If you're an entrepreneur, you've likely made a New Year's resolution to grow your business. But how can you ensure that you stick with this plan beyond the first few weeks of January?
To find out how others have found success, we asked 11 entrepreneurs from YEC the following:
Q. What is your best tip for sticking to your New Years' plans for business growth?
1. Use Apps for Individual Growth
I'm a big fan of Coach.me (formerly "Lift"), the app that helps you make or break a habit. The best part about it is that it uses community support to encourage you to reach for your goals. I think this is huge, because once you have your team attempting their goals on an individual level, it trickles up the line and forms a force to be reckoned with on a company level. – Rob Fulton, Exponential Black
2. Form a Habit
Force yourself to do it for two to three weeks and it will start to become a habit. Habits don't happen overnight. Studies show that a habit takes 20-30 consecutive days. Make certain parts of your businesses growth habit and it'll help your business unlike anything you've tried in the past. – John Rampton, Host
3. Brook No Excuses
We all have great ideas and plans on January 1st -- and then we get busy on January 2nd. We have to stop making excuses. Even when we get busy or our schedule changes, we have to hold ourselves to the goals we've set to foster growth and achieve our goals. We don't want excuses from employees, vendors, or clients, so we shouldn't make them to ourselves either. – Angela Harless, AcrobatAnt
4. Put Specific Things on Your Calendar
The only way we've been able to achieve the business growth we've had has been to put specific projects and tasks into our year-long calendar. We've even gone as far as planning our projects two years out, so we know exactly how one thing grows into the next. The big picture needs to be broken down into actionable, executable steps that the team can implement each month, week, and day. – Nathalie Lussier, Nathalie Lussier Media Inc.
5. Be Realistic and Review
Step one is to create a realistic plan that you can immediately implement. Step two is to review your plan every three months. Don’t be afraid to adjust it. Although it’s important to create a business growth plan and stay on course if you’re seeing positive return, it is just as crucial to have the confidence and ability to quickly analyze data and know how deviate from the plan if it’s not working. – Ranan Lachman, Pley
6. Have Outsiders Assist You
For over two years I have used an advisory board that meets quarterly, and they are a great tool for keeping me on my toes in adhering to my business plan and making course corrections during the year. I can't tell you how motivational it is to prepare their agendas each quarter knowing that they are going to hold me accountable for the goals I laid out in previous meetings. – Robby Hill, HillSouth
7. Break Down Your Goals
One or two big goals for the entire year might seem glamorous, but that might not be the best approach. Instead of big annual goals, take these ideas and break them out into steps per month or per quarter. Small immediate goals are more likely to be hit. If you set them up right, they'll ultimately lead to that big, flashy year-end goal. –Brian Honigman, BrianHonigman.com
8. Keep Your Goals Top of Mind
Write your goals down and look at them each morning. It’s easy to let the urgent tasks get you off track from the long-term plans. But by writing and viewing them each day, you’re more likely to accomplish them. – Ashley Mady, Brandberry
9. Align Goals With Your Company’s Mission
Business growth can come with growing pains. Be prepared to face some obstacles and be sure that your plans for the new year are truly aligned with the mission and goal of your business. If they are not, it’s going to be easy to stray or even ditch them, and your business will be left stagnant. – Jason Kulpa, Underground Elephant
10. Hold Yourself Accountable
I don’t think businesses should succumb to fads, including New Year’s resolutions. You should have dedication and commitment all year, or your business will not succeed. With that said, it’s all about accountability. Set your goals and track them -- don’t just talk about them. Put the goals on a whiteboard so everyone can see them. What gets measured gets improved. – Gideon Kimbrell, InList Inc
11. Focus Religiously on Two or Fewer KPIs
One way to stay committed to business growth is to select one or two key performance indicators (KPIs) and create daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly goals. Keep it simple this coming year and make sure that your plans for business growth are clear, as well as backed by the key areas that will help grow your business. – Kristopher Jones, LSEO.com
