Attention, independent local business owners: "9 New Year's Resolutions for Small Business Success."

Phantom comeback?

After kicking off the year by allowing the mayor to prattle to the point of sheer inanity amid his Disney-flecked civic dreamscape, without anything remotely approaching a substantive cross-examination (Dear Leader advertises a lot, you know -- follow that money, people), the Jeffersonville newspaper eventually disgorged something of a scattershot counterpoint.

Gahan's loyal subaltern Pat McLaughlin duly mouthed the increasingly exhausted mayoral litany, but I was impressed the most by one small point on the part of Al Knable, as snipped here.

New Albany City Council members say more needed beyond downtown area, by Chris Morris (Coupon Gazette)

 ... (Knable) said he would also like to see a strong downtown merchant's guild.

Yes, we do, and it's something that should be completely independent of Develop New Albany's suburbanite cadres. I'm aware it was tried previously, with less than ideal results. However, times change. With patience, consciousness can shift.

Indie businesses should be coming together to pool their economic clout and community influence, and telling elected officials what is expected of them.

I'm highlighting two of these solid 2018 resolutions for small business people. If you're out there throwing punches, I suggest you click through and read them all.

9 New Year's Resolutions for Small Business Success, by Kimberly de Silva (Entrepreneur)

It's a good time to reflect on your business' progress and plan how you want to grow your business in the new year.

 ... A resolution, after all, is a decision to do something differently to bring about positive change. It’s a good time to reflect on your business’ progress and plan how you want to grow your business in the new year.

1. I will learn how to delegate and do more of it.

As a small business owner, your to-do list probably doesn’t even fit on one page. There are so many things to do, and it’s easy to delude ourselves that we need to do all of them ourselves. You can only work so many hours in a day. As a result, you’re probably exhausted, stressed and don’t have any free time outside of your business. Delegation is the key to a healthy work-life balance. However, people don’t delegate because it takes a lot of upfront effort and requires a loss of control. So how do you let someone else do certain tasks, while making sure it’s done correctly? The answer is simple: communication and training. Make sure your employees are trained enough, to the point where they can take over some of your tasks. The next step is to clearly communicate the objectives and deadlines, so that you don’t end up micromanaging.

And this.

5. I will learn something new.

New year, new skill. Choose something new to learn in 2018 -- it may be directly related to your business or completely unrelated. Learning a new skill will add a dimension of interest to your life that will help to maintain that work-life balance. It will also help you to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people, if you decide to take marketing classes or learn a new language.