Make a better plan for next year by doing this first

Around this time of year, most business owners start to think about planning.

• What do we want to achieve next year?
• What are our goals?
• How will we get there?

But before diving into planning, I suggest you take a few moments to conduct an annual review.

An annual review will give you an opportunity to step back and gain a larger perspective on your business so that you have the key insights you need to make a solid plan for next year.

Here are some questions to get you started.

What did you achieve in business this year?

As business owners, we often focus on what’s wrong and what needs fixing.

Whether this past year was your best year ever – or it was more on the challenging side – take some time to review what went well.

What wins did you have?

What goals did you achieve?

What projects did you complete?

What improvements did you make?

What did you achieve personally?

At W5, we say that if the owner wants a better business, first the business needs a better owner.

What steps did you take last year to become a better owner?

What new habits did you create for yourself?

What skills or strengths did you build?

What lessons did you learn?

What are your obstacles and challenges?

What’s not working in your business?

What problems do you have that you haven’t solved?

What’s getting in the way of reaching your goals?

What areas of your business need improvement?

What do you need to work on personally?

What are you grateful for?

According to Cicero, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues but the parent of all others.”

A large body of recent work has suggested that grateful people are happier, less depressed, less stressed, and more satisfied with their lives and social relationships.

They have higher levels of control of their environments, personal growth, purpose in life, and self acceptance – they even sleep better because they think more positive thoughts before going to sleep!

As the final question in your review, consider: what are you grateful for? Make a list!

A review sets the stage for better planning

Reflecting on last year will give you important insights you can use when creating your plan for next year.

When you review both what went well – and what didn’t go well – you can apply what you’ve learned in the past to create greater success in the future.

If you’d like some support creating (and implementing!) a plan for next year, book a 15-minute call to discuss coaching here: book time with John