Holiday cards are arriving, gifts are purchased (well, some of them, anyway!), and you’ve been drinking from that Starbucks holiday menu for weeks—it’s definitely that time of year. Alongside the holiday campaigns, the Hallmark Christmas movies, and the business prep you’re already doing for 2023, here’s some more food for thought—our 2023 predictions for how businesses will achieve growth in the New Year.

Outlook for Entrepreneurs in 2023

2022 was a challenging year for small businesses thanks to economic and supply chain uncertainties, among other factors, but a recent study found that most small business owners (66%) expect their revenues to increase in 2023. That’s a seven-year high! What’s more, 52% of the 1,300 small business owners surveyed said they plan to expand their businesses in the next 12 months.

Entrepreneurs cited inflation (75%), commodities prices (69%), and a potential recession (67%) as their top three concerns going into the New Year. However, 77% of these small business owners believe their businesses are prepared to survive a recession. 

We said the “R” word just there, but we’re not here to make anyone nervous—quite the opposite! Here are some tips to GROW your business in the New Year!

Top Business Growth Opportunities for 2023

1. PR. We really believe in the power of PR here at NEAT, and you should too. In 2023, PR in the form of podcast interviews, in-person events, and affiliate marketing are going to be keys to success. In the case of affiliate marketing (aka, having people sell FOR you to their own audience), this is going to be BIG for service-based brands. It’s already been big in the product space for years, but we’re going to see more and more of it in the online biz space.
2. LinkedIn. You’ve read it here before: LinkedIn is not old hat. Instagram’s algorithms are annoying (there, we said it), and even though LinkedIn’s been  around for decades (!!), it’s a hot social media platform right now for entrepreneurs.
3. Hiring in-house teams. If you want to grow in 2023 (who doesn’t?), then focus on hiring in-house team members to support and accelerate your growth. Maybe 2023 will be your year to transition from founder to CEO. If so, hiring will be very important to your success.
4. Building a personal brand. We’ve seen our clients grow leaps and bounds as they’ve invested in thought leadership and their own personal brand. This isn’t just a trend, it’s how business leaders are connecting to their audiences in today’s hyper-connected world. Your clients/customers want to know who’s behind the veil. If they trust you, that’s a great foundation for the client/provider relationship.

At NEAT, we’re in the trenches with our clients every day seeing what’s working and what’s not. We predict these four growth opportunities will only become more opportunistic in 2023. And now you have the scoop, too!

If you’ve got business growth on your goals list for the New Year, go all-in with PR, get on LinkedIn, build out your in-house team, and invest in your personal brand. By the time holiday drinks hit Starbucks menus next year, you’ll be glad you did!

Book a call and let’s prepare for 2023 together!