Planning The Perfect Year
Description:
This is the perfect time to think about where you want your small business to be and where you want your life to be at the end of 2023.
In today's podcast episode, I invite you to get intentional about the year ahead and ask yourself:
What is your vision for your business in 2023?
How do you want your business to look and feel?
What are the things that are going to bring you joy and make you smile?
How can you build a business that works and feels good for you?
What are your four key areas of focus?
What are the things that might get in the way and how can we best prepare for them?
What are your non-negotiables?
What do you need to put in place to make sure you are looking after yourself and protecting your energy?
I’d love to know what you notice, what comes up for you and what your plans are for 2023. Do get in touch and share with me your thoughts.
Here are the highlights from this episode:
(00.00) Introduction
(02:16) Take some time to think about the good things that have happened in the past.
(04:42) What does it mean when we say “building a business?”?
(06:18) Create a vision of where you want to be in 2023.
(08:32) What is your vision? How does your business feel? What are the things that are making you smile?
(10:49) How can we best prepare for 2023 and get to this place?
(13:53) What are the things that might get in the way from now until New Year's Eve?
(15:56) Planning in terms of scenario planning
(17:23) What are your non-negotiable things?
(20:09) What are the things that bring you joy that recharge your battery?
-
I'm Lucy Rennie, and welcome to my Future Proof your Business Podcast.
The podcast that provides you with everything you need to know to build solid foundations and ultimately Future-Proof your Business.
I'm on a mission to share my love for small business with you and help you to enjoy the extraordinary ripple effect that comes through harnessing the power of people and relationships.
And I want to make sure that you can reap the benefits of being a business and a brand that people know, like and trust.
I'm a huge champion for small business and a massive believer in the fact that people do business with people.
This podcast is here to inspire you, encourage you and support you on this roller coaster ride that is building, growing and Future Proofing your business.
Hi, welcome to the Future-Proof your Business podcast. I'm Lucy Rennie and today I would like to invite you to take some time out and to think about the year ahead, because you should be listening to this, this is coming out in between Christmas and New Year. And it's really the perfect time to think about how you're feeling now. How the past year has been and to start to think about and to start to be intentional about where you want your business to be, where you want to be yourself this time next year. It gets me really excited because I love this time of year. I love thinking about where I want to be, the vision that I've got, I love kind of projecting myself into the future and thinking about all the potential and all the exciting things that you know that we can make happen in our lives in our businesses. And so today, it's all about inviting you to think about the year ahead.
If you haven't already done so I really invite you as well to listen to last week's episode, which is me taking you through some key questions, some key things to think about to help you to reflect and to review your 2022. And think about all the good things that have happened, all the things that you're most proud of, but also the things maybe that you've learned about yourself. Things that maybe have been surprises, things that maybe you know, weren't in the plan, but actually, you know, have happened and I've kind of shaped the way that your business is today. And yeah, so have a listen to last week's episode, think about the things that maybe you want to stop doing, start doing, do more of, all those good things, and then come back to this episode and we'll start to think about, yeah, the 12 months ahead. So before you get started, I really would suggest if you can, and I don't know where you're up to whether you've got family, kids, animals, dogs, whatever it might be. But if you can, really find some quiet time for yourself. It might be that you want to go for a walk and actually have a listen to this and think about things as you're walking outside. Or maybe it's about finding a cosy space, lighting a candle, getting snuggly, and finding a pen and you know, a journal or somewhere for you to take notes. However it is, however you want to feel comfortable, but find some time for you, so that you really can get intentional and think about the year ahead.
So I suppose really one of the things that kind of, if you've been listening to this podcast, but also if he's talking about the fact that for me, growing and building and future-proofing a small business, it really is all about creating something that works for you. And that feels good for you. And, you know, I'll talk about this a lot, that there's a lot of pressure out there. And there's kind of this sort of unspoken, almost sometimes, sort of way of thinking that means that, you know, as business owners, we've got to be always growing, we've got to be scaling, we've got to be getting bigger, we've got to be moving and doing and being busy all the time. And I really, really want to kind of break that cycle and allow yourselves to give yourself permission to actually create something that feels good or that works for you. And whatever that might be, whether that's you know, having a big team and, you know, building, you know, growing the market and doing all the good things that you want to do. But also it might just be that you want to do things in a way that means you've got more time to spend with your family or more time to do other things that might not be in your business. So I really, really want to move forward into 2023 encourage all of us to give ourselves permission, but also to be intentional about really thinking about what does that look like? What do we mean when we say building a business that works and feels good for us? And what is it deep down? Listening to our gut a little bit? What is it that actually we're looking for? What is it that makes us tick? What is it that gives us those tummy flip moments and makes us smile, where's the thinking about where the joy is, and really tapping into that. And let's go and find more of it. Yeah?
