Forget New Year Resolutions. Is it time for a revolution in your business instead?

Each year, the new year gives us an opportunity to reassess our lives and businesses: either continue with the status quo OR do something new, exciting. Revolutionary even! 

Perhaps you’re satisfied with your current progress. “Why change what’s working? Why rock the boat?” And chances are, if what you’re doing is working, you’ll continue to enjoy incremental growth – but are you really satisfied with that? 

What if you could enjoy radical growth instead? 

Historically, when a revolution occurs, it focuses on making monumental changes to the status quo. Revolutionary changes aren’t created by incremental growth but have their roots in dreams for something entirely new, exciting and explosive. 

Now, I can’t tell you what revolutionary changes you might want to make in your business. Only you can do that. That said, I can suggest some ways to brainstorm, explore, and implement revolutionary changes to transform what you do. 

So here are 5 steps you can take for creating a New Year’s Revolution in your business: 

1. Dream big! Most revolutions begin with a dream. Dr Martin Luther King is an obvious example. He boldly declared, “I have a dream…” and then lived out that dream to make it a reality.

So what would you really like to see your business accomplish? What legacy would you like to see it leave? Whose lives would you like to see it impact for good? What kind of income do you want to provide for your family and employees? How might your business fulfil your bucket-list wishes? Dream big and then write it down.

2. Assess your current reality. Be brutally honest with yourself in this step. Ask yourself the following questions and others like them when thinking about your big dream: 

1. What currently gives me the most joy in my business? 
2. What is most financially rewarding? 
3. What parts of my business don’t work? 
4. Which elements work brilliantly? 
5. What new facet, direction or enterprise do I long to begin? 
6. How would I rate my business overall on a scale of 1 to 10? 
7. What needs improving? 
8. What part of my business drains me? Can I quit this part, delegate it, make it simpler or more pleasurable? 
9. What current trends or competition threaten what I do? 
10. What safeguards do I have that will protect my business? 
11. How do my customers/clients view my business? 
12. How do my family and those closest to me view my business and benefit from it? 
13. What kind of legacy is my current business liable to leave? 
14. How is my business serving others for good? 
15. What other questions do I need to ask?

3. Evaluate the gap between your current reality and your dream. You’ve written down your big dream. You’ve assessed your current reality. Now determine the gap between the two. The gap may be minimal. On the other end of the scale, you may discover you’re not even working in the right business! Again, write down your findings. 

4. Seek outside counsel. It doesn’t matter who we are. No one is totally qualified to work through the above steps alone. We’re too close to what we do to be entirely objective. So an outside source is really helpful to help us see the whole picture more clearly. Either engage the help of a business coach or a trusted friend. Spend time going over your observations on the first three steps. 

A professional coach is trained to ask you questions and probe areas you wouldn’t usually think of. They may not give advice but will draw conclusions from you that you feel confident about and comfortable with. Your coach will also help you view your life holistically and prevent you from compartmentalising your business to the neglect of relationships and other vital areas of your life. Together, you can formulate clear next steps. 

5. Put your plan in motion. Revolutionary changes in your business and life usually don’t occur overnight. They take time to plan, organise and implement. 

The key is to take action. 

Prioritise your steps and begin implementing them. Evaluate and document your progress. As the year progresses, contrast your new reality against your former reality. Adjust as you need to along the way. Your coach will help you stay on task and move forward. 

New Year’s resolutions are notorious for never being fulfilled. That’s why I’m proposing a New Year’s Revolution instead. Dream big and make changes that will make a difference in your life, in your business, and for those you serve.

Now it’s your turn. 

If you found this post useful, I hope you’ll put what you’ve learnt into action. So I’d love to hear from you: 

What ideas from this post will you implement? 

Let me know by leaving a comment below.