Don’t look now, but 2020 is upon us! Can you believe it? What an exciting time to be alive and to be in business!! Are you excited? You sure should be! Things are changing, and opportunities are everywhere.
Now is the time to take stock of what you did in 2019 and where you want to go in 2020. You may be asking yourself: “I have no idea where to start; I think I will just pull the covers up and stay right here where it is warm and cozy.” Wrong Answer! Jump out and wake up and let’s get going with the promise of 2020.
In the holiday edition of the online version of Inc., this magazine put out an excellent article on evaluating the year past and planning for the new year ahead. I suggest you go here and read this article: https://www.inc.com/marla-tabaka/heres-your-guide-to-a-smart-year-end-businessreview.html . I am sure this year they will do another article, please check it out. You never have to do anything alone. Someone has already put a plan together or a guideline that you can use to get a jump start.
Every year I write the same thing, and these are the tips to make your year-end transition easier.
- Pull out your calendar and look at every week of every month and circle in green what produced dollars, or new clients, or new business for you.
- On each of those same weeks and months, use a red pen to “X” out all the things you attended, people you met, online training you wasted your time on, and money you spent on things that did not return value to you or your business.
- Pull out this past year’s goals and see what you achieved and what is left unrealized. Make a decision right now as to what will go forward and what will be left behind.
- Do you see “opportunities” which you were unable to capitalize on? Think long and hard on how you can turn those opportunities into new business in the coming year.
- If you are feeling bogged down, or in a fog, or just plain stuck and out of creativity and ideas; this is the time to pick up a fellow business owner and set an “ideating” date to do some serious brainstorming in the week between Thanksgiving and December 21st or at the latest the Christmas and New Year. Why this time frame? Because if you get your 2020 plans down on paper before the end of the year, you can get a jump start on your competition. Most businesses go into a quiet time and slumber through the holidays at the end of the year unless you are in retail.
- What did you learn new this year? No one can afford not keeping their skill level up. If you are even a little tech-savvy, you need to take the free courses for the programs you use in your business. I routinely receive emails from Microsoft, LinkedIn and so on for new training. Keep your mind and company up to date and sharp.
- Let’s talk for a moment about “disappointments.” We all have them. Don’t believe all the hype of Facebook and Instagram. Everyone has failures. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received is to just look at the disappointment in a way that is removed from you. If you felt pressured, you did not have all the information you needed, or the timing wasn’t right, accept that for what it is and learn from the experience. Make a mental note and do not fall for the sell again.
- During this slow, down in business, do a little research on who your competition is, read up on where your market is going, read up on your niche segment of your industry and become informed, learn what is coming down the pipeline and what you might consider next.
- If you are running a small business, or are an entrepreneur who works alone, it is easy to become overwhelmed and isolated. Make sure you sprinkle some business networking opportunities and attend in your local community. If you also belong to some US large organization or a Global organization, plan to attend the yearly conference and put aside money to attend. I do not believe you have to go every year, but you might collaborate with others, and one of your group goes each year and comes back and gives a debrief to your group.
- Okay, so let’s look at 2020 and what you want to achieve, what your goals are, what you are excited about, what new products, programs, and writing you want to do. In order to do this kind of dreaming, you will need to block off some white space to think. Many people like to do this in a coffee shop, in a park, on an airplane where they are not interrupted, or some other seclude place they believe is a great thinking place. Remember, nothing is to wild, unbelievable, undoable, impossible – the only person who can derail you is Y-O-U!
- CELEBRATE!!!! If you are an outgoing person, and a solopreneur, get together with others in your area and celebrate the year, all the right business stuff, your achievements, and do not be shy about it. WE all need lifting up, and we need to celebrate. We are not talking about being prideful here, just celebrating all the great things that happened in 2019.
May your New Year be full of Focus, Planning, & Prosperity!
Author Janice Bastani, Master Mentor Coach is a certified executive leadership coach and holds many credentials in the coaching arena.
Her credentials include the following certifications:
Professional Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation, Energy Leadership Coach, Emotional Intelligence Coach, Global Group Coaching Coach, NeuroLeadership Coach, Certified John Maxwell Coach, Speaker, Mentor & Trainer.
Janice holds certifications to give and debrief Energy Leadership Assessments, Level One DISC assessment as well as being a Trainer with the DISC Personality Profile, Emotional Intelligence Assessments, Personality Profiling, along with several others in her faith ministry for Spiritual Gifts, and Strengths Profile. She is a founding member of the John Maxwell Team. Janice holds a BA in Journalism.