End of the Year Checklist

We've made it to the end of the year, but you know that doesn't mean your business slows down or stops! It's time to wrap up this fiscal year and start a new one. But what is the best way to do this and what items should you keep in mind as you are making your to-do list to end 2019? 

December is here, and we hope it has been a very profitable and busy year for you and your company. Even with holiday parties, your company doesn't slow down. As tempting as it is to slow relax, there are still many things you need to do before putting this year to bed. Owning a company ourselves, we understand these struggles. One of the best tactics to stay focused during these last few weeks is to make a checklist of all those last-minute things. But what are these things you need to be keeping in mind? We are here to give you the top priorities that need to be on your end of the year checklist! 

Business At Hand

• Your business makes something or provides a service. To do so, you need the correct and proper supplies and inventory to keep your company operating at its optimal power. The end of the year is the best time to take inventory of what you have, don't have, didn't use, or need to think about ordering more of. This will give you time to start the new year off fresh with plenty of materials. You can avoid spending on things you didn't need, and even make room for new growth and new materials. 
• You might make personal resolutions, but as a whole, it's time to make new company goals for the new year. Check-in with your employees, social media followers, and customers. Listen to their suggestions and ideas, take inventory of their needs, and understand their inspirations when it comes to your company. Build your goals together. Learn from your mistakes of this past year and plan to correct and move beyond them. 
• Make time to highlight the achievements of your company and of your employees. It's so rewarding to see what you've accomplished as a whole and on an individual basis. This is also a great way to check in on your employee's status in the company. 
• Spend some quality time with your website and social media platforms. Clean them up, kick any bugs out, and make plans to add to or revamp them. A new year, a new look! You don't need to dump your whole website or platform, but find space to clean and tighten up. 

In The Books 

• There is no stopping tax season from showing up quickly after the new year. It's time to end this fiscal quarter strong. Analyze your cash flow, check-in and solidify your payroll and benefits, and reconcile your accounts. Make sure all of your paperwork is gathered and in order. 
• If you haven't yet or have older software, treat your company to excellent accounting software. Quickbooks is at the top of our list. Take time to run some standard reports for the whole year and each quarter. Make sure everything checks out alright. Now is the time to reconcile and fix any issues. 
• It's time to look at this year and recognize your employees. Are you going to give any holiday bonuses or incentives? What will that mean for your company and its budget? Can you make this happen, or are you going to need to wait until next year? 

The Hardware

• You might be doing some festive holiday cleaning for a beautiful office to enjoy after the holidays. Don't limit this to the break room. Make sure you organize and clean out your digital files, run data and security scans, and compile important documents. Once you compile them, make sure you spend time organizing them too.  
• Back up all of your digital data and contacts. Who knows what might happen when the ball drops? 
• Do you have a lot of important paperwork that hasn't been scanned, uploaded, and put into Quickbooks or organized properly? Now is the time to do that while productivity and demand might be down. Use your time wisely! 

These tasks might not be difficult, but they need to be added to the top of your end of the year checklist. We guarantee a successful new year if you mark these off your list. Get to work now so you can enjoy the office Christmas party! From all of us at Pathways Consulting, we wish you a happy holiday and a wonderful New Year! 

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