So the first thing I'd like to invite you to do is, what we're going to do is we're going to take a few minutes to project ourselves forward to New Year's Eve 2023. And some of you, if you've read my book, or even listening to this podcast, you might have done this exercise before. And that's okay. It's something that we can do as often as we like. But this time of year, I find it really powerful. And it's, it's really useful as a starting block to help us to think about where we want to go, and then in the next 12 months. So what we're going to do is we're going to just literally take a few minutes, and we're going to close our eyes. And I really want to invite you to think about or imagine that it's New Year's Eve, let's say it's, I don't know, seven o'clock in the evening. And keeping your eyes closed, I want you to create a vision in your mind. So really kind of, yeah, go with this. And think about where are you right now. So you might be at home or you might be at a party, you might be with work colleagues might be with family, you might be sitting on a beach somewhere warm, or you might be in a, I don't know, an igloo somewhere in the north, looking at the Northern Lights, wherever you are just kind of just hold that thought for a second, really think about it. And really think about how you're feeling. Okay. And with this, I want you to think about okay, so in 12 months time, if you've achieved or you've got to where you want to be and you've done the things that you want to do next year, I want you to project yourself and think about how you're feeling. And really tap into the words, the emotions, the feelings, those descriptive words, and ultimately, we want to kind of almost, if you can feel those tummy flip moments, I want you to be feeling as if you're buzzing, that you're ready to go in, you know, to celebrate the New Year, and you're reflecting back over 2023. And you're thinking about all the good things that have happened. And you're looking around you and taking in, where you are, who you're with what you're doing, and just really kind of embracing that moment. And you're feeling good. And really tap into what that feels like, is it a nice contented feeling? Is it excitement? Is it pride? Whatever it might be, really tap into that and think about it. Feel yourself? Have you got a glass of champagne you had? Are you excited? Are you sharing? Are you giddy? Are you you know, are you? How are you feeling? And then I want you to take a few minutes. And I want you to think about why you're feeling that way.
And step back a bit and look at your business. Look at where you've come from. And think about, in your mind. envision what is it? How does your business look and feel? What are the things that are in there that are making you smile? What are the things maybe that aren't in there? Or that you can't see anymore, that are making you smile? And really kind of this is your personal time really just delve into that and think about it. Think about who are the people with you in the business? Who are the people you've been working with? What does the sales look like? What's the money side of things look like? But also what does the structure look like? How are you working? What are the things that you're proud of? And just sit with this for a few minutes. And if you want you press pause, just give your self that time to really explore what that looks like for you. And then imagine that you're doing the reflecting review questions from this year. And you're thinking about all the things that you've achieved or the things that have happened, all the things that you're proud of or the things you've learned about yourself and see what comes up for yourself and listen to that. Again, you might want to pause this and just take some time. But I'd like to invite you now to maybe open your eyes and then just start to journal and start to get down on paper some of the things that have come up for you and even things like where are you actually celebrating New Year's Eve next
Lucy Rennie 10:01
year? What does that look like? What are you wearing? who are with? And then describe, on paper, write it down exactly what we've just been thinking about. So where is your business? How does it feel? What does it look like now? What's the shape of it? What's the structure of it? What's the positioning, whether that's in terms of stability or financial security? New products or new people or new opportunities, just get everything down on paper that has been coming up for you. And really tap into those things that are making you smile? It's funny, because I'm smiling now, as I'm saying it, but think about that, and ask yourself, you know, what is it? Why is that making you smile and delve into that, and then get that down on paper? And this is where we're going to sort of think now in terms of what do we need to? How can we best prepare for 2023 and getting us to this place? So this is where we're starting to be intentional. So we've kind of we've allowed ourselves to imagine, to project, to vision, what are I? Yeah, I'm going to say our dream business looks like or wherever you want to be this time next year. And again, this doesn't, I'm not encouraging you necessarily to put crazy goals. This is about what is it that works for you, that feels good, where you know that this time next year, if you can get to this place, you're going to be feeling happy and joyful and proud of yourself and in a good place. Okay. And then we're going to want you to think about reverse engineering it. So if that's where you want to be. And then thinking about what we did last week, in terms of where you are now, let's reverse engineer it and think about, well, what are the things? What's the gap? What are the things that we need to focus on? What are the areas that we need to make a shift in, to help us to get to that place. And again, this isn't about creating a detailed plan, this is just about identifying this, maybe three or four key focus areas that are going to be really beneficial and strategic to helping you get to that place. So for example, for me, one of the times when I did this, I delved really deeply into where I wanted to be and what I was working on, and where, you know, what, how I want it to feel and what I wanted to be doing. And I realised that to get there, it needed a shift from maybe having my team at the time that was doing lots of implementation for clients, to actually be more about the strategy and adding more value and more about mentoring and coaching. I knew that I had to make that shift. So that was kind of the focus area. For me, it was more about the strategy side of things. And it was about the coaching and mentoring. So that gave me two really clear focus areas that I knew, first of all, I had to be really intentional and actually change my behaviour. I had to go and do the coaching course, I had to kind of be really clear on what that business model look like. So that's kind of the tangible things. But then behind that, I also knew that I needed to start thinking about how I was going to communicate that to make sure that people were going to come with me on that shift as I pivoted towards more of what I'm doing today. So that's what I want you to think about in your business. Is thinking ahead to where you want to be. What does that look like compared to now and identify maybe three or four key focus areas where we're going to need to really put our energy and focus to make that shift. And to make things happen.
