Four for Friday: Quarter Four

Like sand through an hourglass…

On Fridays, I bring you the best workflow and website tips I found this week. And we call it Four for Friday. Welcome!

We are going into the last three months of 2022. I can't believe it either, {First Name}:

We're heading into the last three months of 2022. Every year we all wonder exactly how that went by so fast, and we wince at what we got wrong and feel lucky for what went right. Most of the time, though, luck didn't have anything to do with it, you're just good at what you do.

But if you want that "luck" to continue, taking a full account of the year is a great idea. Here are four ways to get started:

1. What is your overall take on 2022?

What is your overall take on your business in 2022? "This is a good year", "This was an okay year" or ..."This was not a good year."

2. Make Two Lists

The first is a list of five things in your business that worked. The second is of five things you did in your business that you know - or strongly suspect- did not work.

That is not necessarily some new thing you tried this year, it could be something you've been doing for a while where you've noticed the results. More leads from your Instagram. Photo delivery is better this year, but it still isn't consistent. You had too many clients that didn't pay their invoices on time. Stuff like that.

3. Why did it work or why did you struggle?

Write at least two reasons next to each of the five. You're getting more leads from Instagram because you're posting regularly. Photo delivery is better because you hired an editor, but you're not using them for every job. Invoices aren't getting paid because you're not able to send them out on time.

And next, what did you do or what happened that led to this result? You've been posting regularly because you got Planoly and started batch-planning your posts. You're not giving your editor all your jobs because you don't fully trust his work (is it you or him?) or you can't afford to pay him for every job. You're not sending invoices out before they're due because you keep forgetting to do it.

4. The Double-Down or the Cure, aka, The Plan

If it's working, how do you keep it going? What can you do to make batching easier? If you can't afford to give your editor all your work or you don't want to fire him (it's not his fault), can you give your clients a more realistic timeline to expect their photos, instead? If you keep forgetting to send out invoices, automate it and take it off your hands. A CRM like Honeybook or Dubsado, can send invoices out on time, send out reminders and let you know when you've been paid. If you already have a CRM and you're not using it for that, then you need to click here.

I know I made this sound simple and risk-freeish, but I know it's not. The process of auditing your year to prepare for the next one requires a lot of honesty, and the willingness to make changes.

This month I'm offering 90-minute CRM audits for Honeybook and Dubsado for only $100. Paypal.me $100 and I'll send you a questionnaire to get your answers to #2 and #3, and a link to schedule your audit. Reply to this email if you have any questions!

I'll talk to you soon,

Elizabeth