Number Crunching

How was your business this year? Most of us answer, "Good" or "Super busy!" But how did it really go for you? That's where a year end business review can give you a lot of insight. The problem is, we've slept since last year, so we don't really remember how it went. Number crunching is something we may avoid because:

1. We don't think we're "number people" and

2. Number don't lie, and we may not like what we see.

Obviously, a review is so much more than just crunching numbers. If the way you ran your business this year made you feel amazing because of the free time and boundaries, but you made 10% less than last year, was it a good or bad year? It totally depends on your goals, which is where the review can come in and check back over what actually happened and see how that squares against what you wanted to take place.

Here are 3 questions to get you started on your review this year:

1. What was my profit and loss for this year? Yes, we do need to start with some numbers, because this IS a business. Break it out by service to really start determining where you're making money and where you're losing it.

2. What were my accomplishments? NOTHING is too small and given the year we've had, the small ones can easily slip through the cracks. By collecting your wins, you'll be able to see just how much you've actually accomplished, even though most days it doesn't feel like it.

3. How is my mental health? Your mental health should be an absolute number one priority in everything you do. Whether it's feeling overworked, under appreciated, feeling illegitimate, or something else, you CAN set your business so that you prioritize your mental health over clients and profits.