January is just about over and usually by this point resolutions are long forgotten, the best laid plans have gone awry, and the feeling of not being where you intended starts to sink in.
I think that the best counter attack to feeling overwhelmed is to take a breather and do an honest assessment. Where are you at? Where do you want to be? How are you going to bridge the gap?
I did this assessment for myself and here’s what I found.
My three big goals for this quarter are:
- to bring in 30k on my next launch
- to grow my list by 1000 people
- to increase my social media presence by 20%.
Goal #1 10k/month – Strategy: streamline my current systems, refine my enrollment process, and add additional sources of revenue.
Streamline systems: I started the year with a record enrollment! Yay. However, I also had my largest fallout. Boo. To reach my income goal I am going to have to patch some holes namely my contract and payment process. I have an amazing virtual assistant who did all the research for me and came up with various solutions. Now that I’ve chosen the solution she’ll be implementing and testing the backend.
Refine enrollment process: I planned out my next enrollment by the second week of January. This was a huge win for me. I decided on my opt-in and have my workshops outlined. Next month will be all about creating valuable content. This is my favorite part because it’s where I get to be creative and teach!
Results: I won’t see the results of the work I’m doing now until mid-March. The most important thing is to focus on filling the groups, working with the coaches, and generally scaling my business that way.
Goal #2 – Grow my list by 1000 people – Strategy: Run Facebook ads, 2 guest posts, 2 podcast interviews.
Facebook Ads: I did not run any Facebook ads because I decided not to run my Vision360 course in January and instead save it until the fall. I will start running ads next month related to my new workshop.
2 Guest Posts: I submitted one guest post. I sweated over this. Much harder than I thought it was going to be. For some reason the thought of someone judging my writing and viewpoint as worthy of being published made me feel itty bitty. I got through it with the help of my accountability partners. They kept me moving forward and gave me feedback that was hugely valuable
2 Podcast Interviews: I submitted one pitch to a podcast. This was not nearly as hard as the writing. I will continue the pitching next month.
Results: I started the year with 2455 people on my email list and I currently have 2738 for a total gain of 283. Most of the gains came from my 2016 Dream Big Cheat Sheet and a post I put in a private Facebook group on how to run an accountability group that a lot of people found helpful.
Goal #3 Increase my social media presence by 20% – Strategy: Create a schedule, create good content, post consistently, and be mindful.
Create a schedule: I decided to stop using outside services to batch my content and created a google document and loaded all my posts into it by month. I gave each week a theme and tied that in with my blog post. I know this sounds like more work and maybe it is but my engagement across all platforms has gone way up.
Create good content: I decided to focus on my Facebook group and Instagram because these are my two favorite “social” places. I have a 500+ member group called Declare & Share where members post their weekly goals. I created all the Monday & Friday posts for the quarter. That is something I used to do week by week and is a huge time saver. Instagram I create content on the fly, mostly personal, mostly for fun, but I am mindful that I post because it forces me to take pictures!
Post consistently: I mentioned above that I decided to post 5 times per week per platform. I’ve hit or exceeded this every week.
Be mindful: My deal with myself is that if I’m on social media I have to post or comment. No mindless scrolling. If I’m there I have to add value in some way.
Results: My Facebook group went from 500 to 565 up 13%, my Instagram went from 200 to 220 up 20% (it was so tiny to begin with the gain was easy!).
Here’s a couple things to note that might help you. Each one of my goals has a number in it. Numbers make things easier to measure. I know where I’m at and I know where I need to be. That makes my results pretty black and white.
Each one of my goals has a strategy attached. I may not grow my list by 1000 people solely through Facebook ads and guest posts or podcast interviews but I’ve decided where I’m going to FOCUS my energy and dollars. I’m not trying 15 things I’m trying 3.
I have 30 hours a week blocked out for work. That means to execute on my goals and handle a full load of clients, I have to be really effective with my time. I keep a notebook where I plan my day the night before. First I write down all my calls and appointments. When I make my goals for the week I block out time for them in my calendar so they are already in there. I also already have my workouts in my calendar. So both those things make the list. If there is room in my day, I look at my goals to see if there is anything I can get a jumpstart on. Then I write down anything I have to remember to do at home or for my kids.
Lastly, I track my time. On that same sheet I write down what I did that day and how much time it took me. If you want to stop wasting time, this is essential!! You never want to write down that you just spent 25 minutes on Facebook when you were supposed to be writing your blog!
I would love to hear from you, was this helpful to you? Do you have any questions? Let me know in the comments below.