'Tis the time to be planning! To be looking forward and deciding what we want to create in this new year. To lay out a plan for how we are going to get there.
But - after a number of years that have been challenging for so many of us already - how do we plan for what may very well be another challenging year to come?
How do we plan for the unexpected?
A clear plan is one of the keys to sustainable growth in a business. To keep us focused. To build momentum.
Plans are essential… AND I have a few tips for planning when things are feeling uncertain:
Setting clear goals/objectives AND be flexible with the timing of it all. It is so important to be clear in our goals, and in a normal year, I would be purposeful in laying out specific dates & timelines to go along with those goals. With many of my clients right now we are leaving a bit of breathing room and space so that we can be flexible should our dates & timelines need to change. (If the timing isn't right to do something in Q1 I may bump it to Q3 - that sort of thing.) I'm a huge fan of being specific each quarter - always having our next 90 days laid out in detail (which as an OBM I do for my clients, if you need help there) - but we are also planning to be ‘loose’ with timelines for the year if need be.
Including a Plan B, C and maybe even a plan D. The past year in particular has seen so many changes around what does - and doesn’t - work in the online marketplace. Launch strategies that used to work but are no longer effective. Buyers who are more discerning and purposeful with their purchases. Do you have an alternative plan for what to do if or when your ‘tried and true’ strategies are no longer effective?
Being gentle with ourselves. When we don’t reach our goals it can be pretty frustrating. Yes, I am all for growth and setting big goals for ourselves... and let's be real here. If you are BEYOND exhausted at this stage in the game, perhaps now is not the time to make big plans for this new year? Maybe 2024 can be a year of consistency & recuperation - energetically, physically and mentally - instead of feeling like you have to keep grow, grow, GROWING! We need to honor and take care of ourselves in this journey, or that may bring even bigger problems this year.
Do you have a plan in place already for the coming year? How about the next 90 days? If not let’s talk - as an OBM planning is one of my superpowers.