As the seasons change, it’s a good time to step back and check out your business to see if things are going the way you want them to go. It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day tasks you need to do. Don’t forget to stop and have a look around to be sure you are staying on track.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself. The answers might surprise you! If you decide that any of these areas needs change or ‘tweaking’ to keep you on the path to success, now is the time to get that done!
Do you analyze your billing when you send it out each month? When you put together your invoices or retainers for clients, do you stop to look at them to see how you spent your time? This can be a really good time to do some quick analysis of what is filling your days. If you see things in there that you don’t love to do, get a plan in place to move those things along to someone else, whether that means getting subcontractors or speaking with your client to keep your services limited to those you are great at and love to do. Remember, you are a business owner – McDonald’s does not sell fried chicken, simply because someone asks for it at the cash register. 
Do you spend too much time filing or reading email, or is your inbox overrun? No matter which email system you use to process your email, you probably have folders set up to file things in various places. Whether you set up message rules to do this automatically or whether you do it manually, take note of those things that you are filing. Are they things you come back to look at on a regular basis or do they just pile up in folders? I have that syndrome … file it and forget it. I just deleted all of my ‘read later’ emails this weekend. Why? Because I didn’t read them. I decided that it’s time to start fresh again and really analyze whether I need the items coming to my email address. Now that it’s empty, I can analyze what comes in and decide whether I am getting value from it or whether I should unsubscribe.
Do you get distracted by social media, phone calls or email? What kinds of boundaries do you have set up for clients, family members and yourself? Do you allow yourself to get distracted by things that are not earning you money on a daily basis? How much time do you waste on personal distractions? You should be sure to set business hours (even if your business hours are only a few hours a day!) and stick to them. Be sure to do only billable work during that time, and you will ensure that your revenue increases. Focusing on bringing in money to your business is the only way to succeed.
How do you market yourself on a daily basis? In order to keep your business always growing and reaching ahead, you need to always be marketing. Whether you are trying to get new clients at this time or not, you should always be sure that you are marketing yourself through whatever channels you use. You never know who will find you, and certainly it’s important to keep cultivating relationships all the time, for that time when you are looking for someone new to work with. By marketing yourself every day, you can keep yourself ‘out there’ for when that time comes.
How many potential clients do you have in your pipeline right now? Do you have any? Or do you have just enough clients now? In my experience, you should always have potential clients in your pipeline – there are various stages of people’s readiness to work with you – it usually starts with your freebie, or your ezine, and can progress rapidly into your marketing funnel – from a small purchase or a project, to a more regular gig, to a full time retainer. It’s important to keep this pipeline busy and active. You never know when you are going to be looking for a new client (even if you don’t think you are now), and your pipeline is the first place to go!
Are you staying on track and in focus in your business? Ask yourself these questions, and make adjustments where necessary to ensure that you are!
