It’s hard to believe 2022 is finally coming to a close. COVID at the start of the year, and now the cost of living crisis have made it a tumultuous year for most small business owners. Your business has survived an extremely tough year – and with a little planning, it can survive 2023 as well.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a start-up with one employee or an established small business with a team; either way, you are more likely to succeed in 2023 if you set clear business goals now.
Here’s how to set actionable goals for 2023.
1. How To Set Goals For 2023: Do A SWOT Analysis
SWOT stands for;
• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Threats
Using this analysis tactic makes it easier for you to spot hidden strengths and weaknesses within your business, so you can make positive changes. These issues are rarely seen on a day-to-day basis, especially if you don’t assess your competition. So take some time to think about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that face your business. Write everything down, and then assess the results.
2. Set Goals For The Next 12 Months
If you want to see clear progress in 2023, it can be useful to set clear goals for the next 12 months. Ask yourself these questions;
- Are you focused on growing your business, or simply surviving?
- Do you want to attract more clients, or focus on the ones you already have?
- Are there any weak spots within your business?
- Are you happy with your current marketing strategy?
- Will inflation affect your business?
- What are your main business concerns?
- What can your business realistically achieve in a year?
Every business is different, so answers will vary significantly. Once you have answered these questions, it will be easier to set realistic 12 month goals that you can actually achieve.
3. Work Out What You Need To Achieve In The First Three Months
Once you have set 12 month goals, you can work out what you need to achieve in the first three months. For instance, if you want to expand your client base by the end of the year, you may want to set up Google Ads or a social media marketing strategy in the first three months.
This will make it easier for you to stay on track with your goals. It can also make long-term goals seem less overwhelming as you just need to focus on smaller, manageable chunks.
4. Identify KPIs To Track Success
Finally it is important to set some KPIs to track your success. KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator, and this allows you to work out if you are actually achieving your goals. For instance, if you want to increase social media engagement, you could track ‘likes’ on your posts over the coming months. This helps you to see if you are actually reaching your goals – and if you discover that you’re not, you can go back to the drawing board to set more realistic goals (or you can alter your strategy to try and increase engagement).
If you need help growing your business in 2023, our team of professional virtual assistants can help. Click here to get in touch so you can find out more about our services.
