This year has flown by and we’ve suddenly hit December. It’s now time to set aside a day or two to reflect on how your business has performed in 2016, as well as a strategy for a bigger and better 2017. If you can’t block out a whole day or two, break it down it into three-hour blocks. Here’s a few tips for what to think about and questions to ask yourself:

1.     What have been my biggest achievements this year?

2.     Why did they work?

3.     What hasn’t worked well for my business this year?

4.     Why hasn’t it worked?

5.     What could I have done differently for a better result?

Next, ask yourself ‘What do I want to achieve in the new year?’  And then break it down into quarters and set three goals per quarter, one big goal per month.

Think about these goals now:

1.     Why do I want to achieve these?

2.     How will I achieve these?

3.     What action can I take each week, to contribute towards achieving my quarterly goals?

4.     How will I measure my progress?

5.     How will I reward myself for achieving each quarter’s goals?

Goal setting and planning should be fun! Grab some A3 paper and map out each quarter. Use different coloured markers or post-its for different types of goals, for instance: sales metrics (product/service package), revenue and/or profit goals, number of customers/clients, brand awareness/marketing, etc.

When setting goals for yourself, make sure they are SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound.

Enjoy the process!