Fundamentals in a New Year

Jan. 1, 2021

Navigate the intricacies of success for this new year with new goals.

I don’t think I’m going out on a limb here to assume that your business took time to build. It took planning, it took team-building, it took processes and systems, it took saving and building capital—there were many phases and milestones that helped you get where you are now. And given the way 2020 unfolded, “where you are now” might not be exactly where you want to be. 

So, what do you do? What should you do?

I’m going to use a golf analogy here, so bear with me a bit. 

Jack Nicklaus wasn’t just one of the best players the game’s ever seen, but also, arguably, the most consistent player ever. When asked what made his ball-striking so precise and sound for decades, and how he avoided slumps and rough stretches, Nicklaus always had a very simple answer. He had spent years—tens of thousands of hours—grooving good habits, all based on solid and simple fundamentals. If he ever had a day that felt off, he went back to those fundamentals: Check your grip. Check your stance. Check your takeaway. 

And so on. 

There are never silver bullets; that was his point. A quick fix for a swing fault may yield some quick results … but it will likely leave just as quickly. Foundational fundamentals lead to long-term success, and an off day, week, year, etc. doesn’t tear down what you’ve built; it simply means you need to shore up what made you successful and push forward. 

Our main feature this month highlights nine key areas of your operation that can lead to a higher level of success in 2021. These aren’t earth-shattering ideas or mind-blowing innovations. I hope you read Associate Editor Matt Hudson’s story and see how simple these could be to implement—or if you’re already doing some of these things, how impactful it can be to refocus your energies on maximizing it. 

In the overall ebb and flow of your business, I don’t doubt that 2020 gave you a whole lot more ebb than flow. We can’t change that, though, and we shouldn’t change everything that got us here in the first place. Focus on what makes you successful, what you do right, what will help you succeed moving forward. The start of a new year is always a good time to refocus and reset. Check your fundamentals. Find ways to improve. Let’s get right back at it.