One minute it’s December 31st and we’re ringing in the new year as the clock strikes midnight. The next second it’s mid-March and the first quarter is nearly over?! How in the world?
Time flying by is a common feeling in life, but especially in the business world. You may have exciting product launches, new offerings, or even financial goals at the start of the new year, only to blink and you’re already about finished with Q1 and needing to prep for the next big thing.
Personally, we enjoy the thrill of time passing in our business and having results to show for it. However, it can sometimes invoke the opposite feeling of disappointment when we didn’t have as good of a quarter as we wanted.
The reality that sometimes things go great, and sometimes they do not, is very real in every industry. But today, we want to shed some light on how to overcome a low or challenging period (or quarter) and make the next few months your best yet. Just because things are slow or rocky at one point doesn’t mean that it will last forever, especially when you implement these tips!
3 Ways to Rock a New Quarter in Business
1. Set New Quarter Goals With Enthusiasm
We had to kick off this list by talking about goals because we truly believe in using them to motivate us! Whether they motivate you or not, we highly recommend you kick off each quarter with a hefty analysis of your previous goals and then adjust and set new ones!
The only way you can see progress in business is to measure something with a start and end date. Quarterly goals are a great way to do this!
What type of quarterly goals you have depends widely on what type of business you run. But some of the most common quarterly goals include:
Total revenue
Total number of bookings
New followers
New subscribers
Engagement percentage
New Leads
Website traffic
An important note about quarterly goals that we want to emphasize is that you can use them to pivot when you’ve had a slow or bumpy previous quarter. By assessing what worked and didn’t work at one time, and adjusting your goals to support what IS working, you can then ideally start to see success and achievement in the areas you want. Don’t be afraid to pivot!
2. Look Forward, Not Backward
We absolutely love what Gary Bradt said about looking forward, not backward in business. He recommended,
“Spend 10% of your time analyzing what went wrong last quarter and 90% of your time planning the next quarter. Avoid finding fault and assigning blame. Instead, look for process issues to clean up. Ask, "What have we learned this quarter that we can apply to next quarter?" Looking backward, not forward, is the biggest mistake to avoid. Future goals are not found in the rear view mirror.”
You can learn a lot from what you’ve previously gone through, but you also have to proceed forward with confidence and trust in your systems. By taking the time to assess and then plan ahead, you are able to progress in a positive direction because you know what to avoid or plan for better.
If you didn't rock your first quarter of the year, jump into Q2 with the insight that Q1 gave you but the determination to improve on what was missing and soar above it. Your setbacks or slower periods do not define you. In fact, they help you learn and set you up for greater success when reflected on properly.
3. Focus on One Win
Have you ever witnessed a child who is learning how to shoot a basketball or kick a goal in soccer? They often have several misses before they successfully make the shot or score the goal. That’s because these skills are difficult for them, especially when they are new to the sport or game.
In business, lots of things can be new or unfamiliar at first and we have to stumble our way through them to figure out what works best. What’s important to understand is that this is normal and not to focus on the stumbling blocks. Instead, you need to focus on the WINS.
If your Q1 was full of challenges or contained numerous unexpected stumbling blocks, march into Q2 with the mentality of just ONE WIN. One thing that you can improve, one metric that is higher than the previous quarter, or one new client that demonstrates your marketing tactics are working. By focusing on one win, you don’t get torn down over all the “what if’s” and the “I wish I had more x, y, z’s.”
Like a child learning to play a sport, if they focus on just making one basket or scoring one goal, their excitement for the game will continue to grow.
In business, you will find a lot of reasons to get down or frustrated over numbers, setbacks, or unmet goals. But these do not and should not be where you focus your energy. Instead, allow yourself to use these challenges as motivators to keep trying new tactics, implementing different strategies, or coming up with new ideas. These can be the game changers in your business.
Q1 is nearly over… but do you know what Q2 will have in store for you after reading this? A better mindset to overcome any negative thoughts or feelings. You can do it!
Learn how these other business concepts can help you grow and succeed: