In a couple of days, the curtains will drop on yet another year. It seems like just yesterday that 2011 started. With every coming year, come new challenges for small business and start-ups. You can never be too sure about financial conditions of an economy for the business environment. Inflation, unemployment and recession are some of the few indicators that hinder the growth and progress of any small business.

Most small business failure is attributed to lack of planning and forecast. Since small business owners aren’t skilled in risk mitigation techniques and crisis management, they often fail to analyze the imminent threats to their business in the long-run. Today, I wish to emphasize 8 healthy tips that will help you bring your small business and start-up on track in the year 2012.

1. Keep SMART Goals:

In the next year, instead of setting objectives which are unrealistic and impractical, keep SMART goals. That is whatever business targets you wish to accomplish in 2012 must be Specific, Measurable, Active, Realistic and Timely. Small business owners make a mistake of going wayward with their future prospects. Rather than going for an all out approach, set a few but achievable goals for your business.

2. Run an Identity Check:

Customer preferences are erratic and prone to change over a period of time. That is why it is crucial for a company to run an identity check on their corporate logos and ensure whether the current identity system accurately reflects the values to the customers. It isn’t always necessary to redesign your logo every year. Just a minor tweak and adjustments can also do the job. So make sure that your brand identity is not outdated for the year 2012.

3. Blue Ocean Strategy:

Every year, companies try to compete with one another for an already existing market space. But they often overlook the huge unidentified gaps left in the market that can be served. Finding this unknown and uncovered space in the market is called blue ocean strategy. This is the strategy that you must follow in 2012to gain leverage over your competitors and increasing your client base.

4. Acknowledge Your Mistakes:

Human beings, by nature, are imperfect. No matter how hard you strive for perfection, it is hard to avoid mistakes in small business. But it is well said that all the life’s precious lessons are learned the hard way. So instead of fretting over past blunders that cost you losses in business, one should acknowledge all their errors and take lessons from the year 2011.

5. Take Cost-Effective Measures:

If you wish to stay alive in the cut-throat competition, you must think of creative techniques of correcting your cash flows. In the coming year 2012, follow “A penny saved is a penny earned” principle. Take all possible cost-effective measures in order to minimize overhead expenses and eliminate unnecessary operating cost. Another options include divesting resources that are redundant and outsourcing all secondary business activities. Be advised that downsizing is never a good option, so instead you should try to reposition your resources efficiently.

6. Clock Your Business Wisely:

When it comes to business, time is money. Many a times small businesses don’t give their business due attention it deserves. So in 2012, try to clock your business wisely and schedule it to increase your productivity. Also, keep some time for regular planning and envisaging corrective measures for your business for future.

7. Go One Step at a Time:

You must have heard of the phrase, “Haste Makes Waste”. It accurately depicts small business owners who get anxious and try out everything at the same time. So in 2012, go one step at a time and don’t rush things as it damages your concentration and focus.

8. Say No to Pessimism:

Last but not least, make a promise to yourself that whatever may happen, you will say NO to pessimism. Facing minor setbacks in small business is a common phenomenon but one should remember that falling down only gives you a resolve of getting back on your feet in a stronger and better manner. Crying over spilled milk has never helped anyone in fixing issues. Instead, be optimistic and stay positive so that you work with determination in the year 2012.

Since decades, corporate logos are being used to differentiate products and services from one another. Even back in the agricultural times, farmers used to brand their cattle in order to distinguish them in the market. The current mode of branding includes logos which are abstract and graphic in nature. . Since logos are intended to symbolize a company’s corporate identity in order to gain customer recognition, it is not wise to regularly redesign them.

But, the logo design field has substantially developed in recent years since the rise of the Modernist movement in US. Thousands of corporations and startup small businesses are registered each year and subsequently thousands of logos are created for them as well. With the number of designs swelling each day, it is hard for logo designers to develop identities that are unique and distinctive.

To instill new ideas for logo designs, here are 25 fresh and innovative corporate logos that exhibit creativity in a novel and distinctive style.

Even though the financial crises are slowly loosening its grip on the business arena, small business owners and entrepreneurs are still reluctant to initiate their businesses. Setting up a business is relatively more difficult that running it. According to the latest Statistics released by US Small Business Association (SBA), there are 49% chances of a small business failing within 5 years. This shows the appalling success ratio of establishing a business these days.

But, failure can be avoided if preventive measures are taken beforehand. One of the common reasons of small business failure is the lack of planning and forecasting. Following are 5 common questions that haunt a small business in its initial stages and hence must be addressed ahead of time.

1. What Are My Financial Perimeters?

The first question to answer before establishing a small business is regarding your financial perimeter. You must establish your business scope and scale according to your financial stretch. Most small businesses fail because their liabilities outweigh their assets. Moreover, some entrepreneurs tend to be over-ambitious and diversify their business more than their available resources. This leads to under-utilization of resources and your business falters.

2. Do I have the Right Corporate Logo?

The next critical thing that determines a stable business is your corporate identity and image. Corporate logos are the cornerstone of every small business brand identity. They help the customers in memorizing and recalling your brand/product when required. Without giving due consideration to your identity development, you cannot run a successful business venture.

3. Who are Your Targeted Customers?

Another common small business owner’s mistake is not defining their target market beforehand. In a rush, they fail to correctly identify and recognize who they would like to cater through their business offerings. For a small business, a well defined target market is suitable to gain reasonable and stable profits.

4. What is my Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?

According to the SBA Statistics of 2011, there are over 27 million Small Businesses in the US alone. In order for a new entrepreneur to make his mark in the business arena, uniqueness and distinction is required. Hence, another question that small business owners must ask themselves is what their Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is. This refers to the one competitive advantage that makes them stand out from the crowd. By defining your USP, you can make an impact in the market.

5. Do I have the Right Marketing Tools?

In this congested world of media and gimmicks, marketing is something that is hard to overlook. Before establishing your small business, you need to be aware of the marketing tools like business cards, flyers and corporate brochures that will propel your business in the market and help you advertise your business to the target audience. Without adequate exposure of your business, nobody will recognize your presence in the market.