It's August, according to my pretty new Mead planner. There are now officially more months of the year gone than there are left. And for the first time since starting my business 4 ½ years ago, I am actually excited about that fact. This time last year was a completely different story. I was nursing my bruised ego from a launch that had completely bombed. And I was anxiously awaiting approvals on a few project proposals that I had out. Not to mention that nothing about my business felt right. Fast-forward to 12 months later: I'm putting the finishing touches on a new self-study course and preparing to open enrollment for the second wave of my mastermind program. Don't get me wrong. I still have quite a few milestones to hit before I can claim that I've "made it". But instead of just hoping, this time I know where my business will be by the end of the year. I've got my action steps completely mapped out for the next several months. And I'm more excited than I've ever been to do the work to make it happen. Are you excited about where your business is headed this year?I'm hoping you're doing a little happy dance as you're reading this, thinking about your own business plans for the year and feeling excited about what's coming up for you. But from my experience, this is the time of year when people suddenly begin feeling anxious, get irrationally pissed off, and start freaking the f*ck out (yep). That's because you're looking at the list of goals you set at the start of the year and realizing you're still nowhere near reaching them. Or, perhaps you're still not earning the income you want (or need) to be making and have no idea when you finally will. If this sounds like the kind of uncertainty you're facing about your business plans, here's what you need to do to turn things around: Get specific about what your business will look like by the end of the yearI'm sure you started the year with a clear vision in your mind about what your business would look like by now-- what you'd be working on, the kinds of people you'd be working with, and how much money you'd be making each month. But what you might not have been clear about -- and what many solopreneurs struggle with -- is how you would make all of that happen. Since you already know how much money you want to be making by the end of the year, we'll start with the next logical question: Where is your money coming from? What specific service or program will you be running or selling by then? Now, let's layer in some details: How many clients will you need to be working with -- or how many sales will you need to get -- in order make that monthly income goal? When you think of it this way, you'll quickly realize what other decisions you may need to make before you can get a clear picture of where your money is coming from and what your business will look like by the end of the year. For example, how many clients you need to work with will depend on how much you plan to charge for your service or program. See where I'm going with this? Get real about what it takes to make what you want a reality You and I both know how brilliant, amazing and talented you are. But you also need enough of the right people to know that you and your offers exist before you can expect to get the number of clients or sales you need. So here's the next thing you'll need to get specific about: Where are your people coming from? How are you connecting with the people who will want to follow you, engage with you, and ultimately work with or buy from you? And what are you doing to lead them through the process from connection to engagement to conversion? These are the decisions that will guide the actions you take that lead to the money and outcomes you want in your business. Over to youI would love to hear from you about this, especially if:
"Business not where you thought it should be by now? Here's how to make the next few months count." TWEET IT 8/6/2015 07:00:57 am
Super important to keep in mind reality, especially during the first year of business. I assumed everything would just magically work out.
RM
8/6/2015 07:23:42 am
Alex! First of all -- LOVE your site. Second, thanks so much for sharing about your experience with this. I shouted, "YASSS!" when I read it :D
RM
8/6/2015 08:20:59 am
Right!? I just need more 80-degree months in the year ;) So glad you found the tips helpful! xx
RM
8/7/2015 07:11:28 am
Awesome, Janet! I'd love to hear what you've got planned when you're ready to share.
RM
8/7/2015 07:13:35 am
Me, too, Sue! Hence the #BacktoBiz theme for the live planning event ;) Hope you're still excited about your plans (and not freaking the eff out) for the year.
RM
8/11/2015 03:55:59 am
Thanks so much for reading (and sharing), Sandy! Yes, I think there is something to the back to school thing :) I've got the over biz/marketing plans for the Fall done. It's just the content planning part that's a little more short-term focused lol. Comments are closed.
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