How to Plan for a Successful 2023 in Your Business

Pull up a vision board, wish on a star, and summon the money fairy. Then 2023 will be your best year yet, promise! Although I wish there was a money fairy, haven’t seen her since the tooth-leaving years, the truth is a successful 2023 won’t just *poof* unless you lay the groundwork. 

So today, we’re chatting all about how to plan for a successful 2023. By taking you through the steps I do to make results happen, you can make sure your business is aligned with your goals and prepped for expansion. 

Grab that eggnog. It’s go time. 

Step 1 - Reflect on 2022

Before we can move forward, we have to glance backward. 2022 was a whole year of your life, so how did it go? I usually do this part 2 ways. I start with the emotional part. A leather-bound journal and an outpouring of the nostalgic brain. Then, I’ll revisit my goal planner and reflect on KPIs and tangible progress. Both of these help me see how things went from totally different sides. 

If you want to follow my process, here are the questions you should ask yourself from both a feelings side and a goals perspective. 

Feelings

How were my stress levels in 2022? Did I have any periods that felt super stressful? What contributed to that period? 

Do I enjoy working on my business? Was there a month that felt really fun to show up? What was I doing that month that made it so fun? 

Am I aligned with my mission? Or has my mission changed? Tip: This is a great time to remind yourself that it’s always okay to change your mind. 

Did I sabotage my business in any way? 

What did I do really well this year? 

How is my mindset? Did I do a good job of staying present and optimistic, or did I fall into spirals during slower or more hectic moments? 

How have I changed as a person over the course of this year? Are there any beliefs I’ve added or gotten rid of? 

What do I want to change or work on in the new year? (career, body, mind, hobby, transition, relationship, friendships, skillset. It’s all on the table) 

Goals 

Quick overview. Did I accomplish everything I set out to accomplish or not? If not, where do I feel like I fell short? 

What obstacles came up that I wasn’t prepared for this year? How did I handle them? Do I think I handled them well? 

What were some surprise wins that were unexpected but very welcome? Why did these things happen? Did any of my behaviors set the scene for this to occur? 

Which months were my highest income months? What contributed to these? 

Which months were my lowest income months? What contributed to these? 

Which offers are my highest earning? Which offers are my favorites? 

Which offers aren’t making money? Which offers make me feel resentful whenever I have to deliver them? 

How was my visibility this year? (I’ll check all of my social platform analytics for this question) 

Did I make good hires this year? Were there any gaps where I should have hired someone or should have hired a different person? 

Where did I grow from last year? Where did I dip? Did anything stay the same? 

Some of these are definitely big questions, so I recommend reflecting slowly over a period of time (like a week), so you don’t feel pressured to give the first answer that comes to mind. 

The more thoughtful you are now, the easier planning for next year will be.

Step 2 - Audit Your Current Business

The foundations of your business are never a set it and leave kinda deal. Heck, I go back to my foundations, like my offers, positioning, brand, and messaging, all the time. Use this time of year to dive into each one and make sure it’s still aligned with the direction you’re looking to go in. 

Offers 

Put every offer you’re offering onto a giant whiteboard. And rate each one from 1-10 on factors like:
- Mission Alignment: Does it make sense for the overall vision of my company?
- Profitability: Is it making money?
- Differentiation: Does it stand out from similar offers in my industry?
- Enjoyment: Do I like offering this? 

You’ll quickly find out what’s a net positive, and what needs to go. And don’t be afraid to cut stuff. In a normal year, I’ll cut 1 offer, and in a great year, I’ll cut 3. You’re trying to create a small dream team of offers, not a massive ocean of lukewarm ones. 

Positioning 

For most problems, there are trade-offs. If you want luxury, be ready to pay. If you want quick, then you need to be committed. If you want to build a massive business, you’ll have to take risks. For most of us, our businesses fall to certain sides when it comes to solving problems. 

I’ll use myself as an example. I focus on positioning myself as an efficient copywriter who produces high-quality writing for women-owned businesses that want results. 

My process isn’t particularly ‘snooty,’ and I don’t do lots of copywriting coaching – because that’s not how my brand is positioned. When you can nail your positioning, you can start to set the scene for pricing accurately, targeting your ideal buyer, and creating a rock-solid brand strategy. 

How are you positioned? 

