2013 – What New Things Will Happen to Your Business

Posted by Romeo Richards on Dec 31, 2012 in Blog | 0 comments

Ask yourself these questions:

Are you going to start 2013 the same way you ended 2012?
Are you one of those entrepreneurs anticipating a difficult 2013?
Do you have a business plan mapped out for 2013?

At the gym this morning I had a discussion with a gentleman in the sauna. When I asked him how he spent his Christmas, he went on a tantrum about how evil his boss was for forcing him to work on both Christmas and Boxing Day.

At the end of his tantrum I asked him what was his plans for the New Year, he responded that he hope he won the lottery.

In other words, he had no plan.

My guy at the gym typifies the average person. They complain about how difficult things are but when asked what actions they intend on taking to make things better, the typical response is, I don’t know.

2013 is predicted to be a difficult year for individuals and businesses. It is going to be difficult for my business, your business and the majority of businesses.

The key question here is: what are you going to do about it? I know exactly what I am going to do about it.

In my car this afternoon I was listening to Dan Sullivan’s ‘Pure Genius’ audio program. In the program, Mr. Sullivan described four categories of people:

A people
B people
C people
D people

I am going to butcher the statement here a bit because I have listened to it only one time so bear with me as I try to recall what he said.

Mr. Sullivan described ‘A people’ as followers, those without the ability to form their own opinions therefore always follow what they are told.

‘B people’ are those who well read, able to form their own opinions and are critical of everyone and everything. They are activates or the anti-capitalists who strongly oppose to the system.

‘C people’ are those who possess their own opinions about things, know that they are different but carry their own cross. They are the entrepreneurs, athletes, or performers. They are not only critical of the system; they understand that they cannot change the system therefore set out the change their own lives.

‘D people’ are those with ‘C’ traits however, in addition to taking action, they also teach others how to become ‘C’.

As I am editing this article, US politicians are negotiating to avoid the so-called ‘fiscal cliff’. They will manage to reach a compromise agreement at the eleventh hour. It would save the US and world economy from the catastrophic consequences of the US falling over the cliff.

But would this change anything for my business or yours?

The answer is no.

The Eurozone crisis is still hovering above our heads.

Then there is instability in the Middle East and the slowing Chinese economy.

What the above show is there are so many factors beyond our control as entrepreneurs. Any of the above issues has the ability to push the fragile economic recovery over the edge and along with it our business.

So the question is: how can you insulate your business?

Do you have your business plan mapped out for 2013?

You plan strategically for the coming year.

You need to increase your marketing activities, streamline your operations to make it more efficient and redefine your business model.

You need to clarify your marketing message and offering to ensure you stand out from the crowd, identify your target market and the most effective media through which you could channel your marketing message.

2013 is going to be a difficult year for most businesses, but it does not necessarily have to be difficult for you. If you behave like the ‘A and B people’ by just sitting and hoping that someone else is responsible for your success, you will be affected by those difficulties.

Success in anything is predictable. You can determine the extent of your success by the goals you set for yourself. If you have no goal to strive towards, you will have nothing to use as a yardstick for measuring progress.

You cannot hit a target you can’t see.

Leaders are visionaries.

You need to have clarity.

You need to have a target to aim towards in 2013.

December 2013, my guy in the gym will still be complaining about his cruel boss who asked him to work on Christmas day. I can guarantee that December 2014 and 2015 and the year after and the one after he will still be complaining.

It does not need to be that way for you.

If you do not plan, you plan to fail.

It is my hope that 2013 be your best year ever.

Happy New Year!