Many business owners tell me they "write off Christmas". They see a down-turn in sales as their clients focus on their families and the festivities.

I have also found that the businesses I run are impacted by the build-up to and recovery from Christmas, so have developed ways to turn the down-turn into a positive for the year ahead.

Consider how many times in the past year you have not attended a training opportunity, or networking event, because you have been too busy. Often busy catching-up on paperwork or answering emails. How much would you have given for an extra hour in the day?

If we accept that an average working day is 9 hours and that 10 working days are impacted by Christmas, then around 90 hours are now available to us. How we spend those 90 hours could change our business in 2011.

Spring cleaning has never been high on my agenda, but Christmas cleaning is. Empty your office space and clean every inch (consider professionals if you are filled with dread by this suggestion) and then reorganise how you use the space before you put anything back.

Keeping records may be a requirement for some professions, but most of us are just hoarding. Set a day or two aside to go through old records and put relevant details in a database. Future promotions and information about your business can be targeted more effectively as a result. And you can probably recycle a couple of draws of paper.

Diarise next year’s key goals. If you want to score goals, you need a game plan and that means targets and dates by which you plan to achieve them. Then you need to decide the actions required, such as marketing promotions, press coverage, attendance at key events. Take the time now to put these key dates in your calendar for next year and add tasks that need to be completed.

You will save time worrying about them next year, and you are more likely to achieve them.

Invest in developing a key strength. Professional golfers do not work on their weakest strokes, they work on their best ones; making sure they are leagues ahead of their nearest rivals. Attending a training workshop or joining an organisation that develops your strongest skills is a real investment in your business’s future. Take your expertise to the next level and leave your competitors behind.

Last but not least, go out and see your clients. Last year we made green tomato chutney and took a jar to around 30 clients in the two weeks before Christmas. All were delighted by the personal touch, and many contacted us in the new year about business.

Deliver your cards by hand and spread some cheer this year. It will have a positive impact on the year to come.