Brad Inman’s inspirational guide to success in 2023

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Ordinarily, I make predictions this time of year but not for 2023. Too much uncertainty, so I won’t waste your time. 

Instead, here’s a list of 100 ideas to consider for the new year. 

1. Invest more, consume less. 
2. A little guilt can go a long way.
3. Find joy in something other than growing your business. 
4. Take rejection personally; you are human. 
5. Never stop thinking about ways to grow your business.
6. If you’re obsessed with fairness, find a new obsession

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8. Hope is for church, not for business. 
9. Volunteer one hour a week. 
10. Splash your face with cold water every morning.

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12. Wear clean socks. 
13. Stroll like the Italians, slowly with your hands behind your back.
14. If someone wants you to invest, ask how much they are putting in.
15. Network all day, every day with family, friends, colleagues and strangers.
16. When someone says “it’s your call”, they don’t mean it
17. Stop filling out customer service surveys; it’s AI run amok.
18. Duck the tough stuff today, but face it tomorrow. 
19. Don’t make business complicated; you know what to do.

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21. A belly laugh will save any bad day; call that friend who makes you cackle.
22. Excellence is worth the effort.
23. Take up swimming and sit by the pool for 10 minutes afterward. 
24. If you indulge in cookie dough or peanut butter, wipe it off the corners of your mouth.

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26. By noon you will make at least one mistake. Get over it.
27. Focus is the number one rule of business.
28. Next year, make transactions your priority, spend less time and money on customer acquisition. 
29. Eye your credit card statement and cancel three reoccurring charges.
30. Decisiveness pays dividends; reaction costs you.

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32. You may know what you want, but what you can have is another matter.
33. Reach out to a VIP who you respect and say, “I need your advice.”
34. Read more, watch less.

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36. If you try to live each day to its fullest, you may not need a bucket list.
37. Buy a one-way airline ticket
38. Remember two heads are better than one and three are better than two.
39. Give more to your best employee than they expect.

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41. Have a realistic strategy for next year and stick to it.
42. Be willing to dump a strategy that isn’t working.
43. Your P&L for the last half of 2022 is what next year will look like. 
44. If you don’t want your kids living in your basement at 30, teach them ambition.

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46. If you love your job, life-work balance is overrated. 
47. While you dream big, wash your car
48. Remember none of us are coming out of this alive.
49. Break the judging-others habit.

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51. Never fear asking for help, but don’t overdo it.
52. Money falls from trees if you have the right business model.
53. Make reflection a daily habit, but don’t fill it with regrets.
54. Sell your biggest stock losers by the end of the year.

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56. Hire slow, fire fast.
57. Don’t define a good relationship by what you have in common.
58. Find a new business collaborator. 
59. Liquidity is freedom.

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61. Hire smart, hard-working people — no family, no friends.
62. Vote for candidates who support laws for citizens, not special interests. 
63. Worry less about your kids; it does not help them.
64. If envy motivates you, so be it.

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66. Go to Burning Man, Disneyland or Coachella. Play golf at Pebble Beach.
67. Most of the things you need to expand your business don’t cost money.
68. Breathe in for three seconds. Hold for three. Breath out for three. Repeat three times.
69. Walk more, talk less.

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71. Be less naïve. Which company wins if TikTok is banned? Hint: It spent $20 million on lobbyists last year. 
72. Your mom will be an even better mother after she dies.
73. Being perfect is not worth the trouble.
74. Surprise a busy friend; pick them up at the airport.

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76. Challenge anyone that tells you that success is a bad thing.
77. Dress for style, then for comfort. 
78. If you must cut your payroll, do so with dignity
79. Speak your mind when people least expect it.

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81. Either write that book or stop talking about it.
82. If you’ve never fallen madly in love, meet more people to increase the odds.
83. Try changing your position on a controversial issue.
84. Aggressive can be better than passive-aggressive. 

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86. Try a little self-deprecation, but don’t be pathetic. 
87. Don’t cheat on your taxes.
88. Visit a neighbor who lives alone
89. Read a print newspaper occasionally.

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91. Try smiling more; you will look younger.
92. Renegotiate any debts that you can.
93. Be cynical, suspicious, skeptical and wary.
94. Clean your throw blankets.

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96. Check in on your siblings.
97. Hug your young kid and whisper softly but firmly, “Knock it off.”
98. Make no New Year’s resolutions this coming year.
99. Don’t put much stock in self-help gurus, coaches, consultants or experts.

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