We don't have to go into all the detail, I can help you with that in the new year. But this is just about getting really clear on actually where we want to be and what we want that business to look like. Okay, so write those things down, have those three or four key focus areas, okay. And just save them up, because we'll come back to those. And we'll go into more detail as we do more of the planning sessions.
The next thing I want you to think about is, we're going to look at it from a different perspective. But we're going to ask ourselves, okay, if that's where we are now, and that's where I want to be, what are the things that might get in the way or might distract me from getting to where I want frock. Where do you know, we're celebrating, we're doing what we're doing? What are the things that we can kind of identify right now? That might be a barrier to us getting there. So get yourself some paper again, or in your journal book, and just have create a bit of a mind map a brain dump? And just, yeah, see what comes up for you.
So it might be that you've got kids and childcare and, you know, the fact that they take a lot of energy and things happen and you know, yeah, it might be family. It might be, I don't know maybe you're going to maybe move house, or maybe there's something in the external world with, you know, the cost of living crisis that might impact that. But it might also be something to do with our inner self. So it might be well, actually, I know I need to be here and I know I need to be maybe speaking on a podcast or do more guest appearances, occasions and events. Or maybe it's about reaching out to corporate clients, whatever it might be. Maybe actually, what comes up for us is the fact that maybe we're feeling a bit as if we haven't got the confidence to do that. Maybe it's imposter syndrome, maybe it's a lack of skills in a certain area, maybe if we want to be doing more video, we need to learn how to edit the videos, whatever it might be, there's no right or wrong with this, just being able to identify what those things might be. Or getting them down on paper allows us to acknowledge them. And then we can think about okay, so planning or scenario planning in terms of well, if that does come up, how can we manage it? How can we deal with it? And this comes back towards, you know, crisis planning in itself, but we're just what we're trying to do is identify any barriers, any risks, any things that might knock us off our track? And now think about okay, so what can we do to mitigate that? What can we do to minimise the disruption that might have? Or what are the things that we can put in place to make sure that actually we can keep focused and we can keep moving forward, and we can really hone in on the things that are going to have the biggest impact. And sometimes that just might be the fact that because we're entrepreneurs, we have this syndrome, which is kind of shiny object syndrome, isn't it, where we've got all these brilliant ideas, and we want to kind of do everything yesterday. And so sometimes what, what that means is that we get distracted from where our original plan was, and our original focus, and we think, Oh, well just implement this new idea. And this new idea and this new idea. And at the end of the year, we find that actually, we've just been so busy doing lots and lots of things that we haven't really moved forward with the main things that we wanted to do. So just being aware of ourselves and thinking about and noticing how we are and what comes up for us and maybe using last year's review to think about this. Identifying what that those things might be.
And then with that in mind, I want you to think about what are your non-negotiables.
And this is something that I do with all of my clients as we start a new year or a new project. And we think about okay, so what are the things that, you know, is just a non-negotiable for me. So with that in mind, think about where you want to be the things that might come up the gaps are things that you need to do, but also take into account how you reflected on last year, the things you want to stop, the things that you know, you've learned about yourself, and what are the things that are your non-negotiables that you absolutely have to have in place. Whether that's key boundaries, whether it's about not working with certain types of people, whether it's about being paid in advance or on time, whether it's about taking time out for you, whether it's about prioritising your family, whether it's about making sure you enjoy yourself, and only working with people that actually, you know, bring you joy, whatever that might be, just really think about that. And again, take it take some time, make a list, and just see what comes up for you. And it's really interesting, because actually, if we just let that pen flow, very often there's things that we hadn't really realised, that were niggling at us that come up. And the moment that happens, what happens is, is amazing, because the more we can see things, the more that actually we're aware of it, the more we can be intentional about making sure that either we stick to them, or that we manage things in the right way.
