As the warm summer months roll in, now is a great time to take a step back and reflect on the progress of your business goals. If you’re like me, you may have the tradition of setting yearly business goals around New Years Day. Maybe your New Year’s goal was to post to your Instagram every day, or maybe it was to keep up with your bookkeeping throughout the year to simplify tax time. Just as your business is unique, so are your business goals!

Let’s dive into a three-step process to help you stay on track with your goals: performing a SWOT analysis, reanalyzing and readjusting your goals, and planning ahead with the help of 17hats templates installed from the 17hats Marketplace.

Perform a SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis is a powerful tool to help you understand the current state of your business. It involves assessing your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Whether you’re serving 5 or 500 clients a year, gaining insight into your business is valuable. 

  • Strengths: What are you doing well? Identify your business’s key strengths. This could be anything from a strong client base, excellent customer service, unique products, or efficient processes. Recognize these strengths and think about how you can leverage them further.
  • Weaknesses: Where can you improve? Be honest about the areas where your business is lacking. This might include limited resources, outdated processes, or areas where competitors are outperforming you. Understanding your weaknesses is the first step towards addressing them.
  • Opportunities: What external opportunities can you capitalize on? Is there an opportunity to automate your processes within 17hats? Look for trends in your industry, new markets, or changes in regulations that could benefit your business. Keeping an eye on the broader landscape and thinking of the big picture can reveal opportunities for growth and expansion.
  • Threats: What external threats could impact your business? Consider economic downturns, new competitors, or changes in consumer behavior. Being aware of these threats allows you to develop strategies to limit their impact.

By checking in with your business and conducting a thorough SWOT analysis, you’ll gain a clear picture of where your business stands and what steps you need to take to move forward.

Reanalyze and Readjust Your Goals

Once you’ve completed your SWOT analysis, it’s time to reanalyze and readjust your goals based on your findings. And just in case you’re feeling guilty that an adjustment is needed, let me assure you, there’s no shame in adjusting your goals! It’s better to fine tune your goals mid-year than to get to December and realize your business is way off track. Here’s how to reanalyze and readjust your goals:

  • Review Your Current Goals: Look at the goals you set at the beginning of the year. Which ones have you achieved? Which ones are still in progress? Are any of them no longer relevant?
  • Set New Priorities: Based on your SWOT analysis, identify new priorities. For example, if you’ve identified a new market opportunity, you might set a goal to expand into that market.
  • Adjust Your Strategy: Realign your strategies to address any weaknesses or threats you’ve identified. If you are finding that no matter how hard you try, you just don’t have the time or resources to create a great client experience, now is a great time to focus on that need. 
  • Create Actionable Steps: Break down your readjusted goals into actionable steps. Write out deadlines and tasks so you know what needs to be done and by when.

Set New Goals, and Let the 17hats Marketplace Help

Persistence is key to achieving your business goals. Here’s how to stay on track and make the most of the resources available to you:

  • Stay Organized: Use 17hats to keep all your tasks, projects, and deadlines in one place. The platform’s organizational tools can help you manage your time effectively and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.
  • Automate Where Possible: Take advantage of the automation features within 17hats to streamline repetitive tasks. This will free up more time for you to focus on strategic planning and execution.
  • Leverage the 17hats Marketplace: The 17hats Marketplace offers a wealth of resources to help you fine tune your business. Whether you need Lead Capture Form tools, Online Scheduling Services, or Onboarding Questionnaires solutions, you’ll find a variety of 17hats template options to support your goals.
  • Regular Check-Ins: Schedule regular check-ins to review your progress. This could be weekly, monthly, or quarterly, depending on what works best for you. Use these check-ins to celebrate your successes, address any challenges, and make necessary adjustments.

Summer is the ideal time for a business check-in. By performing a SWOT analysis, reanalyzing and readjusting your goals, and utilizing the small business management resources available through 17hats and the Marketplace, you can ensure that your business stays on the path to success. Keep pushing forward, stay adaptable, and make the most of the opportunities that come your way. Here’s to a productive and prosperous second half of the year! 🎉

Items Making Waves in the Marketplace

Personal Branding Photography Questionnaire by Will Wohler: 

This Questionnaire template allows you to gather information about your personal branding client’s business and brand before their session so you can create images that fully represent their endeavor. Input on brand values, messaging, and visuals are meant to influence how you approach the photo session.

Event Inquiry, Scheduling, and Follow up Bundle by Deb Mitzel:

This generic (non-industry specific) Online Scheduling bundle includes everything you need to offer an event for multiple clients to attend, e.g. a workshop, class, zoom event, etc. This bundle uses 17hats Online Scheduling to create events like balloon-arranging classes, photography or other workshops, cooking classes, etc. The options are endless!

Take Action Now!

Get Started With A 7-Day Trial

Start your mid-year review today and keep your business on track for a successful year-end!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *