By Vicki Rosetti-Applewhite, owner, Core Strategies
Wishing you could get ahead financially or be your own boss? Have a great idea for a service or product that could benefit others? Starting a business or side hustle may be the thing to do. Here are some tips to make your wishes a reality in 2023:
1. Start. Stop wishing, and start planning. Eleanor Roosevelt nailed it when she said, “It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”
2. Research. Learning about what you are trying to accomplish is time well spent.
3. Set a goal, and make it SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound). If you want to earn more, be precise. How much more, and by when?
4. Write down what you want, and keep it in view. People who vividly describe their goals are one-and-a- half times more likely to accomplish them, or at least make significant progress towards them.
5. Devise a plan that includes
mini milestones. Having a big entrepreneurial goal is fun and exciting, but achieving your aim can take time. Stay motivated by breaking one large goal into a series of steps that form a plan. When you achieve a step, celebrate! You are closer to your goal than you were before.
As you work toward starting your business or side hustle, make sure to give yourself some grace. Things won’t always go according to plan. But, if you have a plan, and if you are working it, setbacks won’t be as hard to overcome. Remember, too, to not be overly rigid. If things aren’t going according to plan, be willing to adapt and change course. Just because it doesn’t go how you thought it would doesn’t mean it won’t work at all.
Also make sure to tell someone, a close friend or mentor, what you are trying to do. Their interest in your progress will create some accountability.
Perhaps most importantly, have fun! If you aren’t enjoying what you are doing, reconsider your choice. It’s never too late to change course.