5 Simple Steps to Set Yourself Up for Success in 2021
Another year has come and gone, my friend! Can you believe it?
2020 brought us so many lessons and I want to make sure that we’re really processing those lessons and taking what we can from them as we enter the New Year.
As business owners and entrepreneurs, this time of year is about more than decking the halls and spending time with loved ones — although we want time for that as well! But, for us, this time of year is also about recapping, reflecting, re-evaluating, and looking toward the year ahead to see where we want to take things.
I also believe this is the season where we can “clean the slate,” so to speak. We can start fresh, we can begin again, and there’s a whole world of potential open to us!
To make that happen, though, we need to dedicate some time to actually cleaning the slate, and making sure that things are ready for us when we open those office doors again in January.
To help you clean the slate and prepare yourself for rest as we wind down the year, I want to share 5 steps that I use to get my business (and mind!) ready for the New Year.
Create or update a survey
An end-of-year survey is such a simple way to check in with customers or clients, ask them to reflect on the last year working with or buying from you, and collect testimonials or ideas for new offers! If you’ve never created a survey, you can include a simple email with a link to a free Google form with questions like:
- How has your experience been with our business this last year?
- Is there anything else you would like to see us offer or create?
- Do you have any feedback or suggestions for how we can serve you better?
While it does help to be open to some feedback, you will likely get happy responses from thrilled customers. Don’t avoid sending this email or the survey form because you’re worried about negative feedback — this sort of information can be so valuable to you in the New Year!
Assess your offers
A lot can change in a year, especially 2020! So let’s take a moment to list out all of your offers, whether that’s service-based packages or products. (Note: if you sell hundreds of products, you can limit them to categories for the sake of your sanity!)
Once you have your offers listed out, look at your total revenue and profit (revenue minus expenses) for each one. Which one made you the most money? Which one made you the least?
Now — and I consider this the most important step — rate each of your offers by how much you enjoy them.
Do you love offering those services? Do you enjoy selling those products? If there’s something you absolutely love and that makes you the most money, that tells you a lot about what you can focus on in 2021.
On the other hand, if you feel like crying when you work on a specific project/offer, that tells you a lot, too.
P.S. I cover this revenue map and much more about creating aligned and profitable offers in my Bloom into Business Camp, a business foundational program exclusive to my Blooming Business Inner Circle members!
Review your finances
Before you groan, hear me out! Reviewing your finances at the end of the year can be both empowering and informative. While I enjoy Financial Fridays a couple of Fridays a month, I also do another big review at the end of the year. I check:
- Total revenue over the course of the year
- Expenses (contracts, software, tools, product, etc.)
- Upcoming investments (masterminds, event venue retainers, etc.)
- Invoices and payment processors (to ensure nothing is outstanding/missing)
Once I have those numbers clearly laid out, I also think ahead to consider anything I foresee changing in the next year, such as:
- A new role I want to hire for
- A new mastermind I want to join
- A work project I want to invest in
- Tools or software I will need to renew
This allows me to have a clear picture of where my money is now and where it’s going in the future! Plus, it never hurts when you realize you’ve made more money than you thought, right?
Clean your office — virtually and physically!
After you’ve wrapped things up from an operations perspective, it’s time to really start to shut things down and put a pretty little bow on everything. After all, how wonderful does it feel when you have a clean office and your desktop is decluttered?
To help you get started, here are a few handy checklists for you to use:
Make sure you have what you need for success in 2021
After cleaning out my office and my desktop, I tend to realize that I will need one or two things to really make sure I hit the ground running in the New Year.
Sometimes it’s a new set of pens or a new notebook, while other times it’s new tech like a microphone. But most of the time, what I realize is… I need a new resource to help me hit my goals!
Each year, women business owners like you and me set big, juicy goals for ourselves… and we tend to think we have to go it alone.
Or that there aren’t resources out there that can truly support us. I’ve created the Blooming Business Inner Circle to help women like you create thriving businesses and joy-filled lives — and I want to help YOU in 2021.
The Blooming Business Inner Circle is an all-inclusive mastermind experience that gives you proven, actionable marketing strategies, exclusive events, and a Sisterhood of cheerleaders in your pursuit of the Sweet Life.
It also offers you a coach (hey, that’s me!) who can help you flourish and find the path to success for the goals you’ve set for yourself in 2021.
If you want to make 2021 the year that you support yourself with resources, guidance, and people who will lift you up and cheer you on as you grow, join the Blooming Business Inner Circle today.
This joyful corner of the internet is waiting to welcome you!
Don’t wait until the New Year… our gorgeous Welcome Kit will be shipped as soon as you join, and who doesn’t love a little Happy Mail during the holidays?
Plus, when you join today, we'll work together on your most strategic and achievable marketing plan ever as we go through my signature 5-day marketing plan workshop in January!
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