by Katie Krimitsos

I’ve never been one of those people who talks about how my college years were the best of my life.  Or stated that my 20’s were the highlight of my adulthood.  As a matter of fact, I’m pretty adamant that my life keeps getting better with each passing year.

That’s why I will always dream up ways to raise the bar in what I do in life and in business.

But New Year’s resolutions, goal-setting and promises are often forgotten or horribly unsuccessful.  And the reason is that there is more focus on creating these goals than TAKING ACTION on the things you say you want to do.

So, let’s just start with the assumption that you also believe that every year gets better and that you have to DO STUFF in order for this “better-ness” to occur.  

And, I’ll continue my assumptions that you want your business to grow and become a more enlightened person along the way.  Fair enough?

So, now let’s move onto ACTION.

Here are 5 action steps that are guaranteed to help you achieve business growth and personal enlightenment in 2016.

*Note: The below action steps are meant for ACTION.  Not contemplation.  Just do them.  You’ll thank me later, I promise.  

1. JOIN A MASTERMIND

In the summer of 2015, I knew I needed help with my business.  I knew I needed others to look in and offer ideas, support and strategies in ways that I couldn’t do on my own.  But I had no idea how to go about finding a mastermind (and at that point, I really didn’t want to be the one to create one).  A few weeks later, my friend invited me to join her private mastermind.  Five online business women gather on a video conference call each week and hammer through a litany of issues, challenges and ideas.  It has been the single BEST move I made for my business in 2015.  Just imagine how much you could accomplish if you had trusted colleagues looking in on your business every single week!  (And a massive side benefit has been that these women have become incredibly close friends!)

2. INVEST IN A COACH/STRATEGIST/CONSULTANT

Whatever you want to call it, hiring an expert to help you grow your business is a must.  Maybe you need someone to look over your overall business structure so you can better organize it and just need a full Power Day.  Maybe you hire someone for 3 months to get a jump start on the year.  Maybe you bring in an expert to help you focus in on one particular area of your business (marketing, sales).  Whatever it is, investing in someone else’s intimate knowledge will pay off dividends for your business!

When it comes to business coaching, I can’t recommend the ah-may-zing Natalie Eckdahl enough. I’ve seen the transformation and massive growth her clients have attained when working with her.  It’s worth it to check her out! BizChix.com/workwithme

3. DO ONE THING THAT SCARES THE HELL OUT OF YOU

For some reason, I never wanted to create an online product.  I didn’t want to be “that internet gal” who was always launching products.  But in 2015, I realized that it was really because I was terrified of the responsibility of creating a product and having students who might just tell me that it sucked.  When I was 7 months pregnant, I gave a talk at Podcast Movement about the power of Facebook Groups and after being asked dozens of times if I had a course where people could get more in-depth education, I decided it was time to do it.  I used the countdown of our little girl being born to light a fire under me and wha-la! The Facebook Groups Rock eCourse was created, launched and SOLD!  Over $3,000 of revenue was generated from a very soft launch of my brand new course.  What scares the hell out of YOU that could drive revenue for your company?  Do it.  Now.  

If creating an eCourse is one of those scary things for you, I highly recommend Zippy Courses…it’s a super simple software that makes all the “techie” stuff of course building very easy to create and manage.  

PS: Interested in the Facebook Groups Rock! eCourse?  It’ll be opening up soon!  CLICK HERE to be the first to know when it does!

4. GET HEALTHY(ER)

Okay, I’m sure this comes up for most everyone during this time of year, but it’s no secret that exercising and eating well play a massive role in your overall performance – in your business and in life!  I’m not going to pretend I’m a health coach, but from one entrepreneur to another, I’ll just say that when I’m working out and eating (relatively) well, everything else seems to fall into place.  Because we’re talking business here, I’ll spare you my health and fitness story, but I will say that getting healthier doesn’t have to be hard.  My friend and I used to call it the ELMO diet…Eat Less Move Often.  😉  Just make it less of a big deal in your mind and in your actions and you’re sure to make some strides here.  You WILL feel the impact in your business!

If you’re looking for a great health and fitness resource, check out my cousin’s Beach Body products and services.  (Yes, I’m totally biased because she’s awesome).  They have Beach Body on Demand…it’s Netflix meets video workouts…super cool!  Reach out to her on Facebook HERE!

5. TAKE A MAJOR VACATION

I’m not talking about a weekend cruise here…I’m talking about going somewhere that you’ve always wanted to go…for at least one week!  This past summer, Chris and I spent 2 weeks in Greece for our “babymoon.”  You would think 2 weeks away from the business would have a negative impact, but it actually was the exact opposite.  Being in a different country completely opened our eyes to what we wanted in our lives, how we can achieve those things and we returned to the business with fresh energy!  

The power of these 5 action items is that once you make the decision to do them, you’ll be locked into the flow of that decision.  

You probably won’t see the results right away, but you’ll be in action.  And then, eventually, a few months or even a year down the road, you’ll look back and be completely mind blown over how massive your progress have been, simply because you opted into them.

Don’t think about these.  Just DO them.  That’s how you’ll make this year different.  Like, for reals, different! 😉  That’s how you’ll make bigger strides in your business than you ever have before!