Do you own a job or a business?

Now’s a great time to plan for next year, but it’s a good time to start looking at how your 2023 has been, too. Is your business delivering what you want it to for you and its other stakeholders? Is it on its way? Here are a few questions that I’ve seen people forget to think about - or outright avoid - that I think are really important for this process. Maybe you’ll find a few helpful 🙂

• Is my quality of life good or increasing? Or am I at risk of burning out if I keep doing what I have been this year?

• Is my family’s quality of life increasing? Are the people around me and important to me getting what they need from me?

• Is this still a goal worth my time and effort? Does the work feel worth it?

• What can I improve on, based on my experiences over the past year? What can I do to make my life better? What can I do to make my business better, healthier, and more successful? What’s been lacking that has kept me from achieving that by now?

• Who can I work with or learn from to fill in the gaps in my skills, knowledge, or focus?

• Do I own a job or a business? Do I want to own a job or to own a business?

This last question is such a critical distinction to make, in my eyes, but one that lots of folks forget to think about.

Lots of you with your own businesses have been sole operators and you likely still are right now. That’s what *most* small businesses really are. That means that you own a job, though, right? If you’re not working, you’re probably not making money. Or at least you’re unlikely to be growing.

But is that what you were dreaming about when you started?

Hell, a big part of why I started my own business wasn’t to build systems and passive income. Mostly my push was that I hated having a boss and frankly just didn’t have the demeanor to be a great employee. But my first couple of attempts at things weren’t really about working myself out of a job, but just trying to make money on my own efforts to support myself directly. It’s not what I really wanted, but because I hadn’t answered that question for myself it was what I defaulted to.

Are you creating just another job for yourself, or do you really want something more? Something that can run without you or with pretty minimal effort so that you can put your energy and attention into the people, the life, and the pursuits that you most value?

So what’s the next step? Will you be outsourcing some work or hiring help, like you could for bookkeeping or appointment setting? Will you look for a business coach to help you get your head right? An advisor to help you focus on the right things financially and to use your resources better? A partner with whom you can share the load and share a vision?

To achieve what you haven’t before, you need to do what you haven’t before. What will you do to move the needle more next year than you did this year?

I'd love to hear what you ask yourself to assess your progress and check in with your goals! What's had the biggest impact on your business and on you, personally? Have a great weekend!