At the beginning of July, I did my quarterly business (and life) planning. This is one of the most impactful things I do in my business.
I start by removing myself from my usual surroundings – I do not have my most creative thoughts when I am sitting at my desk in front of my laptop. This was a little more challenging this time around as I was in lockdown but I found some space, put my phone on airplane mode and got to work.
I follow a four step process:
- Reflection
- Intention
- Projection and
- Action
Reflection
I review how I did the previous quarter with a thorough reflection of my numbers – not just the ones in Xero but also my Client Tracker, email list, social media and my calendar.
Where am I really sitting? How am I tracking towards my annual goals? How much is it costing me to run the businesses? Where did business come from this quarter? What worked? What didn’t? What work is most profitable? How are my enquiries/conversion rate? Where are the spikes in engagement on socials? What content is resonating? What have I really been spending all my time on?
Knowing this information enables me to see where I need to make changes and what I need to focus on in the next quarter. I do this for both business AND personal – because they are both linked and changes made in one area will have a direct impact on the other.
Intention
Then I set my intention for the quarter. What do I want to achieve? How do I want my life and business to look at the end of the quarter? What are my big chunky goals for the quarter?
I write those down as these will be the guiding light for where my action is directed for the quarter ahead.
Projection
Next I set my Magic Numbers. I have a Magic Number for revenue, profit, new clients, my email list and social followers. I write them on fluro post-its and stick them on my cork board which is right in front of me as I work so they remain in sight at all times.
Action….
I then set about making my plan to hit those numbers. This is the fun bit. It involves a LOT of big pieces of paper and coloured pens. I then digitise this action plan (I use Asana).
Then I do one thing from this action plan. Just one thing. It could be as little as sending an email or something bigger like mapping out a project plan in Asana, reading or listening to something that I need to learn to help me get to where I need to go. But I take action immediately. This action builds momentum.
There are also a few other tasks that I do as part of this process that I consider Getting the House in Order – activity that clears the decks to set me up for the next quarter:
Scheduling
I review my Perfect Week and use it as the basis for this – laying out my time in a proactive rather than reactive fashion.
Content Creation
No, I do not write 3 months worth of content during this time (!!!!) but I do plan out all topics that I am going to cover. I collate all the notes on my phone, emails I send to myself with ideas in one Google Doc and put them under the relevant themes.
Removing any friction from the way my life runs
These are things like changing direct debits, updating products in Xero, rewriting canned email responses… all those niggly tasks that once fixed will make a difference in the day to day function of my business and life over the coming quarter.
I encourage you to make a Quarterly Check Up a non-negotiable practice in your business and life too.
I have recorded an episode of Your Business Boost where I walk you through my exact process and how you can implement this into your life too. You can listen at www.michellebroadbent.com.au/podcast
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michbroadbent
Email your feedback and questions: michelle@michellebroadbent.com.au
