The buzz of the “New Year, New Me” movement has spread across social media and those we speak to daily. This energy is excellent, but it is sustaining the power to perform all year long that is truly important. In particular, the self-employed (SE) has pivoted and modified, delivering offerings in our new world; or the time is now to adjust on the fly. Those who have seen or been a one-person business understand the challenges of sustaining new client acquisition, client retention, and executing all activities. Accordingly, for the SE, leveraging your unique competencies, sharing stories, and trying new concepts will keep you thriving through 2021!

Automate as many processes as possible.

From new client on-boarding to bookkeeping or marketing, eliminate manual processes ASAP! Leverage the use of apps to streamline daily activities. In particular, as entrepreneurs and SE individuals, we need to maximize our time delivering value to our book of business, developing new business, and refraining from copious amounts of administrative or busywork. We strongly recommend the use of QuickBooks to optimize your accounting processes.

Develop multiple e-commerce revenue streams.

If you are already converting sales through your website, social media, or other online channels, then you are already on the right track. Just because you sell services such as consulting or financial planning does not mean you cannot sell products. We suggest creating products that compliment your benefits, such as books, classes, or courses. The more places you develop e-commerce sales channels, the better positioned you will be for potential downside risk in other income sources. Use the internet to tell you story through your products, services, platforms, and content generation.

Try something new in your entrepreneurial efforts (Get Innovative).

As entrepreneurs, we quickly move from one project to another, and sometimes projects we loved two months ago are now just a distant memory. We urge you to keep trying new ideas and finding solutions to problems in niche markets you understand or have identified as ideal for you. Sparking innovation can be difficult as we are immersed in multiple projects and have limited time to channel our inner artist. We suggest spending time each week in your happy place to decompress and look at your week objectively as if you were a potential client or someone who has no idea about who you are. How can you better serve the market in a way no one else sees?

As we navigate through the start of this year, stay positive, and remain focused on your long-term goals. Please remember to reward yourself along the way and enjoy the pleasures of life in moderation. Short-term satisfaction, fear of missing out, and the facades of others will derail your success. Protect what is yours, especially as an entrepreneur or SE individual, because if you do not, no one else will.