Business planning – As we transition into the New Year, it marks the perfect time for businesses to reflect on the biggest lessons and challenges in the previous year and to set new professional goals, milestones to rework your offerings, add new projects and discover ways to grow your blog or business. I’m getting ready to put together a game plan for next year, so I thought I’d share a few ideas to get you going as well!
HOW DID EVERYTHING TURN OUT?
First we need to evaluate – client by client or month by month, what went well and what didn’t. For me, in addition to explaining my process via email, I need to create a pdf explaining what happens week by week to make sure clients know what to expect and what is expected of them. This is the time to be super honest with yourself on what you messed up, so you don’t repeat the same mistakes AND give yourself a high five for all the things that went right.
WHAT’S BEEN SELLING AND WHAT HASN’T?
Next take a look at what packages or product sold and what didn’t bring in much money. Don’t keep items laying around or cluttering your shop that only sold a few times. Taking note of what features are asked for on a regular basis and what items nobody seems to care about.
IN BUSINESS PLANNING, IF YOU COULD DO ANYTHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
What have you been wanting to add to your business that you haven’t had the time/money/guts to conquer yet? I’m excited to expand my consulting packages.
IS IT TIME FOR A RAISE?
Take a look at your budget (you have a budget right??) and set some monthly revenue goals.
WHAT ARE CLIENTS AND POTENTIAL CLIENTS SAYING?
Think about the questions you’re always asked by clients or people interested in your services.
FIVE WAYS TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS
Build an email list. People may or may not see your tweets and Facebook posts, but I bet your clients and customers check their email at least once (likely multiple times each day). Give them a little incentive to sign up – free downloads, discounts and insider information are always appreciated – and next time you’ve got an important message they’ll be much more likely to read it.
Start a blog. Now, I’m guessing most of you are already bloggers, but might not all be blogging for your business. This is such a great way to position yourself as an expert and draw more traffic to your site. The more your website is updated, the more search engines will crawl it looking for content. I’d say 70% of my clients made their way to my portfolio through my blog. This means new clients trust my design skills and business/branding knowledge, mesh with my design style, and think I’m pretty cool from the start! It doesn’t have to be complicated – here are a few prompts to get you started.
Create an info product. Put yourself in your reader’s/client’s shoes…what is something they would find valuable that you could create, package and sell that wouldn’t involve set-up, tech support, or any time out of your schedule? You could also give it away for free, but passive income is always nice!
Be ready to launch. Start your planning now! – use this time to create something spectacular to jump start your business and get your readers and clients excited and interested in what you’re working on. Whether it’s a new product, new deal, a partnership, or blog feature – start the New Year with a bang!
What’s one thing you’ll be doing in the New Year to expand or improve your business?
