We all make New Year’s Resolutions. In fact, writing one for 2023 might be in your plans.
These resolutions typically cover all manner of life, from going to the gym more to eating healthier to reading a new book daily.
If you’re a business owner, it’s a great idea to make resolutions that will help simplify your life and grow your business. If you’re not sure where to start, I’ve put together a list of ten business new year’s resolutions anyone can keep.
However, following through on New Year’s resolution can be challenging, as well as determining what solution to come up with in the first place.
New Year’s Resolution should be a year-long commitment, not a three-week trial in January before giving up. That means you need to implement these changes and commit to them for the coming year and beyond.
The truth?
2022 is gone. We all want to start 2023 with the best Business goals.
I want you to commit to taking your business to an entirely different level in the coming year.
Enough of the introduction. Here are 21 ways you can resolve to take your business to another level in 2023.
21 New Year’s Resolutions for Business Owners Ahead of 2023
Get a Website
The simple truth is, if you’re running a business in the 21st century, you need a website. It could be a landing page, an online portal where people can see what you offer and buy from you (like bumpa.shop, Pocket by Piggyvest, etc.), or you could decide to have your website! Even if you have planned to buy some other stuff for your business next year, making the online presence of your business notable is critical.
New customers need to be able to find and connect with you online at any time, in any time zone, anywhere in the world.
Any business can — and should — have a website. Start with a game plan and determine your goals, then reach out to a good web developer or agency to help you. If you are serious about it, please reach out to me. I can help you build a fantastic website that will be SEO optimized at a very affordable fee.
If you have a website already, you will want to do some tests. Is your website SEO optimized so that search engines can find you? Think of your web content writing as your sales pitch to clients and customers. Would you purchase from your own website?
With a website, you become 100% available to anyone online, and they can read about your business, see your previous work, and even reach you virtually and might end up buying from you! Why are you waiting? If you need a website or are confused about the right Domain name to choose, please ask me!
Treat your Employees Well
Employees who feel undervalued won’t work as hard or be as motivated, and they are also much more likely to ‘move on to places they feel more appreciated.
So, make a conscious effort to be kinder to your team members, and treat them how you would like to be treated.
Strategize Every Week
A bit of planning and goal setting will go a long way, and it is essential to realize that.
If your business needs to grow, you must be dynamic in ensuring no aspect of it is ignored or taken lightly.
An ongoing strategy will save your business from making repeated mistakes and ignoring blindspots.
Businesses must strategize more in 2023 to be relevant in the market and in customers’ minds.
Be Alive on Social Media
Some time ago, I stressed that you could not afford to be silent about your business.
Engaging with audiences on social media is essential to getting your business seen, building your brand, and developing a loyal following.
So many companies are allocating more and more funds for marketing with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you’re not active in the space, you’re missing out on opportunities your competition is probably taking advantage of.
According to Oberlo, there are about a 3.5billion active social media users daily!
With popular social media platforms growing in size, each forum has a unique audience. If you cater your content toward the audience of the social media platform, you’ll be successful.
Over-communicate value
The perception of value is one of the essential elements of pricing. If your customers don’t think they are getting a deal for the money, you can’t lift prices to maintain profitability without losing many customers.
However, if you can make your customers believe they are getting value for money, they will remain loyal despite price increases.
According to Ravi Kumar, there are Three Ways to communicate value to your customers. They are:
- Develop Crystal Clear Benefit Statements. Since value is a measure of the benefits your business customers derive, Communicate benefits, not features.
- Make your benefit statement segment specific. In simple English, your customers are different. Learn how to provide value, irrespective of their category. For example, here’s what Adobe did:
- Measure your impact and refine your value messages. Specifically, you need to measure customer perceptions of the value you are communicating. You should be prepared to refine your messaging if customers don’t believe the value is clear and compelling.
Find your target customers.
I will not assume that you have discovered your target customers.
I will not assume that you have ever taken the time to think about who you’re actually trying to reach with your business. If you haven’t, you should do that in 2023- or right before 2023.
