Lessons from 2024 (and Planning for 2025)

I had a bit of business downtime this past week, and it felt like the right time to start reflecting on my past year of business and planning for 2025.

A fellow coach sent me their template for vision and strategy planning, and I really liked many of the elements they captured. It struck the right balance between being detailed without feeling overwhelming - something I’ve struggled with in previous planning attempts.

Here are my biggest takeaways from this exercise:

I feel really clear on what success looks like for me in the new year.

It may sound overly simple, but I’ve written before about the impact of writing down your goals versus just thinking about them. I jotted down a more general objective for the year and then a few specific bullet points for different areas of my life (work, financial, and personal).

One aspect of the template that I really liked was that it included a quote at the top of the workbook. I love the idea of picking a quote that applies to where you’re at in your work/life. Here’s the one I selected:

"The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle."

— Steve Jobs

Spoiler: I already know I love what I’m doing, so this quote works for me in two ways. First, it reminds me why I’m doing what I’m doing, why I’m showing up each day to build my business. Second, I approached this past year with a ‘test and iterate’ mindset, meaning I intentionally tried different strategies and adjusted based on what worked. Saying yes to most opportunities (within reason) was key to helping me discover what energizes me most in my work.

Success for me is to continue to stretch and grow as a coach and sales trainer. I want to keep building out multiple offerings for my business.

I recognize the seeds I’m planting for future growth

I have a whole section recapping this past year and my learnings. It’s easy to focus on revenue and feel like things aren’t moving fast enough, but looking back, I can see seeds I’ve planted. From building relationships to refining my services, these are laying the groundwork for future growth.

I applaud those I see on my social media feed saying, “grow your business to six figures overnight,” but nearly everyone I talk to emphasizes how growing a business takes longer than you think. Consistency and just keeping at it is where the real progress happens.

Based on ideas I tested this past year and insights on where people found me, I also have a section on “ideas circulating in my head’ that I’m excited to test out.

I took a minute to hype myself up.

I have testimonials on my LinkedIn page and include endorsements on my website, but I like the idea of capturing more informal, positive feedback. Gathering informal feedback through screenshots of texts, emails, and LinkedIn messages is a great reminder that even the small wins and day-to-day interactions matter. This practice helps me stay motivated and see the real-time impact of my work.

I’m excited to carry this reflection and planning process with me into future years.

I’m curious - what tools do you use when planning for a new year (whether personal or professional)?

Psst, we’re working on upcoming virtual workshops covering topics like influence and negotiation (you don’t need to be in a sales role for these to apply). If you want to be the first to hear more, drop your info here: https://forms.gle/UXRLxC36pf7kSfxi6

Interested in seeing if we’d be a fit for 1:1 coaching? Book a free 45-minute clarity call: https://calendly.com/jenny_bv/coaching-clarity-call-1