The past couple of years have been devastating for small business owners, and it’s an unfortunate fact that female-owned businesses have been disproportionately affected.

Of the £1.3 million worth of UK investments identified in The Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship – 2022 Progress Report, just 11.9% went to female-led businesses compared to 66.1% given to male-led businesses.

Thankfully, there are steps being taken to start resolving these disparities.

From financial and digital skills training and one-to-one coaching, to small business inspiration and community building sessions, Meta’s #SheMeansBusiness hub hosts a cornucopia of resources designed to help empower and elevate female business owners. 

Meta also partnered with NatWest earlier in the year via the Go Beyond campaign, which offered on demand financial readiness training to female entrepreneurs.

“At Meta, we believe that good ideas deserve to be found and in difficult economic times, small businesses may find it harder to reach their customers. However, great planning is the key to driving business growth and we’re delighted to be working with NatWest to provide financial readiness workshops to help women owned businesses drive success.” says Carrie Timms, Director of Global Business Marketing EMEA.

Keen to get started? Here are six ways you can get your business ready for 2023 and pave the way for a successful new year…

Could negative thought patterns be stopping you from achieving your business goals?

When we spoke to five winners of Meta and NatWest’s Go Beyond competition last month, all of them emphasised the power of harnessing the right mindset.

“Surrounding myself with women who are also on a mission and who can instil confidence in each other has definitely helped me and I know it has helped the businesses that we’ve worked with,” says Kylie Reid, founder of EGG.

Amelia Peckham, co-owner of mother and daughter-founded brand Cool Crutches, also emphasises the importance of mindset, crediting a positive outlook in helping her push forward in business. “I am self-taught in everything so I’m kind of like, if I can do it, anyone can do it.”

Building a strong and supportive community can be a great way to cultivate a good mindset, and the power of mindset video includes plenty more tips to help you get your head in the game.

Whether you’re into the personal development hype or love to challenge your fitness capabilities, you’re probably aware of the importance of setting goals to bring your vision to fruition. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that setting goals is a sure-fire way to kickstart your business’s success too.

Creating goals with a long-term vision will ensure that you stay inspired. Why not try making a vision board for where you’d like your business to be in a year from now, or track your goal progress with a spreadsheet.

Wary of setting unrealistic goals in the currently unpredictable economic climate? Julie Baker, Head of Enterprise at NatWest Group highlights the importance of seeking out resources when planning ahead.

“Business owners should research the support on offer for SMEs and NatWest has pointers online that can help, as making the most of opportunities and help will be vital for companies when it comes to weathering the uncertain times ahead.”

If you want to delve deeper into identifying your business goals, check out the set your business goals video on the hub. 

Getting to know your customers might just be the best way that you can get your business ready for 2023. They’re what keeps your business ticking over and can help you understand where you might need to allocate more resources.

Lux Sekeram of LoveLux London, a winner of Meta and NatWest’s ‘Go Beyond’ competition, says that doing market research and connecting with customers is one of her top tips for business success.

“Doing that market research and finding out what’s missing from your products or things that you might need to change in your range is key,” says Sekeram. “So definitely be in touch with the customer through things like Instagram lives.”

Social media plays a huge part in the landscape of digital marketing and getting in touch with your customers organically as well as through paid ads can be the ticket to making sales.

Find out more about how you connect with your customers via the know your customer video on the hub. 

If you think of your business as a house, your business model contains the foundations that help you build your property, and if you don’t have strong foundations, you could be putting your business at risk of crumbling.

From a financial standpoint, a business model will outline how your company plans to make money, so understanding how this framework will support the increase of your profit margins is essential.

“Our financial readiness workshops help business owners plan successful funding pitches and give them information about business planning and what finance is available. We’re well established in directing people to the support they need to achieve their financial goals,” says Baker.

But if you’re in need of some more advice and really want to get into the specifics of business models, the #SheMeansBusiness hub has you covered.

Breaking down the nine key areas of a business model and offering a whole host of tips on best practices to help you scale your business, the build a better business model video can be accessed on-demand and get you one step closer to solidifying those foundations for your year ahead.

Being able to deliver a 60-second elevator pitch may seem like something you’ll only need if you’re planning on applying for The Apprentice or making an appearance on Dragon’s Den, but it’s a skill every business owner should hone.

After all, you never know where you might meet your next investor or loyal customer.

When it comes to getting your business ready for 2023, try thinking less ‘tracking costs and learning how to increase profit margins’ and more ‘how can I cement my brand USP’. And the best way to do that is by prepping a killer pitch, which the create an engaging elevator pitch video is available to help you nail.

Striking a balance between focusing on your finances and strengthening the most human aspects of your brand is what will help your business excel.

It’s no longer enough to simply start a business, create a couple of nice looking leaflets and leave it at that.

You’ll need to wear lots of different hats and in today’s world, one of those is ‘digital expert’. Learning how to promote your business online is crucial, so upgrading your digital skill set should be a top priority.

For example, you might want to learn how to use Facebook advertising to promote new products and produce amazing creatives that show people what you’re offering.

Now that we’re more connected than ever, people want to know the story behind a business too – how it started, how it operates day to day, what challenges it’s facing – so they can make an informed decision on whether or not it’s the kind of company they want to buy from.

A great way to tell your brand’s story is by creating engaging content on social media. Using Instagram stories and reels are ideal for keeping your customers up to date with your business as it grows and changes.

Not sure where to start? The #SheMeansBusiness hub is filled with fantastic training resources to help you upskill in the digital realm and this video is the perfect way to get going.

Although there may be tough times ahead, if you make just one resolution for 2023, focus on getting your business ready to weather any potential storms.

And you don’t need to wait until the new year either. Laying the foundations as early as possible will ensure that you’re in the best position to take your business to the next level come January.

Are you a female entrepreneur who wants to get your business financially fit for 2023? The #SheMeansBusiness hub is dedicated to making business success a reality for more female entrepreneurs and providing them with the resources to go beyond their expectations.

Plus, get access to the on-demand financial readiness bootcamp and learn all you need to know about the obstacles facing female business owners in your own time and at your own pace.