There’s an old saying: When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Without a plan, you’re in reactive mode rather than guiding your future. You’re more vulnerable to stress and the whims and currents of whatever is happening. Having a plan puts you in charge, and things don’t catch you with your guard down.
Here are some tips to help you plan now to gain more success next year, regardless of what you hear on the news.
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Start with a personal assessment and discover where you are. What challenges keep cropping up? Are you concerned about maintaining growth in an unsteady economy? Are you thinking of how you’ll plan retirement or transition out of business ownership?
Is there a new technical skill you need to work on? Do you need more business or marketing skills? Of those, what can you learn remotely, and what will you need to do in person? In-person events are definitely more fun, but traveling and dashing back to work may mean you don’t get time to process what you’ve learned. When you never leave home, you may discover bonus time that lets you maximize new information.
In today’s world, travel costs need to be budgeted. I attended a live workshop last year and was shocked that it cost me over $125 each way just to get from the nearest airport to the hotel. Renting a car for four days would have been equally expensive, plus the stress of driving in Los Angeles traffic. In 2024, you’re going to want to plan.
Your budget will go further if you can take courses remotely. It might be reading a book or taking an online class. Either way, you don’t lose days to travel or have the expense. In 2024 travel costs are expected to go up, not down. Hotel rooms for events are already priced at $250 and up.
If you think you want a live event, be sure to do your homework and get a clear picture of your expenses. And when you can, chose remote.
Check out the program, and if there are multiple, you might want to do some comparisons. How will you know you’re getting useful, actionable information? Is it industry-specific or more general? General may be fine for some things, but you need industry specific for others.
Time management is one of the most challenging parts of life. If you don’t follow a plan to manage it, you’re probably headed to burnout.
Is there stuff you could delegate to someone else so you can focus on what makes you the most money?
An interesting exercise is to keep a log of interruptions and distractions. Is your productivity suffering from too many meetings, phone calls, text messages, or social messaging?
These saboteurs can suck the life out of your productivity. At the end of the day, they leave you feeling stressed and frustrated. They also lead to burnout.
Building a successful business isn’t that different from doing what it takes to become an athletic champion. Commitment, persistence, and guidance. All athletes recognize the need for a coach. You can’t win without having the right coaches on your team.
A friend of mine used to play in the NFL. When his son decided he wanted to follow in his dad’s footsteps, the first thing Bo did was get him the right coaches. A fitness coach, nutrition coach, skills coach, and more. The kid has nine coaches!
So why do we business owners think we can be winners on our own? You’ll get much farther faster with the right coaches backing you up. They’ll give you the outside view and see in you what you may not see yourself. The trick is finding the right coach.
An athletic coach may not teach or practice life balance. A corporate coach won't understand a beauty or wellness business. A corporate job and running a small business are very different. If you’re a small business owner, you need someone with a background in small business ownership.
Make sure they have enough experience that you can learn from them. Many young coaches have little life experience. In many fields, what you have to learn to pass an exam has nothing to do with what you need to know to survive in that niche. And the school of life teaches you things no college ever can.
A younger coach may be perfect if you’re a gen Z and want a life coach. However, depending on your goals, a coach with more life experience may be better if you are a gen X or even a boomer.
Here are the steps I assist clients with…
Then I assist them in making their goals real and happening via strategizing and creating copy and content.
Judith Culp Pearson receives three top honors
at the annual Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals in
Ft. Worth, Texas - October 7-9, 2023
