Hey there, friends, are you ready for year-end planning for entrepreneurs? Wow, we are again at that time of year—can you believe it? It’s the perfect time to pause, breathe, and reflect on the year that’s just about to close. I know you’re busy, and I know you’ve got a lot going on. Between balancing your coaching practice, content creation, and everything else in your life—and I want to invite you to join me today in taking time for YOU and your future business growth.

I've created a special two-part podcast series on annual business planning for small business owners. While the episodes are divided into two parts, this blog post will cover everything you need at the start of a new year or quarter. 

In episode 101, we’re diving into end-of-the-year reflection—how to look back on the past year, what worked, what didn’t, and how to gather all those valuable lessons so you can move forward into the new year with clarity and purpose. 

Next time, in part two, episode 102, we’ll be all about visioning and planning—creating that clear and aligned plan for a successful year ahead.

It is a good idea to set aside time on your calendar.

While I would love for you to drop everything to work on planning for the upcoming year the second you come across this blog post. The best way to give this your full attention is to schedule time on your calendar. Maybe even a weekend big picture mini-retreat at the end of the year.

The Mindset Shift – Why Planning Matters for Coaches and Entrepreneurs

Now, before we dive into reflection, let’s talk about something that I know can be a real struggle for many of us—planning. For some, planning comes naturally. But for others, it can feel overwhelming, daunting, and frankly, easy to resist. Planning takes time, focus, and attention. It asks us to sit down, organize our thoughts, and really get clear about what we want—which can feel like a lot, right?

It’s easy to procrastinate or avoid the next year's planning process altogether. Sometimes, it feels simpler to just fly by the seat of your pants and deal with things as they come, burying yourself in the day-to-day operations. I get it. I know exactly how this feels.

But here’s the thing: having a plan in place can make all the difference between feeling scattered and feeling steady. It’s what takes us from reacting to life’s demands to proactively creating the life and small businesses that our hearts desire. My first business plan was to throw spaghetti at the wall to see what stuck. I understand that sometimes you need to go with messy, imperfect actions to avoid procrastination. 

I want to share a bit about my background here. My specialty is becoming a consistent content creator, repurposing content, and setting up content systems. This comes from my background as a certified online business manager, and I can tell you—there’s real power in having systems and plans in place. Because, friend, I've done it both ways. 

It not only gives you focus, but it also gives you the freedom to be more creative and impactful in your work.

So, as we move into this time of reflection, I want you to let go of any resistance you might have to planning. Take a deep breath and know that this is a moment just for you—there’s no right or wrong, just a chance to get clear and prepare for something amazing.

It is a great time to grab your journal, a cup of coffee, or your favorite cozy drink, and let’s dive into this time of reflection together. BTW – Here is the link to my free Quarterly Planner Resource

Reflecting on the Last Year

I want to start by talking about why reflection is so important. It’s easy just to keep moving. To jump into the next big thing without taking a beat to understand what happened over the last 12 months. But reflection is like pressing pause on a movie—you get to zoom in on the details you may have missed when everything was moving fast.

Reflection isn’t about dwelling on what went wrong; it’s about celebrating what went right and finding ways to keep growing.

So let’s begin by celebrating your wins.

Think back over the previous year and answer the following questions. What were some of the wins you experienced? And I want you to think beyond just the big milestones—sometimes, the smallest wins mean the most. Did you launch a new offer? Did you finally hit “record” on a podcast you’d been putting off? Did you reach out to that dream client who ended up loving your coaching program? Did you sit down to write a letter to a friend?

Write these things down. No win is too small. If you have a win journal or win jar, this is a good time to pull it out. Let’s celebrate your progress. It’s funny, we often give ourselves such a hard time over what we didn’t accomplish. But right now, I want you to give yourself some serious credit for everything you did do.

If you're listening to this while you're out and about, download this episode to allow yourself time to pause and reflect.

What did you learn?

Now that we’ve got that list of wins in front of us, let’s look at the lessons. I want you to consider what helped make those wins possible. Was it consistency, maybe a new habit you started, or a change in mindset that made all the difference? We’re digging for gold here. By recognizing what made those wins happen, we get clues for what you should double down on next year.

Alright, now that we’ve celebrated, let’s shift our focus to the challenges. What didn’t go as planned this year? We all have those moments—the launch that didn’t go how we thought it would, the project that got pushed back, or maybe when you just felt overwhelmed and exhausted.

I don’t want you to look at these challenges as failures. Instead, think of them as learning experiences. They are simply areas of improvement to point you in the right direction.

Take a minute to jot down those moments that felt hard. What were some things that didn’t work out like you hoped?

And here’s a question I love to ask myself: What could I have done differently? It’s not about beating yourself up; it’s about finding areas for growth. If you look at that challenge from a place of curiosity, what comes up for you?

For instance, I had a project that didn’t quite go as planned because I spread myself too thin. I wanted to tackle everything at once. I learned that focusing on one major thing per quarter is where I thrive. So I took that lesson, and now I’m reminding myself: more focus, less overwhelm.

