Make 2023 the Best Yet! - 3 Alternative Ways to Plan for Success
It’s OK if you haven’t planned for 2023 yet!
Check out these 3 Alternative Perspectives to Move Forward
If you’re like most small business owners I know, you may be kicking yourself in the rear for not getting your annual plan created back in December. So if you’re feeling like you’re already behind this year, STOP, because you’re not! Don’t beat yourself up about it, because that seriously never helps anyone, instead let me help you look at this situation with a new set of eyes. I know most entrepreneurs have every intention of creating a plan for the coming year during the months of November or December, but I actually don’t plan that way myself and never have.
I don’t know if it’s because my birthday is at the very end of February so I’ve always kinda considered March 1st as my new years day, or because I love love love being fully present and engaged with my family and dearest friends for ALL the traditions and festivities that pile up from the end of November through New Years Day. But whatever the reason, I’ve never felt like the end of the calendar year (Nov-Dec) was conducive to planning. My natural tendency has always been to follow a rhythm of planning for the year in January & February with March being the month that I really start to make strides toward following my annual plan.
So if you’ve been feeling pressured in life or business to have a plan ready to go by New Year’s Day, give yourself a break and check out the alternatives below. Pick whichever one feels best to you and get started because progress is the real goal.
Here are 3 Alternative Perspectives to Help you Move Forward and Create a strategic plan for your best year yet.
Start Now and make January a designated planning month.
There’s still plenty of time this month to create a strategic plan for your business and January’s main goal could be: ‘Create a Strategic Plan for (insert your business name)’. Take the time to really reflect on the previous year, now that you have all 12 months’ worth of data available. Assess where you are in both life and business. What’s working? What’s not? What feels uncomfortable or confusing? Take time to DREAM BIG (I’d love to help with this, it’s kinda my favorite thing!) and then take time to break that dream down into manageable parts. I like to work with odd numbers (I don’t know why), so after a dream session, I ask myself: What can be accomplished in the next 11 years, 7 years, 5 years, 3 years, 11 months? Once you get to 11 months, break it down into quarters, with January being the first month of the first quarter. This way, you’re able to maintain a traditional planning calendar and not be behind. It’s a win/win strategy! Start out the year with a win, one that will help guide you toward success all year long.
Adopt an Alternative Fiscal Year Cycle.
Do you know the best part about entrepreneurship? You get to make the decisions! (I know, I know, this is a double-edged sword. We, entrepreneurs, have all the freedom, but also all the risk and responsibility. It can be daunting, but you don’t have to carry it alone.) Back to planning...You have the freedom to choose when YOUR fiscal year begins. Maybe you started your business thinking that you had to follow the calendar year or tax year, but that isn’t true. I know entrepreneurs that begin their Q1 in March (Ahem, me!) and several that begin their Q1 in April (out with one tax season and in with another!) and I also know quite a few that begin their fiscal year in July. If you’ve been trying to plan around a calendar that doesn’t work for you, then give yourself permission to change this year. Some things to consider when choosing the fiscal year cycle for your business: 1. Your Life! - What works best for YOU? Do you have kids or a significant other that you need to plan around? Are there times of the year when you want to be able to step away from the business? 2. Major launch dates - What dates does your business peak? Do you have major marketing launches that happen at specific times of the year? 3. Holidays & Celebrations - Here in the US, the end of November and December are laden with festivities and all kinds of distractions. Employee leave requests (if you have a team) - What time of year have you had more absences, leave requests, or employee turnover?
Pick one of the two options above, start where you are today, and plan the rest of your year.
This option is much like the first option rolled into the second option. One thing I want you to include in whatever plan you create is next year’s planning session. That way, this becomes a strategic process that perpetuates. The point is, you need a plan, so no matter the time of year or type of calendar you follow, taking the time to envision your ideal destination and then create a strategic map to move forward will always result in more aligned actions on a day to day basis which will ultimately get you closer to success, whatever that looks like for you.
A word of caution:
I used to create systems and plans that I just didn’t seem capable of sticking to or seeing through. If this has been your pattern in the past, you are not alone. It wasn’t until I spent time really getting to know myself, honestly, and identified my core values and motivations that I began creating plans that truly worked for me, my business, and my family.