You’ve probably heard people differentiate between working in your business and working on your business. For most business owners I know, working in the business requires so much time and energy that the organizational (or “working on”) stuff often takes a backseat.

But that’s exactly what New Year’s resolutions are about — the tasks you’ve been putting off or the habits you should change.

So here are three simple things you can do to make your business healthier. They’re not all easy (good habits, annoyingly, usually aren’t). But they should help make your operations more efficient and save you some stress.

Wishing you a wonderful start to 2026!

1. Stop using personal accounts for business spending

Nearly all entrepreneurs rely on their savings to get started. That’s OK, at first. But as your business matures, it’s important to draw a clear line between your business and personal finances.

Here’s why:

Start by opening a business checking account, if you don’t already have one. Lots of options have no monthly fee and no minimum opening deposit. Here are our suggestions.

Using a personal savings account to earn interest? Switch to a business savings account. Many of these are free and pay competitive APYs. Here are our suggestions.

Getting a business credit card is important because, just like you have a personal credit score, your business has credit scores. Opening a business credit card in your company’s name is a great first step to build that score. One more time, here are our suggestions.

2. Review your P&L every month

Most accounting software (even the free stuff) allows you to generate basic reports. So, in early 2026, navigate to your dashboard. Download your profit and loss statement. Then, set a reminder to do this every month.

The P&L, also called the income statement, gives a high-level summary of how much revenue your business brought in and how much you spent. This writeup from the Oregon Small Business Development Center gives a helpful summary of what each line means.

In short: If your revenue was greater than your expenses, congratulations! You made a profit. Look for ways to keep your costs under control and focus on steady or increasing sales.

If your revenue was less than your expenses, you had a loss. That happens. But if you see losses several months in a row or in months when you didn’t expect them, that may be a good cue to meet with a business mentor (SCORE is a great free resource). They can help you think through ways to cut costs or make more sales.

If you’re not using accounting software yet, it might be time to start. It’s usually a lot more comprehensive than a spreadsheet. We have suggestions for that, too.

3. Delegate one responsibility

Every business owner has one thing (or a few) they just can’t stand — think social media, bookkeeping or following up on unpaid invoices. But it needs to get done. So you do it, maybe after procrastinating for a while.

Take a minute to identify that task. Then make 2025 the last year you force yourself to do it. Assign it to an employee or hire a contractor instead.

I know how hard it can be to hire someone when money feels tight. But do it if your cash flow is positive. Your time and mental energy can be better used on the thing that makes your business great. Plus, once that task is in the hands of someone who doesn’t hate it, the quality will probably go up — which can pay off in lots of other ways.

NerdWallet’s Karrin Sehmbi finds and shares these grant opportunities.

The Amex Shop Small Grants Program, a partnership between American Express and Main Street America, kicked off on Small Business Saturday (Nov. 29, 2025). This grant program will issue 250 grants, each worth $20,000, to U.S. small-business owners.

The program is accepting applications through Jan. 16, 2026. As part of the application process, you’ll need to share a project proposal for how you plan to use the grant money. Funds must be used for growth or innovation and should be in support of your local community.

If you’re one of the 250 recipients, you will have a six-month period, between April and September 2026, to spend the grant funds.

Click here to see the application.

To be eligible, you must:

Check out more grant opportunities that we regularly track and update.

Last Wednesday, the Fed reduced the federal funds rate for a third time in just four months. That number has fallen by 75 basis points since September.

Federal rate cuts tend to lead to banks and other lenders cutting interest rates. That means savings accounts and certificates of deposit pay a little less, but borrowing gets a little cheaper.

For example: Live Oak Bank’s business savings account. In early August, that account paid 3.25% APY. The rate fell to 3.15%, then 3% (where it is as of this writing), throughout the fall.

On the other hand: SBA loans. The maximum interest rate for a fixed-rate loan of $25,000 or less was 15.5% at the beginning of August. That fell to 15.25%, then 15.00% and now sits at 14.75% after the latest cut.

Like I said after this fall’s first rate cut, falling interest rates usually make it a little easier to get a business loan. But not always. Data collected by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City in Q2 suggests that lending is picking up as rates fall, but credit standards are still tightening.

Thinking about applying for financing in 2026? Brush up on what you’ll need to qualify for a business loan here, or watch Karrin’s explanation below:

We’re always looking for ways to get more useful information to you faster. If you have 10 minutes, we’d love to know what tools you use, what you like about them and what kind of information you need to run your business more effectively.

Click here to take the survey. Responses will be used for internal purposes only. They may inform the creation of future content, but we will not publish your name or details or share your contact information.

Thank you for helping us help you! 🤓