The end of the year is already here! If you’re like a lot of business owners, you’ve already packed things up for the year. If so, congrats! I hope you’re planning on enjoying a little more quality time off to recharge your batteries before coming back strong in 2020. If you haven’t set up your out of office message yet, this blog post is for you. I want to share three tips for you to finish the year strong. If you follow these three tips, you’ll set yourself up for big things in 2020. Let’s dive in, shall we?
Tip #1 – Check-In On Your 2019 Goals
As a savvy business owner, no doubt you set some pretty aggressive goals at the beginning of the year. Now is the perfect time to check back in on those goals! Don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t accomplish everything you wanted to do. Things come up throughout the year, snagging your attention and making it difficult to stay on track.
Sometimes, the goals we set in January no longer feel relevant as we grow and respond to opportunities that arise as the year goes on. Look at your goals and put them into three columns: goals met, goals unmet (no longer relevant), and goals unmet (still relevant). Go ahead and take the goals from the third column and put them at the top of your goal list for 2020.
Tip #2 – Look at Your Finances
In addition to business goals, you likely had a financial goal in mind when you started the year. Pull out your records and take a look at how you did. In 2019, did you earn more or less than you thought you would? If you earned less, do you know why? Did you have a goal to sell more products or book more clients? Is that goal reasonable? If so, what are you going to do differently to reach that earning goal in 2020?
If you don’t think you’ll be able to reasonably sell enough products or services to hit your financial goal for 2020, think about other revenue streams you could build. Is there a way for you to make some passive income? Is there a way you could cut some of your business expenses? Most of us have at least a few subscriptions that we no longer use. Identify ways you can streamline your finances in the new year!
Tip #3 – Commit to Continued Learning
No matter which industry you work in, there’s always a way to continue educating yourself. Trends and technology change all the time and it is so important to stay up to date on what’s happening so you can compete. There are so many ways to do this. You could attend a conference, take an online course, buy books written by people you trust, or even take an in-person course at your local college.
In addition to continued learning, think about how you’re going to hold yourself accountable, especially if you struggled to keep on track with your goals in 2019. Ask someone who you trust and admire to hold you accountable. Or, you might consider joining a mastermind. Masterminds are a great way to get inspiration from other high-level business owners and it can also be a great networking opportunity. If you’ve never done this, I highly recommend it.
If you’re looking for something a little more one-on-one, my one-day planning and strategy sessions are a great way to start the new year off right. We will sit down together (virtually) and hash out a plan for your business. You’ll walk away with tons of clarity and motivation to hit the ground running when you get back to business after the holidays. You can click here to learn more and schedule a free discovery call with me on Friday, January 3rd! I’ll explain how the sessions work and you can decide if it sounds right for you.