How are you feeling as the sun sets on another year? Are you fist pumping at all the clients you served, the money you made and the products you released? Or is it more of a wobbly stumble to the finish line, vowing to never repeat that year again?
Regardless of the end result, it is really important to look back on your year so that you can improve, or make the next one even better! So I have put together my favourite review questions that will help you really delve into what went on this year. Then you can correct mistakes, do more of what worked and build momentum for the following year.
Your Year In Review: The Questions
The review process can be quite a confronting one, so be prepared to really examine what happened. Don’t make the mistake of glossing over things, as by ignoring the difficult parts, you can’t really learn.
What turned out as planned?
This is a nice easy question to start with. You get to focus on the ideas that were a success, the ones you expected to turn out well. Even the ones that turned out better than you expected them to.
Think about the ways that you measure success. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a financial success. You could have built a large audience, cultivated some great relationships, helped a lot of people, or really raised your business profile.
You want to do more of these things in the new year!
What was sure to rise, but didn’t?
This question will focus on your flops. The things that you thought would turn out really well, but for some reason you were missing the key ingredient to your recipe.
Try to dig deeper into why these ideas didn’t come off as well as you expected. Was there a mistake you made, or a key component that you left out? While you might not want to relive your fails, it is important to know what went wrong so that you don’t make the same mistakes again. Nothing is ever a failure if you learn something from it.
You want to avoid having the same flat cakes next year.
What I want to keep in my mix, or have more of?
This focuses on the things that are working well in your business. The things that keep you in your flow and are aligned with your purpose.
When you are deciding what you want to do more of, look at one key aspect. What gives you a good return on your investment? Time is a massive investment, one that you only have a finite amount of. So, consider the time efficient tasks in your business that give you a good return on profit, exposure, or audience building. Also look at your monetary investments – are your systems working well, is your advertising giving you a good return, and is your equipment being used to its full potential.
You want to focus on the things that give you great returns next year.
What I need to take out of my mix
Sometimes there are a few ingredients in the mix that just don’t work. They affect the taste, texture, or end product. Removing these few things can give you the perfect recipe.
Examine the negative aspects now. Are there any products or services that are destined for the bin instead of the serving plate? The ones that give you little return and that take a massive amount of your time. Should you be upgrading to a new accounting system, email client, or CRM? It is time to streamline your business and cut away the dead weight.
You want to focus on the things that drive your business forward, not hold you back.
What am I most proud of creating?
There will be one thing that you did this year that stood out amongst the rest. Something that lit a real fire in your belly and produced amazing results.
Can you replicate that same sense of pride next year? What was it that made you proud – did you provide a complete solution, did you serve a real niche market, did you help a lot of people, or did you generate excellent profit?
You want to create something that makes you proud every year.
What I’m most looking forward to in the next 12 months?
Now it is time to realise your biggest desire. What is the thing that is getting you excited already?
It doesn’t have to be a big event or trip. It might be something simple like being able to cook dinner at home every night, or spend more time with your family.
You want to choose something that makes you excited every time you think about it.
Before you can move forward to a great year, you need to first look back on what has happened. This will equip you with the information you need to push forward for success and growth in the new year.
Sometimes it can be hard to know how you are going to tackle the new year and which areas you should be focusing on. That is why it is important to have direction and support. If you feel like It’s Time to take the next step towards growing your business, you need the It’s Time Marketing Planner System in your life.
Not only is it a physical planner (which you can purchase as a stand alone item), but it is also online support network and information portal. Have your best business year yet with expert advice from The Marketing Baker and her guest experts. If you have to know more about this awesome system, then you can click here now.