How I Set Business Goals & Plan My Year Ahead
These final few weeks of 2024 I’ve been deep in reflection and planning mode, closing out the year and looking ahead to the next – and supporting my clients to do the same.
So on today’s episode of the Feminine Fire Podcast I want to bring you behind the scenes of what my planning process looks like this year AND share a bit of a twist on my usual yearly planning episode.
Because here’s the thing – I know you rarely hear anything new when it comes to goal setting and planning, so I want to shake things up and share something actually helpful for you.
In this episode I’ll be taking you through my 5-step framework for planning my year ahead AND 11 unique and unexpected questions to help you reflect on 2024 and plan for 2025.
My intention is to help you close out this year and get ready for the next in a way that feels fresh, fun and of course, strategic.
Don’t forget to bookmark this episode so you can come back to it when you sit down to do your yearly reflection and planning.
So without further ado, let’s get into it…
Step 1: Yearly Reflection for 2024
I always like to start with a reflection on the year that was, there’s always so much gold to be gleaned. But I won’t lie, this is not my favourite part of the process, I’m often impatient to get into the planning, so if you’re the same, I feel you. But know that it does always prove helpful to take an honest look at what’s been working, and what hasn’t, and then adjusting accordingly.
We want to first look at the usual suspects here, including the actual data showing:
Where did most of your leads and sales come from this year?
What content performed best?
Where have you been spending time that isn’t actually delivering results?
But as I said, I want to help you to shake things up and keep it interesting, so I’ve got the first 5 unique and unexpected questions for you to help you to take it a layer deeper…
Question 1: What did you achieve in 2024 that you didn’t think was possible at the start of the year?
I love this question because it gets you thinking not just about what you’re celebrating from the year just gone, but also about what’s possible for the year to come. If you were able to achieve something in 2024 that didn’t seem possible at the start of the year, imagine what’s possible for you in 2025.
Question 2: What parts of your business felt most aligned and energising this year?
We want to look beyond what worked on paper and also look at what worked for you personally, because while we want to make sure you’re spending energy on the activities that actually deliver results, we also want to make sure that your business is feeling really good, that it energises you and you’re excited to show up for what you’re doing. We are not here to build a 9-5 job that you hate.
So what parts of your business felt most aligned and energising in 2024? This could be offers that you’re particularly loving, marketing strategies that are feeling fun or platforms that you’re enjoying being on.
Question 3: What parts of your business felt most boring this year?
And the answer can’t be admin or bookkeeping, because both are necessary parts of business and can be easily outsourced. I’m talking about things that maybe you’ve been doing in the same way for a while and are feeling a bit stale and boring.
For example, one of those things for me this year is the traditional free masterclass or 3-day challenge style launch event. And while I still see the value in them, and am not saying I won’t ever do them again, right now I’m feeling a bit bored with doing things in the same way I’ve always done them. I want to shake things up and try a few different things in 2025, which I’m feeling excited and energised about.
So what does that look like for you? Is there anywhere in your business that’s been feeling a bit stale and boring, and how can you shake things up in 2025 as a result?
Question 4: Where did you overextend yourself this year and what boundaries do you need to set or changes you need to make in 2025?
I love this question because it gets you thinking really intentionally about what boundaries you’re putting in place and actions you’re taking to ensure you’re not in that same position again in 2025.
This could be boundaries with clients, boundaries with your time, better upfront communication at the start of a program. It might even look like a change in price or structure of an offering to better suit your energy input.
Question 5: What risks did you take this year that paid off in unexpected ways?
This question is a great one for thinking about your decision making differently, celebrating yourself for making big bold moves and acknowledging where your bold actions and sometimes scary decisions have paid off. As business owners we’re often pushing the boundaries of what’s comfortable and making bold decisions that hold a bit of risk, so what did that look like for you this year and how did it pay in unexpected ways?
And if you’re looking back on this year and can’t identify any risks, then you’ve likely been playing it a bit safe and comfortable this year – and there’s nothing wrong with that – but consider this the nudge you might need to step outside your comfort zone in 2025.
My secondary question to you here is where have you been playing it safe and comfortable? And what would it look like to push the edges of that comfort zone in 2025?
Step 2: Your Vision & Goals for 2025
What are you wanting to bring to life in 2025?
I always start with the big picture vision and then break it down into measurable goals.
I’ve got 2 more unique questions for you to consider here…
Question 6: What excites you most about 2025?
I love this question because I think it helps us connect more easily to what our intuition is guiding us towards.
I always like to set goals from an intuitive place that comes from within, as opposed to getting caught up in what everyone else is doing and setting goals from a place of comparison or what you think you “should” be aiming for. That’s not a vibe. But sometimes it can be hard to determine what our intuition is guiding us towards and what is coming from a place of fear or self doubt – which is why I love this question.
So what feels exciting to you? Because I wholeheartedly believe that your excitement is an intuitive feeling. Your fear or self doubt will sometimes try to talk you out of your excitement. Don’t let it. Follow the excitement. Use your excitement to guide your vision for 2025.
Question 7: What is the biggest, most audacious vision you could hold for yourself and your business in 2025?
Too often we hold ourselves back from going big with our vision for the year ahead, myself included. We don’t let ourselves dream big and audaciously because being “realistic” keeps us safe from any disappointment. It also keeps us playing small.
So I encourage you to give yourself permission to really go there, play in the “what if” possibility of things and write down your most audacious vision for yourself and your business in 2025. Allow yourself to uncover what you truly deeply desire.
And then from there, once you have clarity on your vision for the year – it’s time to spend some time getting clear on some more specific measurable goals for the year ahead, one of them being an income goal.
How much do you want to make in 2025? And I recommend breaking that down into revenue, profit AND your own take home pay.
