Can you believe that 2019 is almost over? This was a crazy year for me and as I’m sad to see it come to an end- I’m also super thrilled to know that we’re getting pretty close to a fresh new page. I love the end of the year. To me, it’s the most fulfilling season of all and I just feel like everyone gets a bit more serious about life when we feel like another year is slowly coming to an end. As much as you feel like you’ve procrastinated through 2019, you only need to know one thing, my friend- the year is not over yet. If you still want to improve your business in 2019, here are 10 business goals you should aim to complete by the end of the year.

#1 Start a website

If you’re taking your business seriously- you need a website and you know it. I know you’ve been postponing this for ages, but the time has come to get your own space on the internet & invest in a trustworthy web hosting package. No free wordpress.com blog or blog built on Blogspot can compare to having your own self-hosted blog. This might sound a bit technical, but with the right resources, you can even launch your self-hosted WordPress site in minutes! Just follow this step-by-step tutorial.

#2 Get Professional Website Design

So you have followed our 5-minute tutorial to start your website, but it’s not looking real pretty just yet, huh? Don’t miss this step as this is very important.

In this visual era, you must take care of your website’s design if you want to succeed online.

You have nothing to worry about! You don’t need to be tech-savvy or have a great understanding of web design to make this happen.

I’ve been working with designing your blogs for years now and through my experience, I’ve learned to develop a scheme to help my clients choose an ideal layout for their blogs & take a look at these 10 tips for you all to follow when choosing an excellent theme:

1. Make sure your new theme represents your brand.
2. Stick to a maximum of 3 fonts per layout.
3. Social Icons must be clear & visible. Preferably displayed in more than 1 place within the template.
4. Consider how easy it is to navigate around the theme.
5. Strive for simplicity. You can always include a funky logo or more colorful pictures if you need something more outstanding.
6. Your theme must be responsive. It’s not optional anymore.
7. Are the step-by-step installation instructions included? (We provide free installation services with all of our themes).
8. Make sure the post width is suitable for your image sizes. Full-width templates work best if you shoot your images on DSLR. If you prefer smaller image sizes- look into the themes with sidebar area.
9. Look into unique functionality. Featured posts sliders, promo areas, unique categories display– you name it.
10. Your site should be easy to navigate, we all love then blogs that flow smoothly.

I hope you get the idea by now, huh? Check out KotrynaBassDesign website for easy to use premade blog designs or get in touch for custom services. We’re here to help!

#3 Set A Clear Niche

There’s a huge problem the majority of the online creators make when they start out. They tend to create content on everything without setting a definite niche for themselves. Setting the right niche for your brand can do wonders for your overall online success.

I used to create content about EVERY SINGLE THING and that kept me back from proper monetizing my blog. I have since realized that my passion is in teaching others about establishing successful online businesses. By determining my niche it was easy for me to decide what content works for my audience and what strategies I can use in order to monetize my online presence.

The next time someone asks you ‘so..what’s your business?’ you need to give them a clear answer. Find your niche and stick to it!

Read more: How To Find The Right Niche For Your Blog?

#4 Take Care Of Your Photography

Creating great images for your website can take you from hobby online creator to a pro and as harsh as it might sound- nobody has time for bad pictures anymore! Lucky for you, there are ways!

I get questions about my photography constantly and the funny thing is- I’m not even that great at it, it’s all in the editing. Want to learn how to edit photos like a blogger? Read this post.

#5 Invest Into Your Business

I believe the first course I took cost me around $200 and damn that was scary! I wasn’t making a lot of extra money at the time, but I just had a feeling that it’s going to take me & my blog to the next level. I’m so glad I’ve listened to my inner voice! This was a huge game-changer for me. As soon as I’ve started to really invest in myself, my business blossomed and kept growing faster than ever.

If you really want to make money from your website, you need to go for it. Put yourself out there, take online courses, hire a web designer, research the best services and don’t be afraid to invest. The sky really has no limits when you’re an online business owner, but you should really be ready to hustle!

#6 Analyze Your Audience

I often send out a quick survey to my subscribers & seeing the results really helps me put everything into perspective. By exploring the answers received I can actually see what my audience expects from me & the feedback always boost my confidence by quite a bit!

#7 Hire An Assistant

I can’t tell you how big of a difference getting help makes. I was way too afraid to make this commitment and worked completely alone for the first few years in my business, I was then lucky enough to have Tomas joined me at KBD in this adventure and we’ve been getting extra help for special projects from time to time and are currently thinking of hiring someone full time.

I also run a second business with a team of around ten people and without the help of these guys, the project would not be going any further. Having other creatives join in made a real difference and allowed me & my business partner

#8 Start A Newsletter List

Despite all the changes in the online world, we’re still using e-mails on a daily basis and creating a list of engaged newsletter subscribers is the best thing you can do for your growing online business. Read this post to find out why.

#9 Get Rid Of What Doesn’t Work Anymore

It’s important to learn to let things go when it comes to your business. This is why I’m slowly, but surely getting rid of the products and services that don’t sell anymore and try to no longer focus on marketing approaches that didn’t make that much of a difference. Instead, I want to really focus on one or two platforms and really push the popular products forward. I want to become an expert in certain fields rather than know a little bit about everything.

You know what they say “when it’s time to grow, it’s time to let go”. I’m very grateful for each sale & opportunity that got me to the place I’m right now, but I feel like the time has come to work on something new and challenge myself even further. I want to let go of the things with the smile on my face and really feel passionate about why I do. Here’s why you can expect to see a lot of changes here in 2020, so keep your eye on.

#10 Change Your Mindset

This is a huge one, folks. Everything, seriously, everything that happens with my business is closely linked to my own feelings. When I don’t feel motivated enough- I might not blog as much, when I feel unsafe financially, I take too many projects upon and as much as I hate admitting this it isn’t a great approach towards the business.

This season, I want to make business-minded decisions & really think about the big picture. I now understand I’m not in this for a sprint, running your own business is like running a marathon. Maintaining the sprint pace during a marathon indefinitely is impossible. Trying to maintain that sprint pace is a set up for burnout.

I would much rather have a fulfilling year than have a super successful month and then be so exhausted and burned out that all I want to do is lie down on the floor and look to the ceiling.

Thus, by the end of the year, I want to feel like I actually went for it, prepared and made it happen. I want to know that I’ve done my best and challenged myself in all the new ways possible. I want to make sure I’ve at least tried.

Determining areas I need to work on and getting rid of the ones that do not serve me anymore will help me (and hopefully you) achieve this in a relaxed, rewarding manner.

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Let me know what are YOUR goals for the end of 2019!