New Year's Resolutions

You’ve made them, right? Resolutions. Maybe you didn’t write them down but, admit it: you’ve been thinking about how to be a better version of yourself in 2020. Not only is it the start of a new year, but this is a new decade, a new era. Some of you wrote them down: 

  1. Get back to the gym 

  1. Drink more water 

  1. Get up earlier 

  1. Be nicer to people 

  1. Do these at least through March 

At the Denton Chamber, we are planning for 2020 (and beyond) as well. We’re working at becoming brilliant at the basics. We want your business to thrive, and we want to be the best we can be in that effort. Whether its business advocacy and serving our members, recruiting new jobs and capital investment to our community, attracting the next convention or travel group, creating new community partnerships, well – we’re on it. 

We closed out 2019 by applying for reaccreditation from the US Chamber. This designation places your Chamber in the top 200 best performing Chambers in the nation, out of 7,000. We take this designation seriously and work daily to stay abreast of best industry practices that we can employ in serving Denton’s business community. We have great leadership in our elected board, and we have the world’s best volunteers (thank you sincerely for sharing your company’s talent with us).  

Our resolution for this year is simply this: 

  1. Focus on our members, for their success, and the collective success of the Denton business community. 

As a reminder: the mission of your Denton Chamber of Commerce is to Advocate, Educate, and Collaborate for Economic Growth in Denton. Measuring everything we do by this mission is what will ensure our success.  Here’s a few suggestions to position yourself and your business for success this year: 

  1. Schedule a break – Has it been a while since you’ve slowed down and taken a break from your business or career? Consider scheduling some time off in the new year. Not only can time off help to reduce stress and prevent burnout, but it can also give you a fresh perspective that you can use in your business when you return. Taking a break – even a short one – is easier said than done. Consider taking an afternoon off to explore the city you live in. Discover Denton can help plan your staycation. 

  1. Grow your online presence – Digital media is only increasing. Are you up-to-date on the 2020 digital marketing trends? Read up on ways you can increase your online traffic and rest assured that your Chamber membership helps automatically increase your SEO score. That’s right – joining the Denton Chamber gives you a backlink from our website that increases your website’s authority score. Meaning, Google and the other search engines look to you as more favorable from an SEO standpoint. If you have a link from us, and your competitors don’t, you’re more likely to show up in Google searches. 

  1. Find new opportunities for networking – People like to do business with people they KNOW. If you are not actively networking, set a goal this year that gets you in front of more people and expands your business network. The Chamber’s networking opportunities include Women in Commerce, monthly mixers, quarterly lunches and even ribbon cuttings. Did you know that Chamber ribbon cuttings are a great place to make connections with new local businesses and services? Apply this year to serve as a Chamber Ambassador. Look for more info on those events on the Chamber’s calendar. 

  1. Learn something new – No amount of education, on-the-job experience, or professional development training will ever be ENOUGH.  I usually learn something new every single day.  And, the days I don’t pick up something that makes me – and by extension the Chamber  – better, is a day that I could have done better.  Invest a little time in identifying and participating in seminars. Look for opportunities to learn from others (my favorite part of networking) or come talk to us about what you need. Connecting you to the educational resources that feed your success is a big reason we show up every day. And, don’t forget about the people who work for you. They need education and inspiration, too. 

  1. Take your business Back to Basics – Remember why you started. Remember why you enjoyed your job in the first place. It’s easy to focus on the minutia and the challenges. Don’t overlook the opportunities to grow – to broaden your horizon. Force yourself to think of all you’re grateful for. Consider challenging yourself to write one thank you note each day. Doing so forces us to really think about all we have to be grateful for. The “good stuff” often gets lost when we constantly focus on the hard stuff. 

  1. Engage in the Chamber (my favorite) – Your Chamber is driven by the leadership of its investors.  And if you are wondering what kind of influence a group of Chamber investors can have, I’d like to recommend a short book: Look up Magicians of Main Street by Chris Mead.  The cool thing about this book is that it highlights some MAJOR community undertakings (the Golden Gate Bridge, the St. Louis Arch, Lindbergh’s flight and many, many more) that were thought of and implemented by people just like you, in a Chamber just like ours, in a community much like Denton, as solutions to challenges facing their respective business communities. And, while you’re at it, invite a local business to join the Chamber movement. Think of all we can do – together. 

 

For more information on what your Denton Chamber is up to, or how you can partner with the Chamber of Commerce in 2020, please email me at erica@denton-chamber.org.

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