Every new year brings with it a new form of excitement and anticipation. The reason is that every new year brings about a “newness” for lack of a better term when we are able to start fresh and change those things that we did bad or things we have been thinking about doing.
For us at CEO Blog Nation, we get it. So that’s why we are excited about 2020 because there will be more and more entrepreneurs and businesses. There will be goals met and goals crushed and that’s why we love the new year and we know you do too!
Here're the changes entrepreneurs and business owners are making in 2021.
#1- Several changes
I worked so hard during this lockdown, day and night, and it all paid off. In 2021, my business goals have been reinvented and pushed to be more competitive than we’ve ever been. Specifically, here is what we’re planning to work on: Quadruple our gross revenue and total cases/consultations. Improve our work procedures to benefit our staff, including dedicating time for weekly team meetings. Delegate work and train other lawyers on my team to do consultations (sales) not as I do but BETTER than I do! I am not pushy enough and don’t always create a sense of urgency. I want to have a team that is constantly working together to give the absolute best service to our clients. Ideally, I’d like to hire two more attorneys. Add an income stream (new area of practice) that will be diversifying our business’ revenue. Increase the amount of cases we handle and consultations by 4 times.
Thanks to Marina Shepelsky, Shepelsky Law Group!
#2- Cut down customer acquisition costs
Since the pandemic our company has scaled down on our advertising spend with Google Adwords and other paid ads and focused on organic search optimization. As a result, we were able to lower the cost of our customer acquisition by ranking on top search results on our search keywords which is extremely important since we are in the event entertainment industry that took a huge hit. To our surprise, we found out that we are not the only ones pivoting during these trying times. Many of our customers who are wedding planners, DJ's, photographers are also thinking ahead and looking for more ways to add another stream of income with our products. My advice, find ways where you can cut your ad spend down and spend that money on long-term strategies that will help your business grow in the long run.
Thanks to Mark Lizada, FireBooth!
#3-Expand globally
Recognizing early on that the pandemic would affect various geographic areas and economic sectors in different ways, we decided to expand our focus globally, also reaching out to a wider range of industries. As a result, when certain parts of the U.S. and particular regions of the world would see a spike in COVID cases, any consequent declines in demand for our services would be offset by increased demand elsewhere, thus ensuring a consistent flow of business and no interruption of workflow during these challenging times.
Thanks to William Scott Goldman, Goldman Law Group!
#4- Become more creative
I think that for me, I have had to put aside my travel lifestyle and focus on my family and business. It may have meant that my creativity would have left with the restricted travel, but it has actually made me be more creative with how I operate my company. My walks out of the house actually give me inspiration now, and have helped me to make sure that my company can flourish online completely. My audience loves it, as for me, it has shown me that no matter where I am, I can still create good content for my audience if I can find the inspiration.
Thanks to Thomas Fultz, Coffeeble!
#5- Refocusing our efforts on our mobile website
Though 2020 has been a disaster of a year in innumerable ways, it has taught us a number of valuable lessons. As a result of reflecting on how the world has changed, in 2021, we'll be refocusing our efforts on our mobile website. Since the onset of COVID, time spent on cell phones is up 37%. This generally means more people are looking at your site on mobile as compared to desktop than they were just a year ago. This is a ripe opportunity to clean up the user interface of your mobile site, make it more appealing, and up your conversion rates. Mobile is more important than ever now that COVID is the new reality, and you have to lean into it. We plan to invest significant resources into upping the game of the mobile version of our site, and are even considering building our own app.
Thanks to John Ross, Test Prep Insight!
#6- Offering venue consulting
I used to offer event planning services which I saw a trend last year where people didn't need a planner or else wanted one for super cheap. Then COVID hit which allowed me to speed up the process of offering event consulting. This service is perfect for brides, corporations, people planning a special event such as a shower, nonprofits or a creative such as an artist, to pick my event planning brain to ensure they aren't missing anything for their big day! I have also started offering venue consulting because now that weddings have moved to the micro scene, and will probably stay that way moving forward, they are going to need to fill up that calendar. With venue consulting, I am now able to help event venues maximize their space and potential by filling up that calendar during the week and off-peak seasons by revamping their branding, marketing strategies and interiors.
Thanks to Melissa Hernandez-Erickson, MHeventconsulting.com!
#7- Ramping up our networking and outreach
We've all learned a lot of things during 2020, but one of the most important business practices that we recognized as a company was the importance of visibility. This is why I've decided to really ramp up our networking and outreach, so that we'll easily be recognized as experts in our field. While we'll still focus on customer service, online content and creating new products, we'll be setting time aside for additional digital PR,
searching for opportunities for guest posts, and building backlinks. Becoming and staying visible will be just as important in 2021, and this time, we want to be absolutely ready.
Thanks to Josh Stomel, Turbo Finance!
#8- Launching our own website
We are planning to have our own website made instead of relying on third-party websites. The reason for this pivot is because it’ll help us to have more control over our data and marketing opportunities. Moreover, since COVID-19 doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, consumers are heavily making use of digital purchases, in which websites play a great role. We want to start off next year with a fully updated and self-functional website that provides a user experience to our customers which they deserve. The user-friendliness and design of the website are key features to focus on.
Thanks to Damon Routzhan, Concrete Candles!
#9- Lesser activities
My routine has changed during the pandemic and I really like getting more sleep and starting my workday later. Even when activities return I think I will do a lot less running around to events than before so I can be more efficient and productive. Less (activity) has been more (fulfilling) during Covid so I hope to continue that in 2021.
Thanks to Paige Arnof-Fenn, Mavens & Moguls!
#10- Have a two-pronged approach
Agility is the watchword for 2021. That means being poised and ready to move forward or back at any moment, or even sideways, depending on how things are evolving. These are such uncertain times, and there's a lot of information to filter on an ongoing basis. Everyone's having to parse these coronavirus updates in real time and find the appropriate response without overreacting. It's hard. Just when we think we're getting a handle on it, we're back into crisis mode. So, our strategy is to have a two-pronged approach going into next year, one that anticipates the worst and the other the best. We will just have to decide at each moment how much to step on the gas or pump the brakes.
Thanks to Andrei Kurtuy, Novorésumé!
#11-Delegate tasks properly and trust my employees fully
The change I’m making next year is learning to let go and to trust my employees more. As a business owner and digital marketer for the past 15 years, I have gotten so used to being so hands-on with every aspect of my business that I get in the way of my own trusted employees. With everything that’s happened this 2020, it taught me to not spread myself too thin and to delegate tasks properly and trust my employees fully. I know that this global pandemic brings too many feelings of uncertainty, but one thing is certain: I can always trust my employees to do a good job and to carry the company through any situation.
Thanks to Matt Stormoen, Mobibi, Inc.!
#12- To focus on joy
The core of my business is to create more ease, enjoyment, and effectiveness in my client’s businesses. The biggest pivot I’m making for 2021 is to focus on enjoyment in my own business. It sounds pretty woo-woo, but in 2020 when I’ve focused my attention on work that I enjoy the most, I’ve been happier and more productive – and revenue increased significantly because of that!
Thanks to Emily Carter, Change Agent Studio!
#13- Update our website and streamline our UX
Our site is a platform that offers quotes when selling or valuing a car. With the changes we plan to make, we'll be able to upgrade and update our valuation process to make it easier to use and faster. Something that we understand is that we now live in a world of instant gratification which means that fewer people are willing to wait for the answers they need. So, instead of following our competitors and keeping a slow system, we're
innovating and designing something that can cater to the needs of people wanting to sell their car quickly or just get an instant valuation.
Thanks to Andy King, Jamjar!
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