We’re not quite at the end yet (but we are pretty damn close)… which means it’s that time when everyone is looking forward to the next year, busy buying new planners and creating new goals.
Hopefully though, before you look forward, you’re also taking a moment to look backward.
What worked? What didn’t work? What would you do differently next time?
My lessons are below, but make sure you take a moment to think through your own year as well.
What worked:
– I had realistic (mostly) expectations going into this year. I definitely took the months before the baby arrived, and the 2nd half of this year at a much slower pace than I normally would. It was necessary, for my sanity more than anything else.
– Having access to 18 weeks paid maternity leave provided by the government definitely helped too. I’m grateful to live in a country where this option is available to me, and allowed me not to worry about cash flow while Gus was really little.
– Starting to put a little more focus into how I was generating affiliate income improved my numbers. While I’m not retiring any time soon, nor would I want to, it is nice to have some bonus cash each month. This will be added to my list for next year, for sure.
– Facebook groups. Love them or hate them, I think they still have a place.
Firstly, I love them for the connection. I don’t get out of the house much at the moment, and none of the friends I see frequently run their own business. It can be very isolating, and as much as they listen to me, they just don’t “get it”. Facebook groups have been a wonderful place to connect with like minded people (especially the ones where you can be open and honest like #RealLifeBiz)
Secondly, I get most of my customers through connections on Facebook. For me, it’s not a case of pushing people from ads, to opt in, to funnel and converting. Instead, I find that people have seen me around for a while, like my style, and when the time is right, they reach out to me.
– It took me until December, but I finally found my “thing”, that’s not courses. I’ve often felt conflicted talking to people about building a course, while wanting to support them in growing a realistic, sustainable business. There is so much hype online, it is easy to get caught up and feel like you aren’t doing enough, or building your business the “right” way (not that there is a right way). And so, the Support Crew was born. Continuing to promote and work with clients in the Support Crew will definitely be added to next years list.
What didn’t work:
– Deadline driven corporate projects just don’t work when you are trying to work around looking after a baby (and that will definitely be true with 2 under 2… well, 2 under 14 months). While I enjoy building bigger projects, I don’t enjoy the stress that comes with trying to finish projects with a crying baby, or frantically working away til late at night (or in an airport in Singapore) to meet a deadline. I’ll be finishing off all of my corporate projects next year, and won’t be accepting new clients in that area.
– Not having specific goals.
For the first part of the year, I had a general direction and some things I wanted to get done, but I didn’t have clear, numbers focused goals. This really shows when you compare it to the last quarter of 2018. I generate almost as much in sales in Oct to Dec, as I did during the first 9 months of the year, because I got much clearer on how much I wanted to generate and when I needed to do to create that. Lesson learnt.
What would you do different next time?
Funnily enough 2019 is going to be very similar to 2018 in structure for me. Baby 3 was born Feb 2018, and baby 4 is due March 2019.
I was beginning to feel a little like it was just going to be groundhog day, until the wonderful (and very smart) Amanda Kendle told me that she was seeing it as a year of “consolidation” and I love that idea.
While I’ve spent quite a bit of time this year simplifying and streamlining, there is lots of work still to be done in that area. I have a natural tendency to want to do everything at once and see instant results… so when it comes to doing things differently, I need to set clearer goals, slow down how many things I try to do at once, and accept that sometimes things will happen at their own pace.
See next weeks post for my plans and goals for the year ahead.
Your turn. In the comments below, let me know what worked for you, and what didn’t work so well.