Instead of broadly and ineffectively casting a wide net into the ‘sea,’ take the time and resources to define your target audiences so that your marketing and other efforts are focused enough to have a natural, meaningful effect on your business.
Determining exactly who your target customers are — starting with the who, when, how, and why — gives your business the benefit of being able to appeal to those most likely to patronize you. Your business can’t be everything for everyone, so don’t try.
Do the research, identify your niche, and run your business with its target audiences. This focus will give purpose and meaning to every business decision you make — from the design of
your products and services to the presentation and packaging of the same.
Don’t Give Up
An entrepreneur and web developer, Raji Mustapha, told me about not giving up today, and trust me, you will need it in the coming year.
He said, “Just don’t give up., Even when it’s tough to move on.”
This is quite true. Business is not an easy ride.
Take eCommerce, for example. I do not want to sound like a prophet of doom, but some things can make eCommerce stores fail.
I do not want you to make mistakes. So, listen up.
Since it is not going to be easy, you have to be mentally prepared for the ups and downs.
Build your Brand
Everybody online is telling you to Build your Brand. They don’t even tell you what that involves or truly means.
So let’s face it now. How can you build your brand?
Inherent to branding is your business identity: getting seen — and becoming known — by your target customers.
With excellent branding, you have the chance to earn their respect in your field or industry and build loyal customer followings. Think of building your brand awareness as building an empire.
The brand you ultimately build — determines your business decisions; it impacts the voice, feel, and substance of your content and website, and on a more technical level, your operations, management, interactions, and marketing efforts.
Think about some of the most popular brands: AliExpress, Jumia, Apple, Nike, Disney, and Coca-Cola, for example. They all have recognizable and unique brands. You may not be setting your sights on global domination (yet), but these big guns prove that building your brand is crucial for excelling in business.
Start Setting Reasonable Deadlines
I used to suck at this a lot.
One of the most common mistakes that business owners make is giving customers and colleagues unrealistic completion dates that don’t allow enough time to finish the project.
Most people will be delighted to wait a little longer for something to be finished, as long as you can efficiently deliver by the promised time, rather than giving them an earlier deadline that you end up blowing past. Add this to your New year’s resolution, and you will grow.
Improve Customer Satisfaction
No matter your stage, your business will grow well if you improve client satisfaction.
Launching a new year is a great time to send a survey and ask your audience what they want. This questionnaire will help shed light on areas where you can improve and could spark ideas for new desired services or products.
You can run a survey or questionnaire. These short opinions make compelling content for any website or marketing campaign.
Another way to boost customer satisfaction is to try sharing some gratitude. Start sending thank you emails, offer exclusive deals to loyal customers, and try your best to go above and beyond helping customers this year.
Observe Competitors Closely
Only relatively few businesses are smart enough to keep a close eye on their competitors, but do you? If not, 2023 is the year to start.
Follow them on social media, sign up for their newsletters, and subscribe to their blogs. Set up a Google alert to constantly notify you if they make headlines or publish any big announcements.
You can’t compete if you’re in the dark. Be wise in 2023 to keep tabs on anyone stealing market share from you and your business.
How will you evaluate your progress if you can’t see who you are running against in a race?
Say ‘no’ very often.
As weird as it sounds, saying “no” can help you get more done.
Why? By allowing yourself the flexibility to say no, you stop loading your plate with any unnecessary tasks.
Saying no is a vital way of removing distractions, staying true to yourself, and sticking to your course.
When something is counterproductive, embrace your intuition and don’t do it. As a business owner, you must embrace this wisdom.
Rest more often
Business owners are usually workaholics who don’t know when to stop working, and understandably so because there is always something that demands their attention.
Setting boundaries for yourself is key to preventing exhaustion and extra stress.
Naturally, sometimes there will be fires to put out, but it’s essential to set a daily cutoff time, after which you don’t take work calls (unless it’s an emergency) or answer emails, etc.
