How To Guide - 4 Ways to turn September into your New January

I can only apologise for the title - I think I might have been on Instagram too long, but the essence of this How To Guide is why wait until January to make change, update goals, start fresh etc etc?

For me January has some major brand issues included short dark days, low constomer spend, winter exhaustion and low energy levels. September is something al together brighter and so often aligns to when your customers are coming 'back to life' after the Summer madness. Businesses and consumers alike are ready to engage, spend and get their own ducks in a row.

Of course this guide can be applied at any time of the year, and speaks to our super power as micro business owners, of being agile, innovative and creative in the face of every day business challenges.

Here are some ways that might help you re engage with the possibility of review, refresh and creativity at any time of the year to keep your business thriving:

1. Review - We're 9 months into the year and have good sense about how the year has gone so far. Perhaps you even have good data about the realities. Take some time to review what really been going on in your business. Are your prcies right? Are you on top of costs? How efficient is your customer journey?

2. Prioritise - Create a list of 3 areas of the business that you want or need to engage with and make changes. For example, perhaps you realsie that you're still charging the same as last year with increased costs. Perhaps you got lost on socials over the Summer months. All this is normal tweaks in business but it's not a time to 'let things slide' for the last 3 months of the year.

3. Align - Q4 (as those business folks say) is traditionally the biggest in terms of income potential. If you're a B2B business, you're likely serving customers who are refreshing like you. As a consumer business, you have customers who are building to Christmas, starting new habits or getting cosy. Meet the customer need by triple checking what those needs are.

4. Plan - There are 3 months left in the year. I don't do 'pressure solutions' as you know, but there is potential here. Play with you figures and see what you could achieve in these weeks. Can you promote an old service? Can you improve your offer? Is there opportunity to meet the needs of customers in a new way?

I hope this guide has been encouraging and would urge you to take a next step. Perhaps head to a Group in the Hub and ask fellow members what they're doing. Maybe check out some of templates or workshop recordings to see if there's specific help on the plan you've made. Finally, you can always reach out to me via email or messenger from the Hub on emily@simplyclub.co.uk.