One more thing I want us to reflect on is distractions—because, as entrepreneurs, let’s be real, distractions are everywhere. Did you stick to your goals this year or hop around from one shiny thing to another? Spending too much time on your social media presence and not enough on developing new products and services?

It happens to all of us. It’s easy to get pulled off course by a new idea, unexpected opportunities, or just the demands of everyday life. Sometimes, those distractions are necessary pivots, but sometimes, they’re just distractions. Keeping us from achieving our business goals.

Take a moment to identify what pulled you away from your goals this year. Was it a shiny object, or was it something that genuinely needed your attention? Understanding where our focus went is powerful because it helps us realign for next year.

Planning Your Best Year: Visioning and Goal Setting for Coaches

Let’s begin by talking about visioning—a word that gets thrown around a lot but is so, so important.

When I say “visioning,” I’m talking about getting crystal clear on what you want the next year, and even the next three years, to look like. This is about letting yourself dream big without the limits of the how. It’s about tapping into your deepest desires for your life and business.

I want you to take a moment right now and picture it.

• Where do you want to be a year from now?
• What kind of business do you want to be running?
• Who are you serving?
• How are you spending your time?
• Do you have team members?

What does balance look like for you in both your personal life and your work?

When I do this visioning exercise, I like to take it even further. Not just what I want to achieve but how I want to feel. I want you to get specific here. How do you want to feel when you sit down to work each day? How do you want to feel about your impact with your clients? How do you want your day-to-day life to feel—energetic, calm, purposeful?

Once you’ve got that vision in your mind, write it down. Describe it in detail. Put it all on paper so

it’s no longer just a daydream but something you can look at, touch, and use as a guide.

What are your new goals?

Alright, now that you’ve got a clear vision for what you want the next year to look and feel like, it’s time to set some clear goals to bring that vision to life. We will do that by focusing on SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals.

Think about what you want more of in your business and personal life. Maybe you want more time freedom or to work with a certain number of clients each month. Or maybe you’re looking to launch that new group program that’s been on your heart. Whatever it is, please write it down, and let’s make it specific.

For example, instead of saying, “I want more clients,” make it SMART: “I will enroll three new coaching clients each quarter.” Instead of “I want to launch a new course,” make it “I will launch a new 8-week group coaching program in May.” When you make your goals specific and measurable, you give yourself a clear target.

Before you pencil in your New Year business plans with your specific goals, I'd like you to block all your vacation time, days out of the office, and no school days for the kids. Why? Because this is a great way to plan your business around your life. It happens that you plan a launch too close to your family vacation.

Strategic Planning

Now, let’s take those goals and break them down into quarterly projects. I know I mentioned this earlier but it bears repeating—the key to avoiding overwhelm is focus. If you have three big projects you want to accomplish over the year, let’s assign one to each quarter. If you have a bigger project, like a course launch or a website rebrand, give it a whole quarter to bring it to life without spreading yourself too thin.

For each project, I want you to start with a mind map. The first step is to take a blank page, write the project name in the center, and start branching off with all the tasks that need to be completed. Here is a link to an earlier post on Mind Mapping To Plan Your Goals.

For example, if your goal is to launch a new course, you might branch out into
“Create course outline,” “Create course content,” “Build a landing page,” “Set up email funnel,” and so on. From there, break those tasks down even further into small, actionable steps.

The idea here is to create a roadmap that makes the big picture manageable and clear. And don’t forget—not every task needs to be done by you. Delegate where you can, and stay in your zone of genius.

Once you’ve mapped out your projects, it’s time to get them scheduled. This is where all the calendar blocking with vacation time from earlier comes into play. Then, plan your projects around those meaningful dates.

Put each task into your calendar or project management system. I love using tools like Asana, Trello, or Notion, but that works too if you prefer a simple paper planner or a Bullet Journal. The key is to give each task a deadline and create a visual representation of what’s ahead so you always know where to focus your energy.

One last thing I want to leave you with before we wrap up today is commitment. Setting goals and making a plan is only part of the process. 

The real magic happens when you commit to taking consistent action. Ask yourself: “Am I fully committed to achieving this goal?” If the answer is yes, then great! 

If not, it’s time to adjust your goal until it’s something you’re ready to go all in on.

And remember, just like with our reflection process, this isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress, showing up, and moving forward, even when it’s hard work. You’ve got this.

Time To Wrap This Up

Thank you so much for spending this time with me today as we created your vision and plan for the year ahead. You’ve already taken such an important step by showing up and doing this work—now it’s time to take what we’ve mapped out and put it into action with a simple to-do list.

If you found helpful things in this post, please share it with a fellow coach or entrepreneur who could use a little extra encouragement in their planning process. 

And if you’re ready to dive even deeper, I’m offering a 90-minute 1:1 SMART Goal Planning Session along with a week of Voxer support to help you turn your vision into a clear, actionable plan.

Until next time, take care of yourself, keep moving forward, and remember—you are capable of creating your business success