2023 Goal Setting
Let’s get personal here. I had goals for 2022 - and honestly, I can not even remember what they were when I set them 12 months ago.
I do remember growth - I wanted to grow. More clients. More money. I wanted to go back to a conference - which I did. Inbound was fantastic! I hired a content creator to support some of my clients. I brought on 4 new clients. I built one website, did two strategies (both came on as clients), and did 2 other projects (email set up & SEO). I also had some personal goals - reading more (47 books!), and running more (no races really because of injury, that’s a bigger goal for 2023 for my 40th birthday).
All in all, 2022 was a great year for me!
So as I look forward to 2023 here are a couple of my goals
Create a course or group coaching program. I know this is a goal of mine, but I still lack the vision. See also, “will they believe me? will they trust me?” this is me not knowing who THEY are but this is a goal of mine by the end of the year. I just signed up with a business coach I used last year to help accomplish this so I’m super excited.
Blog more. See also the goals above. Once upon a time, I would blog multiple times a DAY. Granted, the content was garbage but I want to drive traffic, build my email list and this will all help with that goal of creating a course or digital coaching program. Analytics-wise, I want to see some growth in my traffic - which I know is realistic if I invest time in this website. Maybe instead of blogging I’ll get into YouTube or a podcast - but blogging is what I know, so I’m going to start here and focus on consistency. (I’m also launching my substack - bringing back my old personal/lifestyle content, which I am super jazzed about!)
Spend more time outside. This is a personal goal. I used to run but I paused due to injury and the pandemic, but as I turn 40 in April, I want to train for and run half marathon #5 this year, and I really want to spend more time with the family hiking. Hubs I just spent a couple of hours the other day planning a trip to Shenandoah NP in May. More outdoor time is in store for 2023 and I’m here for it! (I should mention I saw an ortho for my knee - and got acupuncture which has helped IMMENSELY!)
I saw a post earlier this week about word of the year. The first one that popped into my mind was growth but then I thought of Balance. I’ve been fighting for balance for quite some time and I was pretty close in 2022, but I think 2023 is definitely going to be the year for balance. Just before Christmas me, my son and my husband all caught Covid - and if there is one way to reset your mindset, it’s with some forced rest.
So how are you setting goals for yourself or your business?
You can make them SMART (Strategic, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely…) but really if you have bigger long-term goals, that’s fantastic too. Just make sure you have a road map to get there. A podcast I recently listened to said that goals, without a timeline or a roadmap to get there, are just resolutions. And most resolutions are over by Jan 19 (fun fact).
Remember, set your tasks that support reaching those goals? What’s the point of setting them if you’re not going to do anything to accomplish them - such as setting habits to get you there.
Story time. My husband loves to dream big - its one of my favorite qualities about him. Years ago (before we had our son) he and I ran the Army Ten Miler again. He signed up again a couple of years ago, and then for the virtual one in 2020. I don’t want to sound like I didn’t support him - because I did and I do! However, I got frustrated because here he was, signing up for big races (that cost $$) and then he wasn’t doing anything about it. He wasn’t running regularly, he wasn’t getting up early to get a run in,.. in fact he didn’t make an effort to run at all! Here’s one thing I know, changing habits - especially if you set a goal like that (I’ve run four marathons here, so I get this) is HARD.
Changing habits in your business is even HARDER! Especially if you have marketing goals or revenue goals! Your sales and marketing goals will not be accomplished without a change in habit - either delegating, or outsourcing, or being more engaged in your marketing (i.e. creating content…etc…). So think about how you’re changing your habits or your routines to accomplish your goals. If you have big goals - maybe break it down into smaller, more attainable goals.
I heard something this week about how January 19th is the day that most people drop their new years resolutions. Now, we’re not setting resolutions here, but rather actual goals - but if we’re working on changing habits to accomplish those goals…
Some examples for habits that might impact those sales or marketing goals
Blog once per week. (increases traffic & conversion opportunity)
Post X times per week to social (builds brand awareness, can increase traffic & conversions)
Send X emails per month (conversions, traffic)
These baby steps - especially depending on what you’re coming from (I bet you were doing some of these, though you probably think that you weren’t doing them well.) - are a step towards increasing your sales by X% or growing your traffic by y%. Right? Everyone starts somewhere.
So think about your BHAG (as we called it when I once worked at lululemon…) or Big Hairy Audacious Goal. And then think about the small steps you can take and habits you can put into place to accomplish that big goal by the end of the year. You’ve got this!
I want to know, what are YOUR goals for the year ahead? Business or otherwise :) Need marketing support to accomplish that big audacious goal? Get in touch!
