The beginning of the year is a time to reflect and refocus on what you want to achieve over the next twelve months. Ideally, you spent part of December on housekeeping tasks that helped finish the year strong, and at the beginning of January, you prioritize setting yourself up to look ahead confidently.

Reviewing key performance indicators (KPIs) and vendor agreements, filing required annual documents, meeting with business professionals such as your accountant and attorney, setting strategic goals, and completing other tasks on your new-year checklist will allow you to hit the ground running.

KPIs

You probably keep a close eye on your numbers throughout the year to ensure that you are heading in the right direction. But a review of last year’s final quarter is a good way to assess whether you hit your goals or came up short.

The specific metrics that you should focus on can vary by industry and financial models. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, these are some of the more important small business KPIs :