Dear sister,
Are you feeling the pressure to come up with your theme for 2017 and your business and profit plan? Your money goals? Yes, I know, the internet is abuzz urging us to look forward.
But before we do that, it’s equally important to reflect at the year gone by and ask some honest and fun questions.
So I invite you to take 20-30 mins with a journal and work through these questions before you start planning new and exciting things in 2017.
- What didn’t work in 2016?
What were some decisions, strategies and investments that didn’t work out for you in 2016? Be honest and real with this one: it will reveal some useful insights. It could be that a launch could’ve been better marketed, or that Facebook ads didn’t work or you didn’t create healthier boundaries with your clients/team. This review is a very important aspect of scaling your business without burning out. - What worked in 2016?
What decisions, strategies and investments worked in the past year?
Now let’s Was that decision to automate your scheduling processes a win? Yay! Maybe you hired a coach? An assistant? Maybe spending time to network and connect with others worked for you? Write it all down!#shamelessbrag I’m doing this end-of-the-year review (a much longer version) with my clients. ALL of them listed ‘Working with Puja’ as something that was a win for them. - What are the numbers saying?
I love numbers. They reveal so much. Please look through last year’s data and make sure you track revenues, profit and expenses. Does your annual profit look healthy? Other numbers to track are: email list, number of speaking gigs, sales conversations, social media following, clients etc. What caused spurts and flatlines? - What accomplishments from 2016 are you celebrating?
Now to the fun part. Entrepreneurs are always looking forward to the next milestone and goal. That how we’re wired but it’s very important to spend a few minutes making a list of all your accomplishments and to acknowledge, appreciate and celebrate yourself for making them happen. - How would you describe 2016 in one word?
I love this question because it helps us reflect on what the year was about in a nutshell? Can you capture 2016 in one word?
After this work is done, is when we’re ready – mentally, emotionally and spiritually – to do the planning that a new year requires of us. We re-align with our vision (our True North, our why for showing up for this work), we identify opportunities, work on the Profit Pyramid to plan our year, predict our income, we ascertain our yearly and 90-day goals, we set our bold money goals and we set a theme for 2017.
In the comments below, share what this exercise revealed for you…