How To Step Up Your Business Game in The New Year
The end of the year can be a time where we, as business owners, take time to look back on the previous year and see all the things we wish we did better. We can also look to the New Year with great hope and anticipation for what can happen next. We are eager to make big changes and quick to focus on all that we did wrong in the past year.
If you’re reading this, then you’re eager to step up your business game and start seeing more results. I think that’s great. It means you’re driven and motivated, which is probably the biggest step towards seeing better results in your business.
Now, let’s talk about how to step up your business game in the New Year!
Be Positive about The Past: take time to sit down and look back on the past year. Before jumping to all the things you could have done better or differently, start making a list of all the things that went right. Be grateful for the all the wins and achievements you DID have. Give yourself some pats on the back and realize that you’re doing a really good job and you don’t need to beat yourself up if you didn’t check off every goal. So, make a list of all the good things that happened this past year.
Learn from your mistakes: now that you’ve focused on the positive and taken time to congratulate yourself for all the good that you’ve done, let’s talk about how you can improve. Make a list of the areas where you can grow. Write down how you can improve, the areas of your business you neglected in the last year, ways you dropped the ball, and the areas where you need to grow. Be careful here; don’t be too harsh.
Set Intentional Goals: if you really want to step up your business game, you need to be intentional about your goals. You goals should be SMART (Strategic, Measurable, Attainable, Results-focused, and Time-bound) and written in a way that makes them intentional, not just “cute” or goals you “should” have. You can read more about setting intentional, grace-filled, and purposeful goals here. Ps. I use Powersheets to set my goals.
Start Email Marketing: you’ve probably heard that you need to start an email list. Well, let’s make it a goal for the new year! If you already have an email list, maybe your goal could be to grow your list? Read more about kickstarting your email list here. And if you’re a product shop, here is a link to a talk I did for product shop email marketing.
Be Realistic: when it comes to goal setting and stepping up your business game, you need to be realistic. I am not saying it can’t happen, but you might not want to put “grow my Instagram following to 100k”. For most of us, that isn’t going to happen. Think about things you can ACTUALLY accomplish. At the same time, don’t sell yourself short. Pick goals that are realistic, but also ones that will stretch and challenge you.
Network Often: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: networking is so important! For me, some of the most successful ways I have grown my business is by networking with other entrepreneurs. They talk to people about my work and send inquiries and clients/customers my way. If you’re looking to learn how to master online networking, look no further.
Give Away: give, give, give! If you want to build a trusting relationship with your clients and audience, you need to be giving back. For me, this looks like constantly encouraging others through my Instagram posts and blog posts. It also includes all the free business educational resources that I provide on my blog. I do this so people trust me, and then when I ask them to purchase something (like this), they are a “warm” audience member, ready to support me! I have given them lots of free resources, that they are eager to see how good the content is that they pay for. What can you give away to build trust with your audience?
So, what do you say, are you ready to step up your business game? Are you ready to make some changes this upcoming year and have the best year yet? Leave a comment below so I can cheer you on!