The New Year is right around the corner. Before it’s upon you, why not make a plan right now to give your business a boost. Give yourself and edge and start planning now.

Step #1 – Review the data. Spend some time reviewing your business plan. Take a look at your goals. Review your strategies to achieve your goals and take a look at your analytics. Document what’s working for you and what isn’t. Take a look particularly at what your audience is responding to most. What content are they reading? What downloads are the most popular? What products or services are selling well?

Step #2 – Daydream. Based upon what you learned from reviewing your data, give yourself time to brainstorm. What can you do to offer more value to your prospects and customers? Brainstorm products, services, content and potential partnership opportunities. Don’t worry about planning now; just dive into a no-limits mindset. Brainstorm as if anything is possible.

Step #3 – Start planning. Based on your creative brainstorming, find the project that feels the most inspiring to you. Consider consulting with your trusted advisors if you’re unsure which direction to take. You can also put up a survey or an ask campaign and invite your prospects to contribute their opinions. Once you’ve narrowed down your ideas to one solid project, start planning to make it happen. You’ll want to:

  • Create goals
  • Create a timeline to achieve your goals
  • Create strategies and tactics to achieve your goals
  • Create measurements to help determine success

Step #4 – Get all your ducks in a row. Once you have a plan and you’ve outlined the steps you need to achieve your plan, make sure you have everything you need to make your plan a reality. Start gathering your resources. Take an inventory of your assets and make note of what you need to accomplish your goals. Do you need contractors? Do you need any equipment? Do you need to acquire any additional skills? Make a list of what you need and what you already have.

Step #5 – Marketing and promotion. The final step to giving your business a boost in the coming year is to plan your marketing and promotion. Outline your tactics, create a timeline for implementing them and start working on creating your marketing messages.

It’s easy to ride into the New Year being content with where your business is. However, the New Year is a fantastic opportunity to really get motivated. Use the New Year as an inspiration to boost your business and start the year off strong.