As December once again rolls around, it’s that time of year again. The one in which you should be considering the impacts, low points and high points of your business.
Coming across a great little graphic which coincides with this practice was this:
With so many areas to consider when it comes to running your own business or freelancing, it can be overwhelming. Not to mention the difficulty which lies within a being able to command a holistic observation of the situation. The notion of there being a different season for any business is an interesting one, from day one of planning; you should always be aiming to evaluate how you and your business is transitioning. Not every movement will be smooth or without its challenges, but with this type of awareness you may be better prepared to gauge upcoming conflicts or situations.
Any business owner will tell you how challenging it can be to manage and support their vision, and lets not forget the long hours that go by, often without pay. Of course the hard days are worth it, but like anything worthwhile, it doesn’t simply make itself happen without the grunt work. Thorough planning and evaluating the phases of your business means that you can work it into a succinct and relatively measurable plan.
In this regard I am not just referring to a business plan or a vague goal list, I’m talking about a hardcopy detailed master plan. This means that you have sat down and really gritted out the nuts and bolts of what your vision might look like. We often have clients who in their initial phase have an idea but no particular stance in which they have really thought about how to achieve it. (Of course, this is fine – after all it’s one of the reasons why we provide our services.)
- Have you thought about all the aspects that should be considered?
- Have you mapped out your timeline and plan of attack?
- What about a 5-year plan and a series of small goals to fill in the bigger picture?
It can be overwhelming at first, but in order to achieve your business goals, these are some of the fundamentals, which are crucial to help you in the longer term. Don’t forget that once you move past these initial steps, gaining momentum is great. Again it is important to always repeat these steps as you tick off goals, aim higher with each success. Even taking negatives, turn them into positives; work out why it happened and how you and your work can grow from it.
With this in mind, here’s to the end of the year with many triumphs along the way. We’re looking forward to new prospects and achievements into the New Year! Share your successes with us; we’d love to hear how you approached this type of planning on your business path.
