Hey there, my fabulous listener, welcome to episode 224 of the Small Business Made Simple Podcast.

Happy new year and welcome to 2023.  I love all the possibilities a new year presents – it feels magical.  Thanks for joining me back here for another year of podcasting. And thank you for lending me your ears today – I know you have lots of choices, so I sincerely appreciate me being one of them!

If you’re enjoying this podcast – I’d love you to take a screen shot and share it on your socials and tag me in it.  How cool would that be!

Don’t forget you can get the show notes for this podcast at www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/224

Just before I get into this week’s episode – remember a few months/weeks back I asked you to fill in a survey for my Big Small Business Survey 2022?  Well the results are in and if you’re keen to find out what we found out by doing the survey, you can download the preliminary results here: https://bit.ly/SurveyReport2022 – no pressure, just if you’re keen.

So, last year – in 2022, I didn’t manage to fit in my traditional Word of the Year podcast – so I thought it was fitting to do it as my first ep in the new sparkly year!

So what’s your word of the year?  And why should you even choose one?  Should you have a business one and a personal one?  Can you only have 1 word of the year?

So many questions!

Firstly, I’d love to hear your word of the year.  Come into the Facebook Group Like Minded Business Owners and let me know what it is and share with others – you might inspire someone else!

Secondly, why should you choose one?  Well, I can only speak from experience and for me, it’s the word that keeps me on track for the year.

Gives me something consistent to aim for.  Keeps my goal for the year front and centre – top of mind.

Last year my word of the year was video.  I tried to do more video.  I did more.  A lot more but I would really like to do more than more, so this year although video is not my “official” word of the year again – it’s certainly staying on the vision board to inspire me to do more video.

Other words of the year I have chosen are Impact – I still like that.  Again, not an official word of the year for me in 2023, but staying on the vision board!

If you’ve never done this exercise before or just need some help, I do have a worksheet – you can find it by using this link https://www.canva.com/design/DADrES4YC2I/wZy_rVFRw6GDYTtDHrX-pw/view?utm_content=DADrES4YC2I&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink – actually it’s a bit long, so head to the show notes at www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/224 and find the link there.

Can you have more than 1 word of the year or a person vs business one?

Absolutely!  I’ve already said I have two unofficial ones!  And having a business one and a personal one is a fabulous idea – but having a business one is where I’d like you to start, given that this is a business podcast!

So, Jenn, what’s your word for 2023, I hear you ask?

Well, if you’re a long-time listener of the podcast, you might remember episode 48 a few moons ago that spoke about my journey of having a year of saying yes.  If you haven’t listened to that episode, it’s a good one for this time of the year.  You can find it at www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/48 – and honestly, hand on heart honestly, I would love my word of the year for 2023 to be NO. 

I am a people pleaser at heart and that doesn’t always work out so well for me.  So I would like to say NO more often in 2023.

No, that doesn’t suit me.  No, that’s something I can do right now.  No, that’s not my responsibility.  No you can’t have that.  No, I don’t do that. No, No, No.

BUT I feel that’s a really bad word of the year – NO.  It’s so negative.  And although its not going to be my word of the year, rest assured I will 100% be using it more often.

My skin will be thicker in 2023 – so to speak!

So, my word of the year, for real, will be CHALLENGE.

I am a firm believer that nothing good happens in your comfort zone, and a challenge can change your life – so in 2023 I am up for all sorts of Challenges!  Plus I can challenge my people pleasing habit too! See what I did there!

In 2023, I am going to challenge you, my listener, my clients, myself, my offerings, the way I show up, my marketing strategies, the platforms I show up on, OH so much challenge is coming my way!

So, what do you think of my word of the year – CHALLENGE?

Good, bad, indifferent?

Like I said, come into my Facebook group – Like Minded Business Owners and tell me your word of the year!

My amazing listener, merry new year.  Here’s to 2023 being incredible through all the peaks and through all the troughs.

I’ll be here to help, wherever I can.

I already have some amazing guests lined up for the podcast and no doubt more amazing ones to come.

Let’s do this.

Let’s take 2023 by the horns and shape it into exactly what we want.  The power and magic is ours to grab right now.

Big Podcasting Love, and

……..remember small business peep, as my opening song says, there’s no point in dreaming small!