265: Starting The New Year Focused On Success Whether You Are Starting A Business Or Side Hustle, A Solopreneur, Entrepreneur, Mompreneur, Freelancer, Bookkeeper, Virtual Assistant, Business Owner
265: Starting The New Year Focused On Success Whether You Are Starting A Business Or Side Hustle, A Solopreneur, Entrepreneur, Mompreneur, Freelancer, Bookkeeper, Virtual Assistant, Business Owner, Or Self-Employed
Choosing your word of the year…many people do this for themselves personally, and it works. It keeps them focused throughout the year, but choosing a word of the year for your business…does that even make sense? Oh ya, it is important. In today’s podcast episode, I’m going to walk you through how you can choose your business's word of the year and how you can use it to impact the success of your business this year. Whether you are starting a business or side hustle, you’re a self-employed individual, a solopreneur, entrepreneur, mompreneur, freelancer, small business owner, a remote, virtual, online, or in-house bookkeeper, or a virtual assistant or VA; it’s important to start the year focused on the success you’re aiming for this year. These tips are essential whether you are using a computerized software system like QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, or FreshBooks for your business finances; or doing your bookkeeping manually with an Excel spreadsheet or even a Google Document…
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Show Notes:
Choosing your word of the year…many people do this for themselves personally, and it works. It keeps them focused throughout the year, but choosing a word of the year for your business…does that even make sense? Oh ya, it is important. In today’s podcast episode, I’m going to walk you through how you can choose your business's word of the year and how you can use it to impact the success of your business this year. Whether you are starting a business or side hustle, you’re a self-employed individual, a solopreneur, entrepreneur, mompreneur, freelancer, small business owner, a remote, virtual, online, or in-house bookkeeper, or a virtual assistant or VA; it’s important to start the year focused on the success you’re aiming for this year. These tips are essential whether you are using a computerized software system like QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, or FreshBooks for your business finances; or doing your bookkeeping manually with an Excel spreadsheet or even a Google Document…
Welcome Back…and Happy New Year! I am always fascinated by how a new year can give you the feeling of having a clean slate and get you thinking about what your resolutions for the new year will be. You often hear about people setting the same types of New Year’s resolutions…they want to exercise more, they want to lose weight, they want to get organized, they want to save money. You get the idea; you might have been there yourself – or maybe you are even contemplating these same resolutions right now. I think it’s great to set a New Year’s resolution, but I have a real hard time with people not sticking to them. They say, of the people that make a New Year’s resolution…only about 10% actually keep them for more than a few months. That’s right, 10%. How is that helping them throughout the year?
Then came along the word of the year. When I first started hearing about this, I thought really? Just pick one word for the year, and you’re good? Sounds pretty simple right? It actually is. You take that one word and use it as a guiding principle to help you focus on all your actions throughout the year. It’s not a hard and fast rule. You can use it as a filter to decide what you do or don’t want in your life.
So, what are some of the most common “words of the year”? Focus, Growth, Organization, Balance, Simplify, Happiness, Intentional, and Gratitude these are all great words. Do any of these words feel like they would be a good fit for your personally?
I think when we reflect on ourselves personally, it’s pretty straightforward what we need to focus on. Take, for instance, if you are a busy parent. You try to juggle your work, family life, and your personal needs, but you know you ALWAYS put your needs as the last thing to take care of. Sure, you get everything handled that needs to be done, but how do you feel about yourself? Are you really taking care of yourself? Does this sound familiar? Can you relate? I know I can, and I totally get it. Maybe your word of the year would be “balance”. With this as your word of the year, you could easily take each and every situation that comes up throughout the year and ask yourself…Is this creating the balance I need in my life? Do I feel good about the time that I am spending with my family, work, and myself? Then, when you start to feel that you are lacking in one area, or out of balance, you are more focused to work at bringing it all in “balance” again. Just one word, and you use it throughout the year.
What a great idea! But you are probably asking…Chris, what does this even have to do with my business and being successful?
Well, why not take that same thought process and decide what your word of the year is going to be for your business. When you do this, much like you would do for your personal life, you would take that one word and apply it to EVERYTHING you do in your business. Apply it to your sales, your purchases, your marketing, your employees, your new business ideas…the list could go on and on. What you will want to do is make sure anything you are doing in your business either aligns with or follows your thoughts on your word of the year.
