New Year’s Eve is one of my favorite holidays of the year. It’s synonymous with new beginnings. You don’t have to wait until the end of each year to make changes to your life and business. But there’s something about the beginning of another year that can get you motivated to work differently. Here are a few New Year’s resolutions to set for your business this year to spur growth:
Implement before you convince yourself to do otherwise
There’s a lot of information online about different strategies you can use to grow a business. What happens is, that you decide to focus on one area of your business and then another business strategy becomes popular and you ditch your old ideas. Nothing gets done.
Consuming this information without taking any action is a form of procrastination. For this reason, resolve to implement the information you already have in the upcoming year. The top piece of advice I have for freelancers who want to grow their business is to focus on “doing” instead of “thinking.”
Do the pitching. Do the follow-up. Do the client work. Do the marketing. Do the self-promotion. Opportunities come when you “do.”
Weed out stressful clients
Freelancing is a lifestyle, not just a job. Having problems with work can lead to a lower quality of life. If you have bad seed clients on your roster, it’s time to ditch them. In my experience, better clients and opportunities always come my way when I clear my roster of clients I no longer want.
If you’re hesitant of ditching clients because of the income loss, get serious about pitching so you can line up new work. Make it a goal to send out a certain amount of pitches per day and week. Focus on recurring client work because these jobs offer greater income stability.
Get serious about tracking
One of my resolutions this year is to start better tracking metrics to take my business to the next level. I’m decent at it, but there’s room for growth. A freelance business should track conversions, top revenue sources, work hours, and more. Having data to review about your business is how you grow. Rather than making decisions on a whim, you can look into your metrics to make informed business decisions.
Attend events in-person
I’m slowly seeing a shift in the online business space. More freelancers and online business owners are attending and hosting live events. Have you noticed this shift?
In my opinion, people are starting to yearn for an in-person connection with influencers and other service providers. Look up conferences and meetings in your town. Create your own event centered around a topic in your industry. Try to attend an event per month or maybe quarterly.
Final Word
I don’t believe anyone should wait until the end of the year to make changes that are needed in their business. Adjustments should be made and goals should be set throughout the year. However, the excitement of a new year can give you a push in the right direction. Be sure to check back in on your goals and New Year’s resolutions. Tracking your progress is how you’ll see success.
