Dashing for the 2012 Finish Line

by Sabrina Risley

By the time December rolls around, most are ready to put their businesses on hold to enjoy the season of sugar cookies, sleigh bells and reindeer. But what if you took a different approach from everyone else this month?

Instead of losing momentum in your business and struggling right out of the 2013 gate, use your time in December to gear up while everyone else is winding down.  This does not mean you have to make 30 cold calls a day. You don’t need to push your services or products for last minute sales. You don’t need to work overtime.

But here is what it can mean.

Revisit, Reassess, and Recreate your Goals. December is a great time to review where you are in your business, look at what you want to do differently, and create a few key tangible goals and actions steps to be carried out in 2013. Many people wait until January to go through this process. But spending some quality time on this in December will allow you to get a head start as 2012 draws to a close.

Celebrate Successes. The mere act of identifying and celebrating your successes from the past year will be one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, not to mention the boost of motivation you’ll receive from the exercise to make 2013 even better. Don’t slide into the New Year without celebrating and acknowledging what went well in 2012.

Organize, Systematize, and Monetize. As part of your end of year plan, take a look at what you can do to increase your efficiency by getting organized now. Use the space in your December calendar to create systems so you can delegate more, get organized so you can spend less time searching for lost information, and monetize any part of your business for next year.

Finish projects. Sometimes we get so busy, we leave important projects on the back burner throughout the year. If you find that December is slower than other months in your business, go through your open projects to see what you can actually finish. Review your project list and decide first if any of the projects can be dumped, and if so, let them go. If not, do what you can to wrap up the year with a clean project list.

Creating Space. Clear up the negative “junk” in your life, you will make space for more positive to appear.  How does this relate to your business? Consider what is weighing on you. Now is a great time to go through your computer and clean up old files, backup all your documents, get ready for your year-end taxes and reports, clean your office to shift the energy and welcome something more powerful in the New Year. It’s also a great time to review your client list. Are there any clients that are not ideal? Consider whether an exit from working with them will allow space for you to work with more ideal clients.

Be grateful. Lastly, take some time to be grateful. Send your clients a thank you card or gift, call the people who have influenced and inspired you this year to let them know how they have done that, recognize people for the role they have played in your life and business, and acknowledge all you can be grateful for—including the simple things like the clothes on your back and the food in your pantry.

Overall, December and the holiday season do not need to kill your business. In fact, using this time strategically allows you to set yourself up for a sprint out of the 2013 gate while still enjoying all the holiday season has to offer.

Happy holidays and all the best to you in the New Year.

(c) 2012 CERTUS Professional Network. All Rights Reserved.

See related posts:

Sprinting for the 2010 Finish Line

Racing for the 2011 Finish Line

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Feel free to share this article in its entirety and include Sabrina Risley’s Bio information below along with live link back to this blog post.  Thank you.

Sabrina Risley founded CERTUS Professional Network™  (formerly Behind The Moon, Inc.®) in 2003, a Colorado-based professional community and networking organization that sets itself apart with its motto “grow your business by helping others grow theirs.” CERTUS offers several monthly networking events along Colorado’s Front Range, attracting professionals who network to give rather than get. You will find Sabrina speaking to audiences about effective networking techniques, the power of partnerships, and principles of service and giving as a means to grow a business. To receiving Sabrina’s free report, Networking For Success , please visit http://budurl.com/BTMtips.