The importance of Planning

If you're anything like me, you've learned a lot about pivoting this year.

I had a 2-hour strategy session with my team in February, plotting out every bit of Q1 to Q4 in 2020 with all the in-person workshops and networking events you can imagine.

When that all turned upside down in March, did that mean all that planning went to waste?

No. It kept me on course to achieve my goals and showed me where to make adjustments to end up where I wanted to be at the end of the year.

One of my favourite quotes is 'Fail to plan, plan to fail.' In business, meal prepping, or surviving a pandemic, having a plan in place will help keep you from getting bowled over by unexpected circumstances out of your control.

So as we creep closer to the new year and more people get used to working from home, networking online, wearing masks and getting on with life under threat of lockdown—I think it's important to remind everyone that there is a new year coming. We should start looking ahead to the possibilities the new year brings.

Making a roadmap for your business

Things aren't getting any easier in the coming months, so instead of talking about how I would typically plan my business for 2021, I'm focusing on things you can plan right now and pivot around if the need arises.

1. Plan your daily activities

Remember that the small steps you take every day will help you achieve your bigger goals. When you pick your big overarching goal for next year, try to break down some daily habits you can develop to move you toward your goals consistently.

Slow and steady really does win the race in this case. This can be as simple as: post on Facebook right after checking my email each day. Or connect with one potential new client per day.

Getting to check those small tasks off your list will keep you satisfied on the long road to achieving your big goals.

2. Plan your services

Offering 'all the things' doesn't help anyone. While there are some industries that favour jack-of-all-trades, for the most part, you'll find more success in being a master of one. So choose what you really want to be doing for your business.

Do you love making graphics for use online? Offer social media graphics packages. Are you hyper-organized and want to keep projects on track? Offer project management.

Look at your current offerings from this year, figure out which ones made money AND made you happy—and then plan those services to be your main offerings in 2021.

3. Plan Collaborations

It's never too early to plan a partnership or collaboration. Do you have a brand or other business that you would LOVE to work with? Contact them ahead of the new year to plan how you can work together in 2021 in a way that benefits both of your businesses!

If we've learned anything in 2020, it's that working together and supporting each other has become the key to success for any small business.

If you don't have a specific business in mind to partner with, look around at other entrepreneurs who offer services or products that you can combine to solve problems for your current audience.

For example, my web designer and I worked on several projects this year to provide my clients with a website and social media strategy to promote it effectively after launch. That way, my clients only have to work with a single team while getting access to multiple consultants—skipping the cost of working with a full-service agency!

Plan to figure out how you can best serve your audience and then make a plan to move forward in the new year.

4. Plan your events

Even though conferences and events aren't happening in person this year, there are plenty of them available to attend online from the safety of your home.

Take some time to look up all of the conferences you've ever wanted to attend but couldn't justify spending the money to go in person. Many of these coveted conferences have moved online and offer free attendance or reduced rates for their tickets.

Plan out which ones you want to attend and add them to your 2021 goals list.

5. Plan your Social Media Marketing

Last but certainly not least, plan your social media marketing. As we're heading toward a much quieter holiday season than anticipated, you might find yourself with more time on the schedule to plan your upcoming year.

What are your goals on social media in 2021? Do you plan to increase your followers? Finally figure out Instagram Reels?

Now makes for a great time to plan out what your themes and overarching campaigns might look like for your services next year.

If you're not sure where to start in making a plan for your content, I've done all the groundwork for you by creating my 2021 Content Planning Bundle.

This bundle includes a full year of content prompts, buyer persona worksheets, a hashtag cheat sheet and 70 Canva Templates ready for you to use to make your social media graphics really stand out this year.

Even if your plans through the year need to be adjusted as things change, it's still important to keep planning anyway.

Keep looking forward to what your business has to offer in the coming year and aim to make 2021 the best year for your business yet.