Holy smokes, it’s nearly August! How is it possible that half the year has gone by? We are always thrilled to approach new seasons here at Peanut Butter Creative, but it still comes as a shock to us when another quarter passes by. What about you?
We are so fortunate to have made beginning-of-the-year goals to help drive us to reach new heights and milestones with our business. If you also made goals at the start of the year, how are those coming along? While each business is certainly different in what you’re trying to achieve, we highly encourage you to have some set of goals to move you in the right direction.
But now that the year is half-way through, it’s time to access a few areas that can shape our goals in the positive direction, even if you’re already crushing the initial goals you set!
So let’s dive into 3 important things to evaluate at your mid-year check-in.
3 Important Things to Consider at Your Mid-Year Goal Check-In
1. Are your goals currently realistic and achievable?
This is a big one for all businesses because 6 months ago, things probably looked a lot different! We understand that change can happen seasonally and even adjustments to the economy affect a lot of businesses goals over the course of 6 months. This specific element to evaluate is based on whether or not your initial goal was set properly (and it’s okay if it needs some tweaking!)
A realistic goal might look OFF at a mid-year check-in if it’s so far away that it does not seem possible to reach by December 31st, OR, you’ve surpassed it already. Perhaps the actual value or milestone needs to be adjusted to a realistic figure that you better can predict.
The most important part about this assessment is recognizing what might be holding you back if your initial goal seems out of reach right now. Do you need to hire more staff, add more inventory, remove unnecessary expenses, or invest in your marketing to reach your goal?
2. Do you have the right people and systems in the right places?
Perhaps you’ve heard of the metaphor of the bus (the business) and the different seats on the bus representing the different contributors to the business. The bus driver (you), is in charge of making sure everyone is seated on the bus in their right seats. Assessing this regularly is an important part of ensuring your business can run at optimal speed.
Sometimes as business owners, we get so caught up in the day to day tasks and projects that we forget to assess the people on our bus and the seats they are in. This is a good time to evaluate this (at least twice a year). Are your employees, managers, support members, or even contractors fulfilling their duties adequately, if not exceeding your expectations? Is anyone struggling in their position, being stretched too thin, or not stepping up to what was asked of them? On the flip side, do you have members of your team with lots of wasted time on their hands, are bored at work, or tend to get involved in other team’s projects because they complete their own quickly? Each of these questions is something to consider about your bus.
3. Is your work / life balance in a healthy place?
We are BIG supporters of having work / life balance. It’s absolutely necessary in order to avoid burnout or overwhelm as a business owner. If you are happy with the amount of balance you have in your life, providing adequate time for outside activities and enjoyment, we are so happy for you! If you’re feeling the stress of work bleeding into every area of your life, now is the time to assess what you can do to change this.
One of our biggest pieces of advice in regards to work / life balance is to consider asking for help. Sometimes this looks like hiring someone, but it doesn’t always have to. You could ask for help from your current staff to pick up in areas you know they are capable of, but that you’ve been covering.
This could also look like scheduling set breaks or days off to ensure you have breathing room in your life. Yes, the office needs to run, the clients need to be managed, or the events need to keep running, but you also need to take time for yourself. Even just a few hours each week will make a difference.
We know that your business is what it is because of how hard you work. We are so proud of you! But assessing these elements of your goals and business efforts will only help your business be stronger in the long run.
Consider these other posts that can offer you ideas and suggestions for rocking your business, too!