This question is best solved through market research and adjective associations. Because when you figure out how people see you, you can work to lean into it or change it. But be warned, changing how you’re positioned in the market takes time. It’s not a quick fix– and usually it takes some serious investing to pull off. 

Brand 

And on that note, let’s talk about brand. When auditing your brand, you can look at it from a foundational strategy angle or design angle. Usually, they go together. Ideally, if your brand feels ‘off’, you’ll work with a combined brand strategist + designer to fill the gaps. But if you feel like your brand is flat, your brand voice could be to blame. 

Make sure you grab the Brand Voice Template to boost your verbal brand and increase how memorable you are online. 

Messaging 

This is a big one. Not because I’m a copywriter, but because this is usually the make or break for if businesses will succeed. Whenever something ‘good on paper’ won’t sell, my first thought is always, ‘well, let’s see how it’s communicated.’ Reread all of your web copy, sales copy, and marketing assets. Are they clear, concise, engaging, and consistent? 

I realize these are big questions to ask, so if you’re struggling to find the holes in your messaging, a Copy Roast gives you 1:1 time with me to get an expert opinion. 

Click here to book your Copy Roast. 

Step 3 - Figure Out Your Version of Success

It’s really hard to move forward if you’re walking in the dark. In the business world, it can be so hard to know what ‘success’ looks like. Suzy is making 7-figures a year. Emma just got VC money. And Ella works 6 minutes a day. And while this is amazing for them, chasing the stereotypical version of success is the straight path to burnout if you’re not careful. 

One way I like to define success is by filling out the statement:
I’d like to help XX of *ideal client* do *this transformation* by *scalable offers you enjoy.* This will make 2023 an $X year and I’ll be working X hours a week. 

So if I filled this out:
I’d like to help 200 women-owned businesses scale rapidly with powerful words by offering copy roasts, templates, VIP days, and a new membership. This will make 2023 a $500,000 year and I’ll be working 30 hours a week. 

It’s not perfect by any means. And it makes nuance tough, but it’s a great starting point if you’re stuck. 

Step 4 - Map Out Your Dream

You know what you want, but can you *actually* get there? I don’t mean this in a doubt yourself way, but in a tangible does your business support your goals way. 

Here’s an example. Let’s say I offered only VIP Days and I wanted to have a $100K month. I know, dreaming big over here. I say this with tons of self-love, but I’m setting myself up to fail. I charge $3250 per day as of December 2022 and there are only 30 days in the month (assuming no days off because #hardcore). 

I’m at $97,500 for the month which is short of my goal (barely) BUT the bigger issue is I’m doing 30 VIP days in a month and my friends probably think I fell off of a cliff because I’m not returning anyone’s calls. Therefore, my business is not set up to support my goal. 

I would need to
a) raise my prices
b) bring on another writer
c) create an offer that scales without my time
d) lower my goal 

And there’s no ‘right’ answer. But by mapping out your dream and getting hyper-practical on if your business model can support it, you can find the gaps and make decisions accordingly. 

Step 5 - Plan New Offers and Big Launches 

We just spent a lot of time of the reflect, audit, and plan phase. Now, it’s time to get creative. If you noticed BIG disconnects in your goals and current offers– for example, you want $20,000 months but you’re selling $3,000 websites and can handle 2 per month, you’re most likely going to be restructuring bigtime. 

Sure you can raise your prices, but that’s a heck of a jump for your positioning – so maybe this is your time to start planning a group program, template shop, or e-commerce element to boost the monthly revenue of your current business model. 

If you’re in need of an offer refresh and want to scale. Some things to think about are: 

Memberships
Masterminds
E-Commerce
SaaS Offerings
Digital Products
Courses
Group Programs
Agencies 

And that’s just a baby list. If you need help with the messaging around your new offers, you know who to turn to. You can contact me right here.

Step 6 - Rock Your New Year

When it comes to planning, you do your best. The magic is when you show up feeling aligned with your offers and sell the heck out of them. If you decide to cut an offer mid-year or add a surprise offer in Q1 – awesome! The best sales plans are the flexible ones that move with you. 

I know you’re going to absolutely crush 2023, but don’t take it from me, take it from you. Make a list of the incredible things you did in 2022 and reread it. You can do difficult. You can create incredible outcomes with your own 2 hands (and maybe a kickass team ;)) Whatever you have your eye on in 2023, it’s yours. 

Go get it! 

And if this article was helpful, I’d love for you to share it with a friend.