goals, use Evernote to make sure they are stored safely. The goals you are setting should be realistic and are achievable in a time period. You need to take action on goals you are setting, specifically in the first quarter of 2015.

You should also consider choosing a new skill to learn. As an entrepreneur, you want to keep improving your knowledge as much as possible. Also think about giving something back. Consider working with a charity but make sure you plan how much time you want to give away and how much time you want to spend learning a new skill.

Act

To make sure you are finishing 2014 the way you want to start 2015, you need to act. You need to be a lot more productive than you have ever been before and be persistent. If you aren’t going to push yourself to achieve more, you won’t achieve anything. Don’t say you’re going to do something, and then not do it.

Make sure you have no more zero days. By this, I mean days in which you achieve nothing. Everyday must be productive and proactive. One zero day, can turn into two which can easily turn into a week.

Are you on the right track to becoming a successful entrepreneur in 2015?