2020 you taught me a lot, and oh, what a year it was. It was really interesting sitting down to write about my year in review and reflect on all that had happened and how I’ve grown both in business and as a person.
I continued working full time in the business, which I’d only started doing late in 2019. It was then all hands-on deck as COVID hit fully in Australia, and lockdowns began to occur around the country. I was shocked but so appreciative as to how busy I became.
Businesses that weren’t online scrambled to get online asap, and those that already were online wanted to polish their online presence and up their digital marketing game. It was great to see so many businesses open to how they could do business online and diversify.
March was a crazy month, working 7 days a week for most of the month and with both kid’s birthdays that month too. I don’t think I came up for air all month.
I was fortunate I was one of the lucky ones that saw my business increase as my husband’s workplace shut down for what turned out to be approximately 8 long months.
What COVID lockdown looked like for us professionally and personally
As our roles reversed around the house (no more housework for me – yay!!) and hello my new house b*tch as I fondly named him (he found his new name amusing too in case you were wondering). I was able to throw myself into the business even more so. And support my clients as and how they needed it.
As hubby was off work during Tassie’s thankfully short lockdown in March/April. He got to handle the joys of homeschooling while I was busily working or aka hiding in my office during school hours. 😉
Business boundaries
Jumping into such a crazy and busy time showed up where my business’s improvements needed to be. And changes I did make:
- A more comprehensive client agreement
- Boundaries implemented around my work hours, and it turned out I was my own worst enemy
- I reflected on why I started my business
- I decided my website needed a revamp to showcase the incredible work I do rocking clients digital world and helping them climb those Google rankings
Website planning
Planning my website took me back to basics, even back to who my ideal client is, and more to the point of who did I want to work with.
Exciting times were had, that’s for sure. I even chose a picture for my ideal client/client avatar to picture precisely who I was talking to when writing my new messaging and social media posts.
Know your business numbers
As I was so busy during 2020, my business numbers got away from me, and before I realised, I needed to register for GST. And it was a quick scramble to get organised and give clients some notice.
I knocked some financial goals out of the park, which was a bit of an odd feeling when so many other businesses were struggling big time.
On a positive though with hubby not working, I realised having the time and focus meant I nailed some of my business goals.
My business, my rules
I’ve always quoted “my business, my rules” but realised this year I wasn’t doing. I was instead a slave to my business. And that is going to change and has already started too in 2021.
I’ve enjoyed some time off between Christmas and the New Year, and during January, I was only working 2 days a week (and I stuck to that except for one week). So, I’m super proud of that and my bad boundaries last year.
Usually, January is crazy busy for me as everyone gets ready for the year ahead. But with purpose and planning, I scheduled my days off months in advance. Usually, I’ve booked work in before even realising I was supposed to have time off.
2021 is all about simplicity
I’m not one to usually have a word of the year, but this year I have.
For me, 2021 is going to be all about simplicity and streamlining things. If there’s an easier way to do what I do, I will find it and implement it. (I said that in my head like the actor Liam Neeson from Taken, lol).
I also decided in late 2020 to start working with the fabulous Belinda Gil of Better than Busy. She’s a brilliant business strategist who is helping me sort my shiz out. Having someone that I can offload to during this time of reflection and planning has been invaluable in keeping me on track and accountable.
My advice for 2021
- Plan – have a plan even if it’s dot points written on a wardrobe door like mine is (no joke, white glass doors make great whiteboards)
- Set goals – without goals, how do you know what you want to work towards and how do you feel like you’re moving forward. Again it doesn’t have to be an essay.
- Do what works for you – remember it’s your business, and everyone is different. Work at your own pace, do what feels right for you, and believe in yourself.
- Keep on top of your numbers – this is important. Make time once a week or once a month to catch up on your numbers and review where you sit. I’d had one year I’d been swamped for a few months, but when I reviewed my numbers, they were nowhere near what I thought they were, and considering how busy I’d been, not where they should have been.
- If it’s not fun, then reassess – you spend too much time working for it not to be fun. And life’s too short to be working in something not fun when you have the power to change it.
- Remember your why and revisit it if you need to. As life evolves and business does, you need to take a step back and remember why you started and check-in to see if your why still aligns.
Tell me about your year
What was 2020 like for you? Either personally, professionally, or both. Leave a comment below or send me an email as I’d love to hear all about it.
