Whether you’re new in business or you’ve been at it for a while, everyone always wants to find success. Now, the thing is… A thriving business could mean different things to different people. It’s up to you to figure out what you want to achieve. However, no matter what success looks like, you still need to figure out how to get there. To help, I’m sharing a few tips so you can set your business up for success this year.
How to Set Your Business Up for Success This Year
The next eight tips are things each and every business owner should commit to if they want to flourish in 2017. Ask yourself if you’re doing each one of these things and if you aren’t, now is the time to make a change! Once you incorporate each one of these tips into your business, you’re sure to notice a difference.
Set goals that you’d like to achieve.
The first step to set your business up for success this year is to set some goals that you’d like to achieve. What would you like to create this year? How much money would you like to make? What do you hope to do? These are all important questions to ask yourself when setting goals.
I think it’s so important to set goals because it gives you something to work toward. Without goals, you’re just wandering aimlessly instead of being focused and going in one set direction. So, figure out what you want to accomplish in your business this year and create a plan that will help you get there. Don’t forget to regularly check-in on your progress to make sure you’re on the right track.
Optimize the time you have every day.
Make 2017 the year you finally start working smarter in your business! To do this, I encourage you to plan out your week in advance. Seriously. Sit down every Sunday and make a to-do list of all the things you’d like to get done in the week ahead. Then, start blocking off time in your schedule for each one of those things.
Planning in advance not only allows you to review your top to-do list items and any important appointments, but it allows you to give yourself ample time to complete them. When you block off plenty of time for each item on your list, there’s no more scrambling to get things done at the last minute. It’s also a great idea to start batching your tasks to increase your productivity. When you are smarter about the time you have available to you, you can get more done and enjoy the process.
Related: How to Plan Your Week
Get to know your audience even better.
If you want to set your business up for success, it all goes back to knowing and understanding your audience. Who are you targeting with your content? What are they struggling with and how can you help them? It’s so important to know these things so you can create the content that will attract them and make them fall in love with your brand.
Make it your mission this year to get to know your audience even better than before. You can do this in a number of ways, such as listening to the things they say in your blog comments or on social media. And if you need some extra help, create a survey for them to complete. A few simple questions will help you understand their needs so you can address them with your blog content, newsletters, videos, podcasts, and more.
Engage, engage, engage!
One other thing that’s so important to your success is engaging with your audience. Think about it… How often have you felt appreciated to receive a response from your favorite blogger? You should strive to do that for your audience, too! Respond to the blog comments you receive, the replies you get on social media, and the responses you get to your email newsletters. It may sound time-consuming, but taking that extra step will be appreciated by your audience and it helps to build that relationship with them.
Be willing to experiment and try new things.
Sometimes we get so stuck in our ways that we don’t allow ourselves to experiment with new ideas, but it really is important to try new things. If you stick to your same old ways, it’s going to get boring after a while. It’s going to start feeling dull. You should be open to trying new things to see how they work for you, especially considering there are always new marketing trends coming along or new social media platform changes being launched.
If there’s something you’re passionate about trying, like live video or podcasts, give it a whirl! You never know how it’ll work for you until you try. And if you find that it just doesn’t fit for you and your audience, you can get rid of it altogether. If it does work, you’ll likely see some fantastic results coming your way!
Don’t stop learning.
Many people mistakenly believe that they know it all and therefore don’t spend time investing in themselves and their knowledge. It’s important that you never stop learning because there’s always something new to learn and you can always strengthen the skills you already have.
Set your business up for success this year by investing the time and energy into something that’s going to teach you a thing or two. Book a session with a coach that will help you take things to the next level. Buy an e-course that will teach you a new skill you’ve been wanting to learn. You could even read a few business-related books to take in new strategies you can implement in the year ahead. There’s always more to learn, so focus on expanding your knowledge.
Quit comparing your business success to everyone else.
These days, it’s so easy to get caught up in comparing your business success to what everyone else has going on. If they’re not sharing income reports on their blog, they’re sharing something on social media that will knock you down a notch or two. This makes it so easy for jealousy to flair up. Not good!
Make this the year you stop worrying so much about what everyone else is doing or how much money they’re making. Don’t get jealous over her six figures or the fact that she’s booked out. Focus on you and your business. That’s the only way you can truly set your business up for success. Comparing your business to someone else’s is only going to lead to disaster when you start feeling frustrated or discouraged.
Related: How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Take a break from the hustle.
When it seems like everyone else is hustling 24/7, you might have moments when you feel guilty for not hustling. But here’s the thing… It’s okay to take a break from the hustle. There’s no reason to feel guilty for it. In fact, we all need to take a break from time to time and allow ourselves a moment for a little self-care.
Give yourself time off and schedule personal time into your regular routine. It will help you unwind and allow your creative juices to flow. Plus, when you give yourself ample time off, it will help prevent burn out, so you can enjoy the times you are in hustle mode.
Related: Why You Don’t Have to Hustle All the Time