As a professional coach, I know you want to enjoy your personal and professional life more. In order to do that, you need simple steps to achieve what you truly want in your life. The problem is you don't have enough time to get everything done, which makes you feel stressed because you can't find time for the important things in your life. I believe you deserve to have a life you love without sacrificing everything you've worked so hard to achieve in your professional life. I understand how hard it can be to figure this out on your own, especially when you are an accountant, business owner, or other high-stress professional. As a CPA with over 20 years of experience, I've been there myself, which is why I became a Certified Coach and created the RE*INVENTION™ program to help professionals just like you live the life they desire. Here's how we do it: First, you’ll schedule your Complimentary Clarity Session; during this session, we’ll create a clear and focused plan for you to move forward, and you’ll immediately start enjoying your life with less stress, increased productivity, and more time to spend doing what you love with the people you care about. So, sign up for your Complimentary Clarity Session at www.FinancialAdventure.com, and click on the work with me button. In the meantime, check out all the other resources and solutions on my website that you can immediately apply to your life so you can stop being stressed out and feeling like you're never doing enough and instead breathe a sigh of relief at the end of the day knowing you've accomplished enough and can enjoy your life more.
Do I have your creative mind started yet? You’re probably starting to think about a lot of words that could relate to your business. That’s great! Are you wondering how in the world you are going to pick JUST ONE WORD? Well, that’s why you are here. I’m going to walk you through a process that you can select that one word that will help your business succeed throughout this year.
First of all, you want to take a moment to think about you and your business. Reflect on what you’d like to see in your business this year and what went well. Also, look at what you would like to see LESS of in your business, or what you’d like to change. Think about…what is the direction you want to see your business go? Or, what improvements do you want to make in your business? How do you want to end this year? How do I want to feel about my business? Yes, that’s right, we’re talking about your small business goals. If you already have goals set for your business this year, awesome, this is going to help you out tremendously. If you don’t have any goals set for your business…now might be a great time to think about a couple and get them on your radar. Do you have a certain sales number you are reaching for? Do you have a new product or service you want to launch? Are you hoping to cut costs in a certain area? You get the idea. Oh, and just a side note…when you are creating goals for your business, make sure you are setting “SMART” goals. To be effective, they should be: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely.
Next, brainstorm. That’s right. Grab your favorite notebook and just start writing down any word that you feel applies to your business. Don’t feel bad about writing a word that seems silly or you feel uncomfortable with; just write them all down. Are you having a hard time brainstorming? Don’t worry, I have a cool New Year’s gift for you that will list a bunch of words to get you started.
Once you have this list ready to go, you are going to need to trim it down. I know you did such a good job brainstorming, and now I’m telling you you need to trim it down. Yes, I am…but I also want you to keep this list you worked so hard to create because it will give you a good start next year when you choose your NEW word of the year for your business. You are going to want to trim your list down to 2 or 3 words. You may start to see a theme with the words you selected. These are the words that you feel align with your goals, they align with how you feel the direction of your business should go and how it aligns with you personally. Do any of them make you feel excited or scared? Sometimes the ones that scare you can be the most valuable.
I want you to try out your words for a few days. Just like trying on a new pair of jeans. If you don’t like the way they feel, you won’t wear them, so I want to make sure the word you choose feels good with you so you can utilize it in your small business to its fullest capacity. You may notice that your words are very similar, making it even harder to choose, but there is no hurry to pick your word, I just want to make sure you are being mindful when you do make your decision. Trust your gut here. This word will be your mantra to help guide your business decisions throughout the year. Are you committed to your word? Will you do whatever it takes to implement this word in your small business daily?
Lastly, and this might seem silly, but print your word out or paint it on your office wall. Just do something so you will visually SEE your word each and every day. You may also want to share your word with your family, friends, and even your employees. They can all help keep you accountable.
Now that you have your word of the year for your business, let’s see how you can apply it to your small business. Create a plan that you will use to make sure you are following through with your word of the year for your business. Ask yourself: How do I want to implement my word throughout the year? What will I start or stop doing to make sure my word is my guide? What are the actions I need to take to be sure I am focused on my word?
Congratulations!! I am so proud you have made the decision to choose a word of the year for your business. I know you will keep this word front and center and it will guide you throughout the year to reach your desired outcomes. Be laser-focused, and do not let anything that doesn’t align with your word get in your way this year.
Oh, yes, and I mentioned earlier that I have a special New Year’s gift for you. If you head over to FinancialAdventure.com/Word, you can grab my Small Business Word Of The Year Guide to walk you step by step through choosing the best word of the year for your small business. This guide is tailored especially for small businesses and can be a great resource for you to ensure you follow through with choosing your word. Grab it today at FinancialAdventure.com/Word. Please share your word with me…I’d love to hear what your business word of the year is.
And, you know I’m going to ask…what’s at least one thing you will take away from this episode that will help your business succeed and grow your bottom line? If you need some accountability, join our PRIVATE Facebook community and post your action item, we’d love to support you.
