The month of January has a history that dates back to the ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus, a god of beginnings, transitions, passages, and endings. Janus was depicted in two faces: one face which looks to the future while the other looks back to the past.
Thus, January has come to be the poster child of resolutions for the new year. When we say goodbye to a past year and usher in a new one, there is an excitement that appeals to our desire for new beginnings. It’s a fresh start filled with new hopes and the sense of possibility. For a time, our minds tend to open and dream a little more than usual. That’s how to best begin your year’s plan…by the things you can dream up. Those dreams give you the encouragement to reach something worth reaching.
At DECO Coatings, we set challenging goals to make us stretch and grow professionally and personally. The end of 2016 proved to be our biggest year to date, with a 27% revenue increase. Before this year, an increase at 27% was just a dream, but dreams are where it begins. My dream for DECO Coatings each year has to have a plan in order to achieve that goal I have in my mind, though. There are 3 things that I did in planning for 2016, and also for the upcoming 2017:
1. Set a realistic goal that can be accomplished in a year. I write these goals into a strategic plan that is reviewed weekly. Are the set goals being met? If not, what is the impediment? What solutions are available to overcome this impediment.
2. Break down the financial goals month by month. These checkpoints create a beautiful place for the short-term goals to be set and met. So much of the magic is seen in numbers, and when numbers are broken down into weekly bits, it’s not so overwhelming to create manageable growth goals.
3. Find out what worked and what did not, in the previous year. Talking to my customers and getting their feedback is the number one most important piece of information that I need! Were your customers wanting more face-to-face meetings? Did your customers react better than expected to a new service you offered? These are all things to think about when planning forward. With this knowledge you can then re-evaluate your services and values accordingly.
Reflection and review is of the utmost importance for DECO Coatings, as we continue to grow in more ways exceeding our goals and setting new ones. Now please excuse me while I get back to taking the advice I am giving you…as I finish refining the new goals and aspirations for DECO Coatings in 2017.