Start a Blog
A blog is one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways to add new content to your site, which is essential for SEO purposes. It also allows you to share valuable information with your audience, gives you ongoing material for social media, and positions you as a leader in your niche.
Blogging doesn’t have to be a chore, and you don’t have to post every day. One high-quality post per week is better than one poor-quality post every day.
And when it comes to what to write, get creative! What would you want to read if you were a customer of your own business? Chances are, your customers want to read the same things.
Often, blog posts are vague attempts at touching on broad topics. Rather than casting a large net to the masses, try blogging to a niche instead. That way, you can create targeted content for specific audiences. Not only will your marketing be more successful, but it will allow you to have more fun! Use the language of your customers and play with your content.
Start offering something new.
This should be in your New year’s resolutions. A new year means a new beginning.
Is there a product or service that your customers have been asking for? Is it an add-on that complements an existing offer that might have gone stale?
Update your service offerings, and you will excite customers and attract new ones. It’s also great to reach out to past clients and encourage repeat business.
You will earn better sales, repeat customers, strong relationships, a distinguished brand reputation, and those coveted five-star reviews.
Become a Better Business Owner
Who doesn’t want to improve themselves in 2023? Invest in yourself and dedicate 2023 to becoming a better business owner.
Start by reading business or self-improvement books like these top picks from Forbes. Enroll in an online course from sites like Udemy to strengthen a skill.
Better yet, take time this year to truly connect with your employees. Schedule a team-building experience, host one-on-one interviews to pick their brains, and show your team how you’re pushing yourself to be the best leader possible.
Prioritize
When everything is a priority, nothing is.
Use your goals and plans to decide what to focus on and what you can move further down your list of priorities (or take off altogether). This will make your life easier, and you’ll be able to focus on what’s important and start seeing results.
Embrace Technology
If there is something necessary for your business to thrive, that is staying abreast of technology.
Even long before the advent of the Gen Z Age, entrepreneurs understood that they would be left behind if they did not implement the use of the latest technology for their business.
Make a point of learning to use the current technology to your advantage because your competitors will be.
Invest in Learning
Nobody has it all figured out. Investing in your business is essential if you want it to grow. While being profitable should be one of your main priorities, most business owners experience more long-term steady success after they’ve put more money back into their businesses.
It’s common to overlook that you must invest in yourself and not just business tools, systems, and processes. You are the fuel that keeps the business heading in the right direction
Get Started with Email Marketing
I cannot stress this enough. Email marketing is a way to communicate directly with customers. A successful email marketing campaign should have a goal, a carefully defined target audience, and a prominent call to action, or CTA, which lets the recipient know what you want them to do.
An email marketing campaign can take many forms, including promotional outreach, direct selling, and messages intended to establish or reinforce a relationship between your business and the customer.
You can also send messages to offer customers relevant details about your business. It all depends on your campaign objectives, which are building brand loyalty or increasing sales.
Here are 29 Examples of how Small Businesses Have properly Utilized Email Marketing.
Subscribe to Acanbi Business Blog
In addition to being your best website development plug, one of my goals (not just this year, but every year) is to provide you with relevant, helpful content that helps you reach your business and website goals. Follow along for a continued stream of valuable articles designed to keep you learning and improving your business all year long. To signup, fill the form on my website.
Conclusion: Don’t wait! Take Action Now.
Running a business is no small feat. To give your best to your business, you need to resolve to achieve the proper work-life balance. It can’t be all work and no play — or you (or your employees) will burn out faster than those Christmas lights you still haven’t taken down.
When approaching the new year, set realistic goals, hustle hard to stretch yourself, make things happen, and breathe.
No matter what business you are building, all brands have common goals leading to 2023.
The best resolutions are attainable.
A little progress every day quickly adds up, so start small, and soon you’ll be smashing your resolutions this year!
Talk to me
Do you have questions or comments or want to share your resolutions with me? Please use the comments area below. Thank you!
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