So thinking about your non-negotiables. And then thinking about, okay, so if that's where we need to be, these are the things that might get in the way, these are my non-negotiables. The final thing, and this is something that, you know, again, if you've worked with me, you know that this is really, really important. And there's a whole chapter in my book about this, but it's all about how can we make sure that we're looking after you?
So how can we make sure that you're putting your oxygen mask on first, to make sure you're in the right place and the good place to be able to look after your business to show up in the right way with the right energy to look after and deliver that value and to and ultimately to enjoy it? Because if we're not in that good place, if we're frazzled, or you know, we're not, we haven't got enough oxygen, then we can't actually do what we want to do.
Lucy Rennie 19:36
So the final thing really for this, thinking about this and kind of preparing for the new year, which is coming really soon. So next week, is thinking about okay, so what do you need to do? And that back might be right now in the holidays, or during Christmas and New Year? But also what do you need to do throughout the year to make sure that you are are protecting yourself that you're looking after yourself and that you really are putting your oxygen mask on first. And just taking some time to identify what those things are. And it doesn't have to be complicated, it might just be so like for me, it might be making sure I can get out for a run at least three times a week, making sure I'm drinking of water, making sure that I've got enough space in my weekly agenda to breathe, to be able to create the content I want to do and to be able to really deliver for for all my clients.
So really think about what are the things that bring you joy, that recharge your battery and that really protect your energy and get them down on paper. Be really intentional about them.
And then my final question before I leave you for today, and I'd love you to share this with me either on socials or ping me a email. But I would love you to choose a word or a theme or a phrase that's going to kind of represent your vision, your intentions for 2023. And I know that a lot of people don't necessarily agree with this, they find it may be woo or too I don't know. But I really encourage you to do it. Because, again, I've really liked this year for you to be a year of really clear and really focus to make sure you get where you want to be. And sometimes just having this keyword or this key phrase that you can keep coming back to, as well as the review and the vision that we've talked about today, really helps you to stay on track and not get distracted.
So think about what that word is. So for me this year, it was EXHILARATING. Which I'm definitely going to say it absolutely lived up to that 150%. And next year is more about focus and quality over quantity and doing the things doing more of the right things. So doing things better, rather than doing more things. Yeah, so that's kind of where I'm going with this. And I'd really like to hear your thoughts and bring it all together and give yourself a little bit of a strapline for the year, if you want to call it that. And let me know what that is.
So I hope you found this useful. Again, save this episode, go back to it, pause it when you need to. But I really, really encourage you to take the time out to do this. And I know it can feel a little bit weary. But I promise you if we can be really intentional about where we want to go and get really clear on how we want to feel what makes us smile, what brings us joy, then it's the best way to future-proof our business and really kind of create something that works for us and that attracts the right kind of people. So yeah, all that's left me to say is I'd love to wish you a really, really happy new year. Here's to a fabulous 2023 that's gonna have its challenges. But I think it's really also going to have a huge amount of opportunity. And I can't wait to see what that is for you all. So with that in mind, have a brilliant celebration. Enjoy the rest of your holiday. And I'll see you next year in 2023.
Thanks for listening.
Thanks for listening to the Future Proof Your Business podcast. I've been your host, Lucy Rennie, I hope you've enjoyed this episode. If you have, then I'd love you to head over to Apple Podcast, Google Play, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcast and hit the subscribe button. And I'd really appreciate it if you'd leave a review and a rating and help me to reach even more small business owners like you who want to build a business they love.
And don't forget, you can head over to iamlucyrennie.com and sign up to my email list as well as find more tips and tools to help you Future-proof your Business on my website and in the show notes.
Finally, I'd love to invite you to come and join me and lots of other small business owners like you. In my free Facebook group, Communicate with Purpose.
You can find all the links on my website and in the Show Notes.
Resource Links:
https://www.iamlucyrennie.com - free downloadable resources, other episodes and free downloadable resources
Join my mailing list - https://www.iamlucyrennie.com/podcast
I would love to invite you to come and join me and lots of other small business owners like you in my FREE Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CommunicatewithPurpose