New Year Business Strategies to Go from Barely Surviving to Thriving

As we look ahead, I believe 2021 will be a time of creative renewal. It’s like, author, Shawn Anchor says, “The most successful people see adversity not as a stumbling block, but as a stepping-stone to greatness.” 2020 gave us plenty of adversity and this new year it’s time to strategically place our stepping stones.

Your future clients who want to be successful know this too. They know it’s time to rethink their priorities and they are looking for expert help in achieving their desired results. If you offer professional services, as a consultant, coach or speaker, this is the perfect time to offer your services. Right now, individuals are trying to figure out what’s next and companies are starting to invest in their people again.

2020 might have been about survival, but in 2021 think in terms of thriving. A growth strategy should be at the top of your list. How can you use what you’ve learned about yourself, your clients and the world to provide greater value to your clients and enhance their experience? Which business strategies should you embrace to help you set realistic and attainable goals?

Here are my top 5 strategies that you can use as stepping stones as you create a thriving business this year.

1) Focus on What You Can Do in the Next Year

While everyone is telling us what we can’t do, be . Think of the gyms that were told they could no longer offer in-gym classes, that quickly transitioned to offering outdoor classes and personal training sessions. Whatever type of business you are in, you need to adopt an optimistic mindset and use it to help spark new ideas for your reinvention. Here are tactics, I’ve either seen other consultants doing or I’m personally doing, to transform businesses in 2021.

• Offer remote services.
• Create a new product or service offering.
• Determine new markets and diversify. Look for companies and individuals who have the money to hire you. (Yes, there are many .)
• Continue to reach out to former clients and have conversations asking how you can help them.
• Change your marketing strategies to get in front of new, high-end clients who need your services.

2) Level-Up the Value You Provide to Your Clients

Consider how can you take bigger, bolder steps to achieve goals beyond their wildest dreams. How can you help them achieve their goals faster? How can you provide additional resources that are in your tool chest? What extra group experiences can you invite them to attend if they work with you as a private client? I love the way my financial investment firm, Morgan Stanley Investment Group, invites me to attend special interview sessions with chefs, actors, etc. or provides me with a portal of companies I can purchase from at a special discount. What can you do to uplevel your client experience beyond what your competitors are doing?

3) Think Bigger About What’s Possible

That . Take some time to pause and reflect on the opportunity for growth you have this upcoming year. For many consultants and coaches, that may mean . Maybe it’s time to or make that big decision to add more areas of expertise to your business? Brainstorm on other types of consulting, coaching or professional development workshops you can offer. To thrive next year, you must expand, leverage and be more innovative so you’re not just a one-stop-shop.

4) Rethink Your Marketing Funnel

While considering your expansion, be careful not to become splattered but stay focused by keeping your marketing funnel in mind. I’ve found when I have my clients send me their marketing funnels, we begin to see the holes in their funnels that hinder them from being able to move clients right down to the tip of the funnel (their most expensive but low-labor work). Map it out and see where your opportunities may lie. You may need to tweak your current services a bit to be relevant to people’s needs today, but you will also find holes, aka opportunities, where you can create new services that you can bridge people into easily.

5) Stay the Course with the Right Metrics

I’ve found that when you gain clarity on where you are heading, you can better focus on setting your revenue goals and marketing metrics. It’s after you’ve pondered your new business strategies, that it’s time to go to work to set measurable goals. Each big goal you have tends to have little goals that you need to achieve to attain that big overarching goal. What are those actions? When do they need to be completed? How will you know that you are making progress towards them? You need to somehow chart your progress. Consider creating a spreadsheet of goals/action items and timing so each week you can measure your progress but more importantly keep you focused on the right things.

I can’t wait to see the new, creative services and products that will come out of this year of adversity. Did you see a few new stepping-stone strategies you can use to propel your growth next year?

Sarah’s Predictable Results Insights

• Which tactics can you implement to get 2021 off to a profitable start?
• What kind of shape is your marketing funnel in? Is it time to repair it or recreate it?
• How can you break down your big goals into measurable, doable steps?