Five Ways to Welcome in a New Year: 2023

A new year is a perfect time for a fresh start for you and your business. Here are five ways to welcome 2023 and make it your best year ever.  

1. Decide on a theme for 2023.

Setting a theme for the year can help you remember what you want to focus on. Some examples of themes might be:

• Growth and improvements to your business. You can be specific, such as making your theme the year of mastering technology, the year of profitability where you focus on cutting costs or increasing sales, or the year of diversity where you focus on creating a diverse team.
• Downsizing, cleansing or simplifying. Perhaps your business has grown so quickly that you need to sit back, de-clutter, re-design, or simply clean your office. 
• Expansion. Is it time to launch a new service? 
• Giving back. If everything is humming along, it could be time to start giving back to your profession or community.

From here, you can create a plan of tasks and timelines that are aligned with the theme you’ve chosen. 

2. Recharge your energy

If you need to regroup and rejuvenate from a stressful holiday season, then a ‘recharge’ can do the trick. A recharge event can be a day away from your office, a few hours of meditation and yoga or a longer getaway. This can serve as the perfect time to set goals for your business and make a plan. You could discover that you are on track or that you need a course correction in your business. 

This recharge can be made alone or with certain team members. Typically, the events include a combination of planning and brainstorming sessions, education, team-building, and social activities. 

If this sounds like too much work, then a quick vacation might be in order, just so you can enter the new year with a relaxed mind. 

3. Learn from 2022.

If 2022 was a bumpy time for your business, it might be a good idea to perform a detailed review. This will help you learn what went wrong and explore why. Then, you can brainstorm ideas on how to avoid the pitfalls of 2022 as you move into 2023. Make it as informal as you want, or structured as an after-action review. 

4. Select a word for 2023

If setting a theme is too complicated, how about selecting one simple word for 2023? Here are some ideas:

• Abundance (think big, go after large contracts and big projects)
• Creativity
• Powerful relationships (OK, that’s two words!)
• Gratitude
• Service
• Humility
• Forgiveness (especially good if you are in customer service or have difficult clients)
• Fun
• Helpful
• Prosperity

I’m sure you can think of one that will be perfect for you.  In the past, we have used words like Intentional and Process. Kellie Parks from the Workflow Watering Hole Facebook group, asks this question every year of her members. They used words like Rise, Prosper, and Realignment. Once you do, write the word on several sticky notes and paste it everywhere you work, maybe even at home. Your postings will serve as a reminder of what your intention is throughout 2023.

5. Make a profit plan (start with the end in mind)

Making a profit plan for the new year will help you hone in on the profit amounts that you want to achieve.

Understanding how much volume you need to reach and what you can spend will avoid surprises at year-end. At mid-year, it’s a good idea to see if you are on track for the rest of the year.  

Whether you do one or all of the ideas above, we hope you have an awesome 2023 and that it’s your best year ever.