2012—What’s Your Plan to Make This Your Best Year Ever?

As a creative person by nature, I had to spend a lot of time cultivating an appreciation for this idea of “planning.” Something about the concept of planning seemed to zap creativity right out of my business. But once I understood the implications of not planning, I quickly changed my views on this all important aspect of business success. I also discovered that bringing creativity to the planning process can make it not only more enjoyable, but more effective!

If you’re like me, you don’t plan to settle for modest income in the coming year. We’re in business to make money after all, right? It would also be great to be in a position to be able to give back and help make a difference for those less fortunate—something you can only do if you’re making more than you need to survive.

So if you aren’t planning to settle, what exactly is your plan to take your business where you want it to be in 2012?

Where are you going?

Of course, you first have to know where you are going before you can come up with your plan for getting there. This is a great time, just before the New Year, to sit down and consider your “destination” long and hard, even if you’ve already completed your budgeting process for 2012.

Why are you going there?

This step is often overlooked, or taken for granted, but you should take time to carefully consider the “why” behind your goals. Take your projected gross revenues, for example, why did you choose the figure you chose? Is this the figure you’d really like to achieve, or have revenues been declining steadily so you’re settling for the best of the worst case scenario? Is all the news about the economy influencing your decision about your destination? Are you planning to settle and not really even aware that this is what you’re doing? Have you considered that it might be your planning that has left you with less than desirable results and that it’s the why behind the plan that needs to be modified in order to get you to the destination that you really desire?

If settling isn’t what you had in mind for your business, then change your destination and back it up with a solid plan.

How will you get there?

Now that you know where you are headed (and why) in order to make this your best year ever, it’s time to take stock of where you’re at—what’s working, what isn’t working and what can you do to get everything moving toward your goal?

If your business isn’t where you want it to be, doing the same things you’ve always done will likely result in keeping you where you don’t want to be. What will you do differently in the coming year to move your business closer to your intended destination? This is where creativity comes in!

Do you have a New Year Resolution for making 2012 the best ever? Share your thoughts!

Here’s to YOUR STAND OUT Success!