Well, 2020 is turning out to be… kind of different.
I’m a big fan of reviewing your business when it feels right to you, but certainly as we stand in the middle of the year, it’s as good a time as any to take a step back, look at where you’ve been, where you are, and where you want to go.
Now, I work with a lot of small business owners, solopreneurs and female founders, and I know that “review your business” can sound intimidating, or that it has to look a certain way. So let’s just clear that up: this is an opportunity FOR YOU to reflect on how your business is working. And it can be an enjoyable, creative, encouraging experience!
You might need to look at some numbers. You might need to think about things that aren’t working so well, which can be uncomfortable. That’s okay and to be expected.
Here are some ideas for how to make your business review feel really good:
- Carve out some time (I know you’re juggling the kids and the work and the home so time is scarce. You might need a couple of 30 minute sessions rather than an hour. Just book the time with yourself, ask for help with the other stuff, and enjoy it.)
- Put some music on
- Light a candle
- Make a delicious beverage AND have a big glass of water
- Go for a walk before you start (I find this helpful to shift my energy – 10 minutes is great)
- Work with your preferences – if you like to hand-write, do that, or have documents open for your notes on your laptop
- Make sure you’re really comfortable – good chair, warm/cool enough, steady writing surface
- Turn off allllll the distractions!
You’re going to want to reflect on the different areas and aspects of your business:
- Your offerings (products, services)
- Your customers and their experience
- Your systems and processes – and your team
- Your marketing and branding
- Your sales and finances
For each area, you’re going to want to look at numbers, maybe gather some data – give your head the information it needs. AND you’re going to want to consider how you feel about each area – what does your heart say? What’s your intuition telling you? This is where your creativity lies, so make sure you listen to it!
Check in with the stories you’re telling yourself. On one of my retreats, I had a client claim that “sales were shit” over the past year, and I pointed out that she’d said that a number of times, but I wondered if it were true. When she got home and looked at the figures, her sales were actually pretty similar to the year before. We can get really hooked into stories we tell ourselves, and noticing them can set us free to figure out what’s really going on.
Ready to reflect?
In addition to the ideas above, I’ve also put together a few questions for you to reflect on. These are the big, “coachy” questions I’d ask if we were sat together with mugs in hand, pondering the months ahead.
There are a couple of versions, depending on your stage of business:
Feel free to take a photo of your space while you’re doing your review and tag me! Or hit reply and let me know what your review brought up.
I’m here to cheer you on.
