You and I, we’re the strategic types.
We LIKE the analysis involved in market trends, top-performing reels, how the high-ticket customer base is shifting – all of it.
The only problem is, we think we’ve got to come up with the perfect 5-step plan for what we’re going to work on when in our business (oh wait – we already did that last October), and then we’re over here come January, forcing ourselves to stick with it.
(Even though our client roster, current mentorship, and content trends have changed 3 times since last quarter.)
And you already know what happens when you force yourself to follow an out-of-date, out-of-step-with-the-market plan….
Everything falls flat in your business.
Your whole Q1, that once felt so bright and promising, is unaligned.
You can’t shake this feeling that things OUGHT to be working – it was a solid strategy you came up with, back in October – but you can’t argue with the results. They’re not.
(Working, that is.)
Shocking thought: what if you ditched the “super strategic” CEO self, gave yourself permission to redo on the fly, and (gasp) threw your whole beautiful Q1 launch plan out the window??
(It rocks you a little. All those pretty Google docs….)
But then you get down to business, tap into your CEO intuition, and pinpoint what feels like the right focus for the rest of January, current client roster and all.
And here’s what you’ll notice: that super strategic 20,000 foot view? It’s got elements you aren’t ready for yet.
- You want to hire a part-time copywriter before you start launching 3-day email challenges every 8 weeks.
- You still need to build up your client base for that referrals program.
- Your new lead gen strategy (virtual summits!) needs a bunch of branding assets before you start promoting far and wide.
In other words, you’ve got a GREAT business plan – for your next year self.
THIS year – this quarter, even – you’re focusing on setting the groundwork for that next-level vision.
(‘Cause it’s a great one, and you definitely shouldn’t ditch it! You just got a little ahead of yourself and your company’s capabilities at the moment.)
But there’s a specific kind of magic that happens when you forget the 20k-view strategy and drop down to the 5k one….
You start tackling things in the order they’re MEANT to be, with the exact amount of bandwidth you’ve got right NOW….
And each piece of your 20,000 foot strategy starts clicking into place.
- You got a hiring rec for that copywriter, and she turned out to be great. (So you started on all those emails, and converted a bunch of list warmers into new clients.)
- You’re now at your minimum # to run a referral bonus program, so you use that same copywriter to help you craft the promo reminders for your clients.
- Next you decide to turbocharge your outreach by getting all the summit assets in place (so you have something to tell your new future leads about).
Oh, and in between, you’ve been batching some KILLER content, serving the heck out of your current crop of clients, and leaning into coaching support for all the day-to-day mindset wobbles and “should I do this or that” executables.
Aka, you’ve cracked the code on HOW to get to that totally amazing 2027 plan….
By giving yourself permission to have a “lay the groundwork” year, not an “instantly good at 5 new strategies” year.
- Even if that’s what we’d rather expect of ourselves.
- Even if you’re crazy-good at email marketing compared to everyone else in your mastermind.
- Even if you’re a super-duper numbers gal.
- Even if you’re absolutely wowzers at selling in the DMs.
You’re not getting out of being realistic about what a doable number of big rocks is for this quarter – like, ONE – and downgrading your project plan to match it.
(‘Cause even especially CEOs need white space and downtime in their schedules!)
And these days for me, it looks like giving myself PERMISSION to go through several months of the year in “just doing the daily basics” mode.
Like, I can’t predict when those creative surges are going to strike.
And until I get them, I’m not going to overhaul my done-for-you services sales page, or revamp my entire welcome sequence, or totally rework my client delivery process.
I don’t have the spark. There’s no “do this instead” inspiration.
So I leave it alone, WAIT for that spark to drop in, and take care of the day-to-day things in the meantime.
(Even if I KNOW my 20,000 foot plan requires me to do a new photoshoot and redo every single page on my website.)
I’m waiting for the SPECIFICS first – else that new copy’s going to land flat. I’m going to look horribly uninspired in the photos.
And that would be a TOTAL waste of my time.
And I can turn YOUR monthly planning system around – right now – from a hassle-y, “too many things to fit in” process to a “matches your energy and kid stage of life” flow state – when you’re in my done-for-you take your time back program….
‘Cause I’m resetting the focus of your “big rocks picking” day from have-to’s to “I get to take all the time I need so I can be in the right energy for this new program launch.”
It TRULY makes a difference.
So. Which of your Q1 goals is a little TOO ambitious for a proper work-life balance…. And which quarter are you going to push it off to, to make everything fit??
(Or maybe even year – if it belongs in the 20,000-ft. section, not the 5k ft. one.)
THAT’S the responsible CEO decision your team needs from you today.
‘Cause it’s WAY past time to get some customized answers for your time management.
So DM me when you realize you’ve got too much going on this quarter (and you’re ready to do something about it).
