As you plan for the New Year, the year your business will take off, it is wise to revisit your business model with the intention of refocusing, reinventing, renewing your business strategies.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Who uses your product or service?
• Which of these groups do you feel a connection with?
• What are you most passionate about?
• What natural gifts do you bring to your work?
• What are your outstanding skills and abilities in your field?
• What about your personal story connects you to a particular market?

The purpose of these questions is to help you strengthen your connection to your current market or to identify new markets to pursue.

When you’ve done the personal analysis, use mind-mapping to brainstorm all the untapped niches to which you feel a connection.

Choose One

It may be tempting to choose many; all that potential is exciting but, for now choose one.  Start with the low hanging fruit.

Ask, where can I find these people?  If the answer is clear: networking groups, industry associations, internet keywords, then start there.  If you have no idea where to find your target market, you will need to do some more analysis.

Once you have chosen a market to pursue in 2011, you are not done.  To lead your business to meet your goals you will need to create an irresistible offer.

Next week we will look at creating an offer your market can not refuse.

Please feel free to leave me a comment.  Tell me your plans for this fresh new year.

Image by Flickr user singingwitness, licensed under CC 2.0

Over the past few weeks I have moved my business from my upstairs office in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia to an apartment in Johannesburg, South Africa.  It’s been a little hectic around here but I hope, for you my clients and customers, it’s been seamlessly transparent.

• A series of e- books, one for each day of the week
• A new tele-seminar series to help you make these ideas a part of your professional development
• Public Speaking events in both the US and Johannesburg.

In fashion, changing your look is a good thing. In business, it depends.

Are you consistent with what you do and who you serve or do you change to become whatever the next customer wants?

How is that working for you?

• Do you deliver the same consistent message to your ideal client?
• Are you able to leverage your tasks?
• Have you implemented business systems for efficiency?
• Can you train an intern or VA to help with repetitive tasks?

This month, the last of this year, we will look at the process of setting clear intentions for your business in 2012. Intentions that will help you focus on consistent business objectives for 2012.

It is good to change. Not changing with the times will put you out of fashion but change should be deliberate and intentional.  Like keeping up with fashion it is important to take a look around, see what’s current, and respond appropriately.  You need to do the same in your business and this final month of the years is a good time to do it.

Next week here on my blog I will set out my intentions, the ways I intend to change, for 2012.  You are welcome to post your planned 2012 changes here.  There is power in writing it down and, if you share, I promise to hold you accountable.