Outside of that, your other goals might be around:
Audience growth. For example, doubling your email list.
A behaviour you want to cultivate. For example, posting on Instagram 4 times per week.
A skill you want to acquire. For example, getting more confident speaking on camera.
Or a project you want to complete. For example, writing a book or creating a new product
So what is your big bold audacious vision for 2025 and what are the more specific goals that are going to help you get there?
Step 3: Cleanse & Clear Your Path Forward
At this point in the process, I like to take a moment to reflect on anything that might be holding you back from achieving your goals and bringing your vision to life so you can clear the decks and start the year off knowing you’re setting yourself up for success.
So the unique question I want you to ask yourself here is:
Question 8: What is holding you back from achieving your goals right now, and what support or shift would help you overcome it?
This could be mindset blocks, habits, leaky boundaries – anything that’s not supporting you to bring your vision to life right now. Take some time to identify what those things are that are standing in your way, and what you need to do or what support you need to call in, in order to shift them and clear the path to bringing your 2025 vision to life.
Step 4: Sales & Project Planning
What are you selling in 2025? And what projects are you bringing to life?
I like to map this out month by month. I recommend having no more than one key project per month – whether that’s a launch or sales campaign, an event or a creative project that you’re focused on. We don’t want you to be spread too thin!
Remember: You don’t need to have the WHOLE year planned out in great detail. This is about having an overarching plan for the year, particularly if you know you’ve got some key launches or events planned for certain months. Map these out at a high level so you roughly know what you’re doing and when, and then you can get into more detail for the first quarter of the year.
We want to make sure you have a detailed plan for the first 3 months of the year as soon as possible so you know you can take some time off over the holidays and rest easy knowing when you come back in January, you have a plan and can hit the ground running, rather than trying to play catch up.
There are 2 more unique questions that I’d have you consider here…
Question 9: What is the body of work you are prioritising, refining or bringing to life in 2025?
And I ask this because one of my predictions for 2025 is that this is going to be an area of focus for many spiritual space holders and business owners – we’ve already had a year where many of us have had to pivot and make changes in order to meet the market, and this is taking it a layer deeper.
Many of my clients have already been thinking about their offers in this way, where its more than just “here’s the program and the inclusions and it looks the same as everyone else” but actually it’s about highlighting and bringing together their unique gifts, expertise and experience and packaging it up into a signature offering that not only feels really good for you, but also has the impact and creates the income that you most desire.
This is the level of authenticity and legacy-building that I believe is coming through in 2025 and a more robust way of looking at your offers and programs. So what is the unique body of work you are prioritising, refining or bringing to life in 2025?
Because this is something that I believe is going to become more and more important in 2025 – your unique, signature, legacy creating body of work.
Question 10: How can you build trust and move people through your sales funnel faster?
Because right now, the buying cycle is becoming longer. That is a fact and a trend that we are seeing across the board, people are taking longer to make purchasing decisions and needing more touch points than ever before.
So what can we do as business owners to support people through that process faster? What does it take to create trust faster? Because when it comes down to it, trust is a KEY part of the buying process. And there are a few ways you can collapse the timeline around building trust – for example, more intimate connection points, more personalisation, more authenticity and vulnerability.
People might first come into your world because of a 7 second b-roll reel, but then how do they get to know, like and trust you? Can they binge your content in some way? Are you creating content that allows them to have that more intimate, personalised experience with you?
For example, podcasts feel more intimate because I am literally in your ears, speaking to you, it’s one of the reasons why I love podcasting. Face to camera talking head videos, even if they are just 30-60 second Instagram reels, provide that greater intimacy and connection. Anything live, anything personal.
I’ve talked about it many times, but I love having conversations with people in my DMs. I will often send a personal message to new followers, connecting with them personally and asking them what their biggest challenge in business is right now and if they’d like me to send them a relevant podcast episode or free resource. A lot of people leave me on read, but a lot of people DO respond and then we get to have a conversation. I get to know more about where my people are at, I can serve and support them for free by suggesting a podcast episode they might like and I’m collapsing the timeline around building trust.
Step 5: Mindset & Energy
Now we have already dipped into the mindset and energetics space in step 3 where we talked about cleansing and clearing your pathway forward but I always like to circle back to this as part of my planning process – again as a way to ensure that you are setting yourself up for success.
Mindset and energetics are such a huge part of the game, but often forgotten in business planning – so we want to take some time to be intentional about what it looks like to support your mindset and energy in 2025.
If we break it down and bring it back to basics – mindset is about the thoughts you’re choosing and energy is about who you are being, through your behaviours, actions and the way you move through the world. It’s really an all encompassing identity piece.
The question that is commonly asked here is: “Who is the version of you that has achieved your 2025 goals, and how can you embody that version of you now?”
Which is a VALID question that I recommend asking, but the more unique question I have for you here is:
Question 11: What are the standards you want to hold for yourself in 2025?
Thinking through the thoughts, the behaviours, the habits, the boundaries – what are the standards you want to hold for yourself in 2025?
This is about making a promise to yourself about what you are committing to and accepting in the next year. If you think about the version of you who has achieved your 2025 goals, the version of you who is living your big audacious vision for your life and business – what are her STANDARDS? What are the thoughts she chooses? What are the behaviours she’s committed to? What are the standards she is holding herself to and accepting from others in her world?
A really powerful question to ask yourself as you close out your yearly planning process.
If you want to work with me in 2025…
Applications are open for the Spiritual Business Mistressmind. My 6 month mastermind for spiritual space holders ready to scale their business, deepen their impact and skyrocket their income. There’s only very limited spaces available, so if you’re considering it I encourage you to apply at beccuzzillo.com/mistressmind.