Today's the Day Most Business' 2023 will sink

As someone who’s job it is to help business owners move their businesses forward, the end of January is my least favourite time of the year.

The simple truth is, that for most businesses, their 2023 will be “sunk” this week.

Not because of some cataclysmic event or dramatic failure – but because they started January full of hopes, dreams and idea for what they were going to achieve this year… BUT they have taken no action and put have nothing in place to make the changes that they need to make it happen.

All that excitement, positivity and drive for the year ahead has diminished over three weeks of “normality”.

Nothing has changed. They have the same old business issues that stopped them achieving last year and they have no idea how to make it different.

It really is just “business as usual”.

January becomes February and before you know it, it’s Easter and the year is just like last year – and the year before that.

We have all heard the phrase a “goal without a plan is just a dream” but that is at it’s most relevant here.?Most people have – or can get – everything they need to make this year incredible but for some reason they just don’t do the important bits to actually make it happen

Personally I think its starts with asking yourself what you REALLY want form 2023 and what kind of pain you’ll feel if you don’t achieve that and real dose of honesty as to what is actually really important to you.

And that is entirely personal – there is nothing wrong with trundling along this year - we need to be as worried by the "hustle epidemic" we have as business owners at the moment, as we are about not achieving your business is personal it only needs to deliver what YOU really want it to - BUT if you have given yourself the;

"This is the year it changes, this year I earn more, take more holiday lose a load of stress" talk

Then you need to do something different to what you have done and experience tells me a good place to start is with the 6 points below.

1. Ask yourself the question "what is actually important to me - what do I really want?"
2. Then ask “What will?stop me?achieving that this year”, why haven't I already done it?
3. Be truthful about the answer – and if you can’t put your finger on it speak to someone and get help.
4. Ask yourself how serious you are about achieving that this year
5. Take action to fix the thing that needs fixing – whatever it takes.

And most importantly;

6. Make a plan and stick to it. Get really clear on what needs to happen, what that looks like in actual activity terms, get clear on what you need in place to allow for that activity and then work the plan. If you follow it through you'll find out what works, what doesn't what you can do about it.

Crucially it allows you to make business growth decisions based on facts not hunches.

If deep down - or often on the surface - you feel like you are swimming through soup, and have no idea what you or your team really, actually, need to do to make this year different then get help, (I know a guy!) because I promise you if you are just hoping the problem will fix itself, or go away – you’ll be sitting there in December erasing the memories of the year and pledging your allegiance to 2024!

So my humble advice (from someone that has definitely been there and not done it…) is to start with that real honesty.?Deep down you’ll know what the issue is – have the “grown up” conversation with yourself and get some help - an outside set of eyes to work out what is actually going on and a clear unbiased and experienced view of what needs to happen to fix.