It's that time of the year again. Social Media is inundated with New year's resolution posts!
For all those Business owners, whose New Year’s resolution is to do better in business, here is my take on resolutions for 2023. Dedicate each month of the year to one activity and you will have initiated 12 programs contributing to a prosperous 2023!
I am sure you have many more suggestions. I would love to hear about your ideas for each month! Add your comments to the post and share the wisdom!
January - The Month for New Things!
The world has shifted to doing things in new ways, so why don’t we do the same with our businesses? Explore the latest trends in your industry. Be it, digital adaptation, pricing strategies, phygital sales and marketing, Hybrid employment, Gig economy, Big Data, ML, AI, AR/VR, Metaverse, Global markets etc. It’s time to identify that ONE NEW trend that you can explore for your business.
February - The Month of Love!
This is the perfect time for a Business to know about that ONE Thing that Your Customers Absolutely Love about your Organization! What do you do, once you find what customers love about your business? Share it with all your potential customers - Of Course! So, pick up that phone and start talking to your customers!
March- The Month of Numbers!
For many organizations, this is the month we look into our accounts and finances. Why don’t we identify that one business metric that we are not currently measuring. Could it be, employee attrition rates, your sales conversion rates, cost of customer acquisition etc. You have never captured the raw data required to start measuring and analysing these numbers? No problem! This is the time to put in the system to start capturing the raw data and set timelines for measuring / analysing the numbers. For e.g.- Monthly attrition rates, quarterly sales conversion rates.
April – The Month for Fooling!
Is there something in your business that has fooled you time and again? For e.g. Do your revenue projections always mislead you? Do you miss your project timelines again and again? Identify these and do a root cause analysis to address the situation once and for all.
May – The Month of Maybe!
Do you have a “Maybe” list of things that you wanted to do in your business? Pick one thing from this “Maybe list” and make it happen. Just do it!
June – The Environment Month!
Can you identify one impact that your business has on its environment? It could be an impact on the social, natural, economical environment. Explore recycling, social initiatives, sustainable business solutions to increase the positive impact and negate the negative impact your business has on its environment.
July- The Healthy Month!
It is time to do a health scan of your business. Rate every aspect of your business. Invite all your stakeholders to evaluate each facet of your business. Identify the anomalies in their responses. Unravel multiple viewpoints to see the true picture of your business.
August- The Celebration Month!
This is my birthday month. So, I choose this month to celebrate. What is the one thing that you can celebrate about your business? Is it your people, your awards, your customer wins. Find things that you are proud about in your business and find opportunities to celebrate them!
September- The Teacher’s Month!
Advisory Boards are not just for large corporates. SME’s and Solopreneurs can also benefit from an advisor, be it mentors, consultants, or industry stalwarts. An outside in approach from experienced professionals is the easiest way to address chronic challenges within the organization. Find that one person who can support you in your business growth plans.
October- The Scary Month!
Identify one threat to your business and find a way to combat it. No more shoving the unpleasantness under the carpet. It’s time to face your fears!
November- The Month of Money!
What better time to evaluate the profitability of every aspect of your business? Not just the top-line, this is the time to look at the bottom line too. Look into the profitability per product, per region, per channel, per customer segment. Remove or improve least profitable pieces of your business.
December- The Month to Review!
This is the month to review all the work that you have done throughout the year. Are you happy with the progress you have made? What went well? What could have been done better? What should we carry forward to the next year?
Neetu V Bansal is an international Business Coach, Mentor and Author. She works with small and medium businesses, startups and early-stage organizations, helping them generate more leads, close more sales and ultimately earn more revenues and profits. She is passionate about applying Customer Perspectives in business and propagates this framework to solve SMarketing challenges.
An Alumni of Harvard Business School Online, she offers sound boarding, Group Coaching and One-to-One Mentoring Programs to suit the different learning styles of business owners.
She is currently coaching businesses across India, Middle East and United States in their sales and marketing journeys. Follow Neetu
