A more mindful way to evolve your business in 2019

How has 2018 been for you? Has it been a rip-roaring success, or have you had some wobbly moments? Maybe even a bit of both? As 2018 draws to a close and we all prepare for a restful and restorative Christmas break, our thoughts turn to the year ahead and begin to wonder what that’ll have in store…

What will 2019 look like for you and your business?

I know there are plenty of blog posts out there screaming for attention and cheer-leading you towards your best, biggest, most profitable year EVER, and you know what, if that floats your boat then you should dive right in and lap them up. But this year, I’d like to offer a different perspective on the season of planning ahead.

Maybe it’s time to hit pause on the massive growth plans and instead focus on a more mindful way of gently evolving your business

What if, this coming year, you pushed past the temptation to promise yourself that your business will be an entirely different beast by the end of January, and instead work on making gradual changes, one per month, that’ll nudge you towards reaching your goals? I don’t know about you, but I find big targets overwhelming… and, if I’m really honest, a bit scary. Which means I’m much less likely to achieve them.

One action per month - sounds do-able, doesn’t it?

This year, I’m going to recommend a more mindful route to growing your business. Rather than attempting to jam it all in to the first quarter, commit to one decent action per month that’ll help you to evolve or grow your business. Maybe January is the month you’ll go and check out that business event you’ve been meaning to attend? Perhaps you want to do some public speaking to raise your profile - February would be a great month to check that off! And if you’ve been promising yourself that this is the year to invest in a new brand identity, a new website or some consultancy to accelerate your brand, get that booked in too. Do one thing really well and give yourself time to get comfy with it before you move on to the next challenge.

Gentle, sustained evolution for a whole year

Imagine how much you could achieve if you dedicated your attention to doing one thing really well per month. And if you gave that action room to breathe, settle and take form before rushing ahead to the next task. What could that do for your productivity? It’ll not only lead to more focused progress for your business, but a more sustainable way of working for you - less likely to end in overwhelm and exhaustion; more likely to lead to a feeling of contentment and positivity as you look back and see how much you’ve achieved over the course of the year.

It all begins with a plan

What changes would you love to see in your business over the next 12 months? Maybe you’d like to shift into a new market? Learn some new skills to broaden your offering? Grow your team? Start with the big scale stuff; give yourself permission to dream a little and consider how you’d love your business to look if you faced no obstacles. Now, what steps do you need to take to get there? Maybe you want to raise your profile - great! Now break that down into actionable steps - for example, look at your instagram strategy to become better known, write a blogging schedule, look for opportunities to speak about your subject or submit to prominent blogs, partner up with someone influential… the possibilities are endless. Next, set yourself one task per month to set you on the path to achieve precisely what it is that you have in mind.

So it’s over to you

What would you love to happen in 2019? How are you going to make that happen?