1. Put a record-retention system in place. "Maintaining organized and accurate records allows you to retrieve information about your company with ease" and also out of trouble when it comes time to find that receipt for the IRS or a vendor's invoice. (From "Records Cheat Sheet: How To Organize Your Business Paperwork," by Carla Turchetti)
2. Drive your audience to your crowdfunding campaign. You can't just create a fundraising page and expect people to come, says Julie Uhrman, the woman behind Kickstarter's second-largest campaign. " I recommend working hard to make sure everyone knows about your company by finding communities where your customers are interested, finding partners to communicate with your community, letting the press know and leveraging social media," Uhrman says. (From "Ouya's Julie Uhrman On Taking Her Funding Request To The People," by Katie Morell)
3. Gamify your life. Procrastination is something we all deal with, to the detriment of ourselves and our company's ability to succeed. One way to combat it is to give yourself points for every task you check off your to-do list, writes Jason Brick. When you reach a certain point level, give yourself a treat! (From "5 Mind Hacks That Make You A Better Boss," by Jason Brick)
4. Power your business with big data. Big data, the practice of collecting tons of information to inform your business decisions, may sound expensive, but there are inexpensive ways to get in on it. Sign up for visual.ly to get a visual breakdown of your site's Google Analytics metrics. (From "3 Smart Ways To Use Big Data In 2014 (Without Paying For It)," by Rohit Bhargava)
5. Create an editorial calendar for your blog. "Consistency is a key first step for bloggers," writes Ritika Puri of UserGrasp. "It's better to blog twice a week consistently than 12 times a month erratically." (From "5 Steps To Growing Your Blog Audience)," by Ritika Puri)
6. Do good deeds to attract press coverage. Your business can make local news by sponsoring a charity event or volunteering resources to an organization in need. It's a win-win for everyone involved. (From "4 Tips For Getting Press Coverage," by Dani Fankhauser)
7. Get a fresh perspective. If you find yourself hitting a creative wall, bounce ideas off other entrepreneur in other industries. They'll have a different take on (From "6 Ways To Discover Breakthrough Business Ideas," by Julie Bawden Davis)
8. Stay up to date with the latest tech trends. Hopping on new advances in fundraising technology and cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) products can take your business to the next level, writes Erica Swallow, a member of SXSW Accelerator Advisory Board. (From "3 Tech Trends To Watch In 2014", by Erica Swallow)
9. Learn the basics of video production. Video is a great way to market your business, engage your customers and sell your services. Whether you're doing it yourself or working with a video professional, make sure you know what goes into a compelling video: a great story and strong script, fun b-roll, good edits and informational elements like text and graphics. (From "5 Quick Tips For Effective Video Production", by Vivian Wagner)
10. Accept failure and move on. Only 8 percent of New Year's resolutions stick. Why? Because most people succumb to a "guilt cycle" that keeps them from succeeding, writes entrepreneur Glen Stansberry. "Forgive yourself for what didn’t work, but pat yourself on the back for what did, and use that knowledge to plan the next year," he says. (From "The One Reason Your New Year's Resolution Will Fail (And How To Avoid It)," by Glen Stansberry)