The end of the year is just around the corner. Did everything go as planned?
As a business owner, this is the time to start getting ready for the new year if you haven’t already. There are some simple things you can do now to try and set yourself up for even more success next year. You need to review what went well, what didn’t, and your goals. How did everything line up? Anything you regret? Anything you wish you had done sooner? This is the time to look at your previous plan and to start thinking of a new plan.
Get all your documents together
This is the time of year you really need to be getting all of those documents together. Getting ready to file your taxes is something you need to make sure you’re on and ready for now. Don’t wait until it’s closer to tax time to get this done! Your accountant will thank you for getting it all ready and you’ll be thanking yourself for it. The less you have to scramble, the less stressed you’ll be. Especially if it turns out you can’t find a certain document!
Analyze your cash flow
Where did you spend money? Where did money come in from? This is something you should be looking at throughout the year, of course, but right now it’s especially important. You can’t plan a budget, plan for updates or expansion, or even really know how successful your business is if you don’t know what your cash flow looks like. If you’re bleeding money somewhere, you need to know as soon as possible so you can fix it and get yourself ready for a successful year.
Business goals
This is an excellent time to review your business goals. Look at what you accomplished, what you didn’t get to tick off, and what goals didn’t really fit your business. Look at what needs your business has now and turn those into goals for 2026. If there’s anything that’s really missing in your business right now, it should be at the top of your goals for next year. There are also all sorts of different goals you should be looking at. Financial goals, clinician goals, expansion goals, etc. all are going to make up part of that plan for next year.
Reflect
What worked this year? Of the strategies you implemented, which ones worked out? Which ones didn’t? This is the time to reflect on how well you did running your business. There are going to be things that just didn’t work. Reflect on why. Did you implement them poorly or did they just not fit your business? Is there anything more you could have done to make those work? And if not, strike them from the options for next year.
Celebrate
Remember to celebrate your successes. Your business is running and that’s because of your hard work. Acknowledge that and celebrate yourself. Your business is something you’ve put so much of yourself into. Sometimes we can forget the good parts of running our business and only look at the things that we did wrong or didn’t go well. Celebrate that success. Did you add a new clinician? Did you absolutely smash a goal right out of the water? Did you increase your referrals? These are all things you need to acknowledge as part of your hard work and dedication.
