A new year is not only a fresh start for your personal life but an opportunity to hit the "reset button" in business, too.

Here are a few common New Year's Resolutions adapted for business. Now, go make it a great year, personally AND professionally!

The first thing that comes to mind when we hear "New Year's Resolution" is probably...

Lose Weight.

But what does that mean if you're a business owner? It could mean finally trimming the fat from your work force. Or it could mean firing that one customer that ends up taking up 80% of your time but only gives you 20% return. THAT isn't a very good take on the 80/20 rule!

Get in shape. Personally this means hitting the gym but what about for your business? What does that mean? It means being AGILE!

Just look at this woman...she's managed to stand on half a ball, arms over head, eyes closed AND snap a picture all at once!

Agility can also mean that you have the ability to change course in a hurry or do many different tasks well. Think of agility dogs...one minute, they are running through tubes into who knows WHAT on the other end and the next minute, they're traversing a ladder suspended in air or jumping over hurdles!

The more agile your business is, the better suited you'll be to balance lots of things at once or quickly change gears from one task to another.

This all takes...

Exercise. And heavy lifting, at that!

How many of you go to the gym? You all have your favorite (or at least less dreaded) exercises, right? Those are the ones that you don't mind doing. You've sort of mastered those and you're pretty good at them. It makes you feel good, strong, to row, leg press or hold that one yoga pose for ages that makes you feel awesome.

But what about the plank? Or the twisting lunge? Or burpees? Dreaded...am I right?

Well, in business, you can't just do the exercises you want to do or the only thing that would ever get done is the easy stuff.

Have you ever heard the great magic trick of making a phone receiver weigh 20 pounds? You just have to tell someone they have to do a cold sales call. It's hard! No one likes to do it but you have to do the hard stuff, too.

Eat healthier. Personally, this is all part of losing weight.

For your business, I equate this "balanced diet" to a balanced menu of products and services. You might also think of this as a balance of customers. A truly healthy business can't rely on too much of any ONE thing, whether that is their offering or their customer base.

In business, just as in your personal life, improving your finances is another popular new year's resolution. In my experience, this begins with a plan. If you just start squeezing, you can't be assured that you're squeezing out the right things. And let's be honest. Not everything is equally important. Therefore, cuts can't be a simple across the board thing either.

Measure and evaluate everything. Here at the Innovation Center that means regular check-ins, and this year, we've added an in-house financial expert who can assist with you setting up those measurement tools.

Get a new or better job. Well, it certainly wasn't one of MY new year's resolutions but for some people, the debut of a fresh calendar can lead to a desire for a fresh slate in their career, too.

Maybe some of you are still debating a business startup. Now is a great time to consult with one of the many resources in the region.

Or you've been doing your business part-time for a while and maybe, just maybe, it's time to take the leap. This person can hold down both of these rocks in a creek for a very long time but he can't get to either side of the water until he chooses one direction fully...

Is this your year?

Manage stress.. just looking at the stress this guy is under causes me some duress...

That's better.

In the new year, surround yourself with people who are happy. Develop a team of people that will take you from that previous slide to here.

People who will work hard with you but people who will play hard with you, too.

Teammates who know when it's time for a break.

Surround yourself with THESE kinds of faces...presumably on grown ups, but you know what I mean. :)

Quit smoking. If you've ever been or known a smoker, it's likely that one of many times they've tried to quit fell on January 1st...of multiple years. Kicking the habit is HARD!

But how does this equate to your business? I say it's time to stop burning the candle at both ends.

Just like smoking can be addictive, so, too, can be work. You get a little rush from JUST making deadlines. You secretly love to work late (and some of you then love to complain about it, too, right?)

It's time to kick the habit of burning the candle at both ends or soon all that remains is smoke...and you'll be searching for mirrors to make your business appear stable.

Improve relationships. It's time to communicate better...with your coworkers, your family, your friends and your customers.

There are more ways than ever to reach one another but this probably isn't one I'd recommend. Yelling to get your point across should be a "first ditch" tactic...as in "the first one you ditch."

With today's technologies, you can engage your customers via email, Facebook, twitter, blogs, videos, vines, snail mail, IN PERSON (remember those days?) but remember that your message is still more important than your medium.

And I would contend that the message should be gratitude.

I have a quote that is on the front of my refrigerator (you know, so I'd see it a LOT) that reads, "Your enjoyment of something will double once you realize how lucky you are to have it." Now, I don't cook much at my house but believe me, that note sure hit home this past week while I was reaching into the fridge for a cold water and people 90 minutes away in WV had limited access to safe water.

Saying thank you is so easy, so simple, something we do all the time in passing. Take the step at least once a week to send someone a note. It will make their day...and yours...that much better.

Get organized. How many of you are "cleaning house" or doing this at home right now? I know a few are and I am among you. Last weekend it was my pantry. This weekend, my coat closet.

But what does "getting organized" mean for your business?

You need to PLAN, not just DO.

Organize your calendar so things don't fall through the cracks.

Plan your promotional calendar rather than just react to dips in revenue by announcing sales.

Think about your plan for communications with your customers.

One of the ways we're doing this at the Innovation Center this year is through use of Basecamp. If you're a client here and we haven't had a discussion about this yet, we'll be doing that soon.

We're getting organized and we're starting with communication.

And finally, spend some alone time.

This could mean vacation but not necessarily.

You, as business leaders, should spend some time alone in your office. And I mean REALLY alone.

No email.
No interruptions.
No phone calls.
No knocks on the door.

Spend time alone with your business. Work behind a closed door a few hours a week in an environment where you can really get work done.

And then occasionally, remember to take a vacation.

Happy New Year...

I hope these tips lead you to your fortune!