4 Ways to Finish the Year Off Strong

With less than 60 days to go until the end of the year, there is no doubt the temptation to “give up” on this year and get into festive mode. Whilst this seems like an appealing option considering the tough 2021 that South Africans have had to endure, this would be a major missed opportunity. As Entrepreneurs, we must use this last stretch of the year to Finish Strong.  Here are our top four tips on how to use the next two months to finish strong:  Clear Goals  Ensure that you have clear goals for the last quarter of the year. Whilst the calendar year ends on 31 December, the financial year ends at the end of February so there is still lots of time to finish the financial year on a good note, but you need to be clear on the goals you are chasing together with the actions that need to be taken to achieve these goals.  Review the Year  Taking stock of the “year that has been” is such a valuable exercise. What worked for you this year, what didn’t work for you? What were the biggest lessons? Which of your team members performed well, who didn’t? What do you need to do differently next year? Don’t do this exercise on your own – get your team involved. You will be pleasantly surprised by the combined contribution and ideas from your team members.  Next Year’s Budget  The last quarter of the year is a great opportunity to start working on next year’s budget. Ask your team members for their wish lists, get clear on the underlying growth assumptions and define the target profit. You then put the budget together line-by-line until it reflects the target profit on the bottom line.   Marketing Plan  Marketing is the key to business success so start drafting your marketing plan now. The key decisions to make are:  

• What Marketing Strategies will you be using  
• What Marketing Budget do you have available  
• Plan the timing of each strategy so that all that’s left to do is execution  

We have multiple clients who had record months this year. Why? Because they did all of the above and more. Success is about following a proven recipe for your business – Find your recipe, follow it and most importantly have fun along the way.  

Darryn Le Grange, ActionCOACH Business Coach
actioncoachignite.co.za | darrynlegrange@actioncoach.com