Can you believe we’re already in the new year? If you want to improve your marketing, be seen by ideal customers, and increase your revenue, then you need to check out my small business planning tips for 2024 first!

Keep reading to see what questions you need to ask, how to plan for the next year, and to even get a free PDF to help you reach your goals and a vision board template to help you visualize where you’re going.

3 Questions to Ask as You Look Back on 2023

1.  What were my wins this year? How can I celebrate them?

2. What did I have as my key goals in 2023? How well did I hit them?

3. What didn’t go the way I planned? 

Small Business Planning Tips for 2024

1. Plan out your personal life as much as possible first. Write down any trips you plan to take, days/weeks you know you’re going to be off, and other events to note. This is also a good time to jot down a couple of personal and/or family goals you want to work towards. 

Wondering why you should do this first? If you’re a small business owner, then you know the danger of burn-out. It’s important to work hard, but boundaries and taking time for yourself are so important. If you don’t take care of yourself, then your body might force you to take time off. 

2. Ask yourself these questions: “What do I want to accomplish?” “What do I want to do?” “How do I want to feel?” After tackling these big questions, you should have a little more clarity to prepare for what comes next, which is:

3. Write down 7-10 big goals you have for the year. 

After you’ve done this, then pick 2-3 goals for each quarter.

Now, make notes as to what this looks like (give lots of details), why you want to accomplish them (what’s your motivation), and when you plan to work on them (provide a timeline if possible). 

Refer to these goals once a month, then plan your weeks around accomplishing them. 

(This is modeled after the Full Focus Planner.)

4. Focus on 3 areas of marketing this year and go all-in. Maybe you’d like to prioritize creating a referral program, being consistent on your social media, and finding local partnerships. These can go under the what section in part #3.

5. Prioritize growth + learning. You know that saying, “You become who you hang around?” That’s true in business, too. Surround yourself with business mentors who you look up to and who can give you advice and encouragement. You’ll learn a lot from their insight, wisdom, and past experiences. In this same vein, take time to also listen to podcasts and read books that will help you achieve your business goals and dreams. 

Wondering how to create a hashtag strategy that gets more views and engagement for your posts? Read my blog post here! How to Use an Instagram Hashtag Strategy for Your Small Business

Download Your 2024 Vision Board Template

BONUS: I’m a visual learner and actually made a vision board for 2024. Here’s an example of what I created above so I can have it as my lock screen or print it out to put above my desk.

To make your own vision board, get my template here!

3 Posts Your Small Business Can Share on Social Media in January

1. A look back at 2023. Create a reel of your favorite moments from this year. Your followers will love to see a montage of these special moments.

2. A tease of a new product or a service in 2024. Get your audience excited about what’s to come! You can even ask them to mark your business’s account to “favorites” on Instagram or Facebook so they don’t miss any future announcements or reveals.

3. A POV reel that highlights what your ideal client might be struggling with or what they need this time of year. For example, if you’re a coffee shop, you can share how moms are running on fumes after the craziness of the holidays. And what better excuse to come by the coffee shop to escape the chaos and get a caffeine boost? Another example: if you’re a doctor’s office, you could show how sickness is running rampant in the wintertime by sharing a reel from the POV of someone who’s sick. Your practice, however, can help patients feel better quickly because they have a million things to do since it’s the beginning of the year.

Download Your FREE Small Business Planning Tips PDF

If you’re ready for all the small business planning tips for 2024, then download your planning this PDF.
It’ll keep everything organized, help you stay on track, and map out the year. And as a BONUS, I’m sharing the planning resources that I live by. Get it here.