5 Reflections On My Creative Business That I’m Taking Into 2019
How was 2018 for you? As the year comes to a close I always like to reflect a little on the lessons I have learned so that I can move forwards and intentionally plan out the coming year ahead.
I love the feeling of wiping my to-do-list (letting go of all the things that kept getting pushed to the bottom of my list – if they were important enough I would have already done them). Once that’s done and I have written down five lessons I learned I am always so excited to dive into my plans for the new year. To me, that looks like writing down my creative goals, my financial goals and outlining the priority projects I need to do to make that happen.
What I find this does is get my head into the coming year before I sit down at my desk in January, when I’m feeling tired, bloated and like I can’t remember what I was thinking pre Christmas craziness. I feel good in the fact that I already have a plan, and I can start making steps to make it all happen without having to dive back into my bigger picture.
So these are five lessons that I have reflected on this year, to help me see how far I’ve come (always further than you think), and look forward to next year. 2019 I’m coming for ya 🙂
Success is UNIQUE to us all
We’re conditioned from a young age – you know the old American Dream – the bigger car, bigger house. Winning, beating, taking risks, “making it”. I’m a child of the 80s and apart from making some of my favourite ever films (Ferris Bueller, The Lost Boys, Breakfast Club), I think they have a lot to answer for! My last business was so successful on paper but, despite working with huge brands on exciting content projects it didn’t make me happy. So this year I learned to totally redefine success. Now it’s about freedom, working less, adventuring more. So my message to you, here and now, is to have a think about what success means to you in your life and what steps or projects you could do towards figuring out YOUR version of success.
We can choose joy every day if we want
This year I plan on having huge amounts of fun in my business. I’m going to have a focused and fearless centre but I want to eek out as much joy from it as I can possibly get. Collaborate with people I think are amazing, not because I think I can grow my numbers. Say no to stuff that doesn’t feel right, belly laugh with the people I work with and spread that joy through to my clients. It’s why I’m launching my feel-good podcast in January and I even though this was a big deal to me I cannot wait to share what I’ve been working on with you. So tell me, hit reply and tell me how you are going to bring joy into your life next year?
Mindset is everything
My friends, starting a new business can be a lonely thing, especially if you are used to the buzz of working in an office. There will be tough days when you don’t want to get out of your pjs, or you look on Instagram and see everybody doing better/more interesting things than you. I see people struggle most with the ability to get back up on a day they’re not feeling it. I have learned (through trial and error) the things that work for me. Starting my day with a run, not looking at social media during my working day, listening to podcasts and talking to people who cheer me on. What makes you feel good? Hit reply and tell me about how you get over days like this!
Simple over busy is always best
As creative business owners the juggle is so hard, right?. We have lives, families, kids, pets and other demands on our time. I have learned this year that less really is more. Less complication, more intentional content. Less about follower numbers, more about the quality of those connections. This applies to marketing, sales, email, planning and so much more. I’m learning to close my eyes and do the things that feel good, and put the things that don’t onto one side for another time. Because being busy ain’t good for nobody! My other rule is only to have three things on my to-do list every day.
2019 is all about the batch work for me
The number one thing that has changed the way I work this year has to be working in batches. It sounds so simple but it saves so much time and keeps you ahead of the game. It feels like a really smart, un-stressy and feel-good way to work for me. I keep aside two days a week for client work and a day a week for content, a day a week for working on my website/marketing and a day a week for my podcast.
So I’m dying to know, what are your big dreams for 2019? How do you plan on bridging the gap between where you are and where you want to be? I’m supporting you always and sending a little messages to say you can make it all happen.
If you’d like to start planning out your future business, or just set a few intentional goals for 2019, you can download my Goal Setting worksheet or the Feel-Good Business Plan for Creatives, Freelancers and Bloggers over on my freebies page.
